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Dr. Leilah B. Lyons

 

Assistant Professor

Department of Computer Science • Learning Sciences

University of Illinois at Chicago

851 S. Morgan (M/C 152)

Chicago, IL 60607-7053

Phone: 312-355-1310

Fax: 312-413-0024

 

Email: llyons@uic.edu

www.cs.uic.edu/~llyons

Research Interests

 

Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL)

 

Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) for Mobile Devices and Ubiquitous Computing

 

Complex Systems Simulations for Science Education

 

Interactive Museum Exhibit Design

 

 

 

 

Professional Experience

 

 

 

 

 

2008 – Present

Assistant Professor

Dual Appointment, Computer Science and Learning Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago

 

2008

Graduate Student Instructor

Department of Computer Science, University of Michigan

 

2005 – 2008

Project Lead

ERC/RMS Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum Exhibit Outreach Project

 

2005 – 2008

Programming Lead, Co-Designer

Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum Watershed Ecology Game

 

2003 – 2005

Programming Lead

ERC/RMS Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum Exhibit Outreach Project

 

2002 – 2003

Design Lead

CogniLearn

 

2001

Application Programmer

LivingText

Education

 

December 2008

PhD

Computer Science and Engineering

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

 

Dissertation Title: Designing for the Cooperative Use of Multi-user, Multi-device Museum Exhibits

 

 

 

 

 

Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies

 

 

 

With a focus on the use of interactive technology in children’s science museums.

 

 

 

 

 

March 2004

MS

Intelligent Systems Concentration

Computer Science and Engineering

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

 

 

 

 

 

December 2000

BS

Computer Science and Engineering

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

 

 

 

 

 

1994 -1998

(transferred)

Self-Designed Major in Computer Graphics

University of Toledo, Toledo, OH

 

 

 

 

Honors and Awards

 

2011

UIC College of Engineering Research Award

 

2007

Selected to attend Doctoral Consortium of 2007 ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2007), 28 April - 3 May, 2007, San Jose, California, USA (Acceptance rate 15%)

 

2007

Selected to attend Doctoral Consortium of 2007 6th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children, June 6-8, 2007, Aalborg, Denmark

 

2004 – 2007

National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship

 

2005

GROCS Award, University of Michigan Duderstadt Center

 

2002 – 2004

Rackham Engineering Award Fellowship, University of Michigan

 

2002 – 2004

Laurel Harper Seeley Alumnae Scholarship, University of Michigan

 

1994 – 1998

Presidential Scholarship, University of Toledo

 

1994 – 1998

National Merit Scholarship, University of Toledo

 

1994 – 1998

Robert C. Byrd Congressional Scholarship, University of Toledo

 

1994

Van Buren Education Association Scholarship, University of Toledo


 

Publications

 

Journals

 

1.

Lyons, L., Becker, D., & Roberts, J. “Analyzing the Affordances of Mobile Technologies for Informal Science Learning,” Museums & Social Issues 5(1), 2010, 89-104.

 

 

 

 

Reviewed Conferences, Full

 

2.

Jimenez, P., Lyons, L. “An Exploratory Study of Input Modalities for Mobile Devices Used with Museum Exhibits,” In Proceedings of the 2011 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2011), Vancouver, CA, 895-904.

 

 

 

 

3.

Lyons, L. “Designing Opportunistic User Interfaces to Support a Collaborative Museum Exhibit,” Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL2009), Rhodes, Greece, June 8- 13, 2009, ISLS, 375-384.

 

 

 

 

4.

Lyons, L., Lee, J., Quintana, C., and Soloway, E. “MUSHI: A Multi-Device Framework for Collaborative Inquiry Learning,” Proceedings of the International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS2006), Bloomington, IN, June 27-July 1, 2006, 453 - 459.

 

 

 

 

5.

Lyons, L., and Pasek, Z. “Gauging Visitor Behavior at an Interactive Engineering Exhibit,“ Proceedings of the 2006 Conference of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE2006), Chicago, IL, June 18-21, 2006, 14 pages.

 

 

 

 

6.

Kaynar, I., Pasek, Z., and Lyons, L. “Creating an Informal Engineering Education Experience: Interactive Manufacturing Exhibit,” Proceedings of International Conference on Engineering Education (ICEE2004), Gainesville, University of Florida, October 17-21 2004, 15 pages.

