Posts for Staff

Learn about our research!

PhD Student Sid Heeg speaks at GI about refuting misinformation around farming on social media

On October 19th, 2022, PhD student Sid Heeg (School of Environment, Enterprise, and Development) presented “Reap What You Sow: Refuting Misinformation about Farming and Farm Practices.” The talk was an overview of Heeg’s dissertation research focusing on the misinformation that circulates on social media about farmers and farming, including the effects and harms this misinformation has on the farmers themselves.

GI Members take part in Dibaajimowin exhibition at Waterloo Region Museum

On September 27th, the Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum unveiled a new exhibit to the publicDibaajimowin | Stories From this Land.” The exhibit was assembled by Anishinaabe curator Emma Rain Smith, an MA student from Waterloo. The exhibit highlights Indigenous contributions to the region’s history with an emphasis on Urban Indigeneity. GI members Dr. Aynur Kadir (University of British Columbia) and PhD student Sid Heeg (Environment, Enterprise, and Development) took part in the design, curation, and research associated with the exhibition. The entire project is the result of the collaborative work between researchers, activists, and community members from the region, including the University of Waterloo and Wilfred Laurier University. 

"A Discussion on Games and Health” Highlights the Effectiveness of Interactive Technologies

On July 5th, Drs. Lili Liu (School of Public Health Sciences), John Muñoz (Systems Design Engineering), and Michael Barnett-Cowan (Kinesiology and Health Sciences) were brought together to share their knowledge and expertise on how games and interactive technologies are being used in the healthcare industry. The panel was hosted and moderated by the Games Institute’s Research Communications Officer Dr. Emma Vossen.

The Games Institute Seed Grant funds eight interdisciplinary cross campus collaborations

The Games Institute (GI) is pleased to announce the recipients of its first-ever seed grant funding competition. In total, the GI Seed Program will support eight interdisciplinary initiatives for a total of $110,000 over the next year. The competition promoted interdisciplinary collaborations in teams of researchers spanning many different disciplines and research areas.

The seed grant recipients will combine their varied expertise to tackle real-world problems facing indigenous communities, health care workers, children with speech difficulties, mothers facing homelessness, citizen scientists, and VR, XR and social media consumers.

Games Institute members present research at the Canadian Game Studies Association annual conference

Each year many GI faculty and student members present at the Canadian Game Studies Association conference, better known as CGSA.

GI faculty member Gerald Voorhees is currently CGSA president and organized this year’s conference with the assistance of the CGSA executive.

This year nine GI members and Alumni presented a wide array of research ranging from the games industry and education to the depiction of animals in games.

GI members also participated as reviewers, panel moderators, and adjudicators for CGSA’s best paper competition.

Games Institute and Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology partner to create educational game about nasal spray COVID-19 vaccine

Games Institute (GI) and Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology (WIN) researchers have been working together on strategies to better educate the public about how the application of nanotechnology (the manipulation of materials on an atomic or molecular scale) impacts our daily lives. The first of these projects focuses on educating the public about how DNA-based nasal sprays can be used as intranasal vaccines during this crucial time.  

CRIT Council's Pallavi Sodhi presents "Inclusive Board Game Design"

Pallavi Sodhi, Research Intern for the Council for Responsible Innovation and Technology (CRIT) and Dr. Jason Lajoie, Research Associate for CRIT, gave a guest lecture about inclusive board game design for students at Branksome Hall in Toronto.

"My avatar – my self?": Mitchell Loewen's thesis published in Frontiers in Psychology

Do our self-perceptions influence our preferences when designing avatars in the games we play? GI members Mitchell Loewen and Dr. Lennart E. Nacke, with Dr. Christopher Burris of St. Jerome’s University, co-authored a paper about the psychology of preferences toward game avatar styles.

Research during COVID-19: VR Exergames for Older Adults Living with Dementia, ft. John Muñoz

Rowing with dolphin

The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted the research landscape. In this series, we explore how our community is navigating their daily lives and innovating to adapt their research and collaboration techniques.

Research during COVID-19: Collaborating during CHI Season

Working online video with a person on a screen (from Canva stock images)

The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted the research landscape. In this series, we explore how our community is navigating their daily lives and innovating to adapt their research and collaboration techniques.


The Human-Computer Interaction labs at the Games Institute, and at the University of Waterloo overall, emphasize collaboration between and within groups so any one student is uplifted by the entire network of HCI researchers.

Pages

  1. 2022 (13)
    1. December (3)
    2. October (1)
    3. July (4)
    4. June (1)
    5. May (1)
    6. April (2)
    7. March (1)
  2. 2021 (4)
    1. November (1)
    2. October (1)
    3. February (1)
    4. January (1)
  3. 2020 (23)
    1. December (1)
    2. November (2)
    3. October (1)
    4. September (1)
    5. August (2)
    6. July (4)
    7. June (5)
    8. May (2)
    9. February (3)
    10. January (2)
  4. 2019 (13)
    1. December (1)
    2. November (2)
    3. August (1)
    4. July (2)
    5. June (2)
    6. May (1)
    7. April (1)
    8. March (1)
    9. January (2)
  5. 2018 (10)

Follow us on twitter!