Congratulations to the Kule Institute for Advanced Study (KIAS) on their 3rd Around the World forum!

Posted on | May 25, 2015 | No Comments

Dr. Geoffrey Martin Rockwell, Director, Kule Institute for Advanced Study

This year’s theme was Big Data and the conference streamed live for 12 hours on April 30th, 2015. The benefits and challenges presented by working with Big Data sets continue to push the parameters of what constitutes meaningful and ethical research. KIAS helped bring together a conversation on Big Data and its impact on research and culture from universities around the world: 49 panelists from 12 countries across 5 continents participated, including speakers from Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Nigeria, and the United States. Previous years’ talks focused on Privacy and Surveillance (2014) and Technology and Culture (2013).

Here is a link to the archived talks: http://aroundtheworld.ualberta.ca/

DigiDay at University of Alberta

Posted on | March 25, 2015 | No Comments

CIRCA is proud to help present:

University of Alberta Talk: Ken Wissoker Editorial Director of Duke University Press

Posted on | October 22, 2014 | Comments Off on University of Alberta Talk: Ken Wissoker Editorial Director of Duke University Press

Ken Wissoker,

Editorial Director of Duke University Press

Title: Writing and Publishing in a Time of Media Transformation
Date: Thursday, 16 October, 2014
Time: 1:00pm-2:30pm
Location: HC L-3, University of Alberta, Edmonton

*** Light reception to follow in HC 4-29, between Ken Wissoker’s talk and Sara Ahmed’s (in HC L-1 at 3:30).

Abstract: Taking research done for a thesis or for an audience of like-minded scholars and turning it into a book that will be read across oceans and disciplines has always been a challenge. Now, in a difficult financial climate for publishers and with electronic forms of the book proliferating, it is more difficult than ever. This talk will cover both the biggest issues — what might we expect books to look like in five years — and more grounded advice on how scholars should approach their own writing and publishing. Read more

Introducing Shuji Watanabe

Posted on | October 12, 2014 | Comments Off on Introducing Shuji Watanabe

The GRAND Digital Humanities project welcomes Shuji Watanabe. He is an Associate Professor of Image Arts and Science visiting the University of Alberta from Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan. He is in Edmonton on sabbatical for 7 months with his family.

His research is around prototyping user generated content games. At the University of Alberta he is collaborating with GRAND researchers Geoffrey Rockwell and Jérémie Pelletier-Gagnon.

Professor Watanabe’s experience includes the planning and overseeing of various games such as Magic Pengel(/Garakuta Meisaku Gekijo Rakugaki Okoku)/, which was recommended by the Examination Committee at the 15th Media Arts Festival Media Art Interactive Division, and Minna no shiro, which won the Grand Prize at the First Annual Game Koshien Awards. He is an advocate of “ecological-sketch”, which visualizes rules and is a game design technique that begins from observations of the world as opposed
to imitating the works of others. He conducts research and development in not only traditional game development, but also in applicable fields such as education and crisis management appropriate for “gamification”. He is a member of the Research Committee, Japan Digital Game Association
and Steering Committee, Ritsumeikan Center of Game Studies.