UCLIC Welcomes Back Professor Orit Shaer

On Wednesday June 19, 2024, UCL's Interaction Centre (UCLIC) had the honour of welcoming back Professor Orit Shaer, Chair of the Computer Science Department at Wellesley College. This visit marked 20 years since Professor Shaer was a visiting PhD student at UCLIC.

The visit included a seminar by Professor Shaer titled "Tangible and Embodied Interaction (TEI) for the Future of Work and Learning". The seminar, attended by the HCI research community both in-person and online via Zoom, covered key topics such as virtual nature experiences for stress reduction and the use of Virtual Reality in scientific collaboration. Professor Shaer referenced her book, *Weaving Fire into Form: Aspirations for Tangible and Embodied Interaction*, co-authored with Brygg Ullmer, Ali Mazalek, and Caroline Hummels (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3544564). A recording of the seminar is available to watch on our YouTube channel.

To celebrate the visit, we organized a nostalgic walking tour around the UCL campus, visiting all the former homes of UCLIC. We visited 26 Bedford Way, 33-34 Alfred Place, the Malet Place Engineering Building, and our current home, 66-72 Gower Street. Accompanying Professor Shaer were Professors Anna Cox and Duncan Brumby, with photos capturing the group at each location under the sunshine and blue skies of summer.

UCLIC’s rich history began in the mid-1960s with the Ergonomics Unit, evolving through the years into a leading centre for HCI research and education. From its early focus on the physical environment to the current emphasis on human-computer interaction, UCLIC has continually advanced the field through interdisciplinary collaboration and cutting-edge research. For more information on UCLIC’s history, please visit our history page.

Professor Shaer's visit and seminar were a testament to the enduring legacy and impact of UCLIC, inspiring both current students and faculty. We look forward to many more such inspiring events in the future.