Steve Aukstakalnis

Steve Aukstakalnis is a research scientist, instructor and consultant in the area of advanced human-computer interfaces and interactive systems. Educated in Physics and CS, Steve is the former Director of the Virtual Environment and Interactive Systems Program for the National Science Foundation Engineering Research Ctr for Computational Field Simulation. He has served on the professional research staff at the Univ. of Washington and the faculty of Mississippi State Univ.. Steve is an invited lecturer and research scientist for the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, Nat'l Reconnaissance Office, Univ. of Michigan, Pepperdine University, Purdue, Dartmouth, Nat'l Taiwan Univ., the Smithsonian Inst. and a host of other universities, corporations and government agencies across N. America and around the world. Steve has authored three books as well as dozens of papers, magazine articles, and technology reviews. His second book, Silicon Mirage: The Art and Science of Virtual Reality, was published in 6 languages and adopted as a text in schools around the world. His written work has served as background prep material for U.S. Senate hearings and is listed in the Congressional Record. Steve is a member of the Inst. of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the IEEE VR/AR Advisory Board, the IEEE Int'l Standards Assoc., the Optical Society of America (OSA) and the Assoc. for Computing Machinery (ACM). Steve has significant broadcast media experience and has appeared as a guest on radio and TV shows around the world, including The Larry King Show, PBS, BBC, as well as most major U.S. news networks. Steve has extensive international travel experience and has lived abroad for extended periods in both SE Asia and W. Africa. Outside of his work, Steve is passionate about bluewater sailing, coastal kayaking, and contemporary blown glass.