Virginia Tech's Bowman receives award for virtual reality

Doug Bowman
Doug Bowman

Doug A. Bowman, professor of computer science and director of the Center for Human-Computer Interaction in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech, has received the 2014 Visualization and Graphics Technical Committee technical achievement award in virtual reality from the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.

The international award recognizes Bowman for his research and design achievements that have significantly advanced knowledge in the fields of 3-D user interfaces and virtual reality systems.

Bowman's work in these fields has resulted in both important interaction technique designs and a deep understanding of principles and guidelines for designing effective 3-D spatial interfaces.

He has also contributed significantly to the theory and practice of virtual reality through his research on the effects of fidelity on the effectiveness of these systems.

The institute's award announcement stated Bowman's "work has profoundly influenced the way that 3-D user interfaces and virtual reality systems are characterized and designed."

A 2003 National Science Foundation CAREER award recipient for his work in three-dimensional interaction, Bowman's research group focuses on the topics of 3-D user interface design and the benefits of working in virtual environments.

For three consecutive years, 2010, 2011, and 2012, Bowman advised teams of doctoral students to first place finishes in the international 3-D User Interfaces contest, also part of an Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers' conference.

Bowman received his master's degree and Ph.D. from Georgia Tech, and he received his bachelor's degree from Emory University. He started his career at Virginia Tech in 1999.

VGTC is a technical committee of the Institute's Computer Society that is responsible for the annual conferences and journals in visualization, virtual reality, and computer graphics. Each year it gives out a technical achievement award and a career award in both virtual reality and visualization, selecting from researchers worldwide.