The Louisiana Board of Regents has provided a $110,000 grant to the University of New Orleans (UNO) to create an interdisciplinary digital media laboratory.
The digital media lab will be on the third floor of the UNO library.
The Earl K. Long Library will house the new lab which is a collaboration between the Department of Computer Science, the Department of Film and Theatre and the library.
Part of the grant will go to the purchase of 10 high-performance computers, a 3D printer and motion capture equipment. UNO plans to equip each workstation with software for 3D modeling, photo and video editing, and game development.
“New Orleans already has a strong film industry and is quickly expanding its digital media portfolio to include gaming, digital design and other positions that require both scientific and artistic expertise,” said Stephen G. Ware, assistant professor of computer science and the grant’s principal investigator. “This lab will provide some much-needed infrastructure for our students and give them a chance to collaborate on projects in a shared space. In short, this lab is a place where students will make their creative visions into digital and physical realities.”
The lab is expected to be open this fall.
“We want to give our students a place outside the classroom where they can work with other students, stretch their creativity and develop skills in using new technologies which will afford them the opportunity to be an entrepreneur and work in the new industries emerging in New Orleans,” said Lora Amsberryaugier, interim dean of the Earl K. Long Library.