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The Cyprus Interaction Lab and RISE CoE are happy to announce its participation in a successful COST Action proposal titled on Promoting Gender Balance in Informatic. Women are underrepresented in Informatics (Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Computing, ICT) at all levels, while increasing female representation in the field is a grand challenge for academics, policymakers, and society as a whole. The main aim of this COST Action is to improve gender balance in Informatics through the creation and strengthening of a truly multi-cultural European network of academics working on the forefront of the efforts in their countries, institutions and research communities.

“Within the next 10 years, many millions of people will be … wearing relatively unobtrusive … devices that offer an immersive and high-resolution view of a visually augmented world” (Perlin 2016: 85). This is the ‘human-machine era’, a time when our senses are not just supplemented by handheld mobile devices, but thoroughly augmented. The language we see, hear and produce will be mediated in real time by technology. This has major implications for language use, and ultimately language itself. Are linguists ready for this? Can our theory, methods, and epistemology handle it? LITHME has two aims: to prepare linguistics and its subdisciplines for what is coming; and to facilitate longer term dialogue between linguists and technology developers. How will pervasive augmentation technology affect language in areas such as international law, translation, and other forms of language work? What will this mean for how people identify with specific languages? Could increasing …

Dr. Andri Ioannou (Associate Professor, Director of the Cyprus Interaction Lab & Coordinator of the EdMedia MRG) was invited at the 3rd meeting of the Erasmus+ KA2 project ASKFOOD, which took place on April 14th-16th 2020, at the Cyprus University of Technology.  During the project meeting, Dr. Ioannou delivered a successful workshop on “Innovative teaching methods in food science; examples from practice”. As part of the workshop she introduced the Research Center on Interactive Media, Smart Systems, and Emerging Technologies (RISE) and work of the EdMedia MRG, providing examples of digital games and game-based simulations in the context of food science.  

The research team aimed to demonstrate learning design for successful integration of VR technologies in real classroom settings.The educational activity took place at the following high schools with the support of the schools’ principals and Science Education teachers: • Petrou & Pavlou Lyceum, Limassol (Marios Ioannou, Michalis Ioannou, Petros Lofitis)• Apostolou Louca Lyceum, Limassol (Maria Theophanous, Demetra Hadjichambi, Nikolas Shikkis, Andreas Falkonidis, Olga Nicolaidou)• Agiou Ioanni Lyceum, Limassol (Sylvia Economidou, Nikolas Nikolaou, Symeon Symeou)• Kykkou B Lyceum, Nicosia (Panayiota Chrysoxou-Anastasiadou, Dionysis Apostolides, Argiro Costi, Demetra Tziakouri)• Pascal Private School, Nicosia (Pantelis Andreou, Piera Ekkeshi-Meletiou) The students expressed their enthusiasm for the inquiry-based learning experience and for the use of the VR simulation, which allowed them to study the Special Theory of Relativity in a more fun, experiential and interactive way.Enjoy snapshots of the experience https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9Q0W6BUR1I A further showcase of the experience took place at the 9th Conference of Positive Sciences …

The kickoff meeting of the ERASMUS+ project FeSTEM (Female Empowerment in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in Higher Education) took place with great success on January 30-31, at the Cyprus University of Technology. FeSTEM, which is funded by the European Commission, is composed of five partners in five countries (Cyprus, Italy, Greece, Spain, Slovenia). Cyprus is represented by the Social Computing Research Centre  (http://www.socialcomputing.eu)  which has the responsibility for coordinating the project, with Dr. Antigoni Parmaxi as the Scientific Coordinator of the Project. The FeSTEM project includes leading universities and research centres with a distinguished research activity in the fields of science and education: the Smart Mobile Interactive Learning Environments (SMILE, http://smile.uom.gr/) Laboratory of the University of Macedonia, the CESIE Research Center (https://cesie.org/en/), the Geoss Educational Organization (www.ic-geoss.si) and two industrial partners: Magenta Consultoria (www.magentaconsultoria.com) and ARIS (http: //www.ariscy.com/). The main objective of the FeSTEM project is to promote an …

The kick-off meeting of the ERUM project (Enhancing Research Understanding through Media) took place on December 5th and 6th, at the Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece. The ERUM project is funded by the European Commission, under the Erasmus+ framework (Strategic Partnerships in Higher Education). The project consortium is composed by seven partners (University of Vienna, Cyprus University of Technology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University of Alcalá, University of Versailles, Vytautas Magnus University and the European University Foundation) in seven countries (Austria, Cyprus, Greece, Spain, France, Lithuania and Belgium).  Cyprus was represented by the Cyprus Interaction Lab (https://www.staging.cyprusinteractionlab.com/) of the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT) which is involved in all of the Intellectual Outputs as a contributor,  will host the 4th Transnational Project meeting, and has a leading role in the organization of the second multiplier event in Limassol.  Dr. Andri Ioannou ( Associate  Professor at the Cyprus University of Technology and …

