Author: Matthew Lombard

Call: Beautiful Screens conference

Published:

March 27, 2025

Call for Papers: ‘Beautiful Screens’A CREAM, University of Westminster ConferenceJune 19-20, 2025University of Westminster, Marylebone Campus, Londonhttps://cstonline.net/cfp-beautiful-screens-conference-june-19-20-2025-university-of-westminster-uk-deadline-april-28-2025/ Deadline for submitting abstracts of papers: April 28, 2025 Organisers:Dr. Christopher Hogg – C.Hogg@westminster.ac.uk (University of Westminster)Dr. Kate McNicholas Smith – K.McNicholassmith@westminster.ac.uk (University of Westminster)Dr. Douglas McNaughton – D.Mcnaughton@brighton.ac.uk (University of Brighton) OVERVIEW Screen media are inextricably linked to notions of beauty, and never more so than in a contemporary age of technological expansions and transformations, and heavily mediated identities and social interactions. In everything from ‘Instagram face’, to the rapidly evolving aesthetics of screen storytelling and television design, to YouTube makeup tutorials,…
Read more: Call: Beautiful Screens conference
OpenAI and MIT Media Lab release research on affective engagement with ChatGPT and emotional well-being

Published:

March 27, 2025

[An ambitious collaborative research project by the company that developed and operates the general purpose ChatGPT AI service, and the MIT Media Lab, has produced some interesting presence-related results. The summary below from MIT Technology Review is followed by a more pointed assessment from Futurism that concludes that “the longer you use the chatbot, the more likely you are to become emotionally dependent upon it”). For a more detailed summary of the project, see the blog post from OpenAI and Media Lab. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Photo Illustration by Sarah Rogers/MITTR | Photo Getty] OpenAI has released its first research into…
Read more: OpenAI and MIT Media Lab release research on affective engagement with ChatGPT and emotional well-being
Job: Postdoc: “VR and Immersive Technologies – Postcolonial and Creative Approaches” at Utrecht University

Published:

March 26, 2025

Call for Applications: Postdoctoral position: VR and Immersive Technologies – Postcolonial and Creative ApproachesFaculty of HumanitiesDepartment of Media and Culture StudiesUtrecht UniversityNetherlandshttps://www.uu.nl/en/organisation/working-at-utrecht-university/jobs/postdoc-vr-and-immersive-technologies-postcolonial-and-creative-approaches Deadline for submission of applications: April 23, 2025 (Apply now) In this postdoctoral position, you are part of the NWO project “VR As Empathy Machine. Media, Migration and Humanitarian Predicament”. You focus on postcolonial, feminist, media theories, and design practices with a specific interest in the past and future of immersive technologies. In particular, you engage with the relation between viewers and mediated others through embodied technologies. YOUR JOB Virtual Reality (VR) is a booming industry and is…
Read more: Job: Postdoc: “VR and Immersive Technologies – Postcolonial and Creative Approaches” at Utrecht University
NOAA uses VR and presence to teach the public about hurricane and weather safety

Published:

March 26, 2025

[Our colleague and friend Grace Ahn is one of the lead researchers working with the U.S. government’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric association (NOAA) to develop “an immersive and simulation” for virtual reality to help members of the public learn about and prepare for the dangers of storm surges. The NOAA press release below provides details, and is followed by more information from a University of Georgia press release. –Matthew] [Image: People at a public sporting event try out the “Weather the Storm” storm surge VR simulation. Credit: NOAA/Joshua Alland] Bringing storm surge to virtual reality New product to teach public…
Read more: NOAA uses VR and presence to teach the public about hurricane and weather safety
Call: Interactive AI for Preventive Health: Personalization, Gamification, and Ethics (IAI4PH) 2025 at EICS 2025

Published:

