Annual HCIL Symposium to Highlight Digital Security, Wearable Technologies and More

With topics ranging from how people perceive digital security to the development of interactive wearable e-textiles, this year’s Human-Computer Interaction Lab (HCIL) Symposium at the University of Maryland highlights cutting-edge research and innovation that can transform how people interact with new technologies.

The May 26 event, now in its 33rd year, will be held in the Computer Science Instructional Center on the UMD campus.

HCIL Director June Ahn says the annual event allows for HCIL faculty and students to connect with the community and share the state-of-the-art research being done at the lab.

“Attendees will be able to hear about how computing is impacting society, across a wide range of topics such as health, journalism, education, privacy, data visualization, maker movements, citizen science and play,” he says.

The daylong symposium features presentations, tutorials and workshops that normally attract more than 300 participants from both on and off campus.

Michelle Mazurek, an assistant professor of computer science and a member of the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS), says several of her students will discuss projects focused on privacy and digital security.

Elissa Redmiles, a second-year doctoral student in computer science, and Amy Malone, a graduating senior in computer science, will discuss their qualitative study of how online users encounter security advice, which advice they do or do not adopt, and why and how this compares to advice they receive about physical security (e.g., locking your car).

“Among other things, the research found that participants evaluate digital security advice based on the trustworthiness of the source,” says Mazurek, who is part of HCIL and the Maryland Cybersecurity Center (MC2). “For physical security, participants in the study said they instead relied on their own assessment of whether the advice content is sensible or useful.”

Mazurek, a co-author of the study, says the group’s research on this topic will also be presented at the 37th IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy, held May 23–25 in San Jose, California.

Jon Froehlich, an assistant professor of computer science and a member of UMIACS, will discuss MakerWear, a project he and his students are working on that involves supporting kids in the creative design, play, experimentation and construction of interactive wearable e-textiles. Majeed Kazemitabaar, a master's student in computer science, is the lead graduate student on the collaboration.

The researchers, working in Froehlich’s Hackerspace lab located in HCIL, have been pursuing two simultaneous efforts, both of which utilize a custom modular “plug-and-play’” electronic approach: MakerShoe and ReWear (Retrofit ETextile Wearables).

“While similar, the two platforms represent different research trajectories and distinct architectures,” Froehlich says.

MakerShoe, he says, is a ‘blue sky’ platform, which allows his team to explore ideas that require custom e-textile clothing (i.e., special shoes with built-in wiring, power or charging circuitry). In contrast, ReWear is a retrofit platform aimed at infusing existing textiles (e.g., hats, scarves or clothing) with interactive electronic behaviors.

Froehlich says he looks forward to the annual HCIL symposium as both a presenter and a participant. “I’m always amazed by the innovation and creativity of my colleagues, which results in a very engaging and exciting day,” he says.

The College of Information Studies (iSchool), UMIACS, and the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences are major sponsors of the symposium. The symposium also attracts external funding from dozens of industry partners.

For a full listing of events for the 2016 HCIL Symposium, go here.