Contact Information: oshaer at wellesley.edu //
Wellesley College, MA
Biography
Orit Shaer is Professor and Chair of Computer Science at Wellesley College. She found and directs the Wellesley College Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) Lab. Her research focuses on human-computer interaction for the future of work and learning, including virtual and augmented reality, tangible and embodied interaction. Current projects include the design and evaluation of novel human-machine interfaces for supporting productivity and creativity in mobile work environments, the development of new interactive visualizations for personal health information, and the conceptualization and prototyping of computational tools for enhancing learning and innovation in STEAM. Shaer's book "Weaving Fire into Form: Aspirations for Tangible and Embodied Interaction" (ACM Books, 2022) is the first comprehensive reference book on this emerging field. It provide wide-ranging conceptual and pragmatic tools toward weaving the animating fires of computation and technology into evocative tangible forms.
Dr Shaer is a Senior Member of the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM), and a recipient of prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) and industry awards including the prestigious NSF CAREER Award, Agilent Technologies Research Award, and Google App Engine Education Award. At Wellesley she was awarded the Pinanski Prize for Excellent Teaching. Dr Shaer has served on dozens of program committees, editorial boards, and review panels, including NSF division of Computers in Science and Engineering, ACM CHI, CSCW, UIST, and TEI conferences, and the editorial board of ACM Transaction on Computer-Human Interaction (ToCHI) and Foundations and Trends in Human Computer Interaction. Shaer is a co-founder of CHIWork- a new conference on human-computer interaction for the future of work. Shaer received her PhD and MSc in Computer Science from Tufts University.
Videos
News
August 2023, graduated from the HERS Leadership Institute for higher education.
June 2023, sharing our reflection (with Andrew Kun) on designing an inclusive and engaging hybrid event
April 2023, new paper on Perceptions related to engaging in non-driving activities in an automated vehicle while commuting: a text mining approach
January 2023, Our paper on Virtual nature experiences and mindfulness practices while working from home during COVID-19: Effects on stress, focus, and creativity, is now available online
August 2022, published a new paper on remote evaluation of augmented reality interaction with personal health information.
July 2022, our new book "Weaving Fire into Form: Aspirations for Tangible and Embodied Interaction" (ACM Books, 2022) with Brygg Ullmer, Ali Mazalek, and Caroline Hummels, is available on the ACM Digital Library.
June 2022, new NSF International Research Exchange for Students (IRES) Award on Collaborative Research: US-German Research on Human-Automation Interaction for the Future of Work (with Andrew Kun, UNH) .
September 2021, founded together with Andrew Kun, a new symposium on Human-Computer Interaction for Work: CHIWORK
May 2021, published a new IEEE Pervasive education column titled: Teaching Tangible Interaction Remotely During COVID-19: Transcending Physical Boundaries
May 2021, taught a new course on Human-Computer Interaction in the Age of Automation
April 2020, co-organizing a series of online conversations on the Future of Work. Here is a list of past and upcoming events.
April 2020, spoke in a panel organized by ERC Amplify on How to make remote HCI teaching useful, engaging and exciting?
June 2019, co-organized a Dagstuhl seminar on Ubiquitous Computing Education: Why, What and How. Here is a repository of living documents.
March 2019, was awarded a Senior Member recognition by the ACM.