31 March 2011
Computing students putting a face on social networking
Photo opportunity: 2pm to 5 pm, Friday April 1st
Queen mother Building
University of Dundee
First-year computing students at the University of Dundee will show off new communication devices they have created at a public showcase on Friday April 1st.
In a highly connected busy world of social networking, the human nuances of inter-personal communication can become lost in translation from human to technology. The Applied Computing and Digital Interaction Design students have been rising to the challenge of developing devices that allow users to continue to maintain meaningful communication.
The students have been learning about the emerging and exciting field of physical computing and Arduino microcontroller programming.
The devices and projects on display to the public for the first time will connect human perceptions, judgments and emotions to Twitter, to provide considered and meaningful lightweight communication.
Ali Napier, a lecturer on the course said, 'Physical computing is about offering interaction beyond the conventional desktop computer. The Arduino board makes it possible for first year students to program a wide array of sensors (distance, motion, force, stress) to build novel, interesting and meaningful interactions.
'The flexibility of this system really motivates students in this tricky subject of computer programming.'
On Friday, after showing their work to their examiners, the students will exhibit their final projects to the public in the Queen Mother Building on the university’s campus.
Chris Martin, who teaches on the course, said, 'What I find really exciting is the students are enthusiastic about really quite complex programming which is traditionally quite dry.
'It's great to have students approach you and ask about extra programming techniques they want to learn to improve their work.'
Notes to editors
For images of last year’s showcase see: http://dewey.computing.dundee.ac.uk/cmartin/play?album=work/ac12004.
For media enquiries contact:
Roddy Isles
Head, Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384910
E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk
MOBILE: 07800 581902 |
