WORKSHOP: Think Tank (Doctoral Consortium) at the International Conference on Auditory Display (ICAD) 2015

Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Atlanta GA

Investigators

Abstract

This is funding to support a "Think Tank" (workshop) of about 12 promising graduate student scholars from the United States and abroad, along with distinguished research faculty mentors, in conjunction with the 2015 International Conference on Auditory Display (ICAD 2015), which will be held July 6-10 in Graz, Austria. ICAD is the premier international forum for presenting research on the use of sound to display data, monitor systems, and provide enhanced user interfaces for computers and virtual reality systems. It is unique in its singular focus on auditory displays and the array of perception, technology, and application areas that this encompasses; this includes, for example, data sonification, auditory wayfinding, auditory graphs, speech interfaces, virtual environments, and associated perceptual, cognitive, technical, and technological research and development. Many of the interdisciplinary research and development efforts are of direct relevance to persons with perceptual disabilities, especially visual impairments; for example, developing wayfinding systems for the blind requires research into effective distance cues and object identifiers used in auditory displays. Research into the efficacy of auditory graphs may be used to help visually impaired students and scientists participate more fully in science. Even household devices can have more effective auditory displays that provide richer information than the basic "beeps" they presently tend to have. A common approach in this field is universal design, wherein a display strategy is developed once, to be used by all kinds of users, including those with and without specific access issues. This year's conference theme is Big Data; more details about the conference are available online at http://iem.kug.ac.at/icad15/. The ICAD Think Tank is a doctoral consortium that promotes scholarship and networking among new researchers in an important emerging interdisciplinary area, and will help shape ongoing and future research projects that have clear and important implications for development of assistive technologies and universal access. The doctoral consortium will afford participants exposure to a larger community, allowing them to bond among themselves and with senior researchers at a critical stage in their professional development. Because the students and faculty constitute a diverse group across a variety of dimensions, including nationality and culture, scientific discipline, and institution the students' horizons are broadened to the future benefit of the field. This year, the organizers expect there will be 12 student participants. No more than two attendees will be chosen from any given university, and only if at least one of the two attendees from that university is a woman. Because this is an international conference whose organizers desire a balance between international and U.S. participation, there will be up to 6 students from the U.S. with the remainder from around the world. In accordance with CISE policy, NSF funds will be used only to reimburse student participants from the United States, who will receive travel funds as well as support to attend the entire ICAD conference. Some NSF funds will also be used to subsidize travel by panel members (both U.S. and foreign-based), since they provide great value to the U.S. students. The ICAD Think Tank, a full-day event which will take place on Tuesday, July 7 immediately preceding the conference, is open to graduate students at all stages of their educational program, including both Masters and PhD students. Exceptional undergraduates who have demonstrated interest in pursuing this field in their graduate careers may also be considered. The Think Tank will bring together students from diverse backgrounds (e.g., engineering, computing, music, and psychology), so that they can experience the broad spectrum of approaches to auditory displays, assistive technologies and universal design. The Think Tank will develop a supportive community of scholars and a spirit of collaborative research, by providing participants with a friendly and open, yet rigorous, scientific forum in which to present their research ideas, to listen to ongoing work from peer students, and to receive constructive feedback from a panel of distinguished experts. Panel feedback is designed to help students understand and articulate how their work is positioned relative to related research, whether their topics are adequately focused for thesis research projects, whether their methods are correctly chosen and applied, and whether their results are appropriately analyzed and presented. The Think Tank will also offer invited speakers and discussion groups (e.g., to provide students with relevant information about important issues for doctoral candidates, whether they are considering academic or industrial career paths). Each student participant will furthermore present his/her work in a special poster session during the conference proper. The last day of the conference will include a session in which a summary/review/debrief by the Think Tank Chair will provide conference attendees with an overview of the event's success and introduce the participants (students and panelists).