CSE Colloquium Series

Interdisciplinary Visualization and Interactive Computing for Science

Daniel Keefe

Brown University
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
9:45 am - 10:45 am
3105 Engineering

Host: Charles Owen 

Abstract

From scientific uses of large-format stereoscopic displays to the recent computer gaming success story of the Nintendo Wii Remote, new visual and interactive computing technologies are changing the way we approach science, medicine, and social interactions. In this talk, I will present research designed to advance visualization and interaction using 3D computer tools. A limiting factor in scientific use of this technology is the current lack of precision and accuracy in 3D input. I will present a toolset of new, 3D input strategies, called Drawing on Air, that successfully address this limitation. Additionally, I will present quantitative evaluations and models of human-machine performance that lead to better understandings of spatial computer input. Combining these interactive capabilities with carefully designed real-time graphical displays will be important for developing future exploratory visualization tools for scientific data. Collaborations with scientists (biologists, orthopedists, and engineers) have driven my recent work in this area. I will describe this ongoing multi-disciplinary research, including projects in 3D motion tracking from high-speed X-Ray movies collected in biomechanical experiments and new interactive visualization techniques for analysis of 3D kinematics in animals.

Biography

Daniel F. Keefe is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Visualization Research Lab at Brown University. His research investigates new computing techniques for science in the areas of exploratory scientific visualization, medical imaging, future computer displays, and controllable spatial interaction with computers. He received the Ph.D. in Computer Science from Brown University in 2007, where his dissertation was nominated by the Department of Computer Science for the 2007 ACM Dissertation Award. He received the Masters in Computer Science from Brown University in 2001 and the B.S. in Computer Engineering with summa cum laude honors from Tufts University in 1999. At Brown, his work has been instrumental in forging close research and teaching collaborations with the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), including the formation of the course "Virtual Reality Design for Science," the first cross-registered course between the Department of Computer Science and RISD. Dr. Keefe is also active within the digital art and design community, where his work has been presented at academic conferences and juried exhibitions, including ACM SIGGRAPH.