Georgia Institute of Technology GVU Center

Researchers Use Social Media to Help Measure Outcomes of Psychiatric Medication

August 21, 2019

This research exists as a proof of concept to show levels of a specific condition – before and after medication use – using digital data.

While You Were Away: GT Computing 2019 Summer Highlights

College of Computing, Aug 21, 2019

Whether you were interning, traveling, building Star Wars sand sculptures, or binge-watching Black Mirror, chances are you weren't fully tuned into the College this summer.

Not to worry. We're here to catch you up on all the big stories you may have missed.

Researchers Use Social Media to Help Measure Outcomes of Psychiatric Medication

August 14, 2019

This research exists as a proof of concept to show levels of a specific condition – before and after medication use – using digital data.

AI 'Performers' Take Center Stage and Get Creative with People in Public Spaces

August 9, 2019

Georgia Tech’s Expressive Machinery Lab has developed exhibitions where the AI agents are front-and-center and people are able to create with them. These AIs have included a dance partner, visual storyteller, music maker, and improv comedian.

ML@GT Announces Fall Seminar Series Speakers

August 9, 2019

The Machine Learning Center at Georgia Tech will host five speakers this fall for their fall seminar series.

'MacGyver'-like Robot Can Build Own Tools By Assessing Form, Function of Supplies

August 7, 2019

The breakthrough is a significant step toward enabling intelligent agents to devise more advanced tools that could prove useful in hazardous and potentially life-threatening environments.

Civic Data Science Pairs with Smart Cities for Sixth Summer

August 6, 2019

Students presented data science solutions for problems like climate change and traffic at the Civic Data Science (CDS) finale on July 28.

Tech Tuesday Takeover! Salt, the Humanoid Robot, Joins Christine and Cara

Atlanta & Company, Aug 6, 2019

School of Interactive Computing Ph.D. student De'Aira Bryant and her robot, Salt, from the Human-Automation Systems Lab at Georgia Tech joined Atlanta & Company for a demonstration and and explanation for how emotion detection can improve human-robot interaction.

Georgia Tech Faculty, Students, and Alumni Take Part in 41st Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society

July 30, 2019

This year, the conference highlighted research on the theme Creativity+Cognition+Computation.

Tech Unbound Podcast EP6: Video Game Developers React in Wildly Different Ways to AI-Enabled Software

GVU Center at Georgia Tech, Jul 29, 2019

People are going to have a wide variety of reactions to artificially intelligent systems when we start working with them regularly. In this episode of Tech Unbound, we discuss a new AI-enabled software system for video game developers and the reaction gamedevs had to the AI creative partner.

We are joined by Matthew Guzdial, a newly minted Georgia Tech graduate with a Ph.D. in Computer Science. He shares part of his journey in computational creativity, details about some of the AI systems he’s created, and what an AI-enabled future might look like for people looking to get creative.

Check out Matthew's Ph.D. journey in one 'interactive' picture. 
 

Tech Unbound Podcast EP5: Robot Able to Instantly Identify Household Materials Without Touching Objects

GVU Center at Georgia Tech, Jul 17, 2019

Georgia Tech researchers have developed a scalable and cost-effective way robots can identify materials of objects in the home without touching the objects. PhD robotics student Zackory Erickson, advised by Charlie Kemp, joins the Tech Unbound Podcast to share how it works.

Using near-infrared light, similar to what’s used in TV remotes, the robot can identify common materials used in household objects to better inform its actions. This might allow intelligent machines to understand, for example, the right bowl (paper versus metal) to put in a microwave or how hard to grasp a cup made of glass versus plastic.

Robot Able to Instantly Identify Household Materials Using Near-Infrared Light

No Contact is Required with Objects by Using Inexpensive, Handheld 'Light-Reading' Device

July 8, 2019

Robots aren’t yet household fixtures, but Georgia Tech researchers have already come up with a way domestic bots might recognize materials around the home.

