Saturday, May 18, 2024, 12:45 – 2:15 pm, Banyan/Citrus

Organizers: Dr. Jonathan Tong, Staff Scientist at VPixx Technologies; Dr. Lindsey Fraser, Staff Scientist at VPixx Technologies

The human eye contains five distinct classes of photoreceptors: the short, medium, and long-wavelength cones, the rods, and the intrinsically Photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cells (iPRGCs). Although each type is maximally activated by a unique wavelength of light, their spectral sensitivity bandwidths overlap, so that most light sources will activate multiple photoreceptor types. Therefore, researchers who wish to functionally isolate a given receptor type will use the “silent substitution” technique, in which pairs of light are used to selectively modulate the activity of a target photoreceptor type while maintaining a static level of activity in the other photoreceptor types.

However, conventional displays, with RGB primaries alone, are often insufficient for producing the spectral outputs, or light pairs, required for most “silent substitution” applications. In principle, it is necessary to have as many primaries as receptor types that you wish to target or “silence,” with carefully selected spectral profiles.

In this presentation, we will discuss how we designed a 4-primary “multispectral” projector (PROPixx) that can modulate activity (spatially and temporally) in one class of receptors while “silencing” three other receptor types, such as targeting rods while silencing the three cone types. We will review the technical challenges involved in building projectors with 4+ primaries, and the computational modeling approaches we took in selecting primaries for different silent substitution applications. We will also expand on other vision science applications that can be achieved with multispectral displays.

Finally, our guest speaker, Dr. Pablo Barrionuevo (Justus-Liebig Universität Giessen, CONICET-UNT), will highlight how he and his collaborators have used the multispectral PROPixx in their research.

To help us plan this event, please send an email to signal your interest to    

VPixx is a privately held company serving the vision research community by developing innovative hardware and software tools for vision scientists (http://www.vpixx.com).  For more general educational content, visit the VPixx Online Classroom and Library (VOCAL): www.vpixx.com/vocal

Friday, May 17, 2024, 8:30 – 10:00 pm, Garden Courtyard

Organizers: Michael Grubb, Trinity College; Alex White, Barnard College

LGBTQ students are disproportionately likely to drop out of science early. Potential causes include the lack of visible role models and the absence of a strong community. This social event is one small step towards filling that gap and will bring awareness to continuing challenges for queer scientists.

Please join us towards the end of the opening night reception, in the Garden Court (located between the Jacaranda building and the Grand Palm Colonade).

All are welcome. Snacks, drinks, and camaraderie will be provided.

Sunday, May 19, 2024, 12:45 – 2:15 pm, Blue Heron

Organizers: Matthias Pusch, Co-Founder, WorldViz VR; Sado Rabaudi, Product Manager, Solutions Architect, WorldViz VR; Dan Tinkham, Head Of Sales, Americas, WorldViz VR

WorldViz VR will give an educational seminar and hands-on demonstration of the latest virtual reality and mixed reality consumer devices with built in eye tracking and will explain how this equipment can be used in a research context. This presentation will include a high level overview of virtual reality and mixed reality key concepts as well as explanations for how to create custom immersive experiments using the latest software, including a demonstration of the SightLab VR Pro drag-and-drop VR + eye tracking toolkit. WorldViz VR will also provide examples of notable publications and successful use cases for virtual reality + eye tracking research across various academic disciplines. Participants will walk away with a better understanding of currently available immersive technology and how they can use it in their own research – they may be surprised how easy it is.

Tuesday, May 21, 2024, 12:30 – 2:30 pm, Banyan/Citrus

Organizers: Chaz Firestone, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University & Kevin Lande, Department of Philosophy & Centre for Vision Research, York University

Speakers: Ian Phillips (Johns Hopkins), Tiina Rosenqvist (Dartmouth), Rosa Cao (Stanford); with commentary by Jeremy Wolfe (Harvard), Bevil Conway (NIH), Talia Konkle (Harvard)

The past decade has seen a resurgence in conversation between vision science and philosophy of perception on questions of fundamental interest to both fields, such as: What do we see? What is seeing for? What makes seeing different from remembering, deciding or imagining? The phiVis workshop is a forum for continuing and expanding this interdisciplinary conversation. Short talks by philosophers of perception that engage with the latest research in vision science will be followed by discussion with a slate of vision scientists.

Conversations between philosophers of vision and vision scientists have enriched research programs in both fields. On the one hand, the latest generation of philosophers of vision are deeply immersed in the scientific literatures on natural scene statistics, visual short-term memory, ensemble perception, contour integration, amodal completion, visual salience, multi-sensory integration, visual adaptation, and much else. On the other hand, vision scientists have found a great deal of value in responding to and thinking together with philosophers about the mechanisms and effects of perceptual constancies, attentional selection, object perception, and perceptual uncertainty, to name just a handful of topics. These conversations are not only intrinsically interesting for everyone involved, they have been fruitful sources of research and collaboration. However, opportunities for dialogue are all too rare, often occurring only through chance interactions or one-off workshops. The phiVis satellite is meant to be a platform to extend these discussions.

