The first The Post-Human Animal webinar will take place on May 29th, starting at 3pm. Beatrice Maggipinto (Carnegie Mellon and Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon) will be the guest speaker. Participation requires registration.

Echo of the Abyss (EotA) is a Virtual Reality (VR) experience that immerses users in a simulated deep-sea dive. EotA aims to foster a sense of connection and curiosity towards marine ecosystems by allowing players to embody a diver, guided by marine animals, in a safe and contemplative virtual environment. The design leverages theories from HCI, ecopsychology, and hydrocommons to promote environmental stewardship and emotional engagement with the ocean. EotA's narrative and interaction strategies are intended to overcome barriers to accessing blue spaces, providing transformative experiences that nurture empathy and ecological consciousness.

Bea is a creative director and a CMU Portugal Dual Degree PhD candidate in Human-Computer Interaction between Carnegie Mellon and the University of Lisbon. She works on ocean literacy games that foster a sense of interconnectedness with the ocean. She also uses photography to reflect on people’s embodied experiences of the sea. Her research focuses on posthuman HCI, hydrocommons and more-than-human entanglements. Before returning to academia, she worked internationally as a creative director for 2 decades. Starting in advertising, she then transitioned to environmental campaigning.

To find out more, visit the webinar website.