May 07, 2008; 4:00pm
60 Oxford Street, Room 330

Ronald Baecker, Professor of Computer Science, Bell Chair in Human-Computer Interaction, University of Toronto

Towards the Design of Electronic Cognitive Prostheses

Abstract

The goal of our research is to envision, prototype, design, construct, and evaluate powerful and flexible electronic cognitive aids. We shall present six cognitive prosthesis research projects being done in collaboration with medical researchers and clinicians at Baycrest, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center, and the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Our goal is to support individuals and families who are struggling with amnesia, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Alzheimer's disease, in tasks such as managing appointments, remembering names, and recalling and reminiscing about past and current experiences.

Bio

Ronald Baecker is Professor of Computer Science, Bell University Laboratories Chair in Human-Computer Interaction, and founder and Chief Scientist of the Knowledge Media Design Institute at the University of Toronto. He is Affiliate Scientist with the Kunin-Lunenfeld Applied Research Unit of Baycrest, Adjunct Scientist at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, and was during the first half of 2006 on academic leave as Visiting Professor, Cognitive Neuroscience, Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons. Baecker is also Principal Investigator of the CDN$5.5M Canada-wide NSERC Network for Effective Collaboration Technologies through Advanced Research (NECTAR), has been named one of the 60 Pioneers of Computer Graphics by ACM SIGGRAPH, has been elected to the CHI (Computers and Human Interaction) Academy by ACM SIGCHI, and has been awarded the Canadian Human Computer Communications Society Achievement Award and the Leadership Award of Merit from the Ontario Research and Innovation Optical Network (ORION). He has published over 125 papers and articles, is author or co-author of four books and co-holder of 2 patents, and has founded and run two software companies. His current entrepreneurial venture is a virtual non-profit foundation within the University of Toronto to distribute and support the open source ePresence Interactive Media system (http://epresence.tv). His B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D. are from M.I.T.

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