News & Research
Turning Smartphones into Lab-Grade Microscopes
Professor Alexander Adams, founding director of Georgia Tech’s Uncommon Sense Lab, began his career in music before transitioning to engineering. Fascinated by sensing systems and human-computer interaction, he now leads research on using everyday devices for advanced healthcare applications.
Jay Bolter On the Significance of AR, VR, and AI in Hollywood
Jay Bolter, Professor and Director of Computational Media at Georgia Tech’s Digital Media Department, is a leading researcher in virtual and augmented reality experiences. Based in the Technology Square Research Building (TSRB), Bolter’s work explores how emerging immersive technologies are reshaping entertainment, storytelling, and everyday life.
Bridging the Gap Between Physical and Virtual Worlds
Michael Nitsche, a professor in Georgia Tech’s Digital Media program and a prominent researcher at TSRB, leads efforts in transforming our interaction with digital media. His research integrates physical and virtual realms, exploring intersections of video games, craft, and design through concepts like New Materialism, embodied interaction, and puppetry.
Pushing the Boundaries of Silicon-Germanium: Cryogenics, Space, and Ocean Worlds
TSRB’s John D. Cressler has spent over three decades exploring the frontiers of silicon-germanium technology. His research has advanced the fundamental understanding of semiconductor devices and opened up new possibilities for applications in some of the most extreme environments imaginable.
Reshaping the Future of Emotion AI
Inside the Technology Square Research Building (TSRB) in Tech Square, Dr. Noura Howell and her team at the Future Feelings Lab are redefining how we perceive emotions in the digital age. Howell, an Assistant Professor at Georgia Tech with a background in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and design research, leads a team that explores the complex relationship between technology, emotion, and society.
Decoding Entrepreneurial Success
In the latest episode of Scheller Business Insights, Karthik Ramachandran, Dunn Family Professor of Operations Management at the Scheller College of Business at Georgia Tech, explores the classic question: Are entrepreneurs born or made?
AI-Powered Innovation for Safer Roads
Despite comprising only 5% of US roadway miles, curves account for 25% of all traffic-related fatalities. Professor James Tsai and his team at Safe Road Solutions are implementing an innovative, AI-powered approach to identifying and mitigating dangerous road conditions, focusing on hazardous curves.
Rosa Arriaga’s Research Advances Tech Design for Continuous Chronic and Mental Health Management
In today’s healthcare landscape, continuity of care is often disrupted by fragmented systems, lack of engagement, and limited data integration between clinical visits. Dr. Rosa Arriaga, a researcher in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) at Georgia Tech, is pioneering ways to bridge these gaps through innovative technology-driven solutions.
Cecile Zhang on Camerimage’s Reckoning: The Data Behind the 3.1% Controversy
At the center of the 3.1% controversy at Camerimage 2024, cinematographer and researcher Cecile Zhang critically examines how a viral data visualization sparked outrage over gender representation in cinematography. Through a deep dive into the numbers, Zhang questions whether the debate has been shaped by incomplete data and social media activism rather than a fuller understanding of systemic bias.
Bridging the Digital Divide in Hawai’i
Computer science is rapidly becoming an essential skill for today’s workforce and the future. However, in Hawai‘i, integrating CS education comes with unique cultural and logistical challenges. Dr. Josiah Hester and his team at Georgia Tech’s Ka Moamoa Lab, based in the TSRB building, are developing emerging technology solutions specifically designed to support Hawaiian immersion schools, ensuring that CS education remains both accessible and culturally relevant.
Event Recap: Interactivity 2025
On February 11, 2025, Georgia Tech’s Institute for People and Technology (IPaT) and Master’s Program in Human-Computer Interaction (MS-HCI) held the Interactivity@GT event, bringing together students, faculty, and industry professionals to explore cutting-edge research and innovations in human-computer interaction.
How Metal Gear Solid V’s Design Betrays Its Anti-Nuclear Ideals
Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear series has long been celebrated for its anti-war and anti-nuclear metacommentary. However, this legacy faced a peculiar rupture with Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (MGSV). According to a recent paper from TSRB’s Ryan Scheiding (Georgia Tech) & Dan Staines (Torrens University), the game's gameplay mechanics and design undercut its thematic intent.
From The Last of Us to Baldur’s Gate: Cultural Tensions in Gaming
As society evolves and cultural norms are challenged, efforts to embrace inclusivity and diversity often face intense scrutiny from an oftentimes very vocal minority. A recent paper by TSRB’s Anne Sullivan and coauthors Mel Stanfill and Anastasia Salter from the University of Central Florida, takes a closer look at the backlash and controversy when three popular games released in 2023 introduced inclusive options into their character creation.
Innovate and Collaborate: Inside TSRB’s Maker Spaces
The Technology Square Research Building (TSRB) at Georgia Tech houses two invaluable community maker spaces that embody Tech Square's ethos of collaboration: the IPaT Prototyping Lab and Craft Lab. These spaces create hubs of interdisciplinary collaboration, skill-building, and innovation among students, faculty, artists, startups, and external partners.
How Zoo Atlanta’s Elephants Are Experimenting with Sound
Ph.D. student Arianna Mastali’s research in animal-centered computing focuses on designing wearable computers and interactive enrichment devices. With a background in computer engineering and human-computer interaction, Mastali's interdisciplinary expertise has culminated in a unique project to enrich the lives of the elephants at Zoo Atlanta.