College of Arts + Sciences Seminar SeriesRhetoric, Robots, and Cognition

Rhetoric, Robots, and Cognition
Explore the frontiers of cognition, robotics, and patient care with the newest faculty members in the College of Arts and Science.

Thursday, October 19, 2023

The Rhetoricity of Disease
Laura McCann, Assistant Professor of Writing Studies, Director of the Horldt Writing Center

Dr. McCann’s research investigates chronic diseases and the network of rhetorical problems that accompany navigating these conditions. From cystic fibrosis to endometriosis, the diseases Dr. McCann studies index public narratives and belief systems that limit and police how patients act on their own care. Her research agenda calls for interdisciplinary approaches to patient communication and care, drawing on work in medicine, public health, digital media, rhetoric, and writing studies.

Robots in the Home
Eric Martinson, Associate Professor of Computer Science

Dr Martinson has been developing home robots for 20 years in industries as diverse as home security, healthcare and floorcare. This talk will discuss why deploying at home is so difficult and explore meaningful technologies under development that could address these challenges.

Cognition in the Technological Wild
Corey Bohil, Professor of Psychology

Can we measure cognitive states (e.g., mental workload, stress) using body-based signals like eye movement and heart rate?  This talk considers prospects for combining these kinds of measurements with machine learning techniques for cognitive state classification.