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Rensselaer Opens Social and Behavioral Research Laboratory
Government officials, community leaders, researchers, and professors from the Capital Region joined on Friday to officially mark the opening of Rensselaer’s Social and Behavioral Research Laboratory (SBRL). Key research initiatives were showcased during a tour of the new facility, which is housed in the historic Gurley Building in downtown Troy.
Under the auspices of Rensselaer’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences (H&SS), the 8,500-square-foot SBRL will encompass research focused on the social, cognitive, and behavioral impact of information technology. The facility will support basic research and graduate instruction in psychology, communication, cognitive science, informatics, and technology studies.
The SBRL houses research suites with state-of-the-art eye-gaze recording systems, multiple video and audio recording systems, and an Internet2 connection. The lab also is equipped with digital editing systems, programming workstations, and streaming Web video servers. A 20-foot-by-25-foot open room with an immersive virtual-reality studio, equipped with a full motion-tracking system, also is part of the facility.
The SBRL contains a professional-grade 10-station, computer-aided telephone and Web survey research lab. A configurable open space is available for workshops, discussions, presentations, and large-group data collection.
Research initiatives at the SBRL will run the gamut, from the design of interactive educational technologies for students, to cognitive research on using virtual-reality and graphical simulations, to improving the graphical and text usability of handheld digital devices. Extensive Internet research also will be conducted. As the 2004 U.S. presidential election approaches, for example, SBRL researchers will be studying how the Internet is changing campaign practices.
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