The ACM GROUP Conference is the premiere destination for research work on groups and technology. Held every year in Sanibel Island, Florida, it We were well represented at ACM GROUP 2020–2 full papers, 4 posters, 1 design fiction paper, and 1 doctoral colloquium presentation from this crowd of faculty, grad students, and alums from Computer Science at Virginia Tech!
Lindah Kotut had an awesome 36 hour stretch at the ACM GROUP Conference, using it to launch her research ideas on social media use in outdoor settings. First she presented her Ph.D. research directions to top researchers in the field in the doctoral colloquium–summarized in the poster session, where her work was chosen by her peers for the best poster award. And in between, she presented her vision of the future of the selling of personal data in the design fiction session of the conference.
Clark University prof and Virginia Tech Ph.D. graduate Shuo Niu presented his investigation of how people establish personal territory on large digital displays–e.g., for a digital tabletop, if two or more people are working simultaneously then they exhibit ownership of the area closest to them and are offended when others invade the area without permission. This work was a chunk of his Ph.D. research.
As always, Sanibel Island is an awesome conference destination, particularly in early January when it’s cold in much of the rest of the United States. The Ding Darling Natural Wildlife Refuge maintains an environment where nature can spread its wings, with trails that lead us human interlopers to places where we can sneak a peek at it. The conference venue is right on the beach, with a handful of good restaurants nearby, and the breaks between sessions allow us to venture off into these destinations. (As if you needed another reason to attend!) Looking forward to a return trip in 2022.
Technology on the Trail 