Where do I fit in?

Information sciences and technology deals with information, technology, and people. When you take up a career in IST, you can position yourself anywhere within this triangle, depending on how much you are interested in I, T or P. Following are some interesting areas in IST to think about, followed by an example from that area and a link which will give you more information about that area.

1. Human-computer interaction (HCI) – the study of how people interact with computer interfaces

o Design of an ATM machine or a vending machine

o Learn about good design - http://www.jnd.org/GoodDesign.html

2. Computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW) – how technology helps groups of people to work together

o Using online chat (Yahoo or AIM) to collaborate on class projects

o Read a collaboratively written novel - http://www.amillionpenguins.com/wiki/index.php/Welcome

3. Software design and development – how to design and develop software and programs.

o Writing the programs that make your cell phones or washers and dryers work.

o Participate in Google-sponsored programming events - http://code.google.com/soc/

4. Virtual groups, social networks and online communities – how people interact in virtual spaces such as video games, online communities, weblogs etc.

o How Orkut helps you find classmates and groups to interact with

o Create your profile on Orkut and get in touch with friends – http://www.orkut.com

5. Information Society and information and communications in society – how technology affects societies, and access and control of the technology.

o How the microwave has changed both what and how Americans eat

o Learn about science, technology, and society - http://www.personal.u-net.com/~nchadd/

6. Enterprise Systems & Socio-technical Systems – large-scale software systems in organizations.

o Design of banking or car insurance systems

o Book cheap airline tickets and hotels for your next trip – http://orbitz.com

7. Knowledge management, acquisition and learning – how to capture, store, and share knowledge and experience of individuals and groups within an organization

o Storing experience and knowledge of employees before they leave an organization

o Use concept mapping tools to organize what you are learning at camp - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concept_map

8. Information searching, seeking, and retrieval – how search engines, databases, recommender systems, etc. allow people to access information that they want.

o Using Google to find information about your favorite topics

o Find your way home from our camp – http://maps.google.com

9. Agents, Modeling/simulation, Intelligent Systems – how machines can emulate human intelligence.

o Speech recognition systems that convert voice to text

o Talk to Alice the robot - http://www.pandorabots.com/pandora/talk?botid=f5d922d97e345aa1