Multilingual eye-tracking for human and machine language processing
On September 12–13, 2024, members of the MultiplEYE group, along with other participants, gathered for the MultiplEYE mid-term Conference (MuMiCo24) held at the University of New York in Tirana, Albania. The primary goal of MuMiCo24 was to unite researchers involved in the project to present their findings and ongoing research. The two-day conference offered valuable opportunities to share experiences and knowledge.
On the first day, after a warm welcome, Marie-Luise Müller, a keynote speaker from the Leibniz Institute for Psychology, shared essential insights into data management practices in eye-tracking research, with a focus on data management plans for the MultiplEYE project. The day featured presentations on eye-tracking research, moderated by chairs Ramunė Kaspere, Cengiz Acarturk, and Jamal Abdul Nasir.
Attendees engaged in fruitful discussions during Q&A sessions and networking breaks, concluding the day with a conference dinner that allowed for informal conversations and connection building.
The second day began with a keynote presentation from Sandro Pezzelle, Assistant Professor in Responsible AI at the University of Amsterdam, who shared his insights on the use of eye-tracking to study language and vision. This talk offered attendees a deeper understanding of current advancements in eye-tracking and natural language processing (NLP).
The day continued with more insightful talks and discussions, moderated by Eva Pavlinušić Vilus and Jamal Nasir, and ended with discussions on future research collaborations and new friendships formed during the event.
With the work portion of the conference concluded, attendees took advantage of the improved weather (after a long rainy day) to explore Tirana, visiting key sights and learning about Albanian history while exchanging cultural insights. The conference brought together participants from various countries and backgrounds, providing good opportunities for networking and fostering meaningful connections in the field of research and beyond.
MultiplEYE Mid-Term Conference proceedings are now published and all accepted abstracts are compiled into a book of abstracts, available through PsychArchives, ensuring that the knowledge shared during MuMiCo24 is accessible from everyone. The proceedings of MultiplEYE Mid-Term conference can be accesed here.
Finally, we would like to acknowledge the funding of the conference participants from the MultiplEYE Cost Action, as well as the local organizer of this event, Evis Trandafili. Special thanks also to the organizing committee members: Ana Matic, Anna Bondar, Alba Haveriku, Evis Trandafili, Jamal Nasir, Lena Jaeger and Nora Hollenstein and session chairs: Ramune Kaspere, Cengiz Acarturk, Eva Pavlinušić Vilus and Jamal Nasir. We look forward to future gatherings and continued collaboration.