March 25, 2025

Call for Papers: Interactive AI for Preventive Health: Personalization, Gamification, and Ethics (IAI4PH) 2025Co-located with EICS 2025, The 17th ACM SIGCHI Symposium on Engineering Interactive Computing SystemsJune 24, 2025Trier, Germanyhttps://sites.google.com/view/aiforpreventivehealth/home EICS 2025:June 23-27, 2025https://eics.acm.org/2025/ Deadline for submissions: May 3, 2025Submission system: Easychair Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing preventive healthcare by enabling proactive, personalized, and engaging health management. Through interactive AI systems—leveraging wearables, ambient sensing, and adaptive interfaces—individuals can receive real-time insights that encourage healthier behaviors and reduce healthcare burdens. However, ensuring engagement, trust, and ethical integrity remains crucial. This workshop at EICS 2025 aims to advance knowledge in designing interactive…
Read more: Call: Interactive AI for Preventive Health: Personalization, Gamification, and Ethics (IAI4PH) 2025 at EICS 2025
The lost monuments of Versailles are revived in a new VR experience

Published:

March 25, 2025

[As Artnet reports, in addition to experiencing the surviving palace and grounds, a presence-evoking virtual version of long-lost monuments at the Palace of Versailles is now available to visitors. See the original story for four different pictures and the Palace website for more information about the Lost Gardens of the Sun King VR experience. –Matthew] [Image: Source: Château de Versailles] The Lost Monuments of Versailles Are Revived in a New V.R. Experience Visitors will discover digital reconstructions of the palace’s lost menagerie for exotic animals and its iconic hedge maze, known as the labyrinth. By Jo Lawson-Tancred, European News ReporterFebruary…
Read more: The lost monuments of Versailles are revived in a new VR experience
Call: “Beyond Play: The Transformative Power of Digital Gaming in a Deeply Mediatized Society” issue of Gamevironments

Published:

March 24, 2025

Call for Papers: Beyond Play: The Transformative Power of Digital Gaming in a Deeply Mediatized SocietySpecial issue of the Diamond Open Access journal Gamevironmentshttps://journals.suub.uni-bremen.de/index.php/gamevironments/openquests Guest editors: Kerstin Radde-Antweiler, Karsten D. Wolf and Christian Schwarzenegger Deadline for submissions of abstracts and bios: May 31, 2025 (full text submissions due December 15, 2025 Digital games and gaming are carriers, accelerators and subjects of change in media, culture and society. In this capacity they serve as an interlink between media industries, digital technologies, social practices, cultural norms and values, making them ideal cases to analyze contemporary transformation processes in the context of (deep)…
Read more: Call: “Beyond Play: The Transformative Power of Digital Gaming in a Deeply Mediatized Society” issue of Gamevironments
VR and AI could transform behavioral assessments and interventions in U.S. schools

Published:

March 24, 2025

[Education researcher Jared Izumi at Chapman University in Southern California is exploring the potential benefits of using presence-evoking technologies to both assess and treat behavioral problems in children. This story from the University provides details (and the original version includes a photo of Izumi; more information about him and his work can be found on his faculty bio webpage). –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Generated by Adobe Firefly] Virtual Reality and AI Could Transform Behavioral Assessments in U.S. Schools Assistant Professor Jared Izumi is developing a virtual reality program that could eliminate bias from child behavioral assessments. By Benjamin BrazilMarch 18, 2025…
Read more: VR and AI could transform behavioral assessments and interventions in U.S. schools
Call: “Video Games: Industry, Entrepreneurship, Creativity and Innovation” issue of Tripodos

Published:

March 21, 2025

Call for Papers: Video Games: Industry, Entrepreneurship, Creativity and InnovationFor the journal Tripodoshttps://tripodos.com/index.php/Facultat_Comunicacio_Blanquerna/focusscope Deadline for submissions: June 15, 2025 Since its establishment in 2001, Game Studies have laid a solid foundation for understanding video games as a medium of communication and expression, as well as for identifying the key actors and processes involved in their creation, consumption, and reception. At the same time, the industry’s maturation and technological advancements, along with the emergence of an increasingly diverse gaming community, present new challenges and the need for research and innovation in more specific areas of the field. Within this framework, both…
Read more: Call: “Video Games: Industry, Entrepreneurship, Creativity and Innovation” issue of Tripodos
What it’s like to watch an NHL hockey game in virtual reality

