The Equator interdisciplinary research centre

Matthew Chalmers, University of Glasgow

Equator links computer science groups in Glasgow, Lancaster, Nottingham, Southampton and UCL, as well as sociologists in Lancaster, psychologists in Sussex and Glasgow, and designers at the Royal College of Art. It's a six year long project, involving about 40 people (including 26 new RA posts) and a focus on the mixing of physical and digital media, seeing them as two halves of the same world rather than separate 'real' and 'virtual' worlds. It will interweave technologies such as virtual environments, mobiles and wearables, wireless comms, hypermedia, CSCW and databases in the context of a number of overlapping, cross-fertilising projects. I'll describe the basic concepts, themes and directions taking shape within Equator, and outline the directions its members are interested in pursuing. In doing this, I'd hope to open up discussion of the ways that Equator relates to GIST and of how we might work within it.

For more information contact: matthew@dcs.gla.ac.uk