immersive technologies

Using math to improve photographs, with expert guest Gordon Wetzstein. Such methods have exploded in recent years and have wide-ranging impacts from improving your family photos, to making self-driving cars safer, to building ever-more-powerful microscopes. Somewhere in between hardware and software, he says, is the field of computational imaging, which makes cameras do some pretty amazing things. Wetzstein and host Russ Altman bring it all into focus on this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything podcast.

Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything Website

Connect with Russ >>> Threads or Twitter/X

Connect with School of Engineering >>> Twitter/X

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Introductions 

Host Russ Altman introduces the guest, Gordon Wetzstein as well as the concept of non-line-of-sight imaging.

(00:02:58) Computational Imaging 

Gordon Wetzstein explains the concept of computational imaging and the way it integrates hardware and software for optimal image capture.

(00:04:22) High Dynamic Range (HDR) Imaging  & Focal Stacking

An explanation of what HDR is and how it captures high-contrast scenes, and the similar process of focal stacking, using multiple images to create depth. 

(00:09:56) Non-Line-of-Sight Imaging 

(00:15:51) Optical Computing: Extending Hardware Capabilities 

Insights into optical computing, explaining how specially designed hardware can preprocess data for AI algorithms.

(00:18:08) Applications of Optical Computing 

Exploration of applications for optical computing in power constraint systems and increased efficiency in data centers.

(00:23:07) The Intersection of AI, Physics, and Computer Graphics 

Synergy between AI, physics, and computer graphics in creating 3D content and models. 

(00:25:47) Generative AI to Create 3D from 2D 

Exploring the challenge of generating 3D digital humans from unstructured 2D images using algorithms

(00:32:02) Challenges & Advancements in VR and AR Design 

Connect With Us:

Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything Website

Connect with Russ >>> Threads or Twitter/X

Connect with School of Engineering >>> Twitter/X

These are some Organizations/Resources that Caroline wanted to share with listeners:

• BlockBeam A free Blockchain education program for undergrads to help them launch into Blockchain and Fintech careers https://www.blockbeam.io/
• Darshan.io is a inclusive global talent community for gig and full time job seekers that incentivizes learning and sharing with crypto https://darshana.io/
• XRWOMEN https://www.xrwomen.com/
• VRARA https://www.thevrara.com/
• Boston OWASP a chapter that focuses on Information Application Security has  lots of programs, meetups https://owasp.org/www-chapter-boston/
• MAHacks – the Hackathon is postponed this year but it is for everyone, been running several years over a weekend https://mahacks.com/#how-it-works
• AI4ALL Summer Programs, https://ai-4-all.org/summer-programs/
• From the VRARA Student Committee 2020 Resource Guide for Parents and Students about 3D VR AR XR (it is quite extensive co-produced by Julie Smithson from my XRWomen team) LINK: https://lnkd.in/d9mXDjMC
• XRCollaboration.com Resource Guide (I contributed a small section on Privacy and Security in the Resource Guide), created with several XR experts https://xrcollaboration.com/
• Unity College is doing some amazing work in XR Education https://unity.edu/about/innovation-lab/extended-reality/
• Linux Foundation has lots of free resources, webinars and communities https://training.linuxfoundation.org/resources/
• The MIT Museum is moving but keep checking back it will be at Kendall Square https://mitmuseum.mit.edu/mit-museum-kendall

Careers/Learning:

• CS50 Not a new course but I suggest this for all of my students exploring a computing or technology career, regardless of whether they have completed a CS degree or just in high school, it simply cannot be beat: https://www.edx.org/course/introduction-computer-science-harvardx-cs50x
• On cyber security careers: https://flatironschool.com/blog/how-to-get-into-cyber-security/
• Fintech Careers https://www.fintechfutures.com/2020/10/fintech-futures-jobs-six-skills-that-can-get-you-hired-in-fintech/
• Digital Twins being used across many industries https://www.simulationinformation.com/news/how-digital-twins-are-transforming-manufacturing-medicine-and-more-by-andrew-r-chow/
• MassRobotics has an upcoming career fair on May 11th in Boston https://www.eventbrite.com/e/massrobotics-career-fair-at-the-robotics-summit-tickets-301596371867
• Into learning about Crypto and Startups? https://a16z.com/crypto-startup-school/