IC's Dhruv Batra Named PECASE Winner, One of Three at Georgia Tech

July 5, 2019

The PECASE is the highest honor bestowed by the United States government to outstanding scientists and engineers beginning independent research careers.

Is Our AI On the Way to Becoming Control?

StarTrek.com, Jul 2, 2019

The powerful computer easily took control on 'Discovery.' Associate Professor Mark Riedl contributes to this discussion on whether or not that popular portrayal is a realistic representation of artificial intelligence.

Georgia Tech Team Wins New Fetch Robot at ICRA's FetchIt! Mobile Manipulation Challenge

June 28, 2019

A team of Georgia Tech master’s and Ph.D. students, advised by Sonia Chernova, won the challenge by successfully assembling three kits with its robot in 39 minutes.

IC Researchers Earn 2018 IJRR Paper of the Year for Impactful Robotics Research

June 28, 2019

With the award comes a $1,000 prize. Boots attended the Robotics: Science and Systems (RSS) conference in the Freiburg, Germany, this week, where he accepted the award on behalf of his team.

Tech Unbound Podcast EP4: Smart Dog Toys Help Save Time and Money to Train Service Dogs

GVU Center at Georgia Tech, Jun 17, 2019

How do dogs get jobs? Well first they have to go to dog school, but not every dog makes the grade. Finding out if canines have the right temperament to become service animals or train for other jobs takes time and money. 

On this episode of Tech Unbound, Ceara Byrne, Ph.D. student in computer science, shares how her team can predict the suitability of service animals by using smart dog toys. Yes, that’s right, dogs are getting their own smart devices to help them get ready for the job market. The research is poised to save millions of dollars in training costs.

She Designs High-Tech Responses to Human Health Problems

National Geographic, Jun 14, 2019

Like other computer scientists, Elizabeth Mynatt uses cutting-edge tech. What sets her apart is her holistic, humanistic approach. “I always say I’m designing for both sides of the equation,” she says. “And the people side is always the hardest.” Read More.

The Interaction Hour: Zvi Galil and the Online Revolution at Georgia Tech

The School of Interactive Computing, Jun 14, 2019

When Zvi Galil, the outgoing John P. Imlay Jr. Dean of Computing, came to Georgia Tech in 2010, there was no such thing as OMSCS. True online degree programs were still a dream, AI teaching assistants unnecessary, and the College of Computing, while excellent, in many ways mirrored its peers in higher education. Over nearly a decade that he has led the College, however, it has experienced dramatic growth both in size and reputation. As he prepares for the final month of his deanship at the College of Computing, we chat with Dean Galil about what brought him to Georgia Tech, his mission and how he fulfilled it, and, of course, the world-renowned online degree program for which he will be most remembered.

IC Researchers Awarded Outstanding Study Design Paper Award at ICWSM-19

June 14, 2019

The paper, titled A Social Media Study on the Effects of Psychiatric Medication Use, was presented by IC Ph.D. student Koustuv Saha and included fellow IC Ph.D. student Benjamin Sugar and IC Assistant Professor Munmun De Choudhury.

Neha Kumar Appointed Chair of the Association for Computing Machinery's Future of Computing Academy

June 7, 2019

Kumar is an assistant professor with a dual appointment in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs and the School of Interactive Computing.

ICML 2019: Georgia Tech Researchers Present at Global Machine Learning Conference

June 4, 2019

Georgia Tech will present 18 papers at the International Conference on Machine Learning.

The Interaction Hour: Exploring Social Media's Role in Opioid Addiction Recovery

The School of Interactive Computing, May 30, 2019

In the late 1990s, the United States saw a sharp increase in the number of opioid overdose deaths – rising by nearly 600 percent between 1999 and 2017, according to data provided by the CDC. It has, appropriately, been labeled an epidemic, and in 2018 the country’s life expectancy dropped for the third consecutive year, reflecting the ongoing drug crisis and rising suicide rates. As researchers and clinicians continue to examine the quality of different approaches to treatment, many seeking recovery have taken matters into their own hands. Our guest, School of Interactive Computing Ph.D. student Stevie Chancellor, will present a paper on this subject next week at the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems in Glasgow, Scotland. What exactly do these addiction support communities entail? What alternative strategies are people pursuing in recovery, and why? How can we ensure that clinicians are well-informed about the types of self-treatments being used outside of their care?

