Baskin Engineering researchers are using virtual environments to transform the way people interact with technology and their community—bridging digital and physical worlds to improve lives. Our work spans key areas including social-emotional technologies, game design, human-computer interaction, and cyber-physical systems, with applications in healthcare, psychology, education, the arts, and beyond. By developing interactive technologies, we are enhancing our understanding of human behavior and driving positive social impact.
Rethinking assistive technology for neurodivergent adults
Kevin Weatherwax, a computational media Ph.D. student at UC Santa Cruz, is researching adaptive technologies for neurodivergent adults, including how lo-fi media can function as assistive technology to support focus and emotional regulation.
His research aims to create more inclusive, effective technologies for neurodivergent individuals, and advance the field of human-robot collaboration.
Research in action
Developing speech AI for all
To address the poor performance of speech AI for people who stutter or have diverse speech patterns, a team of researchers is studying its limitations and developing technical and design solutions.
UCSC alumni grow virtual reality physical rehabilitation startup Immergo Labs
Three Baskin Engineering alumni received a $1 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to advance research and development of an extended reality platform for full-body physical rehabilitation.
Stranger Things VR game launches in partnership with Netflix, Meta
A new virtual reality (VR) game is set in the world of Netflix’s hit series Stranger Things—UC Santa Cruz Assistant Teaching Professor of Computational Media Samantha Gorman is the game’s co-writer and narrative director.
Remote learning technology brings organoids into undergraduate classrooms
For the first time, remote education tools are giving undergraduate students hands-on experience with organoids grown at UC Santa Cruz. These miniature brain tissue models grown from stem cells are valuable for drug discovery and disease research.
Improving quality of life through assistive technologies
Professor of Computational Media Sri Kurniawan and her students are developing affordable, reliable assistive technologies with positive social impact—from helping stroke survivors regain speech to creating immersive training for wildfire evacuations.
UCSC team recognized for innovative virtual assistant robot
A team of UC Santa Cruz Ph.D. students placed third in the Amazon Alexa Prize SimBot Challenge for developing an AI assistant that can learn household tasks through conversation. Their work could enhance assistive technology for older adults and people with disabilities.
BE experts
Nathan Altice
Elin Carstensdottir
Christina Chung
James Davis
Luca De Alfaro
Aviv Elor
Samantha Gorman
Katherine Isbister
Sri Kurniawan
David Lee
Michael Mateas
Edward Melcer
Mohammed Mostajo-Radji
Kathryn Ringland
Ricardo Sanfelice
Magy Seif El-Nasr
Norman Makato Su
Mircea Teodorescu
Xin (Eric) Wang
Noah Wardrip-Fruin
Jim Whitehead
For media inquiries contact: Emily Cerf, Engineering Writer and Media Relations Specialist: ecerf@ucsc.edu
Reimagining technology to serve everyone
Professor of Computational Media Sri Kurniawan is developing interactive systems for people with special needs—drawing on Baskin Engineering’s expertise in machine learning, speech recognition, computer science, and more.
Specialty areas
Game design
Game design at Baskin Engineering is challenging engineering, social, and design problems—advancing technological frontiers and shaping cultural discourse.
Social-emotional technology
Baskin Engineering is designing, implementing and studying human computer interaction technologies that enhance physical, social, and emotional experiences.
Expanding the world of games
Dedicated to advancing the study and application of game design through research, education, and cutting-edge innovation, UCSC provides students opportunities and resources that are expanding the world of games.
Bold new solutions to society’s most complex issues
Explore research by impact areas
