NCSU Libraries Announces “Coffee & Viz” Event Schedule For Spring 2016

The NCSU Libraries is hosting six “Coffee & Viz” events throughout Spring 2016 in its popular series of demonstrations and talks about visualization methods for data and information. The interactive series of demos, lectures, lightning talks, and hands-on games is presented in the high-tech visualization spaces in the James B. Hunt Jr. and D. H. Hill Jr. Libraries.

All “Coffee & Viz” events are free and open to the public, though some events do require free registration. Events include coffee and light refreshments in a nearby space before the program begins. The full series schedule is listed below.

The series kicks off on Friday, January 15, at 9 a.m. with “Serious Gaming with Tangible Landscape,” an interactive seminar and set of lightning talks of interest to gamers and developers, as well as environmental and life scientists. A variety of speakers and workshop leaders will explore how serious, analytical games can be deployed to simulate real-world problems to help develop innovative solutions. The hands-on, tangible landscape platform can be used to solve problems such as tracking emerging infectious diseases and modeling coal ash spills. The event takes place in the Teaching and Visualization Lab and Creativity Studio at the James B. Hunt Jr. Library.

Lightning talks include “Introduction” (Ross Meentemeyer), “Playing Games with Tangible Landscape” (Brendan Harmon and Anna Petrasova), “The Need for Participatory Geospatial Modeling” (Jelena Vukomanovic), “Collaborative Management of Invasive Species Using Tangible Landscape” (Francesco Tonini), and “Modeling Coastal Dynamics” (Helena Mitasova).
“Coffee & Viz” topics throughout the spring include:

• how network analysis and visualization is used to study online communities, describe labor markets, and track linguistic variation;
• how geographic and historical mapping helps guide landscape-scale restoration strategies;
• how electron microscopy produces insect portraits inspired by the Dutch masters;
• how graphics clarify and strengthen arguments in science and engineering research; and
• how glitch art restores a tradition of information storage to textile design.

Events throughout the spring feature guest speakers such as Dr. Robin Grossinger of the San Francisco Estuary Institute, Daniel Karko of East Carolina University’s Fine Art Photography department, Felice Frankel of the Center for Materials Science and Engineering at MIT, and Glitchaus’ Jeff Donaldson of “Notendo” fame, as well as other researchers from NC State and the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation.
 

Full “Coffee & Viz” Spring 2016 Event Schedule

“Serious Gaming with Tangible Landscape” explores how serious, analytical games can be deployed to simulate real world problems to help develop innovative solutions.

• Friday, January 15, 9:00 a.m -11:00 a.m., James B. Hunt Jr. Library
• Lightning talks in the Teaching and Visualization Lab from 9:30-10:00 a.m.
• Games and demos in the Creativity Studio from 9:00-9:30 a.m. and 10:00-11:00 a.m. Please plan to attend either the earlier or the later session.

“Network Visualization Lightning Talks” describes how network analysis and visualization is used to study online communities, describe labor markets, and track linguistic variation.

• Friday, February 19, 9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m., Teaching and Visualization Lab, James B. Hunt Jr. Library

In “Mapping Resilient Landscapes,” Dr. Robin Grossinger of the San Francisco Estuary Institute demonstrates how he has utilized geographic and historical mapping to help guide landscape-scale restoration strategies.

• Friday, March 4, 9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m., Teaching and Visualization Lab, James B. Hunt Jr. Library

In “Art and Entomology: Insect Portraits using Electron Microscopes,” Daniel Kariko of East Carolina University’s art department discusses how he examines insects through 'portraits' inspired by the tradition of 17th-century Dutch masters and created with electron and stereoscopic microscopy.

• Wednesday, March 16, 5:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m., Visualization Studio, D. H. Hill Jr. Library
• Due to limited space, we are hosting two sessions of this program and advance registration is requested: 5:30 p.m.-6:15 p.m. and 6:15 p.m.-7:00 p.m. Please register for free at www.lib.ncsu.edu/coffee-and-viz/signup

In “Make Me Look... and Get Me Excited About Science!” Felice Frankel of MIT discusses how graphics can clarify or strengthen an argument and spur interest in the science and engineering research process.

• Friday, March 18, 9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m., Teaching and Visualization Lab, James B. Hunt Jr. Library
• Dr. Frankel will also conduct a visualization workshop from 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. in which participants use new approaches to represent research data and concepts to design figures and posters. Please register for free at lib.ncsu.edu/events/classes/viz.

In “Glitch Art,” Jeff Donaldson of Glitchaus demonstrates how he uses intentional digital or analog errors to inform textile design.

• Friday, April 8, 9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m., Commons Wall, James B. Hunt Jr. Library

About the NCSU Libraries “Coffee & Viz” series
“Coffee & Viz” provides an interactive and entertaining forum for NC State researchers to share their visualization work and discuss topics of interest. Presented by the NCSU Libraries in one of our state-of-the-art, high-tech spaces, Coffee & Viz programs are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Karen Ciccone at kacollin@ncsu.edu