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