Call:

The goal of the CreativeIT Program is to fund research that focuses on creativity to produce simultaneous advances  in both computer science and creative cognition, creativity support tools, engineering design or science.

The CreativeIT Program solicits proposals for projects that explore the synergies of cross disciplinary  research in creativity and computer science and information technology. Information technology is playing an increasing role in extending the capability of human creative thinking and problem solving. The study of creativity as a way to advance computer science and information technology can lead to new models of creative computational processes, innovative approaches to education that encourage creativity, innovative modes of research that include creative professionals, and new technology to support human creativity.

A better understanding of creativity and it's role in computer science research, encouraging creativity in education, and supporting creativity with new information technology will improve American competitiveness and innovation.

Available Budget:

Anticipated Type of Award:  Standard Grant

Estimated Number of Awards:    30 to  35   It is anticipated that 25-30 Pilot awards and up to 5 Major awards will be made.

Anticipated Funding Amount:   $10,000,000  pending availability of funds. A Pilot project will be awarded up to $200,000 (total) with a duration up to 2 years. A Major project will be awarded up to $800,000 (total) with a duration of 3 years.

Project:

The proposed project will integrate a language processing system into a classroom environment. The Language parser will have a speech recognition component that will recognize the speech while the parser will extract meaning and diagram the schematic meaning in a temporal diagramming program. One benefit of this paradigm is a more efficient transmission of information due to a novel graphic representation of the material. Another benefit is the student interactivity and engagement this project fosters; each student will have a tablet laptop to use during class that has the temporal diagramming program installed and synched to the main display in the class. This will allow each student to propose additions or clarifications of the professor’s initial diagrammatic conception.

    This project will unfold during the course of a three year grant. Year one will focus on implementing the stemmatic parser pilot project that has been three years in the making on a large scale to create a database of worldly knowledge. The temporal diagramming program will be augmented during this period to respond to simple speech driven diagrammatic commands such as ‘container’ or ‘barrier.’ The first half of year two will focus on extracting patterns from both the parser and diagramming program in order to apply the worldy knowledge stored in the stemmatic database efficiently. The second half of year two will be directed toward integrating these components into an interactive classroom system. Year three will debut the new learning initiative into a classroom setting. The target class would ideally be receptive to diagramming supplementation such as COGS 301, a research oriented seminar on cognitive robotics, including aspects of artificial intelligence, stemmatic syntax, semiotics, linguistics, cognitive theories, and design.  

    Students will have access to the blackboard, the traditional focus of teaching, at their fingertips; this will encourage those students who are either physically or mentally unable to draw their ideas on the board the option to contribute from their seat in class or out of class. The lecture will be recorded, in a fashion similar to mediavision, but with the blackboard information in a temporally accurate format serving to complement the video component. Video conferencing moves this possibility to an internationally accessible blackboard/workspace. This would also encourage creative engagement to disabled students who cannot easily attend class.

    All diagrams and pursuits of knowledge within a lecture will be documented as well as stored within the stemmatic parsing database of worldy knowledge thereby teaching the computer system as well as the students. This will progressively create an intelligent machine-student that will eventually evolve into a highly interactive and knowledgable resource.

Response to the details of the Call

Areas of Advancement:    

*  New theoretical models: The synergy of research in creativity and computer science can lead to new computational and/or cognitive models of creativity as ways of searching for problems and solutions. The formal models developed in this kind of project can be the basis for new IT tools, new approaches to education, and new ways of doing research.

     This project attempts to use computational processes to model cognitive schemas that underlie language and diagramming.

    * New modes of research: A focus on understanding the role of creative processes or creative professionals in research in computer science and information systems can lead to new modes of research. This understanding can be developed empirically through various social science methods applied in the context of solving a specific problem.

This tool can be used to study drawing and the creative process because it will explore the unfolding of creative events, striving to identify knowledge shifts and perspictival variances that lead to novel ideas.

    *  Innovative educational approaches: Creativity can be a focus for learning environments in computer science and engineering using models such as studio learning and problem-based learning that reward creative thinking. The development and evaluation of educational environments that encourage creativity can lead to new ways of teaching knowledge and skills-based subjects.