This is episode #8 of the podcast and it’s Thursday, the 23rd of December 2021. In today’s show, I am talking to Dr. Rob Boddice, Senior Research Fellow at the Academy of Finland Centre of Excellence in the History of Experiences, Tampere University, Finland, and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Social Studies of Medicine, McGill University, Canada. He is the author or editor of 11 books, most recently ‘Humane Professions’ (2021), ‘Emotion, Sense, Experience’, with Mark Smith (2020), ‘A History of Feelings’ (2019), and ‘The History of Emotions’ (2018). ‘Feeling Dis-Ease in Modern History’, co-edited with Bettina Hitzer, will be published by Bloosmbury in the Spring of 2022. He is currently completing a book called ‘Knowing Pain: A History of Sensation, Emotion and Experience’ for Polity Press.

Professor Boddice’s recent book ‘Emotion, Sense, Experience’, with Mark Smith, published last year, is the focus of this show. We start by addressing the central role of emotions  in understanding experience, especially experience in the past. In his book, Rob advocates for a broader dialogue on the treatment of the senses and emotions that would lead to “a more accurate, robust, and ultimately, more meaningful history of human experience” (Boddice & Smith, 2020). And, in doing so, he insists in the reconstruction of context to the maximum extent possible, to understand the practical framework in which experience is produced — otherwise, he says, “we risk transfiguring the feelings of others into one’s own” — imposing the present on the past. But accessing the situated ways of hearing, feeling, touching, sensing is very difficult and has been done so far through a very zoomed in analysis of the context. The best, he believes, is probably to represent that distance between past and present — and emotions should not be kept separate from the senses - especially when working with experiences in the past.

In the second part of the show, we tackle issues related to the role of technology (especially Artificial Intelligence) in shaping our emotion and sensory awareness, and practices of emotion research in the next decade. We close with a discussion on whether historians can and should keep AI ethical and on track. Here is the show.

Show Notes:

- What is to say ‘History of X’? (where X can be emotion, feelings, experience) and what is experience, especially felt experience?

- How many emotions are out there? How should we study them - in isolation, or as a united whole? Is there a boundary between reason and emotion? 

- The critical need for an interdisciplinary approach to the history of emotions.

- Emotion AI: rather challenging to build, adding to this the recent backlash from the Ethics community on the consequences of AI  due to the misunderstanding of the nature of emotions. Would  a change in our understanding of emotions lead to the ‘right’ technology?

- Immersive Technology: the role of  AI in shaping our emotion and sensory awareness, and practices of emotion research in the next decade (or so); Can immersive technology help historians access the past? And, can/should historians keep AI ethical and on track?

For more information on Prof. Boddice’s books:
https://www.cambridge.org/core/elements/emotion-sense-experience/DBE24D02C6367B362884DAC8A002F69F

https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/feeling-disease-in-modern-history-9781350228375

This is episode #6 of the podcast and it’s Thursday, the 25th of November 2021. In today’s show, I am talking to Dr. Mitchell J. Nathan, Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor of Learning Sciences in the Educational Psychology Department, Director of the MAGIC Lab, and a Fellow of the Teaching Academy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He studies how people think, teach, and learn, with special focus on the role that language and embodied processes play in understanding mathematics and engineering disciplines. His research explores the development of algebraic reasoning, expert blind spot in teaching, how cohesion processes support integrated STEM education, computer animation to support reading of mathematics story problems, and the embodied nature of mathematical intuition and geometric proof, with implications for the design of educational technology, teacher education and professional development, and student knowledge assessment. 

Professor Nathan has authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications and has recently published a book ‘Foundations of Embodied Learning: A Paradigm for Education’ - which is the focus of this show. In his book, he advocates for a coherent evidence-based framework for how people learn. Starting with basic definitions of learning and the current state of the US education system, we address the central role that embodied learning plays in education and how can such an approach be measured.

In the second part of the show, we tackle issues related to the role of immersive technologies in reshaping learning and how it might be done. We wrap up the discussion touching on the important concepts of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and their relation to an embodied approach to learning. Here is the show.

