PhD student Tyler Fox presented Metaplasticity and Inner Body Schemas: VR for Chronic Pain at the International Symposium on Electronic Art (ISEA) in Istanbul, Turkey September, 18th, 2011. The paper, part of a panel on current VR research, focused on three of the works-in-progress in our lab: The Virtual Meditative Walk, The Sonic Cradle, and a sitting meditation planned around a new virtual environment created by our partners at FirstHand in Seattle.
PhD student Tyler Fox presented his paper Permeable Embodiment: Bacteria and Indeterminate Embodiment at the Society for Literature, Science and the Arts (SLSA) 2011 conference in Kitchener, Ontario September 24th. Tylers paper focused on our symbiotic relationship to bacteria, an important aspect of his current research and art projects.
Terry Lavender attended a four-day Cultivating Leadership Presence through Mindfulness retreat offered by the Institute for Mindful Leadership, Sept. 14-18, 2011. The retreat included training in walking and sitting meditation, silent meditation, and cultivating presence. He will be incorporating what he learned both in his daily life and his research with the pain group.
Meehae Song attended a 6 day Mindfulness Retreat with Zen Master Thich Nhat Hahn and the monks and nuns at Deer Park Monastery in Escondido, CA. She practiced sitting and walking meditation daily starting at 5:30AM and also attended sessions for deep relaxation and community working meditation. Mindfulness starts with each breath and she is trying to bring this into her daily life and as she works with leading chronic pain workshops and develops VR applications for chronic pain.