I'm an Affective Computing Researcher
- Name: Akiri Surely
- Residence: United States
- Country of Origin: Nigeria
- Advisior: Dr. Andrea Kleinsmith
Passionate Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) Ph.D. candidate with a keen interest in exploring the intersection of technology and human emotions. I specialize in affective computing, delving into the fascinating realm where human emotions meet cutting-edge technology. My journey has equipped me with a robust foundation in both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, allowing me to unravel the complexities of user experiences.
Currently, I'm a Ph.D. student in the Human-Centered Computing (HCC) Program, IS Department, UMBC. I am advised by Dr. Andrea Kleinsmith . My research focuses on designing interactive systems to support stress awareness and reflection in emergency medical training. Specifically, I investigate formalized approaches to emotion regulation training to help paramedic trainees better understand how affect manifests in their physiological responses, verbal and nonverbal behaviors, and the relationship between them. These applications may aid the development of stress management and emotion regulation skills to alleviate and manage future workplace traumas. I am also a member of the Interactive Systems Research Center and Affective Behavior Interaction Lab.
RESEARCH & SCIENTIFIC THINKING SKILLS
Qualitative Research Methods (interviews, Observations, Focus Groups)
Quantitative Data Analysis (including softwares e.g, Matlab, SPSS, R)
Qualitative Data Analysis
Experimental design
Statistical analysis and interpretation of data
Critical reading of scientific literature
Understanding of submission/peer review process
Programming Skills
Web Front-end Development(HTML, CSS, XML and SCSS)
PHP and SQL
Java
Interpreted Languages (Python, MATLAB and Javascript)
NASM assembly language
C/C++
My Education
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United States International University-Africa
Bachelors Degree 2015-2018Bachelors of Science Applied Computer Technology (Software Engineering Minor) Summa Cum Laude
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University of Maryland Baltimore County
Masters Degree 2018-2020Masters of Science Human Centered Computing (Magna cum Laude)
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University of Maryland Baltimore County
Doctoral Degree 2020-PresentPh. D. Human Centered Computing
Work Experience
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Research Assistant
Engineering and Computing Education Program -UMBC 2022-PresentWorks with Drs. Kleinsmith, Sanchez and Kephart on developing a reflection framework to assess learners self-assesment of their skills development.
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Research Assistant
Affective Behavior Interaction Lab 2019-PresentWorks closely with Dr. Andrea Kliensmith and Dr. Helena Mentis on the NSF funded EHS Stress Reflection project here.
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Teaching Assistant
COMP 101 - Introduction to Computer Programming 2021-2022Assited Mark Berczynski in teaching COMP 101. I was responsible for teaching 2 out of 5 sessions in the Fall semester and taught the one session that was offered in the Spring of 2022. My responsibilities also included grading assignments, reports and exams, as well as advising students.
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Research Assistant
Telemedicine at Scale: Expanding the Healthcare Workforce and Healthcare Access (NSF funded project) 2021Helped organize the FTEMST Workshop that took place virtually with EMS workers around the country. I was also responsible for the design of the workshop website. here.
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Research Assistant
Sensor Accelerated Intelligent Learning (SAIL) Labs 2018-2019Worked with Dr. Jiaqi Gong as a co-principal investigator on a 2-phase project to investigate haptic neurofeedback approaches to augment preconscious perception and emotion regulation among nurses.
Also, was involved in data analysis and sensor monitoring on the NIH funded medication adherence project to maintain complex medication schedules here.. -
Software Developer Intern
Interswitch Group Kenya May-July 2018Worked on user interface design and user experience for ongoing company projects. Also, investigated new technologies for legacy company software and consumed API’s on the front-end of the Autopay portal.
Summary
This section describes plans towards completing my dissertation, including its expected contributions and a proposed timeline. .
