INSTITUTE MESHES ART AND ENGINEERING
UTD will offer degree programs in interactive design in January

11:48 AM CDT on Thursday, October 2, 2003
By IEVA M. AUGSTUMS / The Dallas Morning News

RICHARDSON, Question: What do you get when you put computer science geeks in the same classroom with budding artists?
Answer: A hybrid of creative chief executives who are also technologically adept.
At least that's the hope at the University of Texas at Dallas.

Degrees planned
Thomas E. Linehan

"It was only a matter of time before we came to this," said Thomas E. Linehan, director of UTD's 20-month-old Institute for Interactive Arts and Engineering. "Kids are growing up today much more integrated and immersed in technology than those of us from the one-room schoolhouse days," he joked.
The institute, which launches its first degree programs in January, is intended for students interested in a career in computer game development, writing for interactive media or creating digital productions for Internet-based videos.
UTD's School of Arts and Humanities and Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science are collaborating on the institute, which expects to enroll about 300 students eventually.


Not just games

"If you want a job in this industry, you have to be well-versed as an artist and as a software engineer," said Grant Stanton, vice president of TSC Management Services Group Inc., a video-game industry recruiting firm in Illinois.
"There are a lot of certificate and degree programs out there now. The more you know, the better off you will be."
The UTD classes marry the entertainment arts with high technology through instruction in contemporary art, photography, writing, design, game development, animation, computer science, business, philosophy and the Internet.
Students can focus on game studies or specialize in graphic and industrial design. Courses also are available for students who want to pursue careers outside of the games and entertainment industry, including the military and medicine.
"This just isn't about gaming and digital game development, it's about broadening our perspective in an industry and economy that has changed," said Monica Evans, a second-year graduate student who plans to pursue the new arts and technology master's degree.
"The field and its technology are moving so quickly. We can't stop it. What we can do is create the art to catch up with it," she said.

Unique environment

Dr. Linehan, who came to UTD in January 2002 from Ohio State University's Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design, has more than 20 years of experience in developing media arts technology programs. Dr. Linehan's other career stops include Texas A&M University's Visualization Laboratory and the computer animation program at the Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, Fla.
"I have nothing negative to say about all those other programs, but this one is so much more," said Dr. Linehan, who holds a doctorate in computer animation. "We have all the resources we need right here, academia and industry."

Community support

The institute has signed up corporate sponsors as varied as the Dallas Museum of Art; the telecommunications firm Alcatel; Fossil Inc., the Richardson-based fashion accessories company; and defense giant Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. in Fort Worth.
UTD students are working with museum officials on two Internet-based computer games for their educational programs. At Alcatel's Plano offices, they're helping design wireless products.
The hope, Dr. Linehan said, is those business partnerships will lead to job offers after graduation.
The U.S. video-game industry employs about 30,000 people, and that figure grows to the hundreds of thousands if all interactive entertainment jobs are counted, Mr. Stanton said.
"As long as the next generation of video-game developers and the like continue to think out of the box, they shouldn't have a problem finding a job," Mr. Stanton said.
Ten full-time faculty members, from both the Jonsson and Arts and Humanities schools, will work solely with the new institute.
Outside expertise
The institute will also make liberal use of private-sector guest lecturers to keep the program up-to-date, officials said.
Dean Terry, who co-founded the Hollywood design company PixelWave Entertainment, is one of the institute's full-time faculty members. Chip Wood, principal of Plano-based product-design firm Ignition Inc., is a part-time instructor.
"We are trying to train a generation of students that will be able to help create companies of the future," Mr. Terry said. "The bottom line: The program will ensure people's viability in an ever-changing technological field."

Dean Terry

E-mail iaugstums@dallasnews.com

About IIAE
UTD’s Institute for Interactive Arts and Engineering was established to provide students with an opportunity to learn about interactive advancements in the fields of communication, entertainment, digital arts, education and training, as well as in scientific and medical applications. As part of their studies, students, along with faculty, are charged with inventing new pathways for the converging disciplines and fields. The institute is a collaborative, interdisciplinary effort by two of UTD’s seven schools — the School of Arts and Humanities and the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science.

About UTD
The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor®, enrolls more than 14,000 students. The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit the university’s web site at www.utdallas.edu.