Ruth Aylett
{{short description|British Computer scientist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2017}}
{{Infobox scientist
| image =
| name = Ruth Aylett
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1951}}
| birth_place = London, England
| death_date =
| death_place =
| field = Computer science
| work_institution = Sheffield Hallam University
University of Edinburgh
University of Salford
Heriot-Watt University
| alma_mater = London School of Economics
| children = Owen Jones
}}
Ruth S. Aylett (born 1951)[https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n2001012795.html Library of Congress catalog entry], accessed 15 November 2020 is a British author, computer scientist, professor, poet{{cite web|url=http://poetsrepublic.org/poet-profiles-3/|title=Poets' Profiles: Ruth Aylett|accessdate=15 November 2020}}{{cite journal|url=https://thewombwellrainbow.com/2018/09/25/wombwell-rainbow-interviews-ruth-aylett/|title=Wombwell Rainbow Interviews: Ruth Aylett|journal=The Wombwell Rainbow|date=25 September 2018}} and political activist. She is a professor of computer science at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, where she specialises in affective computing, social computing, software agents, and human–robot interaction.{{cite web|url=https://www.macs.hw.ac.uk/~ruth/bio.html|title=Biographical information|first=Ruth|last=Aylett|publisher=Heriot-Watt University|accessdate=15 November 2020}}
Research
Aylett's research involves affective computing, social computing, software agents, and human–robot interaction. She is the leader of Socially Competent Robots (SoCoRo), a project of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council that studies whether robots can assist autistic people in learning to recognize facial expressions and other social cues.{{cite web|url=https://www.edinburgh-robotics.org/events/art-possible-rise-robots|title=Art of Possible: Rise of the Robots|publisher=Edinburgh Centre for Robotics|date=25 January 2018|accessdate=15 November 2020}}
She has also studied the use of "emotionally literate" robots for tutoring schoolchildren,{{cite news|url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/13771826.reading-writing-arithmetic-and-robots-the-emotionally-literate-teaching-machines-being-pioneered-in-scotland/|newspaper=The Herald|title=Reading, writing, arithmetic ... and robots: the emotionally literate teaching machines being pioneered in Scotland|first=Rachel|last=Loxton|date=20 September 2015}} developed interactive role-playing software intended to combat bullying,{{cite web|url=https://www.engadget.com/2006-09-07-colleges-band-to-make-anti-bullying-game.html|title=Colleges band to make anti-bullying game|first=Ross|last=Miller|work=engadget|date=7 September 2006}} and performed with a robot poet named Sarah the Poetic Robot as part of the Edinburgh Free Fringe.{{cite web|url=https://federationofwritersscotland.com/2017/03/08/featured-writer-ruth-aylett/|title=Featured writer – Ruth Aylett|publisher=The Federation of Writers (Scotland)|date=8 March 2017|accessdate=15 November 2020}}
Education and career
Aylett earned a degree in mathematical economics at the London School of Economics, and began her career in computing by working in technical support at International Computers Limited for three years, before moving to the University of Sheffield to work in computing and robotics. She became a lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University for five years, and then moved to the University of Edinburgh in 1989, as part of the Artificial Intelligence Applications Institute there. She moved again to the University of Salford in 1992, first as part of the IT Institute there and later in the Centre for Virtual Environments. There, she became Professor of Intelligent Virtual Environments in 2000. In 2004, she moved to her present position at Heriot-Watt University.
