June 2, 2025

students@DigiMedia – Get to know project n.10

Project n. 10 – ACT2ParenTeens: Designing 2D serious games for engaging families in ACT-based coping skills

About the project

This project aims to create an engaging, gamified interface for the ACT2ParenTeens psychological intervention. In the early stages of the project, the team has focused on researching effective gamified features in digital mental health. Also, a compelling narrative was developed to make the platform relatable and motivating for young users and their parents.

Currently, key efforts include designing illustrations that visually support the narrative to resonate with the audience and developing a user-friendly interface that may be used to access psychological interventions effectively. Through ongoing collaboration and feedback, the project aims to merge psychological science with digital technology, providing innovative support for adolescent mental health in a format that resonates with them.

Participants

This project is coordinated by Paula Vagos, from the Department of education and Psychology and
William James Center for Research (UA) and Rita Santos (a DigiMedia researcher), with the participation of the students David Palricas (Master in Digital Game Development), Graziella Custódio (1st cycle degree in Multimedia and Communication Technologies), Laura Alves (Master in Health Psychology and Neuropsychology), Inês Amaral (1st cycle degree in Multimedia and Communication Technologies),
and Joaquim Martins (1st cycle degree in Computer and Informatics Engineering).

What do you expect from participating in the initiative?

“I believe that this will be a unique and enriching opportunity that will allow us to step out of our comfort zone and explore new areas, exchange experiences, increase our knowledge and collaborate as a team with people from different areas of expertise. I am certain that participating in this project will significantly contribute to both our personal and professional growth” (Inês Amaral)

“It has been a time of great learning, of sharing knowledge and ideas. Discovering, in a practical way, how different areas can work together towards a project and, thus, acquiring knowledge that goes far beyond that of the classroom” (Laura Alves)

More information about students@DigiMedia here.

More information about this edition here.

May 29, 2025

students@DigiMedia – Get to know project n.14

Project n. 14 – Comunicação Audiovisual do Projeto de Investigação AlmeidAR / Audiovisual Communication of the Research Project AlmeidAR

This project is coordinated by Cátia Silva, a DigiMedia PhD student, with the participation of Inês Barbosa (Master’s student in Design), Constança Parracho and Leonor Rodrigues (students in Multimedia and Communication Technologies).

The project’s research team is producing a video about the AlmeidAR application, aiming to make it accessible and engaging to a broad audience, thereby contributing to the demystification of science communication in scientific research projects.

What do they expect from participating in the initiative?

“To deepen my knowledge of scientific communication, based on the prototype developed during my doctorate, collaborating with undergraduate students with different perspectives” (Cátia Silva).

“I hope to deepen my audiovisual knowledge, establishing a deeper connection with research and autonomous work incorporated in the area of Communication Sciences and Technologies” (Leonor Rodrigues).

“I hope to apply the knowledge I acquired throughout the course in practical and collaborative contexts, while developing my technical and creative skills” (Constança Parracho).

More information about students@DigiMedia here.

More information about this edition here.

May 28, 2025

DigiMedia researcher presents work on Generative AI in Branding at the 18th Global Brand Conference

Sofia Almeida, a PhD student in New Media and researcher at DigiMedia and at Instituto de Telecomunicações (IT), presented her latest study at the 18th Global Brand Conference (GBC), which took place at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa – Porto, from 7th to 9th May 2025.

Sofia presented the paper “Designers’ Perspectives of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Visual Identities and Contemporary Branding”, which pioneers how design professionals are integrating Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) into the creation of visual brand identities. The research discusses the impacts of this technology on creative processes, co-creation practices and brand personalization, contributing to emerging debates on the future of design practice in AI-mediated contexts. This work is part of Sofia’s PhD project, supervised by Catarina Lélis (DeCA) and Diogo Gomes (DETI, IT).

GBC is recognized as one of the world’s leading meetings of the scientific community dedicated to branding, bringing together experts, academics and internationally renowned researchers. The acceptance of this study at a prestigious international event such as GBC represents an important academic and scientific recognition of the current status and relevance of the research developed within DigiMedia and IT.

May 26, 2025

DigiMedia researcher led a workshop on AI

The Unboxing_AI: an introduction workshop took place on May 21, in an online format and was attended by faculty members, researchers, PhD students, and other DigiMedia collaborators.

Joaquim Santos, an invited Assistant Professor in the Communication and Art Department, and researcher at DigiMedia, led the workshop, which main goal was to provide an accessible yet informed introduction to Large Language Models (LLMs), covering their evolution up to the Transformer architecture and the Generative Pre-Trained (GPT) models. The workshop explored codeless prompting techniques and the use of LLMs in academic research, including their limitations, risks, and the current regulatory framework.

The discussion also included the use and deployment of local LLMs versus cloud-based LLMs, weighing their advantages and disadvantages. A set of useful resources was presented to facilitate more effective interaction with AI systems.

In the hands-on session was an opportunity for participants to build knowledge using Open WebUI, integrate it into a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) system, and create a functional chatbot based on that knowledge.

May 26, 2025

From Aldus Huxley to the power of creativity: DigiMedia researcher presents a keynote in the “Jornadas de Ciência 2025” event

On May 16, DigiMedia researcher Mónica Aresta presented the talk “Resourcefulness, Art and Digital Literacy: Anticipating the Future with Intention” at the Jornadas de Ciência de Arouca, at the invitation of the “Círculo Cultura e Democracia” and the Municipality of Arouca.

