Francesco Cafaro is an Associate Professor of Human-Computer Interaction at the Luddy School of Informatics Computing and Engineering, Indiana University Indianapolis. His work investigates how theories from learning, cognitive, and computer sciences can be used to design intuitive, embodied experiences. His research brings data to life by moving it beyond the traditional screen, focusing on how full-body, embodied interactions can transform learning and sensemaking in public spaces. Dr. Cafaro has designed and evaluated prototype interactive installations in collaboration with numerous museums and cultural sites, including the New York Hall of Science in Queens, the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum in Chicago, Historic New Harmony, the Indiana State Museum, and Discovery Place in Charlotte.
Jessica Roberts is an Associate Professor in Interactive Computing at Georgia Tech. As a learning scientist, her work explores technology-mediated social learning with a focus on public engagement with science and scientific data. Drawing on her background as a middle school teacher and a theatre designer, Dr. Roberts creates human-data interaction experiences that encourage learners in classrooms and free-choice settings to play with data through tangible, embodied, and collaborative interactions. She earned her Ph.D. in the Learning Sciences from the University of Illinois at Chicago, specializing in geospatial analysis and visualization. Her designs of interactive learning technologies have been exhibited at venues including the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, the New York Hall of Science, and the Georgia Aquarium. Dr. Roberts directs the Technology-Integrated Learning Environments (TILEs) Lab and leads interdisciplinary learning research efforts spanning topics from air pollution to zooplankton.