LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL Digital MemoryLane Professor Paul Mc Kevitt, B.Sc. (Hons.), M.S., Ph.D., M.Ed. Chair in Digital MultiMedia University of Ulster, Magee PHOTO: http://www.infm.ulst.ac.uk/~paul/imagineering-quarter/photos/mckeown/digitalcreativitygroup1editsmall.jpg Dr. Barney Toal, NORIBIC; Matt Peachey, Derry City Council; Mark Nagurski, Own Brand Media Ltd.; Anton Hutton, EyeSpyFX Ltd. and School of Creative Arts; Professor Geraint Wiggins, Goldsmiths, University of London; and Professor Paul Mc Kevitt, Computer Science Research Institute, Magee. A homecoming During my recent visits to Carndonagh Community School (CCS) I noticed that most of the teachers who taught me (1976-1981) are now gone but Veronica is still there and a former classmate (John McGuinness) at CCS is now a Deputy Principal with Paul Fiorentini, who was a few years ahead of me at CCS, Principal and someone who was a year ahead of me (Owen McConway), more recently now also Deputy Principal. John and Owen got their M.Sc. degrees in Computing at the University of Ulster, Magee where I have now been Chair in Digital MultiMedia for just over 10 years. Sometimes I pop down to Fiorentini's Cafe on the Strand Rd. for refreshments as it is right beside my office at Magee. Soon after I first returned here in December, 2000 I was looking up books on local history at Mickey Herron's bookshop in Carndonagh and bumped into Sean Beattie -- he hadn't changed at all! Since then I have preached on computing and local history at CCS, numerous local workshops and festivals such as the Charles Macklin Autumn School in Culdaff, the McGlinchey Summer School in Clonmany and the new Colgan Heritage Weekend in Carndonagh. I still remember Sean teaching us in History class about Michael Davitt and The Land League, The Famine, The Boston Tea Party and `No Taxation without Representation'. Mickey Herron's daughter Maria who was a year behind me at CCS is married to Anton Hutton (see photo here), a colleague in MultiMedia Design at Magee and owner of a Derry-based software company called EyeSpyFX (http://www.eyespyfx.com). The McGlinchey Summer School Committee includes Marius Harkin, brother of CCS teacher Paschal Harkin who taught me P.E. Another colleague at Magee is Paddy McDonough, whose father Jim A. taught me technical drawing in first year and Magee Computing Lecturers Dr. Shane Wilson and Dr. Jim Harkin also went to CCS. Seamus O'Donnell taught me metalwork in first year at CCS and his son Conor is now studying Computer Science at Magee. It is indeed a small world! An incredible journey After leaving CCS in 1981 I completed a B.Sc. (Hons.) degree in Computer Science at University College Dublin (UCD) (1985) and then got a scholarship from the USA (New Mexico State University) to research in the Computer Science field of Artificial Intelligence -- getting computers to do things we normally only think of people as doing -- such as speaking and gesturing. I completed a M.S. in Computer Science (1988) and then went on to do a Ph.D. in Computer Science at Exeter University in England (1991). Then I worked as a Lecturer in Computer Science at Sheffield University and whilst there was awarded one of two 5-year (1994-1999) British EPSRC Advanced Fellowships in Information Technology focusing on the integration of natural language (English), speech and vision processing. Whilst at Sheffield I also completed a Master's degree in Education (M.Ed.). In 1996 I moved to Aalborg University, Denmark as a Visiting Professor facilitating coordination of a new curriculum (M.Sc. in Intelligent MultiMedia) and research (CHAMELEON multimodal software platform) programme in multimodal dialogue systems across four Departments. In December, 2000 I took up the post of Chair in Digital MultiMedia at The University of Ulster, Magee Campus. Examples of recent work my research team, Ph.D. students and I are working on includes software prototypes such as `PlayPhysics', which uses computer games to teach physics to first year university students. PlayPhysics is a virtual learning environment for teaching physics which integrates research in Intelligent Tutoring Systems, where students learn about concepts such as momentum by trying to get an astronaut back to his craft in time by determining optimal mass and velocity. PlayPhysics also gives detailed feedback online. PlayPhysics incorporates concepts I learned in Science from CCS teachers Patrick Keaney, Michael McGinley and Rev. Neil McGoldrick. Another prototype we