Hi! I'm Kalila, a digital media researcher, virtual reality and human-computer interaction designer, and creative technologist. Currently, I'm a Processing Fellow working on interactive visualizations of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a tech ethicist writing a series of pieces on virtual reality for All Tech Is Human, the Social Media Lead for the MedVR Hackathon, and the co-deputy leader of the Application Accessibility group and subgroup leader of Application Analysis in the XR Access Initiative (through Cornell Tech). In the fall, I will be starting my PhD at University College London in the Virtual Environments and Computer Graphics group.
If I'm not designing or coding, you'll likely find me playing sports, playing music, or volunteering!
Smash Mouth called me a #TechStar.
Projects
- When I Was LittleCreated at the MIT Reality Hack at the MIT Media Lab, "When I Was Little" is an immersive augmented reality and virtual reality narrative. It uses narrative to explore perspective and memory, and creates a new type of multiplayer, participatory, storytelling. This project uses the Magic Leap One, Oculus Quest, Unity, DepthKit, the Azure Kinect, and NormCore.
- Song ButtonSong Button was created in a workshop about Azure Functions, Twilio, and Flic, run by Chloe Condon at Microsoft Reactor in Manhattan. When a user presses their Flic button, it sends a lyric text or musical call to the intended recipient. This project has been endorsed by Smash Mouth, Twilio, and Flic. Smash Mouth liked this project and my use of their song "All Star" so much, they retweeted it and called me a #TechStar. For more details, visit my website: https://www.kalilashapiro.com/song-butto
- Major KeyCreated at the Reality, Virtually Hackathon at the MIT Media Lab, Major Key is an immersive augmented reality app designed to teaches users how to play piano and read sheet music successfully. Through a variety of exercises, users of all ages will be able to strengthen their hands, improve their coordination, and pick up an instrument that is notoriously hard to learn. This project uses the Magic Leap One and Unity.
- SpoonsAccording to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder affects approximately 2.2 million adults in the United States. Spoons' mission is to educate users about the realities of mental illness - how overwhelming and sensory it can be. Through Spoons, users will go through a typical OCD episode: obsessive thoughts, growing panic, compulsions, anxiety, and disappointing relief. Using 360 Virtual Reality and Sound Design, Spoons is a 5-minute, immersive docume
- Florence the WondrousThe city of Florence is a keystone to Italian culture. As a hub of art, food, and music, it has been a home to countless influencers of Western enlightenment and sophistication. This documentary was created to highlight the importance of historical Florence - targeted at Americans who only view it as a tourist destination.
Work history
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Processing FellowProcessing Foundation
New York, United StatesPart Time
Selected as a Processing Fellow. Creating "knowyourrights.com" (name subject to change), an interactive online space that clearly and concisely displays different aspects of the Americans with Disability Act in both text and visualizations—with specific focus on the sections that protect students and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. It will be web accessible by W3 standards. For more information, click here: https://processingfoundation.org/fellowships.
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Tech Ethics WriterAll Tech Is Human
New York, United StatesPart Time
Writing a series of articles on the ethics of virtual reality creation, research, and applications. Articles to begin publication this month (04/2020).
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Skills
- Virtual Reality
- Virtual Worlds
- 360 Experience
- 360 Video
- Research
- Music Making
- Emerging Technology
- Music Arrangements
- Academic Writing
- Video Scriptwriting
Education
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PhDUniversity College London (UCL)
London, United Kingdom
Pursuing a PhD in Computer Science, specifically focused in virtual reality. Researching whether or not virtual reality can help people in diaspora feel more connected to their culture and also how we can best leverage the embodiment illusion for full immersion.
This thesis will be a combination of computer science, storytelling, and anthropology.
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Bachelor of Arts (BA) University of Rochester
- Rochester, United States
Bachelor of Arts in Digital Media Studies with Highest Distinction, Cum Laude:
-Major GPA: 3.92/4.0, Cumulative GPA: 3.68/4.0 (Equivalent of UK First Class degree)
-Minors in Computer Science, Chinese
Awards
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Processing FellowshipProcessing Foundation
honor description The Processing Foundation Fellowships support artists, coders, and collectives in visionary projects that conceive a new direction for what Processing as a software and a community can do. Earned this fellowship to support the project "knowyourrights.com", an interactive online space that clearly and concisely displays different aspects of the Americans with Disability Act in both text and visualizations—with specific focus on the sections that protect students and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. It will be web accessible by W3 standards. For more information, click here: https://processingfoundation.org/fellowships.N
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Grand Challenge ScholarNational Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) established a set of fourteen Grand Challenges that engineers face in order to make progress toward a sustainable world - one that provides all people with more than just their basic needs and aspires to a higher level of living. Students must successfully achieve work in five competencies (Talent/Research, Multidisciplinary, Entrepreneurship, Multicultural/Global, and Social Consciousness/Service) in relation to one of the fourteen Grand Challenges in order to be designated a Grand Challenge Scholar. Received this designation for work in the "Enhance Virtual Reality" Grand Challenge.+ Show more