Beki Grinter from Georgia Tech's College of Computing will be the Information Science Colloquium speaker for Nov. 20, 2013. Rebecca “Beki” Grinter is a Professor of Interactive Computing in the College of Computing & by courtesy also in the Scheller College of Business at the Georgia Institute of Technology.  Her research focuses on improving the experience of computing by understanding the human experience in the building and using of technologies. Her work contributes to the fields of human-computer interaction, ubiquitous computing, and computer supported cooperative work. She has also worked in the areas of robotics, networking, security, and software engineering. She has served as Papers Chair (2006) & Best Papers Chair (2010) for the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI), the premier conference for human-computer interaction.  In 2010 she was recognized as a Distinguished Alumna of the University of California, Irvine. In 2013 she was elected to the CHI Academy.

Before joining the faculty at Georgia Tech, she was a Member of Research Staff in the Computer Science Laboratory of Xerox PARC and a Member of Technical Staff in the Software Production Research Department of Bell Laboratories. She was also a visiting scholar at Rank Xerox EuroPARC. She holds a Ph.D.  and M.S. in Information and Computer Science both from the University of California, Irvine (go Anteaters!), and a B.Sc. (Hons) in Computer Science from the University of Leeds.

Talk Title: Towards HCI

Abstract: Shockingly (to me) it's been 17 years since I finished my PhD! In reflecting back over this period of time I am struck by two themes that have dominated my choice of research projects. First, I will discuss research that I've taken that leverages the methods and sensibilities of HCI research to generate outcomes in other areas of Computer Science. I'll describe how I ended up doing this style of research and some outstanding areas of investigation. I'll also explain why I think contributions to and engagement with Computer Science remains an important component of HCI research. Second, I'll reflect on another strong influence on the problems that I've picked, location, location, location. I'll discuss how working for a telecommunications company and living in the New South have offered my students and I an exciting array of opportunities. I'll conclude by telling you what I'm working on now.