Drawing on Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World”, the talk emphasized how modern technologies, often seen as neutral tools, silently shape our behaviors, relationships, and choices. The audience was encouraged to critically reflect on the role of technology in their everyday lives and to take a more intentional approach to their digital future.

Rather than advocating rejection of technology, the talk stressed the importance of becoming conscious, creative users. Mónica shared examples from her research, including educational projects in which students design video games with environmental themes. She emphasized that digital literacy is an essential tool for maintaining human agency in an increasingly algorithm-mediated world.

May 13, 2025

PhD student presents recommendations to facilitate curator-led public engagement of science activities

On 8th May, Beatriz Vieite, a student on the Doctoral Program in New Media and researcher at DigiMedia, virtually attended the Annual Conference & AGM of the Natural Sciences Collections Association (https://natsca.org/natsca2025) held at the Manchester Museum (University of Manchester, UK).

Beatriz presented practical recommendations to facilitate curator-led public engagement of science activities in university natural history museums. This presentation was based on a more in-depth study that is still being carried out as part of her PhD, where she’s looking at the current landscape of university natural history museums in terms of public engagement by the lens of curators, both in Portugal and in the UK.

April 24, 2025

International Web3 Conference Brings Academia and Industry Together at UA

The University of Aveiro hosted the international conference “WEB3: Tokenization, Technology and Culture” on April 11, bringing together 50 participants to discuss the digital future in light of emerging Web3 technologies.

Promoted by DigiMedia in partnership with the Value for Health CoLAB (V4H), the event featured scientific presentations and demonstrations of innovative industry-partnered projects focused on tokenization, NFTs, and decentralization. The conference highlighted the convergence of technology and culture, with a focus on applications in areas such as digital games, health, the environment, and online identity.

Organized within the scope of the BLOCKCHAIN.PT – PRR Agenda, the conference reinforced the University of Aveiro’s role as a space for interdisciplinary dialogue, bridging academic research with the practices and challenges of the tech industry.

Learn more about the event at web3.web.ua.pt.

April 8, 2025

UA hosts international conference on Web3 where technology and culture converge

This Friday, April 11, 2025, the University of Aveiro will host an international event that aims to position itself at the forefront of discussions about the digital future: the conference “WEB3: Tokenization, Technology and Culture,” held within the scope of BLOCKCHAIN.PT – PRR Agenda “Decentralize Portugal with Blockchain.”

At a time when decentralization, NFTs, and tokenization are gaining increasing relevance, this event represents a unique opportunity to explore the paths these technologies are opening across different fields of activity and expression.

Web3 is not just a technological evolution, it is a cultural transformation. The conference aims to explore precisely this intersection between innovation, creativity, and impact. Organized by experts from the University of Aveiro, with the support of several academic and industry partners, the event will open space for dialogue around the uses and meanings of tokenization and NFTs in areas as diverse as digital games, health, environment, governance, entertainment, and online identity.

Promoted by DigiMedia and Value for Health CoLAB (V4H), the event will feature scientific presentations, demonstrations of innovative projects, and workshops designed to bring academia closer to the realities of the industry. The bridge between knowledge and practice will be one of the key pillars of the conference, fostering an environment aimed at inspiring new ideas, partnerships, and research.

More than just a conference, it is an invitation to explore the true meaning of tokenization — not only as a technological trend, but also as a cultural phenomenon with transformative potential.

DigiMedia members, Nelson Zagalo, Ana Patrícia Oliveira, Liliana Costa and Gusatvo Ferrara, are part of the organization of this conference.

The digital future starts here! Learn more about the event at web3.web.ua.pt.

March 21, 2025

DigiMedia PhD students part of the jury at the Game Jam: fab games Final

The Game Jam: Fab Games Final took place at the Escola Secundária Sá da Bandeira, in Santarém, on 27th and 28th February. Over two days and one night, 14 teams developed a game on the theme – Across the 7 Seas: Camões, Vasco da Gama and the Future of the Oceans. Dalila Martins and Maria Ferreira, DigiMedia PhD students in New Media and Multimedia in Education, were invited by ANPRI (National Association of Computer Science Teachers) to be part of the jury of this competition. They accompanied the students during the game developement and at the end, they shared their opinion in terms of creativity, coherence with the theme, and design of the game. The winning team was “DevJogadores” from the Amadora Oeste Schools group.

March 11, 2025

Visiting researcher organized an activity on AI for the elderly

Vanessa Pinto, a visiting researcher from the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO) at DigiMedia, organized an activity about Artificial Intelligence for senior citizens, carried out at the Aging Laboratory on February 19, 2025.

The 2-hour session, with conceptualization and practical laboratory was the last initiative of Vanessa Pinto in Portugal, and was part of Vanessa Pinto’s PhD Sandwich Internship (PDSE-CAPES) at the UA, in the Doctoral Program in New Media, under the supervision of Prof. Maria João Antunes, from the University of Aveiro (UA), and Prof. Tania Valente, from the UNIRIO.

More information here.

News

students@DigiMedia – Get to know project n.10

students@DigiMedia – Get to know project n.14

DigiMedia researcher presents work on Generative AI in Branding at the 18th Global Brand Conference

DigiMedia researcher led a workshop on AI

From Aldus Huxley to the power of creativity: DigiMedia researcher presents a keynote in the “Jornadas de Ciência 2025” event

PhD student presents recommendations to facilitate curator-led public engagement of science activities

International Web3 Conference Brings Academia and Industry Together at UA

UA hosts international conference on Web3 where technology and culture converge

DigiMedia PhD students part of the jury at the Game Jam: fab games Final

Visiting researcher organized an activity on AI for the elderly

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