19 November 2004
International gathering to focus on partnering industry, creativity and research
High-powered scientists in human-computer interface research will gather in Christchurch in February 2005 for the Human
Interface Technology Laboratory New Zealand’s (HIT Lab NZ) international Virtual Worlds Consortium at the University of
Canterbury.
The Consortium is on 10 and 11 February and themed Industry Creativity Research: Partners in Innovation. Registrations
are now open.
The event is expected to attract 200 guests from New Zealand and around the globe who will be exploring how to create
partnerships between the essential elements of successful collaboration . . . creativity, research and industry.
HIT Lab NZ Director Mark Billinghurst says innovation is the eureka of discovery partnered with clever
commercialisation. It is the successful partnering of creativity and entrepreneurship.
Partnerships between research institutions and industry are essential to promoting a culture of innovation and to taking
technology forward. They draw together those who produce new knowledge with those who know how to use it productively,
he says. Keynote speakers include MIT’s Associate Professor of Media Arts and Sciences Hiroshi Ishii, an expert
researcher in human-computer interaction who regularly collaborates on projects that blur the boundaries between a
variety of arts, design, and scientific disciplines. Professor Ishii is co-director of MIT Media Lab's Things That Think
(TTT) consortium, and director the Lab's Tangible Media group.
Also attending will be Professor Tom Furness, Founding Director of the HIT Lab at the University of Washington and the
international director of HIT Lab NZ Ltd, as well as representatives from a number of national and international
companies.
Day one on 10 February is open to non-consortium members and includes keynote speeches as well as demonstrations of
technologies from participating companies, partner universities and the HIT Lab. In the evening there will be a virtual
ARt-themed cocktail party in the stunning new Christchurch Art Gallery. Cost to non-consortium members is $200 if
registering before early January or $250 thereafter. The cost includes lunch and the cocktail party.
Day two on 11 February is for consortium members-only, and includes workshops and student presentations plus a dinner in
the evening.
ENDS