News and Events

News

Friday, November 8, 2024

uXperience Design Jam with Sun Life

In November, over 100 students from UWaterloo, University of Toronto, and Wilfrid Laurier participated in a Financial Fluency design event. The goal was to empower young Canadians with financial tools and education. Students worked through the weekend to develop solutions and pitch them to judges from Sun Life and UWaterloo.

Winning Team: Fund Forward - Visualized financial goals and life milestones. Runner-Up: Mula - Created a community of financial advisors. Honourable Mention: Sprout - Used gamification to engage users with financial goals.

Professors Karen Cochrane and Daniel Harley from Stratford are using Generative AI (GenAI) to create customizable gaming controllers for individuals with complex disabilities. Dr. Cochrane's collaboration with caregivers plays a crucial role in designing these accessible solutions, ensuring they meet the unique needs of users. Their project, awarded by the Google Academic Research Awards (GARA), aims to enhance accessibility and social inclusion through low-cost, user-friendly technology. By leveraging their combined expertise in physical computing and gaming interaction, Dr. Harley and Dr. Cochrane are developing innovative solutions that improve the quality of life for people with disabilities. The project will receive up to $150,000 USD in funding and support from Google, highlighting a future where technology fosters a more inclusive gaming experience.

In their paper, The Great AI Witch Hunt: Reviewers’ Perception and (Mis)Conception of Generative AI in Research Writing, researchers at the Stratford School studied the impact of AI-augmented writing on peer reviews, a formal part of academic research validation. The researchers found that AI-augmented writing improved readability, language diversity, and informativeness; it also often lacked research details and reflective insights from authors in their samples of writing from top-tier Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) conferences. 

Events

Thursday, December 26, 2024 (all day)

Lights On at the Stratford School

Three student projects from GBDA 412 – Special Topics in Media Architecture will be featured in Lights On Stratford, an annual city-wide festival, starting December 13. The course, designed and taught by David Han, a media artist and PhD candidate in Cinema & Media Arts at York University, reflects the students’ ability to bring technology and the arts together. 

Earlier this term, student teams presented their installations to a panel consisting of representatives from Lights On, the City of Stratford, and the Stratford School. The selections are: 

  • A Living Entity is an interactive installation that brings to life the Avon River, showcasing its role in Stratford's future. 
  • Nocturnal Visions brings awareness to the essential roles of nocturnal animals, showcasing their unique behaviours and contributions to our environment. 
  • Fungi: Beyond the Eye invites viewers to explore the non-human, present world of fungi roots, called mycelium, local to the city of Stratford.
Friday, December 27, 2024 (all day)

Lights On at the Stratford School

Three student projects from GBDA 412 – Special Topics in Media Architecture will be featured in Lights On Stratford, an annual city-wide festival, starting December 13. The course, designed and taught by David Han, a media artist and PhD candidate in Cinema & Media Arts at York University, reflects the students’ ability to bring technology and the arts together. 

Earlier this term, student teams presented their installations to a panel consisting of representatives from Lights On, the City of Stratford, and the Stratford School. The selections are: 

  • A Living Entity is an interactive installation that brings to life the Avon River, showcasing its role in Stratford's future. 
  • Nocturnal Visions brings awareness to the essential roles of nocturnal animals, showcasing their unique behaviours and contributions to our environment. 
  • Fungi: Beyond the Eye invites viewers to explore the non-human, present world of fungi roots, called mycelium, local to the city of Stratford.
Saturday, December 28, 2024 (all day)

Lights On at the Stratford School

Three student projects from GBDA 412 – Special Topics in Media Architecture will be featured in Lights On Stratford, an annual city-wide festival, starting December 13. The course, designed and taught by David Han, a media artist and PhD candidate in Cinema & Media Arts at York University, reflects the students’ ability to bring technology and the arts together. 

