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In 2018 a new contraceptive method in the form of a programmable microchip implant will be made available to women. This research attempts to unpack the interaction design implications of the marriage between contraceptive methods and digital technology that the contraceptive microchip represents. The contraceptive microchip comes with a remote control component that is handed to the user so that they can de-activate and re-activate their own fertility. This research uses a range of methods including performance-based speculative design in order to unpack the interaction design implications of the contraceptive microchip. The first major contribution of this research is the compilation of areas of concern for potential adopters of the contraceptive microchip relating to the implantation of digital technology. The second major contribution is the exploration into how the remote control component of the contraceptive microchip could mediate sexual relationships.

This study is a theoretical inquiry into the meaning potentials of rhythm in improvisation, with implications for improvisational music therapy. A review of music therapy literature regarding assessment and treatment reveals that improvisation is a widely applied music therapy method, but that rhythm--found universally in all forms of clinical improvisational processes--has received little attention. Theories from the areas of music philosophy, psychology of music, social psychology of music, musicological studies of jazz, and music therapy are explicated and implications for potential meanings of rhythm for improvisation and improvisational music therapy are described. Concepts that are foundational to the ways that the various theories find meaning in music include symbolism, metaphorical conceptualization, and interpersonal interactions. Theoretical foci for analysis include improvised rhythm (i.e., the rhythmic products), an improviser or co-improviser's processes while playing, and the perspective of a listener. Differences between solo improvisation and co-improvisation processes are considered. An integral theory of rhythm in improvisation is proposed along with clinical implications. Potential benefits of the study for music therapy and musicology are proposed and considerations for future investigations regarding the topics of rhythm and improvisation are articulated. / Music Therapy

The classic view of narrative since the time of Aristotle is that plot structure is prioritized over characters in defining the nature of stories. According to this view, plot is an abstract structure external to the protagonist, and the protagonist’s actions are determined by the thematic goals of the plot. The current analysis calls for a reversal in the prioritization of these elements in creating a story. We present an Embodied Plot model in which character not only drives plot, but embodies plot as well. According to this model, the dramatic arc of plots is attributable to psychological processes occurring in the protagonist’s mind. Plot structure is thus isomorphic with the psychological and problem-solving experience of the protagonist inside the storyworld. We apply this model to a number of fairy tales to demonstrate how the dramatic arc of these stories can be explained in each case by the protagonist’s experientiality. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Mathematics instruction and discourse typically involve two modes of communication: speech and graphical presentation. For the communication to remain situated, dynamic synchrony must be maintained between the speech and dynamic focus in the graphics. Sighted students use vision for two purposes: access to graphical material and awareness of embodied behavior. This embodiment awareness keeps communication situated with visual material and speech. Our goal is to assist students who are blind or visually impaired (SBVI) in the access to such instruction/communication. We employ the typical approach of sensory replacement for the missing visual sense. Haptic fingertip reading can replace visual material. We want to make the SBVI aware of the deictic gestures performed by the teacher over the graphic in conjunction with speech. We employ a haptic glove interface to facilitate this embodiment awareness. In this research, we address issues from the conception through the design, implementation, evaluation to the effective and successful use of our Haptic Deictic System (HDS) in inclusive classrooms. / Ph. D.

