School may have just begun, but the famous “ETC = Eating and Traveling Club” has gotten off to a truly flying start. ETC faculty, staff, and students have embarked on trips to Europe and Asia to present the work of the ETC, as well as to share the ETC ethos with the world.
Last semester’s “Sketch-It-Up” project team has reassembled in Paris, France, for the International Conference on Entertainment Computing (ICEC 2009). This was more adventuresome than one might have thought as three members of the team relocated to ETC-Silicon Valley this semester: Camilo Garcia, Nadia Labeikovsky, and Daniel Rodriguez, who had to fly from San Francisco. The other team members, Theyab Al Tamimi, Bulut Karakaya, and Manoj Anand Nityanandam, flew in from ETC-Pittsburgh. Joining them on this trip was ETC stalwarts Rebecca Lombardi and Shirley Saldamarco, co-coordinators of last year’s highly successful ICEC 2008 held in Pittsburgh, ETC faculty member John Dessler, and ETC staffer and trip coordinator Caitlin Zunic.
Coinciding with ICEC 2009 in Paris is a residency by the Korean Game Academy. Part of a long-standing relationship between the Korean Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) and the ETC, this residency marks the second encounter this year between these two organizations. A prior residency was held in Pittsburgh this past summer coinciding with the ETC’s hosting of the Game Education Summit. Co-hosts for the Korean Game Academy residency are ETC Executive Producer, Don Marinelli, and Stephane Natkin, Director of the Conservatoire Nationale des Arts et Métier in Paris and Enjmin, the videogame school in Angouleme, France. Also part of this important initiative are John Kang and Jiyeong Yoon from ETC-Korea.
Meanwhile, occurring near simultaneously in Seoul, Korea, is the International Symposium for Arts and Contents (ISAT). Sponsored by Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and hosted by KOCCA, ISAT is under the direction of Professor Hyun S. Kang from the Korean Advanced Institute for Science and Technology (KAIST), with assistance from Don Marinelli, and Michitaka Hirose from the University of Tokyo, Japan.
Among the featured speakers at this year’s ISAT conference are Jiyoung Lee and Carl Rosendahl from ETC-Silicon Valley, and Brenda Harger from ETC-Pittsburgh. Carl Rosendahl will be delivering the opening keynote speech titled, "Building a World Class Animation Studio and the Impact of Advanced Technology on the Entertainment Industry." Jiyoung Lee’s talk is titled, “The Impact of Gameplay Where You Least Expect It" while the title of Brenda’s talk is "The Art and Science Improvisational Acting: What it is and Why it Matters." In addition to these three ETC faculty members, Carnegie Mellon alumnus and good friend of the ETC, Paolo Malabuyo, Executive Producer, Microsoft Entertainment & Devices Division, is also slated as a featured speaker.
The Entertainment Technology Center has partnered with the Harrisburg SesqueCentennial Commission to create a digital oral history project. The Living Legacy Series will include a digitalized collection of interviews of Harrisburg residents. When complete, the oral history collection featuring audio, video and printed transcripts of interviews with Harrisburg residents who represent arts, business, government and education will be available online.
The process of digitalizing interviews will allow web site visitors to search questions or ideas about Harrisburg's history and the archive will provide results from relevant interviews.
Living Legacy Website:
http://inforweb.inf.cs.cmu.edu/harrisburg150/cmuthm.html#
Article from the Harrisburg Patriot News
Publication: Patriot-News, The (Harrisburg, PA)
Author(s): The Patriot-News
Date: August 19, 2009
Page: A08
HISTORY OF A CITY // The Harrisburg SusqueCentennial Commission is creating an oral history project of 150 Harrisburg-area residents.
Harrisburg's sesquicentennial celebration doesn't officially start until March, but a high-tech oral history project is already under way.
Harrisburg began with John Harris Sr. settling in the midstate in the early 1700s, but the city did not receive its charter until March 1860. The SusqueCentennial celebration of that event will include a digitized collection of two-hour interviews of at least 150 local residents to be made available online.
Nearly 40 interviews have already been completed for the Living Legacy Series, and organizers plan to have the interactive archive online by next summer.
Don Marinelli, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, helped develop the technology for the project. He visited Harrisburg last week to meet with local organizers.
The university's Entertainment Technology Center recently worked with a group in Chicago for an African American history project, but the Harrisburg project will be a crucial public test of the system, he said.
"It's 'Does the interface work? Can Grandma get online and access it as opposed to someone having to guide her there?'" Marinelli said.
When complete, the oral history collection featuring audio, video and printed transcripts of interviews with local residents who represent arts, business, government and education, will be available publicly online. Site visitors can search individual questions or ideas about Harrisburg's history, such as railroads or floods, and the archive will provide results from relevant interviews.
The archive's searchability should be attractive to younger generations, Marinelli said.
"To have technology in the classroom more reminiscent of how kids interact with their leisure technology is innovative," he said. "Why can't I use the same technology I use on my iPhone as I do to learn?"
Ellen Brown, Harrisburg SusqueCentennial Commission executive director, said she hopes to develop curriculum for grades K-12 so local schools can utilize the online archive in the classroom.
For instance, students at Scott School in Harrisburg might not know the history of John Scott, the education innovator for whom the school was named, she said.
"They can learn not just about history, but about the environment," she said. "Hurricane Agnes, TMI [Three Mile Island], that's science."