 

 

 

 

Reviewed Conferences, Short

 

7.

Shelley, T., Lyons, L., Minor, E., & Zellner, M. “Evaluating the Embodiment Benefits of a Paper-Based TUI for Educational Simulations,” Extended Abstracts of the 2011 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA 2011), Vancouver, CA, 1375-1380.

 

 

 

 

8.

Cafaro, F., Lyons, L., Radinsky, J., & Roberts, J. “RFID localization for tangible and embodied multi-user interaction with museum exhibits,” In Proceedings of the 12th ACM international conference adjunct papers on Ubiquitous computing (UBICOMP 2010), Copenhagen, Denmark, 2010, 397-398.

 

 

 

 

9.

Shelley, T., Lyons, L., Shi, J., Minor, E., & Zellner, M. “Paper to parameters: designing tangible simulation input,” In Proceedings of the 12th ACM international conference adjunct papers on Ubiquitous computing (UBICOMP 2010), Copenhagen, Denmark, 2010, 431-432.

 

 

 

 

10.

Dasgupta, C., Lyons, L., Zellner, M., & Greenlee, A. “Designing for an Informal Learning Environment: Towards a Participatory Simulation Design Process for Public Policy Planning,” In Gomez, K., Lyons, L., & Radinsky, J. (Eds.) Learning in the Disciplines: Proceedings of the 9th International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS 2010) - Volume 2, Short Papers, Symposia, and Selected Abstract, Chicago IL, 2010, 348-349.

 

 

 

 

11.

Zimmerman, H. T., Kanter, D. E., Ellenbogen, K., Phipps, M., Lyons, L., Zuiker, S. J., Satwicz, T., Jordan, R., Weible, J., Gamrat, C., & Martell, S. T. “Technologies and Tools to Support Informal Science Learning,” In Gomez, K., Lyons, L., & Radinsky, J. (Eds.) Learning in the Disciplines: Proceedings of the 9th International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS 2010) - Volume 2, Short Papers, Symposia, and Selected Abstracts, Chicago IL, 2010, 260-266.

 

 

 

 

12.

Jimenez, P., and Lyons, L. “Studying Different Methods of Providing Input to Collaborative Interactive Museum Exhibit Using Mobile Devices,” In Proceedings of the 6th IEEE International Conference on Wireless, Mobile, and Ubiquitous Technologies in Education (WMUTE 2010), Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 2010, 225-227.

 

 

 

 

13.

Antle, A., Kynigos, C., Lyons, L., Marshall, P., Moher, T., and Roussou, M. (2009). “Manifesting

Embodiment: Designers’ Variations on a Theme,” In Community Events Proc. of the 8th International Conference on Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL2009), Rhodes, Greece, June 8 – 13, 2009, ISLS, 15-17.

 

 

 

 

14.

Lyons, L. “Scaffolding Cooperative Multi-Device Activities in an Informal Learning Environment,” Extended Abstracts of the 2007 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2007), San Jose, CA, April 28 - May 3, 2007, 1669 - 1672.

 

 

 

 

15.

Lyons, L., Lee, J., Quintana, C., and Soloway, E. “Preliminary Evaluation of a Synchronous Co-located Educational Simulation Framework,” Extended Abstracts of the 2006 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2006), Montreal, CA, April 22-27, 2006, 1055-1060.

 

 

 

 

16.

Vath, R., Lyons, L., Lee, J., Kawamura, M., Quintana, C., and Soloway, E. “Addressing Assessment Challenges for a Multi-User Simulation with Handheld Integration (MUSHI),” Proceedings of the 4th International Conference for Interaction Design and Children (IDC 2005), Boulder, CO, June 8-10, 2005.

 

 

 

 

17.

Lee, J., Lyons, L., Kawamura, M., Quintana, C., Vath, R., and Soloway, E. “MUSHI: Demonstrating A Multi-User Simulation with Handheld Integration,” Proceedings of the 4th International Conference for Interaction Design and Children (IDC 2005), Boulder, CO, June 8-10, 2005.

 

 

 

 

18.