Extended Reality (XR) is an upcoming field of technology that has garnered interest from researchers in the last few decades. This increased interest is largely due to the development of powerful hardware like the Microsoft HoloLens, Oculus Quest and the Magic Leap. Several companies like Microsoft, Meta Platforms, Apple and Nvidia are touting the rise of a new "metaverse'' - the next generation of the internet, that will blur the lines between physical and virtual presence. This thesis explores the use of web-based XR platforms in Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) as an alternative to contemporary video conferencing tools. We conducted a user study with 15 subjects to evaluate web-based XR platforms (Mozilla Hubs) with video conferencing (Zoom) and examined subject attention and success in remote collaborative tasks. We also proposed a new system design to support embodied interactions in XR. This system was tested by measuring the communication latency between two collaborators separated by varying distances. Our system performance evaluation suggests the feasibility of support embodied interactions, with a minimal latency of 120ms across a distance of 4700 miles. / Master of Science / Extended Reality (XR) is changing the way we interact with digital content. In 2021, several companies like Microsoft, Meta Platforms, Apple and Nvidia are developing devices that allow users to physically interact with virtual content in 3-dimensional space. These technologies bring with them the promise of better remote communication and collaboration. Users will be able to enter these 3d virtual spaces as avatars and will be able to interact with digital media just like they would with real world objects. This thesis explores the use of web-based XR platforms in supporting remote collaboration as an alternative to contemporary video conferencing tools. We conducted a user study with 15 subjects to compare differences in web-based XR platforms (Mozilla Hubs) with video conferencing (Zoom). We proposed and evaluated a new system design to support more natural and intuitive interactions in XR. This system was tested by measuring the communication latency between two collaborators separated by varying distances. Our system performance evaluation suggests the feasibility of support embodied interactions, with a minimal latency of 120ms across a distance of 4700 miles.

In recent years, the application of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) databases has enabled architects/engineers to quantify the environmental impact of building materials for whole building analysis and comparative analyses of design alternatives. The application of building information modeling (BIM) has facilitated this process by providing designers and engineers with the detailed bill of materials required for LCA. However three limitations exist: First, LCA assessments have been limited to the design phase of a project delivery or post completion phase. Consequently, it does not help incentivize the choice of suppliers and delivery strategies that minimize the cradle-to-site impacts. Second, majority LCA tools ignore the impact of construction means and methods during the construction phase. Third, there is a lack of metrics and visualization tools that assess environmental impacts of decisions made during pre-construction and construction phase. As a result, little incentive exists for suppliers to provide embodied carbon footprint rates, and similarly, for contractors to balance project costs, schedule objectives with the corresponding environmental impact. To address these challenges, we propose and develop a new framework that applies BIM for reliable, effective benchmarking, monitoring, and visualization of embodied carbon footprint of construction projects. It comprises of a benchmarking module, and a monitoring and visualization module. In the experiments, this framework is implemented on concrete placement activities during the construction of the Center for the Arts facility at Virginia Tech. The developed framework can revolutionize construction by a) a rapid assessment and visualization of the deviations between expected and released carbon footprint, b) incentivizing contractors to request that manufacturers and suppliers gauge and share their carbon footprints as a part of contractor submittal process and c) incentivizing those construction firms that can complete their project with an overall carbon footprint rate lower than what is budgeted during the pre-construction or compared to the values from the design phase, while documenting and using the performance results as a benchmark for future similar projects. / Master of Science

Experiences of attunement, a deeply felt and embodied state of consciousness that results from tuning in to oneself, others, events, energies, and the environment, are the basis for realization of innate human capacities for connection and growth (Kossak, 2015). In an educational context, the process of 'tuning in' fosters the development of relationally based and embodied knowledge (Blades and Bester, 2013; Lutzker, 2014). Though rarely referenced and never studied comprehensively in counselor education, attunement contributes to the development of relational qualities and creativity necessary to provide effective counseling services (Duffey, Haberstroh, and Trepal, 2009; Kossak, 2015). Based on a synthesis of knowledge from diverse fields, this study was an exploration of attunement in counselor education involving several forms of measurement and the expressive arts as vehicles through which to foster attuned states. The researcher explored attunement as it occurred among master's level counselors-in-training engaging in improvisational group drumming, an intervention that has been shown to promote attunement (e.g., Kossak, 2008a). Perceptual, behavioral, and physiological measures were used to identify an occurrence of attunement. Audio and video data were used to contextualize the overall drumming experience and the process of 'tuning in' that led to attuned states. Findings from this study increase understanding of the phenomenon of attunement in the context of improvisational group drumming. Results shed light on how relational qualities and creativity develop and may promote more relational-responsive pedagogical practices in counselor education. Ultimately, results may contribute to the development of counselors with greater capacities for relating to diverse clients, responding to the complexities of their work, and creating meaningful change within their communities and society at large. / Ph. D.