People interviewed for the archive will be asked about their childhood, education, family, career path and their most unforgettable memories of Harrisburg, said Fredrika McKain, a member of the advisory board that selects those to be interviewed.
"We want to show young people in the city that no matter what their background is, they can succeed," McKain said. "They can reach their goals and dreams."
INFOBOX:
What organizers have planned
The SusqueCentennial celebration will begin in March and continue throughout 2010.
Planned projects include a neighborhood banner series, a mural project, genealogy workshops and family reunions, as well as a larger production in November to honor Harrisburg's role in the Civil War.
Interviews for the oral history project have begun, but the SusqueCentennial Commission is still searching for more nominees. If you're interested in nominating someone, go to www.harrisburg150.com or call 255-7345.
Section: Local/State
Edition: FINAL
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Copyright 2009 The Patriot-News Co. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.
Second year student Francisco Souki's blog is featured on Gamasutra.
http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/FranciscoSouki/20090812/2721/Design_Notes...
ETC alumna Shanna Tellerman and 'Wild Pockets" featured on Carnegie Mellon's web page featuring next-generation computing.
http://www.cmu.edu/homepage/computing/2009/summer/wild-pockets.shtml
Congratulations Shanna and our friends at Sim Ops Studios!
Two ETC students were winners of the 2nd Annual Randy Pausch Scholarships. Congratulations to second year student John Kolencherly and first year student Kimberly Kiser. Way to go!
2nd Annual Randy Pausch Scholarship Winners Announced: His Legacy Continues
CALABASAS, Calif. – August 5, 2009 – The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) has named the four winners of the second annual Randy Pausch Scholarship: John Kolencheryl, Carnegie Mellon University; Sebastian Gosztyla, DePaul University; William Graner, University of Southern California; and Kimberly Kiser, Carnegie Mellon University.
“Being able to help such talented young adults pursue their dreams to be interactive entertainment creators is one of the Academy’s most important pursuits,” said Joseph Olin, president, AIAS. “If these awards can help students to ‘Dream Big,’ as Randy Pausch was fond of saying, than we are truly helping to keep his wishes alive.”
Pausch, who passed away last year, impacted millions of lives through his book, “The Last Lecture.” Pausch emphasized overcoming obstacles and pursuing one’s dreams.
Each of the winning students exemplifies the meaning of that sentiment, including John Kolencheryl, from a small town in India. From the time his father brought home a ZX Spectrum he became so captivated by games he decided to follow his dream to enter the video game industry. John is getting his Masters in the Entertainment Technology program at Carnegie Mellon University, where Randy Pausch was a professor. “I’m extremely honored to receive this scholarship in memory of a man that touched millions,” said Kolencheryl. “Randy Pausch encouraged me to take a shot at making my dreams a reality. This scholarship gets me one step closer towards achieving my dreams.”
Sebastian Gosztyla knows about dreams; he was born in Bielsk-Biala, Poland. When he moved to the United States at 10, he learned how to play video games even though he didn’t speak English. Though Gosztyla was offered scholarships at other schools, he decided to study at DePaul University’s Game Development program. Despite the financial struggle; he chose to pursue his vision. “I feel extremely honored and thrilled to receive this award. Efforts such as the Randy Pausch Scholarship help to change the perception of education in video games from a silly day dream to a recognized degree. It’s a relief to know that there are people out there who support the dreams of students like myself,” says Gosztyla.
William Graner, graduate student in Interactive Media at University of Southern California, put it into real life terms. "Thank you so much for your help and support. I am funding my graduate education primarily through loans and work study, and your contribution to my education will significantly ease my financial burden giving me more freedom in my career in the games industry." Graner’s goals are to contribute to his community and improve the world through his work.
"I have long wanted to pursue a career in the art development of games and other interactive media, but have struggled in the past with whether or not I was good enough,” said Kimberly Kiser, who is working on her Master of Entertainment Technology at Carnegie Mellon University. “Randy Pausch, in describing how he achieved his dreams in the Last Lecture, made me realize the only thing holding me back from attaining my own dreams were simply foolish insecurities. I decided I had to let go of those doubts, and let myself get on with what I love to do. To be chosen as a recipient of a scholarship established in his memory is a tremendous honor, and I hope I am able to live up to his vision.” Kiser plans on becoming a texture and environment artist to create games for museums and schools, teaching children the history of art and architecture in an engaging, fun way.
As Randy named one of his chapters, “Dream Big.”
About the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences:
The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) was founded in 1996 as a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement and recognition of the interactive arts. The Academy’s mission is to promote and advance common interests in the worldwide interactive entertainment community; recognize outstanding achievements in the interactive arts and sciences; and conduct an annual awards show (Interactive Achievement Awards) to enhance awareness of the interactive art form. The Academy also strives to provide a voice for individuals in the interactive entertainment community. In 2002 the Academy created the D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Summit, a once yearly conference dedicated to exploring approaches to the creative process and artistic expression as they uniquely apply to the development of interactive entertainment. This year the Academy partnered with Games Convention Asia to bring the first D.I.C.E. Summit Asia. The Academy also oversees Into The Pixel, a juried exhibition of art from games, and the Randy Pausch Scholarship fund for students in the games industry. The Academy has more than 20,000 members from the games industry: publishers such as Electronic Arts, Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo, as well as developers Bioware/Pandemic, Day One Studios, Epic Games and Insomniac Games. More information can be found at http://www.interactive.org , http://www.dicesummit.org and http://www.intothepixel.com