Lyons, L., and Pasek, Z. “Beyond Hits: Gauging Visitor Behavior at an On-line Manufacturing Exhibit,” Proceedings of Museums and the Web 2005 (MOW2005), Vancouver, CA, April 13-16, 2005.

 

 

 

 

Other

 

19.

Gomez, K., Lyons, L., & Radinsky, J. (Eds.) Learning in the Disciplines: Proceedings of the 9th International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS 2010) - Volume 1, Full Papers. International Society of the Learning Sciences: Chicago IL, 2010.

 

 

 

 

20.

Gomez, K., Lyons, L., & Radinsky, J. (Eds.) Learning in the Disciplines: Proceedings of the 9th International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS 2010) - Volume 2, Short Papers, Symposia, and Selected Abstracts. International Society of the Learning Sciences: Chicago IL, 2010.

 

 

 

 

21.

Lyons, L. (2009). “Instrumenting zoos to bridge formal/informal learning opportunities,” In E. Brown (Ed.), Location-based and contextual mobile learning: a report from the STELLAR Alpine Rendez-Vous workshop series. Nottingham, UK: University of Nottingham Learning Sciences Research Institute (LSRI), 41-45.

 

 

 

 

22.

Choon Lee, Leilah Toth, and Scott Paris Method and System for Representing, Comprehending, and Interacting with Digital Information Based on Cognitive Principles Displayed in Text or Graphical Formats with or without a Communications Network. U.S. Provisional Patent, Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, 2001.

 

 

 

Invited Lectures

 

"Facilitating Shared Learning with Shared Interfaces "

 

 

Apr 2011

DePaul University, Chicago, IL, USA

 

"Designing for Collaborative Use of Computer-Based Museum Exhibits"

 

 

Feb 2011

Adler Planetarium, Chicago, IL, USA

 

"User Interface Strategies for Supporting Novice Engagement with Complex System Simulations"

 

 

Feb 2011

Cognitive Psychology Department, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

 

"Playing Together at the Museum: Preliminary Results on Factors Affecting Participation in a Multi-User Software-Based Exhibit"

 

 

Nov 2007

Computer Science Department, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

 

“Designing for the Cooperative Use of Multi-user Multi-device Museum Exhibits”

 

 

Oct 2007

Learning Sciences Research Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK

 

 

Oct 2007

Computing Department, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK

 

 

 

Conference and Workshop Presentations

 

July 2011

“Authentic Resources in a Museum Setting: How Real Can it Get?”

MMM IAM Museumpalooza Conference, Chicago, IL

 

April 2010

“Designing Opportunistic User Interfaces to Support a Collaborative Museum Exhibit”

Museums, Mobile Devices, and Social Media Conference, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ

 

June 2009

Co-organized and taught a session at an iPhone development summer workshop at UIC

 

December 2009

“Instrumenting zoos to bridge formal/informal learning opportunities”

STELLAR Alpine Rendez-Vous Conference, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany

 

June 2009

“Designing Opportunistic User Interfaces to Support a Collaborative Museum Exhibit”

8th International Conference on Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL), Rhodes, Greece

 

October 2007

“Designing for the Cooperative Use of Multi-User, Multi-Device Museum Exhibits” (poster)

Association of Science-Technology Centers Annual Conference (ASTC), Los Angeles, CA

 

June 2007

“Scaffolding Cooperative Multi-Device Activities in an Informal Learning Environment” (doctoral consortium presentation)

6th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children (IDC), Aalborg, Denmark

 

April 2007

“Scaffolding Cooperative Multi-Device Activities in an Informal Learning Environment” (poster & doctoral consortium presentation)

ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI), San Jose, CA

 

June 2006

“MUSHI: A Multi-Device Framework for Collaborative Inquiry Learning”

International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS2006), Bloomington, IN

 

June 2006

“Gauging Visitor Behavior at an Interactive Engineering Exhibit“

 Conference of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE2006), Chicago, IL

 

April 2006

“Preliminary Evaluation of a Synchronous Co-located Educational Simulation Framework” (poster)

ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI), Montreal, CA

 

June 2005

“MUSHI: Demonstrating A Multi-User Simulation with Handheld Integration” (demo)

4th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children (IDC), Boulder, CO

 

April 2005

“Beyond Hits: Gauging Visitor Behavior at an On-line Manufacturing Exhibit”

