Contact Info

Nicoletta is a Professor in the School of Applied and Creative Computing at Purdue University and a Purdue University Faculty Scholar. She is an award-winning animator and graphic designer, and the creator of several animations that have aired on national television. Her expertise is in character animation and character design, and her research focuses on applying 3D animation technologies to education, human computer interaction (HCI), and visualization. Nicoletta is founder and director of the IDEA lab.

Google Scholar

Funded Projects

  • Collaborative Research: Using Artificial Intelligence to Transform Online Video Lectures into Effective and Inclusive Agent-Based Presentations, NSF-RETTL, Award#2201019, $566,699 (PI), 2021-2025
  • Using Artificial Intelligence to Transform Online Video Lectures into Effective and Inclusive Agent-Based Presentations, NSF-REU, $20,000 (PI) 2023-2025
  • Multimodal Affective Pedagogical Agents for Different Types of Learners, NSF- Cyberlearning, Award#1821894, $498,823 (PI), 2018-2021
  • Holographic sign language interpreters for deaf education, Purdue Instructional Innovation Grant, $98,354 (PI), 2020-2022
  • Connecting Mathematical Ideas Through Animated Multimodal Instruction Elements. Institute of Education Sciences (IES-CASL), $1,599,992. Subcontract with UW Madison, $385,000 (co-PI, 50%, V. Popescu PI), 2013-2017
  • A System of Animation Gestures for Effective Teaching Avatars, NSF-Cyberlearning. EXP: Collaborative Research, Award#1217215,  $315,000 (Co-PI, 50%, V. Popescu PI), 2012-2016
  • VELS: An Interactive Virtual Environment for Learning Surveying, NSF-CCLI, Award#1140514, $199,995, (co-PI, H. Dib PI), 2012-2015
  • Building A Serious Game to Teach Secure Coding in Introductory Programming, NSF-CCLI Phase II, Award#1022557,  $493,712, (PI), 10/01/2010 09/30/2015
  • Life like Computer Animation of American Sign Language From Research to Classroom, Dr. Scholl Foundation, $25,000 (PI), 01/01/2011 08/31/2012
  • Software for Math Education for The Deaf, NSF-RDE, Award#0622900, $299,000 (co-PI, 50%), 12/01/2006 11/30/2011
  • Developing Systems Engineering Experience Accelerator Prototype and Roadmap, Stevens Institute of Technology, $298,220, (co-PI, 25%), 05/14/2010 04/30/2011
  • Interactive Virtual Tour of Muscatatuck State Hospital Historic District, Indiana National Guard (INARNG), $57,278, (PI), 08/01/2007 - 08/01/2009
  • The 21st Century World, Educate for Tomorrow (EoT), $25,000, (PI), 08/20/2007- 08/20/2009
  • Endocyte Medical Visualization: 3D Animation Illustrating Receptor-Targeted Therapeutics, Endocyte Inc.,WL, IN, $11,500, (PI), 2002-2003
  • Portable Immersive Virtual Learning Environment for Biotechnology Education, DLC – Discovery Learning Center, Purdue University, $25,000, (co-PI, 33%), 2008
  • Development of a Simulation-Based Environment for Laboratory Instruction in Microcontroller Technology, ITaP (TLT Digital Content Development Grant), $13,873, (co-PI, 33%), 2005-2006
  • 3D Simulator of Ocular Motion and Expression, PRF Summer Faculty Grant, $7000, (PI), 2005
  • Reconfigurable Keyboard for Input of Hand Gestures, PRF Summer Faculty Grant, $7000, (PI), 2004
  • Sign Language for Mathematics by 3D Computer Animation, I3 College of Technology research grant, $30,000, (PI), 2003-2004