Context changes performance. After sixteen years in creative leadership creating interactive learning experiences to individuals and diverse social groups, Ms. Smith joined the Institute for Simulation & Training in 2003 to understand how applying emerging technologies would deepen the long-term impact of technology as effective tools for diverse uses/audiences. She and her collaborators evaluate the value of each mode in the technology spectrum, and how to objectively assess performance impact across the technology spectrum.
Research projects at the E2i Creative Studio she leads have ranged from situational awareness in first-responder command to understanding in-hospital patients’ perceptions of pain, from exploring how to improve the quality of life for TBI survivors to understanding the tradeoffs necessary for true healthy, sustainable living. Project funding from NSF, NIH, DOD, DHS, along with US and international industry, has allowed her creative team to instantiate new techniques and technologies for measuring and assessing competency in performance. Her educational background of interpersonal communications and social-based theater, linked with her innate curiosity and desire to improve individual and group agency, have driven her path over the past 20 years at UCF.