Title: Participant Data Considerations for the Virtual Experience Research Accelerator (VERA)

Greg Welch
University of Central Florida

12:30pm, May 9, 2024
IRB 4105

Zoom:  https://umd.zoom.us/my/niallw


Abstract: 
With generous support from the National Science Foundation I am leading a diverse team of investigators, staff, and volunteers from multiple universities and other organizations in the development of a human-machine system for carrying out human subjects research related to Virtual Reality. The system will enable VR researchers around the world to conduct user studies online, concurrently across a large, carefully curated, diverse, and dedicated standing pool of study participants. We call the infrastructure the Virtual Experience Research Accelerator (VERA). VERA is being developed to overcome three common issues with laboratory-based human subjects research: small sample sizes, narrow sample demographics, and slow sample collection. In contrast VERA will provide large sample sizes, diverse and inclusive samples, and fast turn-around. And yet the VERA paradigm presents some nonobvious challenges related to each remote participant's unique individual circumstances. I will share a bit of the story of VERA, along with the status and plans, and I will discuss some of the nonobvious challenges and ideas for overcoming them. Finally, because part of our mission is to develop a community of affiliated researchers, I will share some plans for community outreach and engagement, and opportunities to get involved.

Short Bio: 
Greg Welch is a Pegasus Professor and the AdventHealth Endowed Chair in Healthcare Simulation at the University of Central Florida College of Nursing. A computer scientist and engineer, he also has appointments in the College of Engineering and Computer Science and in the Institute for Simulation & Training. Welch earned his B.S. in Electrical Engineering Technology from Purdue University (Highest Distinction), and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). Previously, he was a research professor at UNC. He also worked at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and at Northrop-Grumman’s Defense Systems Division. His research interests include human-computer interaction, human motion tracking, virtual and augmented reality, computer graphics and vision, and training related applications. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). His awards include induction into the IEEE Virtual Reality Academy in 2022, the IEEE Virtual Reality Technical Achievement Award in 2018 (VR 2018), and the Long Lasting Impact Paper Award at the 15th IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR 2016).