Maker Movements, Do-It-Yourself Cultures and Participatory Design: Implications for HCI Research

Falling costs and the wider availability of computational components, platforms and ecosystems have enabled the expansion of maker movements and DIY cultures. This can be considered as a form of democratization of technology systems design, in alignment with the aims of Participatory Design approaches. However, this landscape is constantly evolving, and long-term implications for the HCI community are far from clear. The organizers of this one-day workshop invite participants to present their case studies, experiences and perspectives on the topic with the goal of increasing understanding within this area of research. The outcomes of the workshop will include the articulation of future research directions with the purpose of informing a research agenda, as well as the establishment of new collaborations and networks

Nonadiabatic effects in a generalized Jahn-Teller lattice model: heavy and light polarons, pairing and metal-insulator transition

The ground state polaron potential of 1D lattice of two-level molecules with spinless electrons and two Einstein phonon modes with quantum phonon-assisted transitions between the levels is found anharmonic in phonon displacements. The potential shows a crossover from two nonequivalent broad minima to a single narrow minimum corresponding to the level positions in the ground state. Generalized variational approach implies prominent nonadiabatic effects:(i) In the limit of the symmetric E-e Jahn- Teller situation they cause transition between the regime of the predominantly one-level "heavy" polaron and a "light" polaron oscillating between the levels due to phonon assistance with almost vanishing polaron displacement. It implies enhancement of the electron transfer due to decrease of the "heavy" polaron mass (undressing) at the point of the transition. Pairing of "light" polarons due to exchange of virtual phonons occurs. Continuous transition to new energy ground state close to the transition from "heavy" polaron phase to "light" (bi)polaron phase occurs. In the "heavy" phase, there occurs anomalous (anharmonic) enhancements of quantum fluctuations of the phonon coordinate, momentum and their product as functions of the effective coupling. (ii) Dependence of the polaron mass on the optical phonon frequency appears.(iii) Rabi oscillations significantly enhance quantum shift of the insulator-metal transition line to higher values of the critical effective e-ph coupling supporting so the metallic phase. In the E-e JT case, insulator-metal transition coincide with the transition between the "heavy" and the "light" (bi)polaron phase at certain (strong) effective e-ph interaction.Comment: Paper in LaTex format (file jtseptx.tex) and 9 GIF-figures (ppic_1.gif,...ppic_9.gif

Citizen Sensing : A Toolkit

We produced this book as a part of the Making Sense project, which draws on nine citizen sensing campaigns in Holland, Kosovo and Spain in 2016 and 2017. In them, we have developed a form of citizen participation in environmental monitoring and action which is bottom-up, participatory and empowering to the community: this is called citizen sensing. If you are interested in best practices and tools for community engagement and co-creation, this book if for you

From Needs to Knowledge: A reference framework for smart citizens initiatives

Citizens are a fundamental component for the success of the smart cities vision. The actor-observant duality of people in urban environments is one of the key arguments of the smart cities debate: how can citizens be empowered in the detection, analysis, and solution of modern urban challenges? How can public authorities support collective awareness, encourage social deliberation, and drive positive behavioural change? How can inclusive decision making processes be enabled that are also effective and sustainable? Which role can universities and private organizations play in this picture? These questions help frame the multi-actor and multidimensional nature of the smart citizen discourse and point to some of the most important challenges that affect the systematic and durable success of smart citizen initiatives.In this white paper we outline a conceptual framework aimed at providing a foundation for the smart cities versus smart citizens debate. This document is targeted at readers who are interested in the topic, but it does not require any advanced conceptual or technical knowledge in this field. Our goal is to inform the development of future smart cities efforts centred around citizens by identifying and relating important areas of research and experimentation.Web Information SystemsAlgorithmic