BostonCHI September 2010 meeting at IBM in Cambridge, MA.

Joan DiMicco of the IBM Visualization Lab will discuss Many Bills, which provides insight into how our government works.

Joan DiMicco is a research scientist whose expertise is in understanding the impact of technology on human behavior, taking a hybrid approach of designing and engineering systems followed by analysis of the altered social dynamics. In leading the Visual Communication Lab, she views visualization as a method for collaborative sensemaking and for communicating complex ideas.

Joining IBM in 2006, she first focused on the use of social networking tools in the workplace and how they change the nature of employee communication. Prior to IBM, she worked at Sun Microsystems Labs and at two early-Internet startups: First Virtual Holdings and Open Sesame. Joan holds a BS in Applied Math from Brown University and a Ph.D. and M.S. from the Media Lab at MIT.

Many Bills (http://manybills.researchlabs.ibm.com)
Government transparency is a critical issue in today's environment. The recent controversy in the US over health care reform is just one example of how hard it can be to see the realities behind the rhetoric. As researchers, we believe we can help by giving people the right tools to understand, explore, and communicate about government data. Many Bills is a web-based visualization that enables members of the public to see the high-level topic structure of US Congressional Bills, then drill down and read the actual content. The dataset currently includes all bills considered by both houses in 2009, plus some select content from 2010, courtesy of GovTrack. 

6:30-7 Networking

7-8:30 Meeting

8:30-9 Networking & Dessert

If you can provide a ride, or need one, check out GoLoco, a free ride-sharing connector service.http://goloco.org/groups/5716

If you are taking the T, you can ride the Green line to Lechemere. You can also take the Red Line to Kendall and take the free Mall shuttle.

If you are driving, please park in the mall. IBM will validate your ticket to discount the parking.