Published:

March 21, 2025

[Here’s a first-person report on the current experience of watching a complete NHL hockey game in virtual reality. Despite some notable complaints, the author recommends the experience as “the best way to [watch a game] without actually being there in person.” See the original story from Daily Faceoff for five short video clips. –Matthew] What it’s like to watch an NHL game in virtual reality By Steven EllisMarch 18, 2025 Most hockey-crazed fans will skip out on enjoying the weekend sunshine to watch their favorite team get decimated on TV. But have you ever thought about strapping a piece of…
Read more: What it’s like to watch an NHL hockey game in virtual reality
Call: ESAS 2025: The 20th IEEE International Workshop on e-Health Systems & Web Technologies

Published:

March 20, 2025

Call for Papers: ESAS 2025: The 20th IEEE International Workshop on e-Health Systems & Web TechnologiesIn conjunction with the 49th IEEE International Conference on Computers, Software, and Applications (COMPSAC 2025)July 8-11, 2025Toronto, Canadahttp://www.wikicfp.com/cfp/servlet/event.showcfp?eventid=186362&copyownerid=174052https://ieeecompsac.computer.org/2025/esas/ COMPSAC 2025 Theme: “Harnessing the Power of Intelligent Systems: Shaping the Future” Workshop Organizers:Prof. Dr. Atilla Elci, Hasan Kalyoncu University, Faculty of Engineering, TURKEY,Email: atilla.elci (at) gmail.com Prof. Dr. Duygu Celik Ertugrul, Eastern Mediterranean University, Faculty of Engineering, Mersin-10, TURKEY,Email: duygucelik (at) msn.com, duygu.celik (at) emu.edu.tr Important Dates:Workshop papers due: April 15, 2025Workshop paper notifications: May 01, 2025Camera-ready copy June 1, 2025Conference Dates July 8-11, 2025 We…
Read more: Call: ESAS 2025: The 20th IEEE International Workshop on e-Health Systems & Web Technologies
Neurosurgeons from the UK and US in mixed reality world first

Published:

March 20, 2025

[This news release from XARlabs describes an impressive application of mixed reality technologies that evoke both spatial and social presence to bring neurosurgery experts together in real-time, across continents, to discuss and plan the details of complex surgeries for two patients; it also mentions potential future applications of the technologies. The release is undated, but shorter versions from Imperial College and Penn State are dated February 28, 2025 and March 7, 2025, respectively. –Matthew] Neurosurgeons from the UK and US in Mixed Reality World First Teams from Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in London, Penn State Health and Penn State…
Read more: Neurosurgeons from the UK and US in mixed reality world first

International Society
for Presence Research

Author: Matthew Lombard

Call: Beautiful Screens conference

OpenAI and MIT Media Lab release research on affective engagement with ChatGPT and emotional well-being

Job: Postdoc: “VR and Immersive Technologies – Postcolonial and Creative Approaches” at Utrecht University

NOAA uses VR and presence to teach the public about hurricane and weather safety

Call: Interactive AI for Preventive Health: Personalization, Gamification, and Ethics (IAI4PH) 2025 at EICS 2025

The lost monuments of Versailles are revived in a new VR experience

Call: “Beyond Play: The Transformative Power of Digital Gaming in a Deeply Mediatized Society” issue of Gamevironments

VR and AI could transform behavioral assessments and interventions in U.S. schools

Call: “Video Games: Industry, Entrepreneurship, Creativity and Innovation” issue of Tripodos

What it’s like to watch an NHL hockey game in virtual reality

Call: ESAS 2025: The 20th IEEE International Workshop on e-Health Systems & Web Technologies

Neurosurgeons from the UK and US in mixed reality world first

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