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Rosalind W. Picard is director of the Affective Computing Research Group at the MIT Media Lab, and co-director of the Things That Think Consortium, the largest industrial sponsorship organization at the lab. Picard is the author of Affective Computing, published in 1997. In 2005, she was named a Fellow of the IEEE.

The Affective Computing Research Group develops tools, techniques, and devices for sensing, interpreting, and processing emotion signals that drive state-of-the-art systems which respond intelligently to human emotional states. Applications of their research include improved tutoring systems and assistive technology for use in alleviating Autism.

She holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering with highest honors from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and master's and doctorate degrees, both in electrical engineering and computer science, from MIT. She has been a member of the faculty at the MIT Media Laboratory since 1991, with tenure since 1998. Prior to completing her doctorate at MIT, she was a member of the technical staff at AT&T Bell Laboratories where she designed VLSI chips for digital signal processing, and developed new methods of image compression and analysis.

The author of over a hundred peer-reviewed scientific articles in multidimensional signal modeling, computer vision, pattern recognition, machine learning, and human-computer interaction, Picard is known internationally for pioneering research in affective computing and, prior to that, for pioneering research in content-based image and video retrieval.

She is recipient (with Tom Minka) of a best paper prize for work on machine learning with multiple models (1998) and is recipient (with Barry Kort and Rob Reilly) of a "best theory paper" prize for their work on affect in human learning (2001).

Her award-winning book, Affective Computing, (MIT Press, 1997) lays the groundwork for giving machines the skills of emotional intelligence.

She and her students have designed and developed a variety of new sensors, algorithms, and systems for sensing, recognizing, and responding respectfully to human affective information, with applications in human and machine learning, health, and human-computer interaction.

Picard works closely with industry, and has consulted with companies such as Apple Computer, AT&T, BT, HP, i.Robot, and Motorola. She has delivered keynote presentations or invited plenary talks at over fifty science or technology events, and distinguished lectures and colloquia at dozens of universities and research labs internationally. Her group's work has been featured in national and international forums for the general public, such as The New York Times, The London Independent, Scientific American Frontiers, NPR's Tech Nation and The Connection, ABC's Nightline and World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, Time Magazine, Vogue, Voice of America Radio, New Scientist, and the BBC's "The Works" and "The Big Byte."

Picard lives in Newton, Massachusetts with her husband and three energetic sons.

Darwin Dissent Controversy

In February 2006, the New York Times ran a story reporting an ongoing claim by the Discovery Institute that Dr. Picard was one of 300 professonals who signed the Discovery Institute's controversial petition, "A Scientific Dissent From Darwinism". This two-sentence petition has been widely exploited by its sponsor, the Discovery Institute, and some of their supporters in a national campaign to discredit evolution and to promote the teaching of intelligent design in public schools. While the Times did not independently substantiate the reported claims of the Discovery Institute, the story included comments from some of the signers, letting the readers judge for themselves what to make of it.

References

1. Media Lab Faculty Biography
2. Publication of Affective Computing
3. IEEE Fellows of the Class of 2005
4. Research Projects of the Affective Computing Research Group
5. Affective Computing Group Web Page
6. Current and Past Projects
7. MIT Faculty Biography Page
8. MIT Faculty Biography Page
9. MIT Faculty Biography Page
10. MIT Faculty Biography Page
11. Affective Learning Companion
12. MIT Press Publication of Affective Computing
13. MIT Faculty Biography Page
14. MIT Faculty Biography Page
15. MIT Faculty Biography Page
16. Few Biologists but Many Evangelicals Sign Anti-Evolution Petition
17. Signatories of 'A Scientific Dissent From Darwinism'
18. Doubts Over Evolution Mount With Over 300 Scientists Expressing Skepticism With Central Tenet of Darwin's Theory
19. Few Biologists but Many Evangelicals Sign Anti-Evolution Petition

External links

• Affective Computing Group Web Page
• Things That Think Consortium Web Page
• Rosalind (Roz) W. Picard Homepage
• MIT Course on Autism Theory and Technology

• 1962 births
• Living people
• American computer scientists
• Women computer scientists
• Electronics engineers
• Artificial intelligence researchers
• People from Massachusetts
• Georgia Institute of Technology alumni