Special Events

Don't miss these events at the 2011 Annual Meeting!

Early Career Conversation Hour
8:15 p.m.-10:15 p.m., Thursday, September 15, 2011

If you have questions about this event or would like to RSVP, please contact Robin Nusslock by e-mail at nusslock@northwestern.edu by September 7.


Education and Training Committee Roundtable Discussions
11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m., Thursday, September 15, 2011

Please contact Drew Nelesen at meetings@sprweb.org to register by September 7. For questions on a particular roundtable, please contact Carien van Reekum at c.vanreekum@reading.ac.uk or Bruce Friedman at bhfriedm@vt.edu.

Roundtable topics are as follows:

  • Methodological Issues in Development Psychophysiology (Nancy Snidman, Rosalind Picard)
  • Eyeblink Startle (Christine Larson, Terry Blumenthal)
  • Genetics, Brain, and Behavior (Diego Pizzagalli, Eco de Geus)
  • Source Localization (Don Tucker, Phan Luu)
  • Emotion Regulation (Heather Urry, Carien van Reekum)


Open House at MIT Media Lab
All SPR attendees are invited to attend an open house with interactive demonstrations at the world-famous
MIT Media Lab.

When: Wednesday, September 14 from 3:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
Where: MIT Media Lab, 75 Amherst Street, Cambridge, MA 02139
Affective Computing and Autism and Communication Technologies Lab
E14-274 (take the main elevators to the second floor and the door is in front and to your left.)

Transportation: While there are some metered street spots nearby (bring quarters), we recommend taking the T (36 minutes door to door) or a taxi (15 minutes).

T instructions (MBTA.com Rider Tools): Take the silverline from World Trade Center Station to South Station, then take the redline to the Kendall/MIT station. Cross over Main Street and keep walking down Carleton Street to Amherst Street.

Live demos to interact with include:

  • Cardiocam: Non-contact, accurate measurement of heart-rate, heart-rate variability, and respiration from an ordinary webcam; this was just named one of Popular Science's "Top Ten Inventions of the Year"

  • Mobile electrodermal activity sensing (with new results in sleep, autism, epilepsy, officeplace stress) - try sensors on wrist, ankle, palm

  • "Moodmeter" - reads smiles of groups of people using a webcam at a distance and gives a visual treat when a majority of people smile

  • Crowd-sourced mobile technology to help regulate emotion

Please contact Ms. Lillian Lai, lillian@media.mit.edu, +1-617-253-0369, or Professor Rosalind Picard, picard@media.mit.edu, +1-617-253-0611 with questions.


Special Interest Luncheons and Dinners

As in previous years, small group lunches and dinners will be held to provide an informal setting for people to meet and share common interests. If space remains available following advance registration, sign-up sheets will be posted in the SPR Registration Area on the announcements board. 

Deception Detection Research
Friday, September 16, 2011
11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Contact: Frank M. Marchak at fmarchak@vradc.com


Women in Science & Education Lunch Box Discussion
11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m., Friday, September 16, 2011

The Committee to Promote Student Interests will be hosting a luncheon focused on Women in Science and Education. All SPR members, including men, are invited to attend. If you have any suggestions for this event, and/or if you are interested in participating in the W.I.S.E. Committee and helping with the luncheon, please contact Erika Henry (Erika.Henry@colorado.edu). Please email Sarah Lust (salxr6@mail.mizzou.edu) to RSVP for the luncheon by September 7.