Planning and Design Considerations for Computer Supported Collaboration Spaces

Architects have long been aware of the need to design for the behaviors a space is meant to support. However, neither the seminal works on architectural programming or collaborative engineering address the linkages between physical environment design and collaborative work practice. This paper posits that the design of collaboration environments should stand as a third pillar of collaboration engineering, suggests four ways in which physical environment design and collaboration engineering might mutually inform the other, and specifies several dimensions of physical environment affordance collaboration engineers might consider when developing requirements for collaboration space

Use of Web-based GSS Tools for Research Data Collection

This workshop will explore the use of web-based GSS tools for research data collection. Particular attention will be paid to focus group and panel group methodologies and to pictorial or graphical presentation of data to the subjects

Panel Discussion: The Diffusion and Transition of GSS Technologies in Work Organizations: Discussion of New Models to Advance the Understanding of GSS Adoption and Use

There are several thousand group support systems (GSS) installations worldwide, and while that number is growing, GSS has not yet achieved critical mass. One reason may be that it can take one to three years for an organization to complete a transition to or diffusion of GSS. Several competing models of adoption and diffusion, technology acceptance, and technology transition exist in the literature. This panel will report on recent work that expands and clarifies the models. Competing approaches will be discussed and debated. The goal of this panel is to focus the discussion of differing GSS adoption models and promote additional research using recently evolved models

A terahertz band-pass resonator based on enhanced reflectivity using spoof surface plasmons

We demonstrate a band-pass resonator in the terahertz (THz) range, based on a frequency-selective designer reflector. The resonator consists of a parallel-plate waveguide, a designed groove pattern cut into the output facet of each plate, and a reflecting mirror. The patterned facet supports a spoof surface plasmon mode, which modifies the reflectivity at the waveguide output facet by interacting with the waveguide mode. By tuning the geometrical parameters of the groove pattern, the reflectivity at the patterned output facet can be increased up to ~100% for a selected frequency. Broadband THz waves are quasi-optically coupled into this resonator and reflected multiple times from the patterned facet. This leads to a narrowing of the spectrum at the selected frequency. The Q value of the resonator increases as the number of reflections on the patterned facet increases, reaching ~25 when the THz wave has experienced 12 reflections

Twitter, Google, iPhone/iPad, and Facebook (TGIF) and Smart Technology Environments: How Well Do Educators Communicate with Students via TGIF?

This article is a summary of a 2011 Association for Information Systems Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS) panel discussion regarding current issues and future directions in the use of mobile technologies and social networks in education. The invited panelists are four faculty members from the United States specializing in Information Systems. The covered topics included evolution and history of e-learning, use of smartphones and tablets in education, development of social network services, and the use of social media (i.e., teaching with blogs and wikis) in the classroom. We discuss future directions in Twitter, Google, iPhone/iPad, and Facebook technology environments. Several resources for social media for college instructors are provided in the Appendix

36th Annual International Conference on Infrared Millimeter and Terahertz Waves

The Major Topic List of the 2011 conference featured a category entitled “IR, millimeter-wave, and THz spectroscopy,” another entitled “Gyro- Oscillators and Amplifiers, Plasma Diagnostics,” and a third called “Free Electron Lasers and Synchrotron Radiation.” Topical areas of interest to meeting participants include millimeter-wave electronics, high-power sources, high-frequency communications systems, and terahertz sensing and imaging, all of which are prominent in the research portfolios of the DOE. The development and study of new materials, components, and systems for use in the IR, THz, and MMW regions of the spectrum are of significant interest as well. a series of technical sessions were organized on the following topics: terahertz metamaterials and plasmonics; imaging techniques and applications; graphene spectroscopy; waveguide concepts; gyrotron science and technology; ultrafast terahertz measurements; and quantum cascade lasers

Terahertz Artificial Dielectric Lens

We have designed, fabricated, and experimentally characterized a lens for the THz regime based on artificial dielectrics. These are man-made media that mimic properties of naturally occurring dielectric media, or even manifest properties that cannot generally occur in nature. For example, the well-known dielectric property, the refractive index, which usually has a value greater than unity, can have a value less than unity in an artificial dielectric. For our lens, the artificial-dielectric medium is made up of a parallel stack of 100 μm thick metal plates that form an array of parallel-plate waveguides. The convergent lens has a plano-concave geometry, in contrast to conventional dielectric lenses. Our results demonstrate that this lens is capable of focusing a 2 cm diameter beam to a spot size of 4 mm, at the design frequency of 0.17 THz. The results further demonstrate that the overall power transmission of the lens can be better than certain conventional dielectric lenses commonly used in the THz regime. Intriguingly, we also observe that under certain conditions, the lens boundary demarcated by the discontinuous plate edges actually resembles a smooth continuous surface. These results highlight the importance of this artificial-dielectric technology for the development of future THz-wave devices

A mode-matching analysis of dielectric-filled resonant cavities coupled to terahertz parallelplate waveguides

We use the mode-matching technique to study parallel-plate waveguide resonant cavities that are filled with a dielectric. We apply the generalized scattering matrix theory to calculate the power transmission through the waveguide-cavities. We compare the analytical results to experimental data to confirm the validity of this approach