Project:	Development a Gaming Platform to study Survival/Social Behavior in Humans
Disciplines:	Neuroscience, Computation and Neural Systems
Mentor:	Dean Mobbs, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience; Director CBIC, (HSS), dmobbs@caltech.edu, Phone: +1 626 714 8913
Mentor URL:	www.deanmobbslab.com  (opens in new window)
AO Contact:	Noah Okada, nokada@caltech.edu
Background:	We are currently engaged in the development of an expansive online game designed to explore human decision-making in the contexts of survival and social relationships. Our objective is to delve into the neural and behavioral intricacies of human social and emotional experiences, thereby laying the foundation for innovative theoretical models that span these interdisciplinary fields. In pursuit of these goals, this project employs cutting-edge gaming technologies to create diverse cognitive tasks and virtual environments to study human behavior.
Description:	We're on the lookout for technologists and designers who have interests in UI/UX development and game design. As an intern in our lab, you'll have the unique opportunity to craft innovative interfaces and acquire invaluable experience that will propel your career in software engineering, UX research, human-computer interaction, and cognitive neuroscience. During the summer experience research assistants (RA) will develop Unity based web-applications designed for large scale online data collection studies. The RAs will utilize techniques in game development and user experience research to develop and improve gaming interfaces for deployment on the Caltech Fear Lab's WebGL gaming site.
References:	An example game can be found at: https://predationgame.caltech.edu/ For more information on projects and prior works visit: www.deanmobbslab.com
Student Requirements:	Requirements: Technical Proficiency: Proficiency in UI/UX methods and tools (e.g., low & high-fidelity mock-ups w/ Figma, HTML/CSS, JS) Interest in Neuroscience/HCI: An interest in neuroscience, psychology, or related fields, with a willingness to learn and apply these principles to your work. Creativity: An innovative mindset and the ability to think outside the box, especially when designing novel interfaces and user experiences. Programming Experience: Proficiency in python, Java, or C# is required. Preferred Qualifications: Game Development Experience: Prior experience utilizing the Unity Game Engine or Unreal Engine to develop interfaces/games Experience developing server-side applications: Prior experience with MongoDB, SQL, mySQL, or Google Firebase
Programs:	This AO can be done under the following programs:   Program    Available To        Amgen Scholars    Non-Caltech students only          SURF    Caltech students only  Click on a program name for program info and application requirements.