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Nerd Nite #71 - The Science of Switch Feel
Push buttons, knobs, touchscreens…Every day, we interact with hundreds of different switches around us, to do everything from prepare our coffee, type out our emails, turn ON the lights, drive our cars and everything in between. But have you ever paused to think about what goes into designing each of those micro-experiences? Have you thought about makes them all feel a certain way? How do you quantify and specify ‘feel’? Join me to learn about what makes our world click.
About Sagar Kamat: Sagar is an Automotive engineer by the day, where he helps craft the next generation of automotive user interfaces, and an all-out nerd by night, susceptible to frequent trips down the black hole of the internet reading about the vaguest of topics. Currently going through a podcast phase, he finds it difficult to carry on a conversation without, at least once, saying ‘Have you heard this podcast…..” You can read his blog at sagarkamat.com or find him on Twitter at @sagarkamat.
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Artificial Intelligence, Personalized Technology, and Mental Health
AI and personalized technologies are transforming everyday life. They facilitate individualized information delivery, offer personalized monitoring strategies, and opportunities for specific therapy. They enable innovative tools and health-focused applications that empower individuals, their friends and families, to track and learn their emotional patterns in order to strengthen support systems. Join us for an evening of AI to engage with University of Michigan experts as they discuss the implications of using AI for mental health care:
- How will AI and personalized technologies fit into the mental health care system?
- Who benefits? How?
- How do we measure outcomes?
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Nerd Nite 1/17 Why We Play Video Games
NNA2 #61 dives into MRIs and what we can and cannot learn about the brain with neuroscience researcher Sam Carpenter, exploring how protons are structured, inside and out, with physics grad student Nicole Lewis, and talking about why we play - or don’t play - video games with Mark Kazmierski.
Mark Kazmierski – Game On! Why you do (or don’t) Play Video Games
What makes games so addictive? In a world of over-stimulation and short attention spans, what makes games the thing that we are drawn to? We will attempt to break down what keeps people playing, as well as what prevents people from getting started.
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Nerd Nite 1/17 Proton Power
NNA2 #61 dives into MRIs and what we can and cannot learn about the brain with neuroscience researcher Sam Carpenter, exploring how protons are structured, inside and out, with physics grad student Nicole Lewis, and talking about why we play - or don’t play - video games with Mark Kazmierski.
Nicole Lewis – Unpacking the Proton
Scientists have known since the 60s that the proton is made of smaller particles called quarks and gluons that are tightly bound together by the strong nuclear force. This process is responsible for 98% percent of the mass of the visible universe. Which would be great if we had any idea how it worked. Lewis studies proton-proton collisions that are at a high enough energy that the proton breaks up into a spray of particles. By studying the particles that come out of this spray and how they are arranged in space, we can learn more about the internal structure of the proton.
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Nerd Nite #58 - Startup Ecosystems: What Michigan Needs
When you hear the word startup, what do you think about? Do you think tech? Retail? Duo Security? Regardless of what you envision, we know one thing for sure: startups are what drive economic growth and development. This talk goes over what Michigan needs to continue growth as a startup ecosystem.
About Leann – Director of Content, Argonomo; Founder, ASHE Media; Host of the Impact Michigan and Generation [I] podcasts. Passionate about entrepreneurship, digital media, and building the Michigan startup ecosystem. Follow him @leann_abad.
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Visions 2018: AT Guys
Learn about the latest technology that can improve your quality of life. J.J. Meddaugh discusses accessible mobile phones and tablets including iPhone and Android devices, the latest in computer software, braille displays, portable devices, smart assistants, and what's on the horizon.
J.J. Meddaugh is an accessibility consultant, trainer, entrepreneur, programmer, and overall tech geek, writer, and enthusiast. Specializing in bettering the lives of the blind and visually impaired through technology, training, and support, J.J. is a graduate of Western Michigan University with a major in telecommunications management and a minor in business. He can be heard each week on the Blind Bargains Qast, a podcast focusing on access technology trends and reviews.
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Visions 2018: Inclusive Design in Public Spaces with Sina Bahram
Sina Bahram, President of Prime Access Consulting, talks about his personal journey of being a blind computer scientist, working with museums on inclusive design, and thoughts about the future of technologies such as 3D-printing, augmented reality, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence, especially how they can be used to make the world more accessible.
Sina Bahram is a technologist, researcher, and entrepreneur. His company, Prime Access Consulting, helps museums and other organizations around the world become more inclusive to all audiences, especially those with disabilities.
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Visions 2018: William Robinson
Meet Michigan Bureau of Services for Blind Persons Director, William Robinson, III, and hear him talk about his personal journey of hope and technology. As Director of BSBP, Robinson is responsible for the state agency that provides vocational rehabilitation, independent living and employment training services available to Michigan’s 200,000 blind and visually impaired citizens. He oversees operations of BSBP’s Training Center in Kalamazoo, the Braille and Talking Book Library in Lansing, and seven offices located throughout the state that administer a wide range of services including BSBP’s Business Enterprise Program, services for youth and seniors, and deaf blind services.
Before his appointment with the BSBP, Robinson, a certified public accountant (CPA), served as President and CEO of the National Accreditation Council for Blind and Low Vision Services. Prior to becoming visually impaired as a result of a hunting accident in 2001, Robinson was the chief financial officer of National Linen Service, a division of National Service Industries. Robinson received vision rehabilitation services from the Center for the Visually Impaired in Atlanta, GA.
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Chasing New Horizons: Inside the Epic First Mission to Pluto with Mission Leader Alan Stern and Co-Author David Grinspoon
If you wanted to design and fly a robotic spacecraft on a 9 year voyage, 3 billion miles from Earth, the farthest journey of exploration our species has ever attempted… HOW WOULD YOU DO IT?
Join mission Leader Dr. Alan Stern and co-author Dr. David Grinspoon as they discuss their new book, Chasing New Horizons.
On July 14, 2015, something amazing happened. More than 3 billion miles from Earth, a small NASA spacecraft called New Horizons screamed past Pluto at more than 32,000 miles per hour, focusing its instruments on the long mysterious icy worlds of the Pluto system, and then, just as quickly, continued on its journey out into the beyond. Nothing like this has occurred in a generation—a raw exploration of new worlds unparalleled since NASA’s Voyager missions to Uranus and Neptune—and nothing quite like it is planned to happen ever again. At a time when so many think that our most historic achievements are in the past, the most distant planetary exploration ever attempted not only succeeded in 2015 but made history and captured the world’s imagination.
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How To Break Into The Games Industry
Ever wonder how to get started in game development? Drew Davidson shares behind-the-scenes stories from the gaming industry, the educational path required for developers, and how entrepreneurial mindset changes the way one engages with the work.
Drew Davidson is a professor, producer, and player of interactive media. His background spans academic, industry and professional worlds and he is interested in stories and transformational experiences across texts, comics, games and other media. He is the Director of the Entertainment Technology Center at Carnegie Mellon University and the Founding Editor of ETC Press and its Well Played series and journal.
This event was produced in partnership with the University of Michigan Art and Gaming Symposium.