The Cyprus Interaction Lab is the only research facility in Cyprus specialising in Educational Technology and Human Computer Interaction. We are proud to engage in research that helps unpack the potential of emerging technologies to positively influence our society. We hope you will enjoy reading our newsletter which highlights our major achievements of the previous year.  Cyprus Interaction Lab Annual Review-Newsletter 2019

The INTELed multiplier event took place at the Cyprus University of Technology in Limassol, Cyprus, aiming to disseminate the theoretical and pedagogical framework of INTELed, the philosophy and goals as well as the main outcomes of the INTELed European project. The event was entitled “Promoting inclusive education via embodied learning technologies: The INTELed  Teacher Professional Development programme” and was was co-organized by the Cyprus Interaction Lab of the Cyprus University of Technology, the Research center on Interactive media, Smart systems and Emerging technologies (RISE) and the Cyprus Association of Teachers for the use of Information and Communications Technologies. The event was attended by pre-service and in-service teachers, special education therapists, academics, policy-makers, parents, and representatives of teacher associations, who were interested in finding out more about the project and its main outcomes.

The ENGINITE multiplier event took place at the Cyprus University Cyprus, in Limassol, Cyprus. The multiplier event aimed at disseminating the ENGINITE european project and its goals, as well as the ENGINITE postgraduate Vocational Education and Training (VET) programme which was based on Problem Based Learning (PBL) pedagogy. The event was entitled “Bridging academia and industry by integrating ‘theory’ with ‘practice’ using the PBL approach in Engineering Education”. It was co-organized by the Social Computing Research Centre (SCRC) via the Cyprus Interaction Lab (CIL) of the Cyprus University of Technology, CUBEiE LLC and GrantXpert consulting, and was supported by the Research center on Interactive media, Smart systems and Emerging technologies (RISE). The event was attended by graduate and undergraduate young engineers, VET educators, members of industrial and VET associations, representatives from companies and academics.

The SUGAR team, in collaboration with NGO Oxygono and the Youth Council of Cyprus, have organised a two-part discussion panel series under the theme of “Limassol 2040”, which aim to discuss how a long-term plan for a city can come to fruition through the participation of citizens, the community and the authorities. The second part of the discussion took place on the 5th of December 2019 at the Cyprus University of Technology in Limassol. The invited speakers were Nicos Nicolaides (Mayor of Limassol), Pantelis Eutixiou Georgiou (Mayor of Ypsonas) and Charalampos Theopemptou (MP of the Ecologists – Citizens’ Coalition Movement). The discussion revolved around five main themes, including local government reform, tall buildings, sustainable strategic planning, future challenges and the long-term plan for Limassol. At the end of the discussion, the audience had the opportunity to ask the invited speakers a series of questions in relation to the topics discussed …

The Cyprus Interaction Lab (https://www.staging.cyprusinteractionlab.com/) of the Social Computing Research Center (http://www.socialcomputing.eu) at the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT) has secured funding under the Erasmus+ program (Strategic Partnerships in Higher Education) with the project “Enhancing Research Understanding through Media” (ERUM). The Cyprus Interaction Lab is a  partner in the two-year project, which is coordinated by the University of Vienna and has received a total funding of 350,000 euros. The ERUM project includes also five additional leading universities with distinguished research activity in the field of Media education, as follows: University of Alcalá (Spain), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece), University of Versailles (France), Vytautas Magnus University (Lithuania), and the European University Foundation (Luxembourg). The main objective of the ERUM project is to develop a relevant transversal educational offer on the topic of “quality of information between mis and disinformation today” for higher education students who are partaking in the shaping of …

Με ιδιαίτερη επιτυχία ολοκληρώθηκε το διετές ευρωπαϊκό έργο INTELed [INnovative Training via Embodied Learning and multi-sensory techniques for inclusive education] (https://www.inteled.org/), το οποίο χρηματοδοτήθηκε από την Ευρωπαϊκή Επιτροπή, στο πλαίσιο της δέσμης προγραμμάτων Erasmus+. Στο πλαίσιο του ευρωπαϊκού έργου συμμετείχαν 4 εταίροι από 4 χώρες, ως εξής: Τεχνολογικό Πανεπιστήμιο Κύπρου (Κύπρος), Πανεπιστήμιο Πειραιώς (Ελλάδα), Πανεπιστήμιο Βαγιαδολίδ (Ισπανία), και CESIE (Ιταλία). Ο συντονιστής του έργου ήταν το Τεχνολογικό Πανεπιστήμιο Κύπρου – Κέντρο Κοινωνικής Πληροφορικής (http://www.socialcomputing.eu). Επιστημονική υπεύθυνη και συντονίστρια του έργου ήταν η Δρ. Άντρη Ιωάννου, Επίκουρη Καθηγήτρια στο Τμήμα Πολυμέσων και Γραφικών Τεχνών, και συντονίστρια του Ερευνητικού Εργαστηρίου Αλληλεπίδρασης Cyprus Interaction Lab (https://www.staging.cyprusinteractionlab.com/). Στην τοπική ομάδα, εκ μέρους του Τεχνολογικού Πανεπιστημίου Κύπρου, συμμετείχαν επίσης οι Δρ. Γιάννης Γεωργίου ως διαχειριστής του έργου (Project manager), Καθ. Παναγιώτης Ζαφείρης, Δρ. Παναγιώτης Κοσμά, κ. Νικολέττα Παντέλα και κ. Αντρέας Κίτσης καθώς και η Δρ. Αγνή Στυλιανού-Γεωργίου από το Πανεπιστήμιο Λευκωσίας, με συμβουλευτικό ρόλο …

