Spring 2015 Seminar Series
Paul Rosen, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor
University of Utah
Title: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful: Interactive Data Visualization in a Big
Data Era
Abstract: It’s estimated that as much as 65% of the population are visual learners. To those
many, visualization represents a critical step in formulating their understanding of data. However,
there are numerous technical and human factor challenges that make visualization of large,
complex data nontrivial. In this talk I will discuss how I, along with my collaborators, have been
marrying what we loosely term ‘computational analysis techniques’, including statistical
techniques, computational topology, etc., for data reduction with intuitive interactive visual
layouts that enable answering specific questions one might have about their data. I will discuss
both the benefits and risks of inherent in these approaches, as well as the general risks
associated with poor visualization design choices. Finally, I will discuss my vision for the
evolution of these techniques into a framework for the bidirectional communication of knowledge
between humans and computers, empowering the future of data analysis.
Paul Rosen is a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Utah with appointments in the Scientific
Computing and Imaging (SCI) Institute and the School of Computing. Dr. Rosen received his PhD in
Computer Science from Purdue University. While at Purdue, Dr. Rosen was a key participant of a team
that visualized the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center North Tower. The resulting press
release was the most widely covered in Purdue University history, with the video being viewed almost 15
million times on YouTube and appearing on many news and educational television programs.
Since joining the University of Utah in 2010, Dr. Rosen’s research in Information and Scientific
Visualization has been applied to applications in vector field, uncertainty, parameter space, and software
performance analysis. His research uses visualization to solve large analytics problems by emphasizing
the bidirectional communication of knowledge between humans and computers. Along with his
collaborators, Dr. Rosen has received awards for best paper at PacificVis 2014 and SIBGRAPI 2013, and
CG&A’s best paper runner-up in 2011.
When: 12:00pm – 1:00pm, Friday, February 27, 2015
Where: Room E2221, School of Engineering-East Hall, Monroe Campus