There will be an informal reception at the Demo Night BBQ, the evening before the workshop, with a couple of tables and wine. All are welcome to stop by!

For more information, visit: https://www.phivis.org/

Wednesday, May 15, 2024, 9:00 am – 6:00 pm, Blue Heron
Thursday, May 16, 2024, 9:00 am – 6:00 pm, Blue Heron
Friday, May 17, 2024, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm, Blue Heron

Organizers: Marianne Maertens, Technische Universität Berlin; Jeff Mulligan, Freelance Vision Scientist; Zygmunt Pizlo, UC Irvine; Anne B. Sereno, Purdue University; Qasim Zaidi, SUNY College of Optometry

Contributed presentations covering modeling in all areas of vision science. More information can be found at the workshop website https://www.purdue.edu/conferences/events/modvis/. 

Sunday, May 19, 2024, 12:30 – 2:30 pm, Palm/Sabal/Sawgrass

Organizers: Caitlin Mullin, VISTA Program Director, York University; Laurie Wilcox, VISTA Scientific Director, York University; Rob Allison, Director, Center for Vision Research, York University
Speaker: Laurie Wilcox, VISTA Scientific Director, York University

This social event is open to any VSS member who is, knows, or would like to meet a Canadian Vision Scientist! Join us for casual discussions with students and faculty from several Canadian Institutes or to just satisfy your curiosity as to why we in the North are so polite and good natured, Eh? We particularly encourage trainees and scientists who would like to learn about the various opportunities available through York’s Centre for Vision Research (CVR) and Vision: Science to Applications (VISTA) program. So, grab your toques and your double-double and come connect with your favourite Canucks. This event will feature free food and refreshments.

Planning a Satellite Event for VSS 2024

A satellite is an event originated by VSS members or conference attendees that require venue facilities, publicity in VSS media, or coordination with VSS staff.

Examples include special interest groups, user groups, committee meetings, workshops, tutorials, social events, or scientific meetings. A Satellite Event can be open to all attendees or by invitation only.

Events intended for all VSS attendees may not overlap with any official VSS event. Time slots for satellites are listed below. Please note that your preferred slot may not necessarily be available. Scheduling is at the discretion of the VSS Board of Directors.

Day	Time Slots Available
Friday	Before Noon
Saturday	12:30 – 2:30 pm
Sunday	12:30 – 2:30 pm, 7:30 – 10:00 pm
Monday	2:00 – 5:30 pm
Tuesday	12:30 – 2:30 pm, 7:30 – 10:00 pm

All satellites must be approved by VSS. An application form must be completed and submitted by January 10, 2024.

Approved satellite events will be scheduled in February and organizers of accepted events will be notified thereafter. Listing of Satellite Events in VSS media is at the discretion of VSS.

Fees for satellite events are $500. For non-commercial VSS members who are not charging for satellite registration, fees are reduced to $200.

Organizers are responsible for the costs of food and A/V. VSS staff are solely responsible for coordinating and arranging the food, A/V, room assignment, and promotion in VSS media (program, website, and signage). Please check with VSS if you have any questions. Any changes to the arrangements or late special requests may incur an additional fee.

Organizer Requirements

• Organizers must be members of VSS and registered for the meeting.
• Commercial companies interested in organizing a Satellite Event must be a VSS 2024 sponsor. VSS welcomes sponsors. For information about sponsorship opportunities, contact .

Organizer Responsibilities

Organizers must:

• Work directly with the VSS Executive Director or designated staff regarding all event logistics.
• State clearly in all communications about the event, including written materials and emails, that the Satellite Event is neither sponsored nor endorsed by VSS.
• Announce at the beginning of the event that the event is not sponsored or endorsed by VSS.
• Assume full financial responsibility for food/beverage services and equipment ordered (including setup and tear down labor, room rental, and reset fees, if applicable). A deposit to VSS may be required at least one week prior to the event.
• Obtain additional liability insurance and/or permits (if necessary).
• Order miscellaneous items, except those requested on the standard form (i.e., audiovisual, staging, etc.), from VSS vendors, unless given written permission by the VSS Executive Director.
• Use services only from VSS’s official vendors, unless given written permission by the VSS Executive Director.
• Remove all signage and meeting materials (e.g., handouts) from assigned rooms at the event’s conclusion and agree to pay any cleaning fee resulting from use of the space.
• Adhere to the VSS Code of Conduct as established by the VSS Board of Directors.

