From: The Daily Orange

Date: September 17, 1997

Author: Danielle Kost

Title: Widgets, Gadgets and Really Neat Stuff

The Center for Really Neat Research may be known for showing Star Warts movies on its facade, but the really neat part is what's happening inside.

Most Syracuse University students don't know that inside the former fraternity house at 500 University Place, a devoted staff, lead by Dave Warner, Ph.D., uses computers to give disabled children abilities that were once impossible.

Playing with remote-controlled cars may seem simple, but to a quadriplegic, it's a feat accomplished only through head equipment that responds to facial movements. Warner's work also allows his patients to browse the internet and even experience virtual reality.

Warner does his research through a 1995 grant form the Northeast Parallel Architectures Center (NPAC), which is a supercomputing organization associated with SU.

After learning the former Phi Kappa Phi house was up for lease, Warner suggested the university take advantage of the large open space.

Warner discussed his research plans with the landlord, who was so intrigued by his ideas that he gave Warner a discounted rate on the leasing the building.

In November 1996, Warner's crew moved their "Cyberanium," Warner's self-title for the Center for Really Neat Research, to the building and have spent many hours making it more livable.

Warner's "Cyberanium" is a mix of knowledge, high-end technology and social interaction. It has piqued the interest of students and faculty, and has been a resource to disabled children who work with members of the team to improve their quality of life.

"We're very much like a rainbow coalition," Warner said of his staff, who come from diverse backgrounds.

Warner received his doctorate degree in medicine from Loma Linda University in California in 1995. He is now completing a Ph.D. at SU in interventional informatics, a field that introduces new technology to improve the human body's performance.

Now that he has moved his entourage into the Center for Really Neat Research - the name dubbed to the house itself - he said the move was not without its difficulties.

"There was ketchup smeared on the walls, which had holes in them," Warner said. "It was quite a mess when we first got here."

The Center is also home to the Institute for interventional Informatics, a non-profit organization Warner co-founded that relies on corporate sponsors to fund the house and its research. They receive no funding from SU.

The Center is the second of its kind; the first is located in Southern California.

Currently, eight people live and work in the Center, most of whom are seniors and graduate students. Those who live there and devote significant amounts of time and energy to developing new technology. In return, they live at the Center rent-free.

"it is exciting and innovative," said Geoffrey Fox, professor of physics and computer science. "It is part university and part outside world. The implications are quite profound. We make distance go away. We make disabilities go away."

Getting involved

Taresa Downey, a junior English major, is not what Warner would call "your typical power-nerd." She got involved after interning with NPAC two summers ago.

Downey learned the basics of web design from a friend and had refined her skills through her internship. She moved into the house in June with her main goal of redesigning its homepage. She is currently working on a "webumentary" about the children that they treat.

"It's been a lot of fun," said Downey. "There's always something to do. The People are friendly and (are) doing good things."

Her ideal career would integrate her two passions, web design and creative writing, she said. According to Downey, more publishers are looking towards on-line books, a trend she would like to tap into.

Another member of the house, Matt Carbone, has started his own company called To Bee Design during his year and a half there. Carbone met Warner while he was working on his undergraduate degree in industrial design. Warner was impressed by Carbone's use of virtual reality in class projects and invited him to work in his lab.

He has since developed equipment for the "sensory impaired, partially hearing impaired and stressed-out," he said.

His "sound bed" uses the vibrations created by sound to stimulate the muscles of the body. Wavz Research bought Carbone's design and sold one bed for roughly $3,000 to East Carolina University, who made it a part of their lab that studies over-stressed students.

Working together

An "interface chair" was another of Carbone's designs. It incorporates the same sound principles as the "bed," along with moveable desktops.

Carbone plans to use his time at the Center "as a gradual transition from college to the real world," he said.

Through working with Warner, he has gotten more exposure to the industrial design field.

"People from all over the world come...It's a great place to share information," said Carbone.

Carbone appreciates the ability to work collaboratively with others to steer a project from start to finish, which is not common in typical design firms.

When different minds gather to pursue a goal, creative differences must arise.

"You'll always get that," Carbone said. "We try different sketches, test them and figure out which is best. Then we talk about it."

"There's never a serious problem and the final design is always a mix of ideas."

In the future, Warner would like more students to visit his "Cyberanium." A "cyber-cafe" where students could grab a cup of coffee and browse the net is a future plan.

A "cyber-camp" for children may also be in the works. "Cyberspace is the next frontier," Warner said as he struggled to hide his excitement. "It's an evolution."