Beaton awarded a Strong Research Fellowship

03/25/2013

Brian Beaton, Assistant Professor at the iSchool, has been awarded a Strong Research Fellowship to conduct Research at the International Center for the History of Electronic Games (ICHEG) in Rochester, NY. Dr. Beaton will spend two weeks at ICHEG in June. The ICHEG holds one of the world’s largest collections of electronic games and game-related materials. The purpose of Beaton’s research is to understand science-themed games from the early PC era as part of his work on citizen science and its precursors. At ICHEG, Beaton will investigate early electronic games that promoted scientific literacy, allowed players to engage in science-related tasks, and simulated scientific work and workplaces. Beaton will also be investigating how early science-themed electronic games were designed and marketed.

Dr. Beaton joined the iSchool faculty in August of 2012. His research and teaching interests include science and technology studies (STS), the role of information technology in society, and public policy. The bulk of his current research concerns citizen science. In addition to his upcoming work at ICHEG, Beaton also recently won a Gaming Research Fellowship from the Center for Gaming Research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). Dr. Beaton will spend two weeks at the Center in May conducting research into how the Las Vegas gaming industry draws crowds of players to specific games. The larger purpose of Beaton’s research is to identify crowd-drawing techniques and strategies used in Las Vegas that may be effective in drawing people to online citizen science games. More information about ICHEG can be found at http://www.icheg.org/.