Computer games that encourage physical activity
School-aged children received a fun treat when they got hands-on experience using NEAT-o-GAMES, the latest research in computer games that promote physical activity. The Smartphone based game was developed by Ioannis Pavlidis, Eckhard Pfeiffer Professor of Computer Science and Director of the Computational Physiology Lab. All-N-One organized the children’s tour of UH to spark their interest in science and technology.
TLC2, in cooperation with the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and the American Chemical Society student chapter, conducted three demonstrations at the UH campus to engage at-risk youth involved in the All-N-One program in the science and technology fields.
Students experienced demonstrations on their June 27,2007, trip that included:
- NEAT-o-GAMES: a new generation of Smartphone games that promotes physical activity. NEAT-o-GAMES is a ubiquitous computer game suite where players, represented by animated avatars, compete based on energy counts recorded by body-worn accelerometer sensors. The system was developed by TLC2 affiliated faculty member Ioannis Pavlidis, Eckhard Pfeiffer Professor of Computer Science and Director of the Computational Physiology Lab.
- Quantitative Imagining Laboratory: students will watch how a computer can perform an automated examination of the approximately 100,000 cells in a microliter of blood — the equivalent of one drop — a process that would be extremely tedious and time-consuming for a person to perform manually. Dr. Shishir Shah, Asst. Professor of Computer Science, will lead the demonstration.
- Chemistry made fun: erupting volcanoes, glow-in-the-dark chemicals and explosive noises will be some of the chemistry experiments put on by student affiliates of the American Chemical Society. In this case, college students will show the younger students that chemistry can be a fun and exciting career choice.
The NEAT-o-GAMES demonstration was held in TLC2’s multimedia classroom which was built using NASA funding. TLC2 has a number of initiatives to foster more science and technology training and experiences for youth in the Greater Houston area and beyond
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