The GI Direct for October 15, 2024

What's Happening at the GI

This week, many of our members are attending the annual CHI PLAY Conference series that's taking place in Tampere, Finland. We're looking forward to the many stories and adventures our members will bring back with them from the 10th anniversary of the conference! For everyone else staying in Canada, we're finally looking forward to the arrival of autumn and the emergence of spooky vibes around the GI - we always go all out for costumes, cosplays, and decorations ??

Research Updates

• Dr. Emma Vossen (Knowledge Mobilization and Research Impact Officer) and Carly Turnbull (Managing Director of the Centre for Biotechnology and Bioengineering) participated in the Waterloo Knowledge Mobilization Community of Practice discussion focusing on the knowledge mobilization practices among UW’s research institutes and centres.
• GI members Pamela Maria Schmidt (Interdisciplinary Research and Communications Manager) and Sid Heeg (PhD Candidate in Sustainability Management) presented at the Beyond Play 2024 Conference in Bremen, Germany.

The GI Podcast

The GI Podcast is available on all major podcast platforms and features a wide variety of emerging and established scholars from diverse disciplines. Check out this episode featuring Sasha Soraine and her doctoral research in designing mechanically achievable games.

• 051: Mechanically Achievable Gameplay with Sasha Soraine

Project Spotlight

For this week's project spotlight, we're spotlighting a project from GI alum Dr. Robert Gauthier (Ph.D.) during his time as a PhD student.

Gauthier studied online communities, examining how researchers can gain insights that can inform, and even improve, public health practices. He explored the sensitive topic of addiction recovery by using topic modelling from machine learning to understand how Reddit communities provide support. He found that Reddit communities were helping members find activities that could replace addictive behaviours. The communities also allowed people to share negative and positive experiences with members and outsiders, such as family members.

Gauthier found that communities were using Reddit to have these critical discussions because the online platform provides pseudonymity – anonymity while remaining under a re-usable user-name. The pseudonymity is crucial for many individuals to be able to have, or observe, discussions that might otherwise be discouraged or rejected in in-person support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), or other organized therapy. The Reddit communities foster critical and complex discussions such as questioning the religious undertones in AA, or wondering how living in recovery from opiates could interfere with healthcare treatment in a system that prescribes opiates for pain management.

Upcoming External Events

Check out the following UWaterloo events we've highlighted for our community.

1. NETWORKING 2030: Metaverse, Extended Reality, Hologram Type and Mulsemedia Communication Challenges for 6G/Beyond Wireless Systems [Hybrid] Thursday, October 17, 10:30 am - 12:00 pm. Join the discussion with I.F. Akyildiz as he lectures on a roadmap towards wireless ultimate XR, Mulsemedia and HTC technologies; the basics, existing products and use cases of these technologies will be reviewed.
2. NASA Langley Biocybernetics Technologies Webinar [Online] Thursday, October 17, 2:00 pm -3:00 pm. Join the NASA webinar on biocybernetics innovations featuring GI member Dr. John E. Munoz (JohnHCI) . Registration is required and needs approval.

Research Opportunities

Get involved with some exciting research projects and opportunities we've highlighted for our community!

1. 2024 New England Venture Summit - The event will take place in Boston and will bring together venture capitalists, startups, and industry leaders for discussions, networking, and showcasing innovative solutions (that makes a world a better place lol). Attendees join by registering on their website for either in-person or virtual attendance..
2. CFP for Contemporary Cyberfeminisms (Roundtable) - The roundtable will discuss contemporary feminist approaches to contemporary cyberfeminisms, technofeminisms, or other critical feminist approaches to new media and technology. Abstracts are due by October 15. Questions or inquiries can be sent to Callie Ingram at [email protected].
3. Teaching Opportunity - The Department of Communication Arts at the University of Waterloo is looking for someone to teach DAC 309 User Experience Design in the Winter 2025 term as a sessional instructor. The course is tentatively scheduled for Thursdays 2:30-5:20PM but could be adjusted for hybrid delivery. Please contact Dr. Gerald Voorhees for details.

Member Testimonial

Without the GI, I would not be able to conduct my research. The way that the GI's space – both physical and virtual - combines disciplines has allowed me to connect my work to new fields, including Games User Research and Social Justice in Education, and expanded the methods that my team has at their disposal. My group's online collaboration is completely embedded in the GI's virtual space, using its Slack. The GI support staff has helped me apply for grants, publicize our research, connect with potential industry collaborators. The GI provides a professional and social network for my students that enriches their experience and the resulting research. - Dr. Oliver Schneider

Where to Find Us

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