I’m excited and a little overwhelmed to get going again in the new semester.
The summer was quite hectic for me, having worked with my research group over in School of Media Studies on taking them to SIGGRAPH in Los Angeles. We presented technologies that enhance the experience of the AIDS Memorial Quilt. For the trip, I did everything from project manager (things like arranging to have everything shipped to the right place) from producing a live blog of our entire trip once we got there. I wore alot of hats. It was an emotional but important experience to present our tech and meet people connected with the quilt in Los Angeles.
Going to SIGGRAPH demonstrated to me how technology can extend and enable a wider narrative around a tangible form. Given the strong social narrative surrounding the quilt, the technology proved to be a very interesting bridge between virtual and physical. In alot of ways, it relates to the research I am doing regarding Civic Tech, as there are virtual/tangible bridges built between services offered via technology and how they impact the real world.
With Civic Tech my primary research focus this semester is understanding better the general connection between entrepreneurship and civic engagement. I am curious to develop a means to measure this, and plan to start by comparing some successful Civic Tech projects with projects that are civic minded but may not utilize technology or business mechanics in quite the same way as Civic Tech does. In examining the relationship between these ventures directed at civic matters, I want to understand deeper the tensions, the commonalities, and the ways where each may influence or assist each other.
I’m also looking forward to interfacing more with the other groups in the Lab, as everyone is working on very interesting projects and I am eager to hear if there are any common challenges, or even overlap between what we are focused on.
Away we go!