Earlier this term, student teams presented their installations to a panel consisting of representatives from Lights On, the City of Stratford, and the Stratford School. The selections are: 

  • A Living Entity is an interactive installation that brings to life the Avon River, showcasing its role in Stratford's future. 
  • Nocturnal Visions brings awareness to the essential roles of nocturnal animals, showcasing their unique behaviours and contributions to our environment. 
  • Fungi: Beyond the Eye invites viewers to explore the non-human, present world of fungi roots, called mycelium, local to the city of Stratford.
Sunday, December 29, 2024 (all day)

Lights On at the Stratford School

Three student projects from GBDA 412 – Special Topics in Media Architecture will be featured in Lights On Stratford, an annual city-wide festival, starting December 13. The course, designed and taught by David Han, a media artist and PhD candidate in Cinema & Media Arts at York University, reflects the students’ ability to bring technology and the arts together. 

Earlier this term, student teams presented their installations to a panel consisting of representatives from Lights On, the City of Stratford, and the Stratford School. The selections are: 

  • A Living Entity is an interactive installation that brings to life the Avon River, showcasing its role in Stratford's future. 
  • Nocturnal Visions brings awareness to the essential roles of nocturnal animals, showcasing their unique behaviours and contributions to our environment. 
  • Fungi: Beyond the Eye invites viewers to explore the non-human, present world of fungi roots, called mycelium, local to the city of Stratford.
Thursday, January 2, 2025 (all day)

Lights On at the Stratford School

Three student projects from GBDA 412 – Special Topics in Media Architecture will be featured in Lights On Stratford, an annual city-wide festival, starting December 13. The course, designed and taught by David Han, a media artist and PhD candidate in Cinema & Media Arts at York University, reflects the students’ ability to bring technology and the arts together. 

Earlier this term, student teams presented their installations to a panel consisting of representatives from Lights On, the City of Stratford, and the Stratford School. The selections are: 

  • A Living Entity is an interactive installation that brings to life the Avon River, showcasing its role in Stratford's future. 
  • Nocturnal Visions brings awareness to the essential roles of nocturnal animals, showcasing their unique behaviours and contributions to our environment. 
  • Fungi: Beyond the Eye invites viewers to explore the non-human, present world of fungi roots, called mycelium, local to the city of Stratford.
Friday, January 3, 2025 (all day)

Lights On at the Stratford School

Three student projects from GBDA 412 – Special Topics in Media Architecture will be featured in Lights On Stratford, an annual city-wide festival, starting December 13. The course, designed and taught by David Han, a media artist and PhD candidate in Cinema & Media Arts at York University, reflects the students’ ability to bring technology and the arts together. 

Earlier this term, student teams presented their installations to a panel consisting of representatives from Lights On, the City of Stratford, and the Stratford School. The selections are: 

  • A Living Entity is an interactive installation that brings to life the Avon River, showcasing its role in Stratford's future. 
  • Nocturnal Visions brings awareness to the essential roles of nocturnal animals, showcasing their unique behaviours and contributions to our environment. 
  • Fungi: Beyond the Eye invites viewers to explore the non-human, present world of fungi roots, called mycelium, local to the city of Stratford.
Saturday, January 4, 2025 (all day)

Lights On at the Stratford School

Three student projects from GBDA 412 – Special Topics in Media Architecture will be featured in Lights On Stratford, an annual city-wide festival, starting December 13. The course, designed and taught by David Han, a media artist and PhD candidate in Cinema & Media Arts at York University, reflects the students’ ability to bring technology and the arts together. 

Earlier this term, student teams presented their installations to a panel consisting of representatives from Lights On, the City of Stratford, and the Stratford School. The selections are: 

  • A Living Entity is an interactive installation that brings to life the Avon River, showcasing its role in Stratford's future. 
  • Nocturnal Visions brings awareness to the essential roles of nocturnal animals, showcasing their unique behaviours and contributions to our environment. 
  • Fungi: Beyond the Eye invites viewers to explore the non-human, present world of fungi roots, called mycelium, local to the city of Stratford.