    Using this system in a classroom can bring about new interactive environment that promote learning in a different way.

    *  Creativity enhancing tools: Innovation in information technology tools and infrastructure can support and enhance creativity in problem finding as well as problem solving. The design and evaluation of creativity enhancing tools can lead to improved methods for understanding the current and potential role of IT in the creative process.

    This tool supplements the natural human mind, thereby extending the capabilities of creative thinking. The system, when paired with a stemmatic internet search engine, can gather knowledge from various sources, summarize it, and implement that knowledge into the diagram to knit together various domains of knowledge.

Research Areas: The following research areas elaborate on these potential types of advances as guidelines for describing how the objectives of the project contribute to CreativeIT.

   1. Understanding Creative Cognition and Computation. Research in this area leads to cognitive models that serve as inspiration for computational models of creativity, support for human creativity, and approaches for educating people to be more creative. This research is typically done by adopting or adapting a model of cognition and evaluating its creative performance in different contexts, or developing a new model of creativity based on empirical or ethnographic studies. The emphasis in this area is the development of new models of cognition and computation that explain or simulate creativity and how these models open up new research areas in computer science.

    This area can be supplemented by my work on ‘how concentration affords art’ with respect to the temporal dimensions in objects being extracted during epimonic perception. Essentially, this classroom system would be unpacking that temporal process to guide the cognition of the viewer in more detailed manner.

   2.  Creativity to Stimulate Breakthroughs in Science and Engineering. This area considers the role and performance of artists in developing new technologies, discovering new patterns in information, and in finding new ways of seeing, knowing, and doing computer and information science and engineering. This area seeks to foster research that is conducted with groups of people from different backgrounds in which the creative synergy is focused on a specific context, problem, or perceived need. The result of this research is a new product, new model, or new area of research. The evaluation of the results of this kind of research does not follow directly from existing metrics or performance criteria and therefore needs to define its own performance criteria.

    Focusing on sketches and diagrams as a central vein between art and science, different people can find a common medium of communication with a machine aided diagrammatic component. A common ground can be found and visualized; both parties know how the process is going and if there are any unclear issues, they can be addressed by the partipant’s local tablet. 

   3. Educational Approaches that Encourage Creativity. This area considers a broad range of approaches to teaching that encourages creativity: multi-disciplinary teaching and learning, design studio teaching, skills development through making and doing, and open-ended problem-based learning. The development and evaluation of innovative education for computer science with other disciplines can lead to changes in curriculum objectives and structure.

    The learning dynamic in this classroom is that of research. Video, temoral diagrams, and text summaries of class discussion will stored into a database available to two sources. The first application of this data is to the worldly knowledge of the stemmatic database. The information would be accessible through an online system similar to blackboard and mediavision as well.

   4.  Supporting Creativity with Information Technology. This area both develops new software and user interfaces to support users in being more creative and evaluates their performance through user studies either in controlled environments with empirical studies or in the context of a complex problem or situation with ethnographic studies. The emphasis in this area is the development of new support tools where the tool itself may be a creative product, and the tool is intended to support people in their creative activities.

    This is the backbone of the project; using innovative software designs to aid in transmission of knowledge.

Opportunities for Synergies with other NSF Programs.

 Synergies with other programs at NSF are encouraged and provide opportunities for additional funding or co-review.

*Text extracted from CreativeIT page

    * International Collaboration: The CreativeIT program encourages PIs to involve researchers from other countries in their projects. The program will offer supplementary funding for international research activities. PIs may contact NSF’s Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE) staff with expertise in the country or region of interest for information about institutions and counterpart agencies. Contacts for cognizant program manager(s) are available from the OISE Home Page, http://www.nsf.gov/div/index.jsp?div=OISE.

    - Videoconferencing with other countries. An international classroom..maybe the masters course intro to linguistics with Oakley?

    -Can Ana be an international worker? She could work on the stemmatic teaching aspect of the project, but it could still be included as research in teaching languages, then maybe the interactive setting could be utilized in that context. Possibly with multiple language recognition to aid in production and reception of a novel language. The money is available for a salary for Ana and her stemmatic knowledge would be useful.