Short Introduction
My finding from my previous research, sparked my interest in the social construction of emotion. I carried out an evaluation of the impact of a Team Stress Reflection System in paramedic trainees. During the study, I noticed that trainees who were familiar with a member of the team whose data they were interacting with judged their stress levels more leniently even when the data presented otherwise. They use the identity of the person to make judgements about the person’s emotional reaction. The results from the study we conducted on EMS providers during the COVID-19 peak (see publication list), revealed that the interdependent nature of providers' work goes beyond their job roles and responsibility. They commune with one and another and rely on each other for support.
This led me to wonder how their social relationships (friendships) with one another affect their emotions? Does the expression of one person’s emotions serve as a cue for another? Emotions are not only shaped by, but also shape, the relationship in which they occur. Emotion and relationships can thus be said to mutually constitute each other. A quick literature search revealed that in most Affective Computing (henceforth, AC) applications, emotions have been studied outside of social contexts, socially divorced. Most researchers in the area have focused on emotion expression, embodiment and cognitive appraisals. In light of this, I considered how I can bridge this gap and maintain my research interest in helping EMS providers manage emotions?
There is a prevalence of suicide and suicidal ideation among EMS providers. Most providers have reported lack of support. Can an AC application built from a social interactionist perspective help support and possibly reduce this epidemic in providers? I am interested in the possibility of using positively socially constructed emotions in EMS suicide prevention while designing for affect for interaction. This system would work in the context of an ongoing relationship outside of the system that provides the grounds for meaning-making with the system.
Currently, I am focused on understanding, in providers, how emotions are socially constructed. Is it reflective in body or facial expressions? How do I measure affect? How do I monitor emotions?
- Type of Future Studies: Future studies would include empirical research to obtain qualitative observation and interview data, and possibly quantitative data to obtain affect signals.
- Contribution: Such an application would contribute to the study of emotions as a social construct in Affective Computing. And in the long run, possibly help with suicide prevention in the EMS population.
2021 Timeline
Spring - 2021
- Review Covid study paper with Advisor and submit to Frontiers for Health Psychology (February).
- Work on reviewing literatures to gain more knowledge on the intended dissertation area (Early March).
- Form overarching research question (Late March).
- Develop study design (April).
- Submit an extended abstract to ACII (May 25th).
- Continue work on Team Stress Reflection System - second iteration for planned additional studies (tentative to DIS reviews (May-June))
Summer - 2021 (June to August)
- Start thinking about committee members.
- Prepare application for Generation Google Scholarship.
- Work on finding dissertation grants.
- Develop study design (April).
- Start proposal document - Involve refining study design and research questions as I read more literature.
Fall 2021
- If I get accepted to ACII DC - attend Late September.
- Refine proposal document based on feedback (Early September).
- Finalize committee (Early September).
- Propose late October - Early November
- Conduct study 1 to understand EMS providers (dyad group of friends) adjust emotions socially in context (field study) to see how cues from one person influence emotional reactivity in others. How does the social context affect expression disorder? Given that providers have nirmative scripts on how to express their emotions? I will observe the context and measure the affect signal most prominent during this process. (December - January). This data will be used to guide the affect interaction system in development.
Spring 2022
- Data analysis (February - April).
- Write paper on study 1 findings (May - July).
Summer 2022
- Submit to CHI 2022 or CSCW 2022 (If I miss the CHI deadline or the work doesn’t fit the call).
Publications
This section provides a list of published and unpublished research in which I have participated. Shared first-authorship is notated with a section sign (§).
Published Papers and Assignments
Peer-Reviewed (conference and workshop proceedings)
- [C3] Akiri, S., Taherzadeh, S., Misal, V., Kleinsmith, A. (2022). Exploring Affective Dimension Perception from Bodily Expressions and Electrodermal Activity in Paramedic Simulation Training. In 2022 10th Int’l Conference on Affective Computing and Intelligent Interaction (ACII) (pp. 1-8). IEEE. [Acceptance Rate, 45.5%]
- [C2] Akiri, S. (2021). An Affect as Interaction Approach for Stress Management Among Paramedics. 2021 9th International Conference on Affective Computing and Intelligent Interaction Workshops and Demos (ACIIW) (pp. 1-5). IEEE. [Acceptance Rate, 45.5%].