Museums and the Web (MOW), Vancouver, CA

 

Grants Awarded

 

Sept 2011

NSF CTE Grant 1124495: EXP: Using technologies to engage learners in the scientific practices of investigating rich behavioral and ecological questions, (PI: T. Moher, Co-PIs: T. Berger-Wolf, J. Brown, L. Lyons, B. Reiser)

$549,467

9/2011-9/2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sept 2011

NEH Digital Humanities Start-Up Grant HD 51357: CoCensus: Collaboration Exploration of Census Data in a Museum (PI: L. Lyons, Co-PIs: J. Radinski, L. Lee)

$49,999

9/1/2011-8/31/2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sept 2011

NSF CI-TEAM Grant 1135572: Enhancing Stakeholder Participation in Environmental Planning with

Visualization Tools that Support Complex Systems Learning and Spatial Thinking (PI: M. Zellner, Co-PIs: L. Lyons, C. Hoch, J. Radinsky, A. Johnson, E. Minor)

$249,953

8/1/11 - 7/31/13

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sept 2011

Research Personnel: NSF IGERT Grant 1069311: Electronic Security and Privacy: Technological, Human, Enterprise and Legal Considerations, (PI: V. Venkatakrishnan, Co-PIs: R. Chandrasekaran, S. Jones, R. Sloan,

A. Valenta)

$3,200,000

9/1/2011 – 8/31/2016

 

 

 

 

 

 

May 2011

UIC Chancellor’s Discovery Fund for Multidisciplinary Research: Participatory Modeling and Planning for Sustainable Water Management in McHenry County, (PI: M. Zellner, Co-PIs: L. Lyons, M. Gonzalez)

$55,705

5/2011-5/2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nov 2010

UIC IPCE Grant: CoCensus: Collaborative Exploration of Social Data in Social Spaces, (PI: L. Lyons, Co-PIs: J. Radinski, L. Lee)

$24,985

12/2010-6/2011

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sept 2010

NSF CCEP-I Grant 1043284: Climate Literacy Zoo Education Network, (PI: A. Grajal, Co-PIs: S. Goldman, M. Mann; UIC PI: S. Goldman, UIC Co-PIs: T. Moher, L. Lyons, J. Pellegrino, T. Theis, S. Forman)

$1,000,000

(UIC: $433,099)

9/2010-3/2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aug 2010

NSF DRL REESE Grant 1020065, Integrated Study of Natural Resources, Human Impact, and Environmental Policy: Making Complex Systems Accessible for Secondary Learners, (PI: L. Lyons, Co-PIs: E. Minor, M. Zellner)

$299,225

8/2010-8/2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dec 2008

NSF Grant CNS-0837480, Collaborative Research: BPC-A: Improving Metropolitan Participation to Accelerate Computing Throughput and Success, (PI: D. Reed, Co-PIs: L. Lyons, T. Berger-Wolf, R. Sloan)

$58,413.70

12/01/2008 - 5/31/2010

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oct 2010

Advisory Board Member: IMLS Grant: Childhood Nature Connections - Nature Play Network, (PI: D. Becker, Chicago Zoological Society)

$415,722

10/2010-10/2011

 

Planned Grants

 

 

NSF Transforming Undergraduate Education in STEM (TUES): Datascape: Using Augmented Reality to Enhance Undergraduate Field Biology Courses (PI: L. Lyons, Co-PI: J. Brown)

~$200,000

1/2012 – 1/2014

 

 

NSF CAREER: Studying the Effect of Technological Mediation Variations on Co-Present Collaboration in Informal STEM Learning Environments (PI: L. Lyons)

~ $500,000

9/2012 – 9/2017

 

Teaching Experience

 

Fall 2011

Research Methods in the Learning Sciences, Learning Sciences, UIC (graduate)

 

Spring 2011

User Interface Design & Programming, Computer Science Department, UIC (graduate & senior undergraduate)

 

Fall 2010

Research Methods in the Learning Sciences, Learning Sciences, UIC (graduate)

 

Spring 2010

User Interface Design & Programming, Computer Science Department, UIC (graduate & senior undergraduate)

 

Fall 2009

Introduction to the Learning Sciences, Learning Sciences, UIC (graduate)

 

