Bowker awarded two NSF grants for big data research

August 31, 2016

Geoffrey Bowker, informatics professor and director of UC Irvine’s Values in Design Lab, was awarded two National Science Foundation (NSF) grants totaling more than $632,000 to support his project, “Collaborative Research: Institutionalizing the Data Sciences, a Sociotechnical Investigation of BDHubs.”

Bowker’s work will focus on big data and the process of collecting and analyzing data in university curricula, state governance and industry strategy. “This project will contribute directly to NSF and other efforts to build more open, effective, and sustainable knowledge communities across the sciences, industry and government,” wrote Bowker.

The grants are set to run between August 2016 and July 2019. Bowker will be working in collaboration with David M. Ribes of the University of Washington on the project.

Informatics accepting applications for Tenured Faculty Position in Digital Media, Learning, and Design

The Department of Informatics at the University of California, Irvine is seeking exceptional candidates for a tenured (associate or full professor) faculty position in digital media, learning, and design. Digital games, online experiences, and social media are transforming learning and educational practices. We seek to expand on our existing strengths in digital media, learning, and design by hiring a scholar with a strong track record in both research and design for online and games-based learning.
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Bowker receives $632K from NSF for collaborative research project on institutionalizing databases

Informatics Professor Geoffrey Bowker was awarded two grants in August totaling more than $632,000 for support of his project, “Collaborative Research: Institutionalizing the Data Sciences, a Sociotechnical Investigation of BDHubs.” Bowker will serve as PI for the project, while working in collaboration with University of Washington Professor David Ribes of the University of Washington. The grants are set to run between August 2016 and July 2019.
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New dean named for ICS

August 3, 2016

Entrepreneur Marios Papaefthymiou, current chair of computer science & engineering at the University of Michigan, will begin his term as dean Jan. 1, 2017.

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Quartz: “Neuroscientists say multitasking literally drains the energy reserves of your brain” (Mark quoted)

July 25, 2016

Gloria Mark, professor in the department of informatics at the University of California, Irvine, says that when people are interrupted, it typically takes 23 minutes and 15 seconds to return to their work, and most people will do two intervening tasks before going back to their original project. This switching leads to a build up of stress, she says, and so little wonder people who have high rates of neuroticism, impulsivity, and are susceptible to stress tend to switch tasks more than others.

Read the full story at Quartz.

Doctoral student Raval named a Berkman Klein Center affiliate for 2016-17

July 20, 2016

noopur-raval-berkman-affiliateInformatics doctoral student Noopur Raval was selected as an affiliate of the prestigious Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University for the 2016-17 academic year. According to the research center’s website, the Berkman Klein Center brings together the sharpest, most thoughtful people worldwide to tackle challenges presented by the Internet by conducting research, building tools and platforms, educating others, forming bridges, and facilitating dialogue across and among diverse communities. “What better way to embark on our new beginning as the Berkman Klein Center than to welcome this incredible group of colleagues from different parts of the world, renewing our commitment to collaboration and mutual learning across boundaries,” said the Center’s Executive Director Urs Gasser. Read about all of the fellows, faculty associates and affiliates selected as 2016-17 community members.

The Atlantic: “Why Flash Drives Are Still Everywhere” by Paul Dourish

June 30, 2016

The flash drive exposes the great lie of technological progress, which is the idea that things are ever really left behind. It’s not just that an obsolete technology from the year of Saturday Night Fever still lurks unseen in the dank corners of a shiny new MacBook; it’s that it’s something that is relied upon regularly. The technology historian Thomas Hughes calls these types of devices “reverse salients”—those things that interrupt and disturb the forward movement of technology. They reveal the ugly truth that lies behind each slick new presentation from Google, Apple, or Microsoft: Technical systems are cobbled together from left-over pieces, digital Frankenstein’s monsters in which spare parts and leftovers are awkwardly sutured together and pressed into service. It turns out that the emblems of the technological future are much more awkwardly bound to the past than it’s comfortable to admit.

Read the full story at The Atlantic.

Mark to speak at Aspen Ideas Festival

June 27, 2016

Informatics Professor Gloria Mark will give a talk at the 2016 Aspen Ideas Festival (AIF), what’s become a public gathering place for global leaders from across many disciplines to engage in deep and inquisitive discussions of the ideas and issues that shape our lives and challenge our times.

Mark’s talk, part of “The Power of Connectivity” track, will delve into how digital media affects our lives with stress, distraction and mood. Her talk and others in the track will focus on the double-edged sword of global connectivity, which allows us to use our devices to shorten the geographic distances between us, empower voices yet unheard, enhance our appreciation of diverse cultures, and to kindle economic opportunity. While, on the other hand, this global connectivity can create new problems in the realms of equity, privacy, safety and crime.
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