Presenting in Virtual Worlds: Towards an Architecture for a 3D Presenter explaining 2D-Presented Information

Entertainment, education and training are changing because of multi-party interaction technology. In the past we have seen the introduction of embodied agents and robots that take the role of a museum guide, a news presenter, a teacher, a receptionist, or someone who is trying to sell you insurances, houses or tickets. In all these cases the embodied agent needs to explain and describe. In this paper we contribute the design of a 3D virtual presenter that uses different output channels to present and explain. Speech and animation (posture, pointing and involuntary movements) are among these channels. The behavior is scripted and synchronized with the display of a 2D presentation with associated text and regions that can be pointed at (sheets, drawings, and paintings). In this paper the emphasis is on the interaction between 3D presenter and the 2D presentation

Presenting in Virtual Worlds: An Architecture for a 3D Anthropomorphic Presenter

Multiparty-interaction technology is changing entertainment, education, and training. Deployed examples of such technology include embodied agents and robots that act as a museum guide, a news presenter, a teacher, a receptionist, or someone trying to sell you insurance, homes, or tickets. In all these cases, the embodied agent needs to explain and describe. This article describes the design of a 3D virtual presenter that uses different output channels (including speech and animation of posture, pointing, and involuntary movements) to present and explain. The behavior is scripted and synchronized with a 2D display containing associated text and regions (slides, drawings, and paintings) at which the presenter can point. This article is part of a special issue on interactive entertainment

Meetings and Meeting Modeling in Smart Environments

In this paper we survey our research on smart meeting rooms and its relevance for augmented reality meeting support and virtual reality generation of meetings in real time or off-line. The research reported here forms part of the European 5th and 6th framework programme projects multi-modal meeting manager (M4) and augmented multi-party interaction (AMI). Both projects aim at building a smart meeting environment that is able to collect multimodal captures of the activities and discussions in a meeting room, with the aim to use this information as input to tools that allow real-time support, browsing, retrieval and summarization of meetings. Our aim is to research (semantic) representations of what takes place during meetings in order to allow generation, e.g. in virtual reality, of meeting activities (discussions, presentations, voting, etc.). Being able to do so also allows us to look at tools that provide support during a meeting and at tools that allow those not able to be physically present during a meeting to take part in a virtual way. This may lead to situations where the differences between real meeting participants, human-controlled virtual participants and (semi-) autonomous virtual participants disappear

Simulación de personajes conversacionales virtuales dentro de un entorno de realidad virtual

En la actualidad, la popularización y expansión de las tecnologías de la comunicación y la información han alterado las formas tradicionales de comunicación de las personas convirtiendo a las tecnologías en canales casi obligados del proceso. Particularmente, las situaciones de adquisición y transmisión de conocimiento han obligado a desarrollar nuevas formas de visualización e interacción que faciliten la transmisión de información. La generación de entornos de interacción que provean nuevos contextos de intercambio y comunicación de información es uno de los fines básicos del área de Realidad Virtual. La virtualidad consiste en hacer calzar un mundo virtual en un mundo real. Uno de los desafíos mas importantes radica en preservar las vías naturales de comunicación, interacción y entendimiento de las personas proveyendo a las computadoras de una visualización e interacción lo mas humana posible. Proveer a las computadoras las capacidades de comunicación de los humanos involucra dotarlas entre, otras cosas, de conocimiento permitiendo automatizar el intercambio de información y otorgando comportamiento y razonamiento en función del contexto. Esta propuesta de trabajo establece los lineamientos a seguir para la exploración de las sinergias existentes entre las nuevas tecnologías asociadas a la simulación de personajes conversacionales virtuales dentro de un entorno de Realidad Virtual inmersiva.Eje: Computación Gráfica, Imágenes y VisualizaciónRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Cinematic explorations of the Italian High Renaissance : Carlo Ludovico Ragghianti’s critofilm ‘Michelangiolo’ (1964)

Italian art critic and philosopher Carlo Ludovico Ragghianti (1910-1987) was one of the first art historians to explore the relationship between cinema and the visual arts. Not only did he publish widely on this subject, he also produced films on art, creating a new form of art criticism using the language and mechanisms of cinema. Developing his concept of the critofilm, he created twenty-one art documentaries between 1948 and 1964 that carefully analyzed the formal and stylistic characteristics of major artworks. His last and most ambitious critofilm, released in 1964, is dedicated to the Italian artist Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564). Created for the commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the artist’s death, this feature-length film shows an impressive range of Michelangelo’s paintings, sculptures, architecture, and drawings, . Using bold cinematic strategies of dynamic camera movements, chiaroscuro light effects, and animation techniques, Ragghianti transposes Michelangelo’s complex artistic language into the visual language of film. Comparing this 1964 film to other cinematic explorations of Michelangelo throughout the twentieth century, this paper examines how Ragghianti translates the critical discipline of art history into this critofilm. It investigates how Ragghianti creates a specific cinematic syntax to analyze the formal elements of Michelangelo’s artworks by drawing on theories of prominent scholars such as Benedetto Croce, Konrad Fiedler, and Heinrich Wölfflin. Finally, this paper demonstrates how Ragghianti’s film Michelangelo functions as an innovative art historiographic tool, influencing later films and art historical writings

