Welcome
Building Interfaces for Tomorrow's Technology:
The Virginia Tech Research Experience for Undergraduates in Human-Computer Interaction
Starting in 2006, Virginia Tech's Center for Human-Computer Interaction is offering undergraduate students from various universities with the opportunity to spend eight weeks at Tech, working with our faculty and graduate students on research projects using the state-of-the-art technology and laboratories assembled here. Students selected to participate will receive housing, meals, and a stipend.
Our program seeks to provide students exposure to a multi-disciplinary approach to Human-Computer Interaction research. Emphasis will be on innovative HCI research that leverages experiential learning with state-of-the-art technology to find multidisciplinary solutions--producing future researchers prepared for the rigors of graduate school. Students are encouraged to seek publication venues for their research (an important step in applying for graduate school), and funding is available to support their travel to conferences.
An ideal student should have interest in attending graduate school in HCI. The REU in HCI program offers the opportunity to participate in a large and vibrant research environment, and to gain the insight and experience that is essential in applying to graduate school. Participants must be U.S. citizens who have not yet completed their undergraduate education at the time of the program.
As diversity is particularly important to the discipline of HCI, our program encourages applications from women and underrepresented minorities. Participants from these groups who choose to attend Virginia Tech for graduate school will be eligible for numerous scholarships and fellowships, including one offered by the Department of Computer Science earmarked for REU participants. We seek partnerships with schools interested in sending students, and we make regular visits to the partner schools for talks and open houses--current partners include North Carolina A&T State University, Bennett College, Hollins University, and Norfolk State University.
The Center for Human-Computer Interaction (CHCI)
The CHCI is an interdisciplinary university center consisting of active HCI researchers from many departments and colleges across the Virginia Tech campus. Currently, there are 12 core faculty members interested in hosting participants as part of the REU in HCI program. Visit the Center for HCI web page for more information about our members, projects, and facilities.
HCI is not just a discipline of computer scientists and industrial engineers--it draws from sociology, psychology, art, architecture, mathematics, and many other disciplines. In fact, few disciplines today do not involve some sort of human-computer interaction. As such, we encourage students from various backgrounds to apply to our program--appropriate faculty members and graduate students will approach you with project ideas while considering your application to ensure that a good match is found for you. You can browse potential projects at the VTURCS project site.
Virginia Tech
Beginning in 1872 with 132 students and two programs of study, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, popularly known as Virginia Tech, has evolved into a comprehensive university of national and international prominence. Located in Blacksburg, Virginia Tech has over 25,000 full-time students, making it the largest in the commonwealth of Virginia. The university's groundbreaking research transforms lives and communities. With annual research expenditures of about $268 million, Virginia Tech is ranked 55th among research universities in the United States. The university, which has more than 100 research centers, also consistently ranks among the top institutions in industry-supported research and near the top 10 in the number of patents issued each year.