Nathan Moon presented his presentation titled "Improving STEM Education in Georgia's Colleges and Universities: Findings and Insights from Five Years of Evaluation" at the 2016 SST STEM Symposium, hosted by Georgia Gwinnett College, May 3, 2016.  This presentation discussed some of the current challenges and opportunities for STEM education in the State of Georgia, including efforts to broaden participation and increase postsecondary attainment in STEM.  It also presented some of the major accomplishments of the USG STEM Initiative and its participating institutions, as well as point toward

TDI is seeking a talented and versatile professional for the position of Product Manager, for its soon-to-be developed Speech-to-Text Captioning/Caption Correction, a two-year long grant project. The ideal candidate will have a strong, clear commitment to meeting the purpose, goals, and timelines. The project seeks to create scalable access to low-cost, accurate captions for live events by combining speech-to-text technology with real-time caption corrections made by designated peers.

Nathan Moon attended the SMTI NSEC 2016 National Conference in San Antonio, Texas, hosted by the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities’ (APLU) Science and Mathematics Teaching Imperative (SMTI) and Network of STEM Education Centers (NSEC).

Nathan delivered a Roundtable presentation titled “Considerations for the Evaluation of Large-Scale, State-Level STEM Initiatives,” based on his evaluation efforts for the University System of Georgia (USG) STEM Initiative. He also gave a brief Rapid Talk on the Georgia STEM Accessibility Alliance (GSAA) and its BreakThru Project.

Christina Touzet attended and presented at the NENA conference on Monday, June 13th for the Accessibility Education and Training session. Christina presented a presentation titled, “Accessible Emergency Alerts for People with Disabilities,” on how alerting and warning systems can provide the public with life-saving information quickly. Research has shown that Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) are not always effective for people with disabilities.

Salimah LaForce and Maureen Linden conducted a Wireless RERC Usability Study at Deaf Link, Inc. in San Antonio, Texas on June 2, 2016. Study participants evaluated a prototype Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) Video and Symbology platform designed to increase the accessibility of the message content for people whose primary language is American Sign Language (ASL).

http://globalaccessibilitynews.com/2016/05/25/connecting-people-with-disabilities-to-their-world-through-technology/

June 1, 2016 - The Wireless RERC, in collaboration with the Center for the Development and Application of Internet of Things Technologies (CDAIT), filed comments to support The National Telecommunications and Information Administration's (NTIA) inquiry: “Notice, Request for Public Comment, The Benefits, Challenges, and Potential Roles for the Government in Fostering the Advancement of the Internet of Things [Docket No. 160331306–6306–01]

Helena Mitchell attended an invitation-only workshop, "Broadband 2021" held June 16th and 17th at the National Science Foundation (NSF) in Arlington, VA. The workshop, organized by Penn State's Institute of Information Policy, was intended to help shape the future research agenda for broadband and help ensure all members of the U.S. society benefit from new developments in broadband. Dr. Mitchell briefly addressed current applications-related challenges in the opening session.

Christina Touzet, our former Senior Data Analyst, recently accepted a position as an emergency management specialist with Man-Machine Systems Assessment, Inc. (MSA). Man-Machine Systems Assessment, Inc. (MSA) is an Economically Disadvantaged Woman-Owned Small Business (ED/WOSB) headquartered in Arlington, Virginia serving those that support the public interest. MSA is passionate about Warfighters and the preparedness of our nation; working diligently to evaluate defense systems, ensure continuity of operations and support mission critical programs.

Maureen Linden and Nathan Moon recently attended the 2016 RESNA NCART Conference, which was hosted in Arlington, Virginia, from July 10-14, 2016. This joint conference of RESNA, the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America and the National Coalition of Assistive and Rehab Technology (NCART) featured presentations on assistive technology and engineering solutions for people with disabilities. Maureen and Nathan both participated in the RESNA Board of Directors meeting on July 11, 2016.