    * Cyberinfrastructure: The CreativeIT program encourages PIs to include a cyberinfrastructure component in their proposals (see Cyberinfrastructure Vision for 21st Century Discovery, http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2007/nsf0728/index.jsp). For example, PIs may incorporate their cyberinfrastructure research activities and tools, such as those involving high performance computing, digital data collection and observation tools, advanced  visualization technologies, and virtual interaction and collaboration, to support and enhance CreativeIT projects. The cognizant program manager in OCI is Diana Rhoten: drhoten@nsf.gov.

High performance computing: Case’s cluster—allocate more funds to this area, maybe 20k or more a year.

    * CISE Pathways to Revitalized Undergraduate Computing Education (CPATH): The CreativeIT program encourages PIs to consider educational approaches that encourage creativity and have the potential to transform undergraduate computing education on a national scale. The cognizant program manager in CPATH is Anita La Salle: alasalle@nsf.gov.

    Could be implemented on a global scale depending on results. Case could be leading the way in this innovative technology.

    * Small Business Innovation Research: The CreativeIT program encourages PIs to consider the potential commercial applications of projects early in the project lifecycle and include participation of the small business community when appropriate.  Through the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) programs, NSF can provide support for transition to industry of knowledge developed in the CreativeIT program. A small business applying knowledge gained through basic research to market-driven needs increases the probability that the research will lead to significant commercially-viable innovations.  For more information see: http://www.nsf.gov/eng/iip/sbir/. The cognizant program manager in SBIR is Errol Arkilic: earkilic@nsf.gov.

    Could be a patented idea that can be sold etc.

    * Science of Design (SoD): The CreativeIT program encourages PIs to consider the synergies between creativity and the science of the design of software intensive systems. Design is a topic of great interest in many fields; the goal of the SoD Program is to advance design research and education to meet the critical software design challenges of the 21st century. The objective of the program is to bring new paradigms, concepts, approaches, models, and theories into the development of a strong intellectual foundation for software design, which will ultimately improve the processes of constructing, evaluating, and modifying software-intensive systems. The cognizant program manager in SoD is Alan Hevner: ahevner@nsf.gov.

    Software systems could be modeled in t this temporally sensitive manner to allow a more indepth understanding of systems since one can see them moving and interacting along with audio explaining complex processes.

    * Engineering Design: The Creative IT program encourages PIs to consider synergies with research focused on enhancing the engineering design process. The goal of the Engineering Design program is to advance the fundamentals of the product realization process. Advances in information technology, visualization, and learning technologies positively impact our ability to perform effective engineering design. Looking beyond the traditional engineering design boundaries holds promise for breakthrough solutions to solve the most pressing engineering challenges of the 21st century. The cognizant program manager in Engineering Design is Judy Vance: jmvance@nsf.gov.

    This would essentially be a visualizing machine; an intelligent machine that is able to translate main cognitive schemas into a diagrammatic environment based on previous uses of the concepts with the given shapes. This would aid in the design process by making the diagram more interactive. Shapes are on a screen you can touch and drag, move with speech and gesture etc.

    * Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences: The Creative IT program encourages PIs to consider synergies with research focused on advancing neural, developmental, cognitive, and social theories of human creativity, particularly with respect to how scientists and engineers produce new discoveries and innovations.  Creativity is a primary driver of progress and transformation in our nation's science and engineering disciplines.  Thus a better understanding of human creativity, using both empirical and computational research methods, promises to inform tool development as well as policy development aimed at supporting transformative progress in science and engineering.  The cognizant program manager in Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences is Christopher Kello: ckello@nsf.gov.

    This system will be conducting research as readily as aiding in information transmission because it will constantly be grouping stemmatic realizations of language with diagramming conventions used by the lecturer or designer to express themselves.

The diagramming program can be used to record art production. This experiment would essentially be a reverse Rorschach test; a word would be given and a drawing is produced. The drawing may be simple in some circumstances, a few lines and shapes, or it could be complex, like an abstract drawing. The system could record each session and attempt to extract patterns or commonalities between the domains given.