Contact Information
Dr. Alissa N. Antle
Professor | Royal Society of Canada College of New Scholars
School of Interactive Arts & Technology | SFU
Dr. Alissa Antle is an innovator and scholar, whose research pushes the boundaries of computation to augment the ways we think and learn. As a designer and builder of interactive technologies, her goal is to explore the ways in which these innovations can improve, augment, and support children’s cognitive and emotional development. Her interactive technologies have been deployed to facilitate collaborative learning about aboriginal heritage, sustainability and social justice; improve learning outcomes for dyslexic children; and teach self-regulation to disadvantaged children. Dr. Antle holds the highest honour for a Canadian scholar through her 2015 induction into the Royal Society of Canada's College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists, which acknowledges her as one of Canada's intellectual leaders. In 2019, Dr. Antle was named FCAT Distinguished Researcher, an award given to a faculty member who has made an outstanding contribution to their field of research. Dr. Antle's impact extends to the international community through her recognition as a leader in ethical child-centered technology research.
Education
- Ph.D., Thesis: The Design and Evaluation of Interactive Visualization Tools for Spatial Data and Metadata, University of British Columbia, 2000
- B.A.Sc. (Hons), Systems Design Engineering, University of Waterloo, 1990
- B.A. Liberal Arts, University of Waterloo, 1990
Recent Talks
- Public Outreach: ACM CHI Lites: Let’s get physical — learning to read! Theatre Sainte-Catherine, Montreal, April 22, 2018.
- Keynote: Crazy Like Us – Design for Vulnerable Populations. ACM SIGCHI International Conference on Interaction Design for Children (IDC 2017) Stanford University, USA, June 28, 2017.
- TEDxSFU: Why Self-Regulation May be More Important than Literacy, Vancouver Playhouse, November 5, 2016.
Research Interests
- Child-computer interaction, interaction design for children
- Embodied interaction, tangible computing, biowearable computing, augmented reality
- Design and evaluation methods for tangible, embodied and embedded interaction
- Domain Areas: Sustainability, early language acquisition, literacy, socio-emotional learning, mindfulness, self-regulation (anxiety and attention), critical reflection
- Ethical issues in interaction design for children and emerging technologies
Awards
- Best Talk People’s Choice Award, Cheung, V. and Antle, A.N., Tangible interfaces and interactions in Sci-Fi movies: A glimpse at the possible future of TUIs through fictional tangible systems. ACM Conference on Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction, 2020.
- Simon Fraser University (SFU) Distinguished Professor, nomination 2020.
- Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology (FCAT), Distinguished Researcher Award 2019.
- Simon Fraser University (SFU) Distinguished Professor, nomination 2019.
- SFU Dean of Graduate Studies Award for Excellence in Supervision, nomination 2019.
- Runner up ACM IDC Research and Design Competition, Antle, A.N. et al. EmotoTent: Reducing school violence through embodied empathy games, June 2019.
- ACM CHI Top 5% for Paper: Fan, M., Antle, A.N., et al. 2017. Why tangibility matters: A design case study of at-risk children learning to read and spell. In Proc. Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI ’17), ACM Press, 1805-1816 [No.1 HCI pub in Scopus SCImago list].
- Excellent Reviewer Award ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI ’17)
- SFU Research-intensive Career Path 2017-2019.
- Winner ACM IDC Research & Design Competition:Radu, I. & Antle, A.N. All creatures great and small: Becoming other organisms through the EmbodySuit, ACM IDC Design & Research Competition: Invent the Future, June 2016.
- Third Place ACM IDC Research & Design Competition: Antle, A.N., et al. The story of things: Awareness through happenstance interaction, ACM IDC Design & Research Competition: Invent the Future, June 2016.
- NSERC Accelerator Supplement [1/125 in Canada, 2016].
- Nomination: Cmolik Prize for the Enhancement of Public Education in BC, 2016.
- Nomination: Dean of Graduate Studies Award for Excellence in Supervision, 2016.
- Inducted into the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists 2015 cohort
- International Society of Learning Sciences, CSCL 2015 Best Design paper nomination (Youtopia tabletop system)
- Canadian Historical Association Public History Prize 2015 for c̓əsnaʔəm exhibition including Belongings tabletop system [Media Announcement]
- Governor General’s History Award 2015 for c̓əsnaʔəm exhibition including Belongings tabletop system [Media Announcement]
- EU-funded DEVICE Award 2013 (DSD II Design Cards)
- ACM Computing Reviews Notable Paper 2012 (MoSo Tangibles and Metaphor Theory)
- ACE (Advances in Computer entertainment Conference) 2012 Diamond Research Award
- SFU Excellence in Teaching Award nomination 2010
- New Media Invision Award (GOLD) (Brainium.com)
- Producer of the Year, nomination, Canada New Media Awards (CBC4Kids.ca)
- B.C. Federation of Writers Emerging Writers Award
- Parent’s Choice Foundation Award (Brainium.com, CBC4Kids.ca)
- Flash Forward Award (CBC Home Delivery)
- Software & Information Industry Association Codie Award (CBC Home Delivery)
- Macromedia Site of the Day (Brainium.com, CBC4Kids.ca)
- Family Corner.com Fun Site (Brainium.com)
- Netscape Cool Sitings (Brainium.com)
- Educating.net Cool Site (Brainium.com)
Recent Media
SIAT Stories – Research, SFU, SIAT alumna runs study with rural Chinese students and augmented reality for learning English [web]
Promoting children’s safety through artificial intelligence, The Source, volume 20, issue 03, August 27–September 10, 2019. [web]
- Canadian Broadcasting Corporation North by Northwest, Novermber 12, 2017.
- Roundhouse Radio, Jana Lynne White HOME Show, October 29 2015.
- Roundhouse Radio, Kurt LaPointe Show, October 28 2015.
- The Morning Show, City TV, Helping traumatized children, [@4:30], Oct 27 2015.
- SFU News, Alissa Antle’s Grounding Breaking Work. October 26, 2015.
- The Globe and Mail,‘Mind-Full’ app helps traumatized children learn how to relax, October 26, 2015.
Industry Biography
- 2010 – 2012 Consultant Tidal Interactive
- 2003 – 2005 New media consultant, Antle Consulting
- 2000 – 2003 Advanced media consultant, CBC Radio 3
- 2002 – 2003 Co-founder & President, GoBe Media
- 2000 – 2002 Executive & Creative Director, CBC4Kids.ca Redevelopment, CBC Television
- 1996 – 2001 Executive Producer & Senior Interaction Designer, Brainium Technologies