have developed is `MemoryLane', a mobile digital storytelling companion for older people. Reminders of the person's past, such as photos, video, favourite songs or poems (provided by the individual or their family) are input as text, image, moving image and sound, creating the material from which multimodal stories can be generated. Each story is different and MemoryLane can factor in any problems with the person's eyesight, hearing or dexterity and adapt the presentation accordingly (like making the text larger or reducing the amount of sound or images). Based also on preferences it allows the holder to select aspects they like and reject anything they wish to forget. MemoryLane includes `Life Caching' -- i.e. the recording of multimedia data on activities in one's daily life. One of our former students at Magee, Dr. Aiden Doherty, after completing his degree in Computer Science went on to Dublin City University (DCU) to complete his Ph.D. in Life Caching and he is now conducting post-doctoral research at Oxford University. Aiden's father Denis taught me technical drawing for the Intermediate Certificate at CCS and Denis' brother William was also in our year. Software systems like `PlayPhysics' and `MemoryLane' include mathematical modelling which I was taught in those early years by Brian Gormley (`Rufus'), Rev. Neil McGoldrick and Eileen Farren and natural language processing incorporating grammar and parts of speech which I learned in English, Irish and French classes from Phil Coyne, Seamus McCafferty and Michael Lynch (English), John Sweeney and John Grant (Irish) and Mary Gleeson and Pat McGonagle (French). Later I met Rev. McGoldrick's brother, Rev. Patrick, as Curate at Moville, who was Professor of Liturgy at Maynooth and who knew my great grand uncle, Canon Dr. Peter J. Mc Kevitt, who was Professor of social sciences there. Eileen Farren's daughter Louise is married to Paul McElvaney who owns Learning Pool (http://www.learningpool.com) based in Derry, one of the fastest growing software companies in Ireland -- a company which I am currently collaborating with. More recently I've been dedicated to choreographing ``The Imagineering Quarter'' comprising five neighbouring buildings of the North West Regional College (NWRC) (`Foyle', `Strand', `Lawrence') & Magee University (`Foyle Arts', `Computing') focussed on teaching, research and technology transfer with software demonstrators in Digital Creativity (digital storytelling, music, film, theatre, dance, art, design; games, virtual worlds) linking to The Nerve Centre, Verbal Arts Centre, cross-border Letterkenny Institute of Technology (LYIT), local software industry and access to Project Kelvin -- a secure high capacity dedicated broadband link (10 G. LanPhy) direct to Canada, USA, Europe and the rest of the island with a delay of only 2 ms. Derry/Londoderry is First UK City of Culture, 2013 and a key contributor is The Imagineering Quarter. I'm also a member of Digital Action Team (DAT) for Digital Derry, a collaborative project - involving private, public and academic organisations - to support, promote and grow the digital content sector in Derry-Londonderry and the North-West. The aim of Digital Derry is to create the best place on the island to start and build a digital business. For further detail visit: http://www.infm.ulst.ac.uk/~paul/imagineering-quarter/ http://www.infm.ulst.ac.uk/~paul/ Looking forward One thing which struck me whilst working and living in Denmark was how seriously self-sufficient the Danes are. Most of the products in Danish supermarkets are Made-in-Denmark and the country is full of innovation with numerous Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) companies, with less dependency on multinationals for economic development and employment. What also impressed me was that most decisions in the workplace and society are made in a manner which is collegiate, collective and inclusive. Denmark is also the highest investor per capita in education in Europe where there are no fees for third level education. I remember in Geography class Jim Quigley (`Wee Jim') telling us that Denmark is a country similar to Ireland having few natural resources and with a focus on cooperatives and agriculture -- Ireland and it's education system, including schools like CCS, could now learn a lot from Denmark... Keep in touch and re-connect through facebook and LinkedIn: http://www.facebook.com/paul.mckevitt http://www.linkedin.com/in/paulmckevitt LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL