WORKSHOP: HRI Pioneers at the 2023 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction

University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill NC

Investigators

Abstract

This is funding to support a workshop (doctoral consortium) of approximately 21 students (18 graduate participants, one undergraduate participant, and two student organizers), along with distinguished research faculty. The full-day hybrid event will take place on March 13, 2023, in conjunction with the 18th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human Robot Interaction (HRI 2023), to be held March 13-16 in Stockholm, Sweden, and which is jointly sponsored by ACM and IEEE. HRI is the premier conference for showcasing the very best interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research on human-robot interaction, with roots in diverse fields including robotics, artificial intelligence, social psychology, cognitive science, human-computer interaction, human factors, engineering, and many more. It is a highly selective annual event whose theme for 2023 is “HRI for all” with a focus on key HRI theories, methods, designs, studies, and technical advances that aim to understand and promote inclusion and diversity in HRI. More information about the conference is available online at https://humanrobotinteraction.org/2023. Intellectual Merit The Pioneers Workshop is designed to complement the conference by affording a unique opportunity for the best of the next generation of researchers in human-robot interaction to be exposed to and discuss current and relevant topics as they are being studied in several different research communities. Participants are encouraged to create a social network both among themselves and with senior researchers at a critical stage in their professional development, to form collaborative relationships, and to generate new research questions to be addressed during the coming years. Participants also gain leadership and service experience, as the workshop is student organized and student led. The workshop provides a forum for students and recent graduates in the field of HRI to share their current research with their peers and a panel of senior researchers in a setting that is less formal and more interactive than the conference. During the workshop, participants talk about the important upcoming research themes in the field. The formation of collaborative relationships across disciplines and geographic boundaries is encouraged; to these ends, the workshop format encompasses a variety of activities. Because the workshop is co-located with the conference, participants are able to attend both. Broader Impacts The organizers will strive to ensure that the workshop involves students from institutions having historically large numbers of minorities and limited research opportunities. Furthermore, the organizers have a strong commitment to recruiting women and members from under-represented groups, and to attracting students and postdocs from different areas of the world and from diverse areas of research. To further ensure diversity, no more than two student participants will be accepted from a particular institution. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.