Spring 2009

User Interface Design & Programming, Computer Science Department, UIC (graduate & senior undergraduate)

 

Fall 2008

Journal Club, Learning Sciences, UIC (graduate)

 

Spring 2008

User Interface Development, Computer Science Department, UofM (graduate & senior undergraduate, as GSI)

 

Fall 2003

Computer Graphics, Computer Science Department, UofM (graduate & senior undergraduate, as GSI)

 

Students Supervised

 

 

Francesco Cafaro

UIC PhD, Computer Science, expected graduation 2013

 

Chandan Dasgupta

UIC PhD, Learning Sciences (co-advisee with Tom Moher), expected graduation 2013

 

Tia Shelley

UIC PhD, Computer Science, expected graduation 2013

 

Jessica Roberts

UIC PhD, Learning Sciences (co-advisee with Josh Radinski), expected graduation 2013

 

Priscilla Jimenez

UIC PhD, Computer Science, expected graduation 2014

 

Brian Slattery

UIC PhD, Learning Sciences, expected graduation 2014

 

Vikrem Bhagi

UIC MS, Computer Science, expected graduation Fall 2011

 

Cheryl Fernandes

UIC MS, Computer Science, expected graduation Fall 2011

 

Jingmin Shi

UIC MS, Computer Science, expected graduation Fall 2011

 

Pavani Veeramachanenii

UIC MS, Computer Science, graduated Summer 2010

 

Jason Miller

UIC MS, Computer Science, graduated Spring 2010

 

Guru Athisenbagam

UIC MS, Computer Science, graduated Fall 2010

 

Veena Marathe

UIC MS, Computer Science, graduated Spring 2009

 

Tejaswini Pingili

UIC MS, Computer Science, graduated Fall 2009

 

Erica Aguilera

UIC BS, Computer Science Undergraduate Research Project, 2011

 

Christopher Erickson

UIC BS, Computer Science Honors Capstone Research Project, 2010-2011

 

Christopher Erickson

UIC BS, Computer Science Honors Extension to CS422, Spring 2010

 

Christopher Pable

UIC BS, Computer Science Honors Extension to CS422, Spring 2010

Service and Volunteer Experience

 

Conferences & Societies

 

 

Program Committee Member, 2011 ACM Interaction Design and Children conference (IDC)

 

 

Communication Chair, 2010 International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS)

 

Reviewer

 

 

ACM SIGCHI (Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction conference), ISLS ICLS (International Conference of the Learning Sciences), ISLS CSCL (Computer Supported Collaborative Learning conference), ACM IDC (Interaction Design and Children conference), IEEE WMUTE (International Conference on Wireless, Mobile and Ubiquitous Technologies in Education), ACM UBICOMP (International Conference on Ubiquitous Computing), DiGRA (Digital Games Research Association conference), ACM CSCW (Computer Supported Collaborative Work conference), ACM TEI (Tangible, Embodied,and Embedded Computing), various NSF panels (in both CISE and ERH, ~4 panels/ year)

 

Committee & Department Service

 

 

Faculty Advisor, Women in Computer Science (WICS), UIC, 2011-Present

 

 

Undergraduate Recruiting Committee, UIC, 2010-2011

 

 

Undergraduate Committee, UIC, 2009-2010

 

 

CoE Diversity Strategic Thinking and Planning Committee, UIC, 2009- Present

 

Community Service

 

 

Faculty Mentor, Grace Hopper Celebration student team, Oct 2011

 

 

Middle School Apprentice Mentor, Spark Program, Fall 2011

 

 

Faculty Mentor, Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing Conference student team, April 2011

 

 

Judge, Marie Curie High School Science Fair, Winter 2010

 

 

Volunteer for Society of Women Engineer (SWE) outreach events, UIC, 2008-Present

 

 

Panelist, Marian Sarah Parker Scholars Dinner, WISE, UofM, 2005-2007

 

 

Mentor, Science Safari, Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum, 2006-2007

 

 

Mentor/Coach, Lego Mindstorm Focus Study, WISE, UofM, Spring 2006

 

 

Mentor, Scarlett Middle School Science Fair, WISE, UofM, Spring 2006

 

 

Founder of CSI (Computer Science Investigations), a program for female CS students, UofM, Winter 2004