Show Notes:

• What is learning and what is the current state of the education system in the US (and elsewhere)
• Embodied learning: a proposal for a coherent evidence-based framework for how people learn
• Foundational theories at the core of the education system in the US and elsewhere: Information Processing Theory (definition, advantages and disadvantages)
• The sensorial component: the role of the senses and their interconnections in this grounded and embodied learning approach
• Assessment practices: how exactly can we measure embodied learning? Do we have the necessary tools?
• Education technologies: role of immersive technologies in reshaping learning and how it might be done
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI): how do they relate to an embodied approach to learning

Other Notes:

Books and articles mentioned:

Mitchell J. Nathan. Foundations of Embodied Learning: A Paradigm for Education. Routledge. 2021.

Maxine McKinney de Royston, Carol D. Lee, Na'ilah Suad Nasir, and Roy Pea. Rethinking schools, rethinking learning. Phi Delta Kappan. 2020; 102(3):8-13.

For more information on Prof. Nathan’s book and research:

https://www.psupress.org/books/titles/978-0-271-09017-7.html

https://www.routledge.com/Foundations-of-Embodied-Learning-A-Paradigm-for-Education/Nathan/p/book/9780367349769

Don’t miss the live conversation of Prof. Nathan’s book hosted by A Room of One's Own on Tuesday, November 30, 2021 - 6:00pm. Detailed information on how to join virtually  can be found here: 

https://www.roomofonesown.com/event/mitchell-nathan-author-foundations-embodied-learning-conversation-dr-martha-wagner-alibali

This is episode #5 of the podcast and it’s Thursday, the 11th of November 2021. In today’s show, I am talking to Dr. Mark M. Smith, Carolina Distinguished Professor of History and Director of the Institute for Southern Studies at the University of South Carolina. Mark is the author of numerous books on history and the history of the senses - and in this show we are focusing on two of his most recent books: ‘Emotion, Sense, Experience’ (co-authored with Rob Boddice) and ‘A Sensory History Manifesto’. Starting with basic definitions of human experience, lived experience, and the history of the senses, we address the central role the senses play in understanding experience, especially experience in the past. In both books, Prof. Smith advocates for a broader dialogue on the treatment of the senses, the need for a more situated context in methodological investigations that would lead to “a more accurate, robust, and ultimately, more meaningful history of human experience” (Boddice & Smith, 2020). Mark also believes that the future of sensory history would greatly benefit from a wider interdisciplinary engagement of the community at large. 

In the second part of the show, we tackle issues related to the role of technology (especially artificial intelligence) in shaping our awareness and use of the senses as well as the practices of sensory history. Specifically, advances in immersive technologies (including the Metaverse) would eventually make possible Alain Corbin’s famous meditation on the tight connection between the senses and emotions: “There is no other way” he said, “to know men of the past than by trying to borrow their glasses and to live their emotions.” And, of course, we had to close the discussion with a short incursion in the sensory shift brought by the pandemic. Ethical implications of consuming, using, and monetizing historical experience were also addressed. Here is the show.

Show Notes:

• Definitions: Sensory history, lived experience, sensory knowledge
• Importance of analyzing senses: unpacking the meaning of a moment in the past
• How do people sense and what kind of meaning do they give to it
• How to look at historical evidence with a sensory nose:
  • context/discourse/words matter: importance of contextualization in using and interpreting historical past through the senses
• Need for healthy disputes in field formation
• Pressure in Higher Education: to make research look relevant to contemporary society
• Careful attention: the pitfalls of (disingenuous) consumption of the past
• Which approach is better to consider: senses in isolation or senses as an inter-related whole?
• Importance of interdisciplinary research of the senses: call for a genuine, authentic, and equitable dialogue across many disciplines
• Role of Immersive Technologies (i.e., Artificial Intelligence) in shaping our awareness and use of the senses
  • Why this quest for immersion and what it entails
  • Degree of authenticity
  • Difference between re-constructing the past and the immersive experience in the Metaverse
• Disgustology - in predicting voting patterns
• Impact of the pandemic on the senses

Books mentioned:

Boddice, Rob and Mark M. Smith. Emotion, Sense, Experience. Cambridge University Press. 2020.

Smith, Mark M.. A Sensory History Manifesto: 4 (Perspectives on Sensory History). Penn State University Press. 2021.

Contact info: For more information on Prof. Smith’s books and research visit:

https://sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/artsandsciences/history/our_people/directory/smith_m_mark.php
https://www.psupress.org/books/titles/978-0-271-09017-7.html