Connection - Research group

A community is embodied by connection among its members. Inclusion in a community depends on connection via a shared means and system of communicative exchange. We are connected by a shared facility to see, hear, smell, taste and touch and exchange information by means of these senses. They are used in speech, emotion, mutual tastes, appreciation and reaction to scents, shared rhythm, and the arts, just to name a few. This contributes to the development of expectations which facilitate our daily activities (e.g., a ticking clock) and can be tweaked to stimulate interest (e.g., jazz). However, if the means for contact with others in the community is disrupted (e.g., reduced hearing or vision, neurological disease), connection between individuals can begin to break down and over time, this disruption may undermine trust, diminish empathy, and create barriers to meaningful interaction, ultimately affecting both personal relationships and broader social cohesion. In short, connection within a community makes a substantial contribution to life quality.

What if we could develop methods and leverage knowledge about our senses and the communicative systems to contribute to the maintenance of connection with a community? As an example, speech is a goldmine of information and modern technology (including AI) can assist with early detection of communication anomalies such that early intervention can facilitate maintaining social connection.  

Our long-term goal is to contribute innovative scientific knowledge through interdisciplinary research, with a focus on the network of information that connects a community.