Research and Creative Activity, July 01, 2021-June 30, 2022: Major Sponsored Programs and Faculty Accomplishments in Research and Creative Activity, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Foreword by Bob Wilhelm, Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development: This booklet highlights successes in research, scholarship and creative activity by University of Nebraska–Lincoln faculty during the fiscal year running July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022. It lists investigators, project titles and funding sources on major grants and sponsored awards that were active during the year; fellowships and other recognitions and honors bestowed on our faculty; books, chapters and creative literature published by faculty; performances, exhibitions and other examples of creative activity; patents and licensing agreements; and conference presentations. In recognition of the important role faculty play in the undergraduate experience at Nebraska, this booklet notes the students and mentors participating in the Undergraduate Creative Activities and Research Experience (UCARE) and the First-Year Research Experience (FYRE) programs. Increasing impact through research and creative activity is one of the six core aims of the N2025 strategic plan. A few measurements of progress made this year: • UNL achieved a record $321 million in total research expenditures in FY 2021, a 31• Our faculty earned 1,560 sponsored research awards in FY 2021. N2025 aims also include contributing to economic growth throughout the state and broadening Nebraska’s engagement in community, industry and global partnerships. These are some measures of our efforts to commercialize university-sponsored research and partner with industry: • Nebraska Innovation Campus created 2,127 jobs statewide. The cumulative impact of NIC investments totals$328.9 million. • Industry sponsorship supported $19.8 million in research expenditures. • NUtech Ventures brought in$6.36 million in licensing income. I want to thank the Nebraska Research community for its willingness to collaborate, mentor and redefine success in research and creative activity. Your leadership is paving the way for future growth and providing an unparalleled educational experience. At Nebraska, it is the people who make the place. Because of your dedication and expertise, Nebraska is positioned to solve some of the world’s most wicked problems. I am impressed by your commitment to the Grand Challenges initiative, a strategic investment of up to $40 million over four years for projects in the high-impact areas of anti-racism and racial equity; climate resilience; early childhood education and development; health equity; quantum science and engineering; science and technology literacy for society; and sustainable food and water security. More than 180 faculty, staff and students are contributing to projects funded in Year 1. Another N2025 aim is to create a climate that emphasizes, prioritizes and expands inclusive excellence and diversity. In the Office of Research and Economic Development, we continue to seek ways to remove barriers to success and ensure all Nebraska researchers have the resources they need to thrive. Thank you for the feedback you’ve thoughtfully provided. I am pleased to present this record of accomplishments. Contents Awards of$5 Million or More Awards of $1 Million to$4,999,999 Awards of $250,000 to$999,999 Early Career Awards Arts and Humanities Awards of $250,000 or More Arts and Humanities Awards of$50,000 to $249,999 Arts and Humanities Awards of$5,000 to $49,999 Patents License Agreements National Science Foundation Innovation Corps Teams Creative Activity Books Recognitions and Honors Journal Articles Conference Presentations UCARE and FYRE Projects Glossar

Advancing AVID Tutoring: Blended Professional Learning for College Tutor/Mentors in AVID

abstract: In an effort to better prepare K-12 students for college and career readiness, Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) has created a college and career readiness system that is implemented in schools across the United States and in many international locations. Part of this system of schoolwide transformation, is the AVID Elective class, designed for students in the academic-middle. In the AVID Elective, students are supported in their efforts to attend four-year universities. A critical aspect of the AVID Elective class is the weekly implementation of AVID Tutorials, ideally led by trained college tutor/mentors. The purpose of this action research study is to investigate support structures of AVID Tutors beyond the current tutor training system, in order to see how additional methods can contribute to continual improvement of the tutor training system. Findings from this study indicate that expanding current tutor-training practice to include a blended-learning, on-the-job model, might be beneficial for AVID Tutors and AVID Students. Through a mixed methods action research study, both qualitative and quantitative data collection tools were employed to help understand the effect of additional tutor training supports. Interviews, tutor assignments, observations of tutorials, and pre- and post-tests provide the bulk of the data studied. Further, this study could provide critical information for key AVID stakeholders who seek to offer training to tutors in AVID.Dissertation/ThesisDoctoral Dissertation Educational Leadership and Policy Studies 201