Με ιδιαίτερη επιτυχία ολοκληρώθηκε το διετές ευρωπαϊκό έργο ENGINITE [ENGineering and INdustry Innovative Training for Engineers via PBL] (https://www.enginite.eu/), το οποίο χρηματοδοτήθηκε από την Ευρωπαϊκή Επιτροπή, στο πλαίσιο της δέσμης προγραμμάτων Erasmus+ Στρατηγικές Συμπράξεις για την Επαγγελματική Εκπαίδευση και Κατάρτιση. Η κοινοπραξία του έργου αποτελείτο από 6 εταίρους από 4 διαφορετικές ευρωπαϊκές χώρες, ως εξής: Τεχνολογικό Πανεπιστήμιο Κύπρου (Κύπρος), Aalborg Universitet (Δανία), CUBEIE LLC (Κύπρος), Πολυτεχνείο Κρήτης (Ελλάδα), GrantXpert Consulting (Κύπρος), και Useful Simple Projects Limited (Αγγλία) Ο συντονιστής του έργου ήταν το Τεχνολογικό Πανεπιστήμιο Κύπρου – Κέντρο Κοινωνικής Πληροφορικής (http://www.socialcomputing.eu). Επιστημονική υπεύθυνη και συντονίστρια του έργου ήταν η Δρ. Άντρη Ιωάννου, Επίκουρη Καθηγήτρια στο Τμήμα Πολυμέσων και Γραφικών Τεχνών, και συντονίστρια του Ερευνητικού Εργαστηρίου Αλληλεπίδρασης Cyprus Interaction Lab (https://www.staging.cyprusinteractionlab.com/). Στην τοπική ομάδα, εκ μέρους του Τεχνολογικού Πανεπιστημίου Κύπρου, συμμετείχαν επίσης οι Δρ. Γιάννης Γεωργίου ως διαχειριστής του έργου (Project manager), Καθ. Παναγιώτης Ζαφείρης, Δρ. Ιωάννης Βυρίδης, Δρ. Στέλιος Γιατρός, …

This post involves multidisciplinary research in areas related to Education, Technology, Multimedia, Computer Science, Human-Computer Interaction, Design. Candidates should possess: Postgraduate Degree of Master’s level from accredited Universities in Computer Science or Multimedia or Education or any related field. Ability to organize and carry out research work independently Very good knowledge of English language. Prior experience in research activities (i.e. publication record, submitting research proposals, participating in research programs) will be considered as an additional qualification. The successful candidate will be assigned to the “Cyprus Interaction Lab” (https://www.staging.cyprusinteractionlab.com). In parallel with his/her study the successful candidate may be employed in currently active research programs and will be assigned teaching-related duties at the Department of Multimedia and Graphic Arts with appropriate reimbursement. Research Advisor: Panayiotis Zaphiris, Professor, panayiotis.zaphiris@cut.ac.cy

On Monday, October 14th, the 5th ENGINITE Transnational Project meeting took place at the Youth MakerSpace, in Larnaka (Cyprus). This final meeting, which was organized by GrantXpert, had a three-fold goal: (a) to reflect on the ENGINITE main outcomes and achievements, (b) to discuss the project’s next steps in relation to the final reporting, and (c) to plan the actions to be undertaken for the exploitation and sustainability of the projects’ outcomes.  During the first part of the project Dr Andri Ioannou (Project coordinator, Cyprus University of Technology) provided a thorough overview of the project and the successful milestones achieved to date. In continuation, Mrs Christina Achilleos (EU Funding Consultant, GrantXpert Consulting) as the project’s Dissemination and Quality Assurance Leader, provided an overview of the Dissemination and the Quality & Assurance reports of the project. Subsequently, the partners discussed about the final reporting, setting a timeline for the successful accomplishment of …