One of the increasingly relevant trends in human computer interaction is the movement away from applications based on a narrowly defined cognitive subject toward a richer appreciation of people and their activities in context. During this presentation, Dr. Geri Gay will talk about lessons learned from two current research projects. The first will describe the use of wireless computing in formal and informal learning contexts (Intel, Microsoft, NSF) and the second will discuss collaborative learning among distribute project teams (NASA, AT&T Foundation).

Dr. Geri Gay is director of the Human Computer Interaction Group (HCI Group) and a professor at Cornell University in the department of Communication and Information Sciences. She is also a Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Scholar. The HCI Group is a research and development group whose members design and research the use of computer-mediated learning environments. Professor Gay's research interests focus on cognitive and social issues for the design and use of interactive communication technologies. Past research has explored navigation issues, knowledge management, mental models and metaphors, knowledge representations, collaborative work and learning, and system design.

Professor Gay has received funding for her research and design projects from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the Mellon Foundation, Intel, GE Foundation, IBM, Getty, and several private donors. She teaches courses in interactive multimedia design and research, computer-mediated communication, human-computer interaction, and the social design of communication systems.

Recently she has published in IEEE, International Journal of Human Computer-Interaction, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, CHI, HICCS, ACM Digital Libraries and ACM CSCL. She co-edited Information Technologies in Evaluation; Social, Moral, Epistemological and Practical Implications (1999), Jossey-Bass Publishers and co authored Activity Centered Design (2004), MIT Press.