Publications
Aylett's book Robots: Bringing Intelligent Machines to Life? (2002) is a historical exploration on robots, on the history of robotics, and on research problems confronting roboticists. Aimed at high-school age students, it consists of a sequence of two-page illustrated spreads on each of its topics.Aylett, Ruth (2002): Robots: Bringing Intelligent Machines to Life. Barrons Educational Series; {{ISBN|0-7641-5541-5}}. Reviews: {{cite journal|title=Books|journal=Science News|volume=162|issue=18|date=2 November 2002|page=287|jstor=4014072}} {{cite journal|title=none|first=Penny|last=McLeod-Smith|journal=The Science Teacher|volume=71|issue=1|date=January 2004|pages=80, 82|jstor=24155183}}
She is the coauthor, with Judy Robertson, Lisa Gjedde, Rose Luckin and Paul Brna, of the self-published book Inside Stories: A Narrative Journey (2008), on the use of story-telling in education and the use of technology to assist in storytelling.{{cite journal|url=http://tracscotland.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Blethers18_0.pdf|journal=Blethers|title=Digi-Storytelling in Education|department=Inside Stories|page=2|volume=18|date=Spring 2009|publisher=Scottish Storytelling Centre and Network}}
Aylett is also the coauthor of the poetry pamphlet Handfast: Poetry Duets with Beth McDonough (Mothers Milk, 2016). It has a challenge-response format, in which a poem by one of the authors inspires a poem by the other author exploring the same theme.{{cite journal|title=Handfast: Poetry Duets by Ruth Aylett & Beth McDonough|journal=Sabotage Reviews|first=Emma|last=Lee|date=6 September 2016|url=https://sabotagereviews.com/2016/09/06/handfast-poetry-duets-by-ruth-aylett-beth-mcdonough/}}
Aylett co-authored Inside DAMMA: the Department of Applied Meta-Magical Anthropology with Morag Burgon-Lyon, Greg Michaelson and Judy Robertson (Read Fiction, 2023). This satire on contemporary University life was written as part of a project on facilitating academic research cooperation. url = "https://www.readfictiondirect.co.uk/product/11614804/inside-damma"
Equinox (Stairwell, 2023) was also co-authored with Greg Michaelson. This Science Fiction/Fantasy, written during lockdown, is about how an attempt to extract free energy from beneath Rannoch Moor breaks the multi-verse and angers the witches from Macbeth. url = "https://www.stairwellbooks.co.uk/product/equinox/"
Family and politics
Aylett was born in London.[https://www.macs.hw.ac.uk/~ruth/personal.html Personal stuff] by Aylett, accessed 15 November 2020 She is the mother of writer and activist Owen Jones.See the "[https://books.google.com/books?id=gwzQDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT318 Acknowledgements]" section of {{cite book|title=This Land: The Story of a Movement|first=Owen|last=Jones|publisher=Penguin|year=2020|isbn=9780141994406}} She met her husband, union organiser Robert Jones, through their membership in the Militant tendency, a Trotskyist group within the Labour Party.{{cite web|author=Phelim Brady|url=http://www.varsity.co.uk/news/5556|title=Interview: Owen Jones|publisher=Varsity.co.uk|date=8 February 2013|accessdate=26 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928192233/http://www.varsity.co.uk/news/5556|archive-date=28 September 2013|url-status=live}} He developed prostate cancer,{{cite news|url=https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/health/cancer-patients-miss-out-vital-6106939|work=Daily Record|title=Cancer patients miss out on vital drug due to shortage of nurses at Edinburgh hospital|first=Vivienne|last=Aitken|date=21 July 2015}} and died in 2018.
As a political activist, Aylett has advocated for the Labour Party,{{cite news|url=https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/why-im-voting-labour-ruth-aylett-poet-professor-activist|newspaper=Morning Star|title=Election 2019: Why I'm voting Labour: Ruth Aylett, poet, professor, activist|date=3 December 2019}} for improved labour security for university staff,{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/jan/22/we-refuse-to-act-as-external-examiners-until-universities-deal-with-staffing-issues|newspaper=The Guardian|date=22 January 2020|department=Letters|title=We refuse to act as external examiners until universities deal with staffing issues}} for permanent residency for European Union citizens already in the UK at the time of Brexit,{{cite news|newspaper=LabourList|title=Labour activists urge Starmer to back 'right to stay' for EU citizens campaign|url=https://labourlist.org/2020/09/labour-activists-urge-starmer-to-back-right-to-stay-for-eu-citizens-campaign/|date=8 September 2020}} for academic freedom for faculty and students in the face of the 'Counter-terrorism and security bill' legislation by signing a letter claiming the bill ran counter to universities' mission to foster free speech as well as being 'unenforceable' and 'unlawful',{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/feb/02/counter-terrorism-security-bill-threat-freedom-of-speech-universities|newspaper=The Guardian|title=Counter-terrorism and security bill is a threat to freedom of speech at universities|date=2 February 2015}} as well as support for transgender rights.{{cite news|url=https://www.thenational.scot/news/17472564.not-speak-us-feminists-hit-back-trans-exclusionary-activists-open-letter/|newspaper=The National|title=They do not speak for us: Feminists hit back at trans-exclusionary activists in open letter|date=3 March 2019}} She has served as one of the leaders of the Labour Party in Edinburgh Southern.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.macs.hw.ac.uk/~ruth/ Home page]
- {{DBLP|name=Ruth Aylett}}
- {{Google Scholar id}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aylett, Ruth}}
Category:Academics of Heriot-Watt University
Category:Alumni of the London School of Economics
Category:Academics of Sheffield Hallam University
Category:Academics of the University of Edinburgh