Tech Unbound Podcast EP3: Battling Bias and Making Better Decisions Using Visual Data Interactions

GVU Center at Georgia Tech, May 28, 2019

May 28, 2019 - We lean on data a lot - in catching bad guys to making hiring decisions and even planning the weekly grocery list. But we’re biased creatures, and sometimes we get it wrong.

Host Joshua Preston talks with Emily Wall, Ph.D. student in computer science, about how technology can allow us to better understand how we interact with visual data and use that understanding to make better decisions.

AIs and Humans Become ‘Creative Equals’ with New Design Tool

Video Game Developers Use an AI partner In Wildly Different Ways, From Friend to Boss

May 16, 2019

Will video game developers welcome AI assistance in their workflow? In short, yes, and in wildly different ways, based on research from Georgia Tech published this month.

Tech Unbound Podcast EP2: Computers Dissect Every Minute of HBO's Game of Thrones to Reveal the Show's Dominant Colors and Dialogue

GVU Center at Georgia Tech, May 13, 2019

May 13, 2019 - Winter has arrived. The end of a pop culture era is here with the final episode of HBO’s Game of Thrones airing on Sunday. Fans of the show express their fandom in many different ways, but none quite like those at Georgia Tech.

On today’s show, we discuss an interactive data visualization that analyzes the color and dialogue in every single minute of every single episode of the first six seasons of the hugely popular television fantasy show based on the book series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin. 

Host Joshua Preston talks with Fred Hohman, Ph.D. student in computational science and engineering and computer science, one of the creators of the data visualization that is aptly named "A Viz and Ice and Fire." 

Explore "A Viz of Ice and Fire - Summarizing Entertainment Video Using Color and Dialogue."

Also check out more Georgia Tech love for Game of Thrones.

Two Georgia Tech Alums Receive Prestigious Awards at CHI 2019

May 8, 2019

Jennifer Mankoff, one of Professor Gregory Abowd’s first of 30 Ph.D graduates in 2001, was inducted into the prestigious CHI Academy this week, and Gillian Hayes (2007), also advised by Abowd, was awarded the Social Impact award.

IC Researchers Seek to Improve Treatment for Schizophrenia Under New $2.7 Million NIMH Grant

May 1, 2019

This grant offers researchers the opportunity to apply findings of past research to real-world clinical settings.

CHI 2019: Georgia Tech Research Integrates Human Capabilities with Machine Advances for Positive Impact in Society

GVU Center at Georgia Tech, Apr 30, 2019

Georgia Tech faculty and students from across the Institute are bringing their broad interdisciplinary research approach and expertise to the Association for Computing Machinery Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2019), May 4-9 in Glasgow, UK.

Among more than 700 institutions and 2,600 researchers participating, Georgia Tech is a Top 10 institution with accepted research. This research includes an expansive portfolio of work that uses technology to address tough social issues, such as drug addiction and mental health problems, and builds techniques to advance human capabilities in areas including creativity, advocacy, policy, and education.

Tech Unbound Podcast EP1: A.I. Agent Plays Frogger and Convinces Spectators It Knows What It’s Doing

GVU Center at Georgia Tech, Apr 30, 2019

Why did the frog cross the road? Georgia Tech’s newest artificial intelligence (AI) system plays the video game Frogger and can offer up explanations to human spectators about why it makes each move.

Upol Ehsan, Ph.D. student in computer science at Georgia Tech, talks about the AI system. 

The work takes a formative step towards understanding the role of natural language AI explanations and how humans perceive them. It’s a human-centered approach to developing AI agents, one that Upol says is needed in order to make black-boxed AI systems explainable to everyday users.