The built environment puts the greatest pressure on the natural environment out of all human activities, so it has a fundamental obligation to be environmentally sustainable. Carbon dioxide (CO2) or carbon emissions is a significant greenhouse gas that is inevitably associated with energy use when energy is produced via the combustion of fuels. Total life cycle energy, embodied and operational energy over a building's lifetime, creates significant environmental impacts through the production of CO2. By keeping and reusing existing and historic buildings rather than discarding them and building new, the embodied energy, or the energy that is locked up, can help to mitigate future damage. These buildings already exist, which indicates that the energy consumed to build them has been applied and the carbon associated with their construction has been released. The greenest buildings are ones that are already built. They are inherently more sustainable than any new buildings even with green and zero net energy systems and can be retrofitted to become more energy efficient. To demonstrate this thesis specifically, a design project engages with an abandoned late nineteenth-century bank building in Philadelphia and transforms it into a high-performance building that is prepared for long-term use. For the immediate next use, the project creates a work environment and a new vertical expansion of residential units. The preservation field always confronts the challenge of bridging the gap between embodied energy and operational energy. In the abandoned bank, there are some aspects of this building that are near permanent and define its character, such as brick walls with masonry ornament, two bank vaults, Wissahickon Schist foundation wall, and ceiling trusses. This thesis explores new approaches to leverage the embodied energy of the permanent parts of the abandoned bank and transform it into a high-performance building. A lot of energy of the abandoned bank, the building's material, and thermal mass is still actively performing. The building's envelope, the thick masonry wall, provides a moderately good insulating effect that will temper the indoor air that also preserves its historical character both inside and outside. The embodied energy of the building's envelope is leveraged by pairing it with localized heating and cooling using a radiation and conduction system. Other approaches that increase energy performance in the existing building, include the use of phase-change material for cooling the process water, solar hot water, creating drinking water via a solar still in the skylight, and distilled water from radiant cooling surfaces. In the new construction, a thermal switch facade and double-skin facade for the residential units are proposed, along with providing flexible space with thick mobile interior wall units. / Master of Architecture / Global warming as a problem of the twenty-first-century increase concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere due to human actions like burning fossil fuels. The built environment puts the greatest pressure on the natural environment of all industrial parts, and it has a fundamental role to manage the environment sustainably. Total life cycle energy, embodied and operational energy over the lifetime of the buildings, creates significant environmental impacts through the production of CO2. Embodied energy is the whole amount of energy applied to extract the raw materials, manufacture, transport, install, and use the product across its life cycle. Assessments of the embodied energy of historic and existing buildings are helping to mitigate future damage to resources. These buildings already exist, which indicates that the energy consumed to build them has been applied and the carbon associated with their construction has been released. The greenest buildings are ones that are already built. They are inherently sustainable and can be retrofitted to become more energy efficient. Specifically, this design engages with an abandoned late nineteenth-century bank building in Philadelphia and transforms it into a high-performance building that is prepared for long-term use. For the immediate next use, the project creates a work environment and in a new vertical expansion, residential units. In the abandoned bank, there are some aspects of this building that are near-permanent and define its characters, such as brick walls with masonry ornament, two bank vaults, Wissahickon Schist wall, and ceiling trusses. This thesis explores the new approaches to leverage the embodied energy of the permanent parts of the abandoned bank and transform it into a high-performance building. This is achieved through various means such as providing localized heating and cooling by using a radiation and conduction system, the use of phase-change material for cooling the process water, solar hot water, creating drinking water via a solar still in the skylight and distilled water from radiant cooling surfaces. In the new construction, a thermal switch facade and double-skin facade for the residential units are proposed, along with providing flexible space with thick mobile interior wall units.