- [C1] Misal, V., Taherzadeh, S., Surely, A., McGowan, H., Williams, G., Jenkins, JL, Mentis, H., Kleinsmith, A. (2020). Exploring Links Between Physiologic Synchrony, Stress and Communication of Paramedic Trainees During In-Situ Emergency Response Training, Extended Abstract in Proceedings of the ACM International Conference on Multimodal Interaction (ICMI). [Acceptance Rate, 42%].
Works in Preparation
- Akiri, S., Misal, V., Taherzadeh, S., Williams, G., Jenkins, JL, Mentis, H. and Kleinsmith, A. (In preparation). Paramedic Trainees’ Insights Gained with the Team Stress Reflection System: Reflecting on Others to Understand Ourselves.
- §Akiri, S., § Misal, V., Taherzadeh, S., Williams, G., Jenkins, JL, Mentis, H. and Kleinsmith, A. (In preparation). Paramedic Trainees’ Insights Gained with the Team Stress Reflection System: Reflecting on Our Experience.
- Misal, V., Surely, A., Taherzadeh, S., Williams, G., and Kleinsmith, A. (In preparation). Communication, Collaboration and Physiological Synchrony in Paramedics Simulation Training.
Unpublished Papers and Assignments
- Akiri, S., Albov, A., Rehan, A., Damaruka, P. U., Misal, V.(2020). Color Palette Variations in Discrete Emotions Using Virtual Reality Technology (IS 698 Class Project). University of Maryland Baltimore County, Maryland. Link to PDF
- Akiri, S. (2019). Applications of Voice User Interfaces in Clinical Settings (HCC 760 Semester Class Project). University of Maryland Baltimore County, Maryland. Link to PDF
- Akiri, S., Rehan, A., Podskalny, A., Hillard, S.(2019). Migrating from the Fee-For-Service Model to the Value-Based Model (IS 660 Class Project). University of Maryland Baltimore County, Maryland. Link to PDF
Courses
Here is a list of the courses, by semester, I have taken as a part of my studies in the UMBC HCC Masters and PhD programs, since the Fall of 2018 through Spring 2021.
Cumulative GPA:3.842
Fall 2018
- HCC 629 Fundamentals of Human-Centered Computing A-
- HCC 636 Structured Systems Analysis and Design A
- HCC 710 Graphic Design For Interactive Systems B
Spring 2019
- HCC 729 Human-Centered Design A
- HCC 700 Independent Study in Human-Centered Computing A
- HCC 613 User Interface Prototyping and Development B+
Fall 2019
- IS 660 Health Informatics I A
- HCC 799 Master's Thesis Research P
- HCC 760 Human-Computer Interaction A
Spring 2020
- HCC 801 Independent Study for Doctoral Students A
- HCC 810 HCC Graduate Seminar A
- IS 698 Special Topics in Information Systems A
- GRAD 601 Graduate School Assistantship Full-time No Grade Associated
Fall 2020
- HCC 801 Independent Study for Doctoral Students A
- HCC 810 HCC Graduate Seminar A
- HCC 898 Pre-Candidacy Doctoral Dissertation Research P
- IS 805 Advanced Field Research Methodology A
Spring 2021
- HCC 810 HCC Graduate Seminar
- HCC 898 Pre-Candidacy Doctoral Dissertation Research
- IS 804 Advanced Quantitative Methods in IS Research
Programming Projects
In these mobile and desktop applications, I am responsible for the front-end and back-end development. I employ skills that are enumerated in my resume. Please right click on projects to open project page in a new tab.
- -Math Game-
- Squash Game-
- Memory Game-
- Happy Bites Mobile Order-
- DSLA Real Estate App-
- Admin Dashboard-
Link to my Github profile here.