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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 26, 2001)
Students in A&M’s Viz Lab amaze peers by mixing computers, art program requj teraction. vtid sociolosi teach classes! here are 13 io Sociology | he said, andei 150 students. I oblems, sow I marriage m? hir courses well, so the5.1 necessary tod :md. 'en said he is student-facnli Oisni depanr nt of Jouma cm hers u Elpson said. “It’s nice to have feedback and guidance.® ' es as well as J ■Vhile there are numerous topics in the Viz Lab, Ellison chose to mdereradua w P r ^ on a single idea. She is writing her thesis on computer soft- orrible,” he id to double By Beth Muldoon THE BATTALION ; orgraduate student Barbara Ellison, the best part about working the Texas A&M Visualization Lab, or Viz Lab, is the valuable (tperience she gains to prepare her for the job market. ■Getting to discuss techniques and getting critiques on my work >th from my adviser and from other students is really helpful,” ethat creates lifelike clothing for digital characters. ■‘Any clothing that isn't simple clothing is very difficult to make ■the computer,” Ellison said. “So I am working with the A&M Bter department for perspective on how to make what the com puter does with clothing look more real.” Bfie Viz Lab is a graduate school program at A&M that focuses on Bieling, animation, graphics, design and hyper-media networking. In layman’s terms, they work on creating software and animations ■ those from Pixar Animation Studios and Dreamworks Pictures. ■As with any graduate student, classes consume most of her time Sik given day. Ellison said some students work up to 80 hours per leek in the Viz Lab to complete their thesis. ■lam nearing the end of my schooling, so I am only taking five ■rs of classes right now,” Ellison said. “But I put in about 40 Brs per week just working in the Viz Lab on my thesis project.” ■Ellison added that near the end of each semester, it is not ■ommon to find students sleeping in the Viz Lab, trying to catch ■on their work. ■‘People bring their own bedding to sleep down there,” Ellison l! . lsret f ire bid “Especially when it’s late in the semester.” ulacm smoccoc 1 V ■Dr. Donald House is a professor, coordinator and graduate advis- f for the Viz Lab. ■“I like working with the students one on one,” House said. “It’s ■ to help both the older and brand new students because they are jsuch different stages in the process for Viz Lab.” [House said there are four different areas for Viz Lab students to us, including animation (the most popular), technical work, eo graphics and multimedia. “Everyone gets involved in the animation aspect because stu nts are required to take at least one animation class,” House said, ut aside from that, it’s a very compelling area to work in, and it’s [o the most visible.” Many students who graduate from the Viz Lab obtain jobs at impanies like Pixar, Blue Sky, Industrial Light and Magic, and kam works. ■ “Otic of my current students works for Pixar in California and is jjBwiiftg on his thesis here at the Viz Lab at the same time,” House en said littl in the d the facult) >ver-filledcl ise you don imbers, you >earch," he s partment to lecturers to owding, ami ien and trans a 1 raven sail spelling and ilism classe: apartment is no lissions lo pos t application ps ance to the dep« ism. Walraven ck of facult) he departmer ; with Vision303 increase gradui said. roblem is thaltl ;he same as llte ty. and the grad i aren't gettingenoi he said. said. “He is working on a computer program for crayon writing in animated films.” House said each student will take from six months to a year to complete his or her thesis. As a professor. Dr. Carol La Fayette teaches introductory art, videography and advanced video courses. “I joined the Viz faculty in 1999 because of the combination of art and computers,” La Fayette said. “I teach art courses for tech nical folks.” Many educators join the Viz Lab faculty because of the vast opportunities. For La Fayette, the interaction of student and teacher pulled her into the program. “The level of intelligence, motivation and drive of the students is particularly wonderful to interact with,” La Fayette said. “It is always a challenge.” La Fayette said the unique combination of computer science and fine art courses is rare in an educational program; most universities house these programs in separate departments. This was one of the things that compelled her to work in the Viz Lab. Like many educators and undergradu ates, countless graduate students are drawn from across the country to come to the Viz Lab. “I went to the University of Texas to get my undergraduate degree in archi tecture,” Ellison said. “I came to A&M because it was one of the top programs on Pixar’s list of schools; also because the program here gives a balanced education with both pro gramming and art classes.” For those students who are admitted into the Viz Lab program, which House said, is 16 to 20 students per year, the pos sibilities are endless. “My ultimate goal for my students would be to have them discover what is really unique them- selves,” House said. “We love to tap into what makes them tick and what interests them.” ADRIAN CALCANEO • THE BATTALION IBP Tuesday, November 27th at 11:30a.m ra John R. ! Hoyle Signing copies of his book — Leadership and the Force of Love: Six Keys to Motivating with Love lent ietyi Leadership uni the Force of Love 1 rniati 011. ^ Six Keys to " x MotivatHKj \ With Love V : A Jk A I ♦ I - a ^ JOHN R. HOYLE John R. Hoyle is a Professor in the Department of Educational Administration at Texas A&M University and visionary author of the bestselling book Leadership and Put tiring: Making Visions Happen. His inspirational new book, Leadership and the Force of Love: Six Keys to Motivating With Love masterfully illustrates that love is the key to success in any industry, from classrooms to boardrooms. Hoyle explains how leaders in any field can inspire others to greatness by enacting six important principles all based on love. He shows how using love in visioning, communicating, teamworking, empowering, mentoring, and evaluating are necessary factors for any leader to be successful. As part of our Author Series at The Texas A&M Bookstore, John R. Hoyle will sign copies of his book Leadership and the Force of Love on Tuesday, November 27th from 11:30a.m. to 1:30p.m. This event is open to the public. Texas MM Bookstore In The Memorial Student Center College Station, Texas • phone: (979)-845-8681 • www.tamubookstore.com \ SEE YOU AT buyback I REMEMBER to RESBBVB NOW I “A Tradition of Friendly Service Since 1932 WOLF PEN PLAZA 1907 TEXAS AVE. S COLLEGE STATION, TX 77840 (979) 693-0838 NORTHGATE 335 UNIVERSITY DR. COLLEGE STATION, TX 77840 (979) 846-6312 SOUTHGATE 308 GEORGE BUSH DR. COLLEGE STATION, TX 77840 (979) 693-2278 Util J ill* iEi “A TnmiitKm of pnontOy Srrvtox Sm«v i»JJ " 20% OFF T-SHIRTS; SPORTSWEAR; GLASS WARE 335 UNIVERSITY DR. 308 GEORGE BUSH DR 1907 TEXAS AVE. SOUTH VOID 12/31/01 www.loupots.com mnn •A T>a*Uttm of rnmuOy Serrux Stone* 19S3 * 10% MORE CASH FOR USED BOOKS 335 UNIVERSITY DR. 308 GEORGE BUSH 1907 TEXAS AVE. SOUTH VOID 12/31/01 www.loupots.com _ — — A