CENTER FOR COMPUTATION & TECHNOLOGY

BATON ROUGE – As more college students express interest in animation, video game design and other forms of digital media, many colleges and universities are struggling to create academic programs that will prepare these students for careers in the digital industries. To help institutions of higher learning better decide how to implement such programs, the University will host a two-day Digital Media Education Forum Nov. 1 and 2 at the Lod Cook Conference Center. The forum will feature speakers from academic institutions that have successfully implemented digital media curricula, as well as industry representatives who can discuss the skills students from these programs would need to enter the workforce. One of the primary ways industry responds to these challenges is promoting sponsored faculty development programs. Representatives from some of these programs will attend the forum to discuss their experiences in this domain. “Many colleges and universities are uncertain how to train students to fill the void in this expanding industry, and the forum will help them learn best practices that can guide them as they develop their own programs,” said Stacey Simmons, executive director of the Baton Rouge Area Digital Industries Consortium, of which LSU is a part. The Forum will involve workshops, lectures and roundtable sessions that will allow collaboration and brainstorming between representatives of industry and faculty and administrators from universities. Speakers include: • Raquel Benitez, Comet Entertainment, Inc. • Susan Gold, GarageGames and the International Game Developer's Association • Dan Kelly, Sparter, and formerly THQ Games • Jason Leigh, Electronic Visualization Laboratory at University of Illinois - Chicago • Hans Rijepkema, Rhythm & Hues Studios • Barbara Slade, Walt Disney Development, United Kingdom • Barry Weiss, Sony Imageworks • Chris Williams, University of Teesside, Animex International Festival of Animation and Computer Games Registration fee is $125, with a discounted $55 registration fee for LSU employees. To register or learn more, please visit http://www.cct.lsu.edu/dme/. Digital Media Education Forum is sponsored by the LSU Center for Computation & Technology, LSU Office of Research and Economic Development and the Baton Rouge Area Digital Industries Consortium. For more information, please contact Stacey Simmons or Amanda Liddell at the Baton Rouge Area Digital Industries Consortium,225-389-7182, or ssimmons@cct.lsu.edu.