Prohibited Actions

• Demonstrations, displays, and/or marketing or distribution of commercial products is not permitted during Satellite Events. Event speakers may refer to a product as a reference tool during presentations.
• Promotional literature advertising the Satellite Event may not be distributed as door drops in hotels, unless given written permission by the VSS Executive Director. Satellite Event organizers may not conduct drawings or award gifts to meeting attendees, unless given written permission by the VSS Executive Director.
• Organizers cannot use the VSS acronym in website URLs, unless given written permission by the VSS Executive Director.
• No recording without permission.

Schedule

Applications Accepted: November 15, 2023
Applications Deadline: January 10, 2024
Please use our online Satellite Event Request Form to submit the details of your satellite event.

Satellite Event applications are closed

Thursday, May 18

Computational and Mathematical Models in Vision (MODVIS)

Thursday, May 18, 2023, 9:00 am – 6:00 pm, Blue Heron

Friday, May 19

Computational and Mathematical Models in Vision (MODVIS)

Friday, May 19, 2023, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm, Blue Heron

VPixx: What’s (not) in a name: Guidelines for replicable projector-based vision experiments

Friday, May 19, 2023, 9:00 – 11:30 am, Jasmine/Palm

Saturday, May 20

WorldViz: Virtual Reality + Eye Tracking for Research

Saturday, May 20, 2023, 12:45 – 2:15 pm, Blue Heron

Sunday, May 21

Canadian Vision Science Social

Sunday, May 21, 2023, 12:30 – 2:30 pm, Sabal/Sawgrass

FoVea Workshop: Career Transitions Workshop, Part 2

Sunday, May 21, 2023, 8:45 – 9:45 pm, Beachside Decks

Monday, May 22

Pre-Data-Collection Poster Session

Monday, May 22, 2023, 2:00 – 4:00 pm, Jasmine/Palm

Tuesday, May 23

phiVis: Philosophy of Vision Science Workshop

Tuesday, May 23, 2022, 12:30 – 2:30 pm, Jasmine/Palm

Tuesday, May 23, 2023, 12:30 – 2:30 pm, Jasmine/Palm

Organizers: Chaz Firestone, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University; Kevin Lande, Department of Philosophy & Centre for Vision Research, York University; Jorge Morales, Departments of Psychology and Philosophy, Northeastern University

Speakers: Wayne Wu (Carnegie Mellon), with comments from Ruth Rosenholtz (MIT); Madeleine Ransom (University of British Columbia), with comments from Isabel Gauthier (Vanderbilt); Jake Quilty-Dunn (Washington University-St. Louis), with comments from Yaoda Xu (Yale)

The past decade has seen a resurgence in conversation between vision science and philosophy of perception on questions of fundamental interest to both fields, such as: What do we see? What is seeing for? What is seeing? The phiVis workshop is a forum for continuing and expanding this interdisciplinary conversation. Short talks by philosophers of perception that engage with the latest research in vision science will be followed by discussion with a slate of vision scientists.

Conversations between philosophers of vision and vision scientists have enriched research programs in both fields. On the one hand, the latest generation of philosophers of vision are deeply immersed in the scientific literatures on natural scene statistics, visual short-term memory, ensemble perception, contour integration, amodal completion, visual salience, multi-sensory integration, visual adaptation, and much else. On the other hand, vision scientists have found a great deal of value in responding to and thinking together with philosophers about the mechanisms and effects of perceptual constancies, attentional selection, object perception, and perceptual uncertainty, to name just a handful of topics. These conversations are not only intrinsically interesting for everyone involved, they have been fruitful sources of research and collaboration. However, opportunities for dialogue are all too rare, often occurring only through chance interactions or one-off workshops. The phiVis satellite is meant to be a platform to extend these discussions.

For more information, visit: https://www.phivis.org/

Sunday, May 21, 2023, 12:30 – 2:30 pm, Sabal/Sawgrass

Organizers: Caitlin Mullin, Vision: Science to Applications (VISTA) York University; Doug Crawford, Vision: Science to Applications (VISTA) York University
Speaker: Doug Crawford, Vision: Science to Applications (VISTA) York University

This social event is open to any VSS member who is, knows, or would like to meet a Canadian Vision Scientist! Join us for casual discussions with students and faculty from several Canadian Institutes or to just satisfy your curiosity as to why we in the North are so polite and good natured, Eh? We particularly encourage trainees and scientists who would like to learn about the various opportunities available through York’s Vision: Science to Applications (VISTA) program. So grab your toques and your double-double and come connect with your favourite Canucks. This event will feature free food and refreshments, with a complimentary beverage for the first 100 attendees. This event is sponsored by the York Centre for Vision Research and VISTA, which is funded in part by the Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF).