Brenda Laurel

Brenda Laurel (born November 20, 1950 in Columbus (Ohio) ) is an American computer scientist, computer game designer and professor of computer science.

life and work

Laurel earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from DePauw University in Indiana in 1972 , a Masters degree in Fine Arts in 1975 and a PhD in Theater Studies from Ohio State University in 1986 . As early as 1977 she developed learning programs and interactive fairy tales for children for the software company CyberSpace. In 1980 she moved to the Atari Systems Research Laboratory. Until the beginning of the 90s she worked as a programmer, interface designer, software developer and consultant for American companies such as Apple , Citibank , Fujitsu Labs, Sony Pictures and Paramount New Media.

In 1990 she co-founded Telepresence Research, Inc. with a focus on virtual reality and remote presence. In 1993 she was co-designer and director of the Placeholder Virtual Reality project at the Banff Center for Arts and Creativity , which was supported by Interval Research Corporation . From 1992 to 1996 she worked as a research assistant on gender and technology at Interval Research in Palo Alto . In 1993 she and her colleague Rachel Strickland realized the virtual reality project Placeholder, a virtual world of experience for which the Canadian Banff National Park served as a topographical model. In 1996, based on her research, she founded Purple Moon to create interactive media for girls. In 2000 this company was bought by Matell . From 2001 to 2006 she designed and directed the Graduate Program in Media Design at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena . She worked at Sun Microsystems Labs from 2005 to 2006 , where she co-authored a patent for a new user interface for cable television and film .

From 2006 to 2012, she was Professor and Founding Chair of the Graduate Program in Design at the California College of Arts . She worked as a professor for a total of 15 years and wrote several books. She is currently retired but still serves on various charitable boards.

Awards

1998: Award for Leading Women in Animation
1999: World of Today and Tomorrow Award
Late 1990s: Group of the 25 Most Influential Working Women and Top 25 Women on the Web

Publications (selection)

1990: The Art of Human-Computer Interface Design, Addison-Wesley, ISBN 0-201-51797-3
1991: Computers as Theater, Addison-Wesley, ISBN 0-201-55060-1
2001: Utopian Entrepreneur, ISBN 0-262-62153-3
2004: Design Research: Methods and Perspectives, MIT Press, ISBN 0-262-12263-4
2013: Computers as Theater (2nd Edition), Addison-Wesley Professional, ISBN 0-321-91862-2

literature

Carly A. Kocurek: Brenda Laurel. Pioneering Games for Girls, 2017, ISBN 978-1501319778

Web links

personal data
SURNAME	Laurel, Brenda
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American computer scientist, computer game designer and professor
DATE OF BIRTH	November 20, 1950
PLACE OF BIRTH	Columbus (Ohio)