Edition #6/ April 2011

UPCOMING EVENTS

1. HIGHLIGHT - COPELABS Participates in the Workshop "Interconnecting Smart Objects with the Internet"

The Internet Architecture Board (IAB) workshop on "Interconnecting Smart Objects with the Internet", which took place in Prague on March 25th 2011, aimed at exploring the experience and approaches taken by researchers and developers of Internet technology, when considering the characteristics of constrained devices (e.g. sensors and actuators). The group aimed to reach to an understanding about what should be the actions to be taken in the Internet Engineering Task Force to support the design of protocols needed to run an Internet encompassing networked objects.

COPELABS was represented in the workshop by the researcher Paulo Mendes who provided a position paper entitled: *Social-driven Internet of Connected Objects*. The workshop counted with a total of 72 participants of which 68 were invited to submit position papers about challenges for the implementation of an Internet-of-things.

The IAB is a committee of the IETF which has, among others, the responsibility of providing guidance and advices concerning emerging technical, architectural, and organizational issues relevant to the worldwide Internet.

IN THIS ISSUE

1. HIGHLIGHT - COPELABS Participates in the Workshop "Interconnecting Smart Objects with the Internet"

2. S-BRAIN Hosts Talk on Situated Cognition and its Relevancy for the Design of Interactive Digital Artifacts

3. API Launches its Roadmap for 2011

4. LISS Hosts Talk on the Entrepeneurship Programme Beta-Start

2. S-BRAIN Hosts Talk on Situated Cognition and its Relevancy for the Design of Interactive Digital Artifacts

Within the context of open brainstorming and food for thought, COPELABS hosted a talk by Dr. Nuno Otero entitled "Educational technologies and the design of external representations for seamless learning". The talk had place on the regular COPELABS Brainstorming (S-BRAIN) meetings.

Dr Otero provided insight concerning his current activities which are related to understanding how the properties of distinct digital devices and embedded external representations impact on people's activities (workplace related, technology enhanced learning and ludic contexts). His talk embarked on the quest for understanding the dynamics of this interplay and how it affects the "cognitions" - in other words, how external representations facilitate or hinder cognitive activities, and covered aspects such asthe design of public digital displays and its impact on people's appropriations of the technology; the role of gestures in people's interactions with different digital artifacts; methods to elicit and understand user experience.

Dr. Nuno Otero (ALGORITMI) is, since March 2008, a research Fellow at the Department of Information Systems, University of Minho. He is currently involved in the development of situated displays and human-robot interaction to support collaboration in everyday tasks and therapeutic activities of people with physical and cognitive impairment. Nuno was (05-08) a research fellow at the Adaptive System Research Group, Science and Technology Research Institute, University of Hertfordshire, where he developed, among other activities, work in the European project Cogniron, related to human-robot interaction.

3. API Launches its Roadmap for 2011

The national interest group Approaches to Paradigms of a future Internet (API) has recently launched its goals and roadmap for 2011. As volunteer interest group which started in 2010, API intends to reinforce its dialogue and brainstorming nature in 2011, introducing measures that are expected to provide a more adequate balance between industry and academia members, as well as to further assist in fomenting brainstorming concerning Internet topics in Portugal. Key to such are the regular Think-Tanks that the API initiative hosts and which are exclusively dedicated to specific and previous chosen topics related to new Internet fields emerging.

In 2011, API shall host 3 specific events: the 5th API Think-Tank meeting (TT) will take place on May 27th hosted by DEI, University of Coimbra, and is entitled "Internet of connected Objects"; the 6th TT is expected to occur on September 15th 2011 hosted by Portugal Telecom Inovação in Aveiro and is dedicated to "Security, Privacy, and Trust Management in Evolving Architectures"; the 7th and final 2011 event is hosted by COPELABS, University Lusófona in Lisboa, late November and is entitled "Cooperative Sensing and Social Capital Building". Further details concerning the roadmap will be soon made available through the API site.

API is a Portuguese scientific and technological interest group that aims at strengthening ongoing work and discussion on the topic of Internet architectures and networking, providing a means to ignite discussion around varied R&D topics that are being pursued by different R&D entities in Portugal both in industry and in academia.API has a technological deployment horizon of 10 years and its main goals are, among others, to foment brainstorming and dialog based on a set of relevant experts from academia and from industry;to ensure cooperative discussions and regular exchange of know-how;to provide synchronization with related international activities; to leverage excellence on the topics discussed by developing coordinated efforts. To participate, just register by sending an e-mail to regapi at uitc.ulusofona.pt

4. LISS Hosts Talk on the Entrepreneurship Programme Beta-Start

The Information Systems School (LISS) of University Lusófona hosts on 14.04.2011, 17h-18h (University Lusófona, Building U, room U.0.8) a talk on the entrepeneurship programme Beta-Start.

Beta-Start aims at providing entrepeneurs with food for thought and tools concerning the development cycle, from ideas to innovative start-ups.

Beta-Start is an initiative from the non-profit association Beta-i together with NetValues Ventures. For further information concerning this event please contact Rui Ribeiro (ITEM researcher @COPELABS and LISS executive director, rui dot ribeiro at ulusofona dot pt).