UW Shell 3D Visualization Center Invites Faculty, Staff to Collaborate

The Shell 3D Visualization Center (Viz Center) in the University of Wyoming’s Energy Innovation Center has launched a new 2.0 format and is actively seeking project development partners -- both existing and new -- to support innovative teaching and research activity.

The 3D Viz Center 2.0 welcomes UW faculty and staff interested in using visualization, data capture, 3D asset creation and software development as part of research or teaching grant application to raise interest and collaboration.

“The 3D Viz Center 2.0 aims to become an integral part of the innovative teaching and research landscape at UW and is in the process of transitioning to a high-impact, self-sustaining unit providing digital visualization services and intellectual collaborative offerings,” says Emma-Jane Alexander, manager of the 3D Viz Center. “The center is interested in supporting both internal -- such as the UW Grand Challenges Initiative -- as well as externally funded opportunities.”

Along with the invitation to collaborate, the 3D Viz Center 2.0 also is soliciting a second area of interest: departmental 3D viz champions. A champion can be anyone wishing to be an advocate for the application of 3D visualization in his or her domain, Alexander says.

The departmental 3D viz champions will support the newly formed 3D Viz Working Group by attending a 45-minute meeting per month to share experiences of advocating for collaborative visualization activity. Applications are limited, Alexander says.

“Whatever your area of interest and expertise, the 3D Viz Center welcomes multidisciplinary ideas,” she adds.

For those interested in becoming a 3D viz champion, the invitation is ongoing with no end date. Participants are expected to engage once a month in discussions on collaborative activities.

For UW faculty or staff interested in collaborative projects, an incentive program is running from January through June. Each member is expected to lead collaborative discussions progressing to actual grant applications that use visualization as a service or as an intellectual component, as well as the expectation to actually lead at least one application before June. UW faculty and staff accepted as grant-seeking collaborators from the month of interest to June -- a maximum of six months -- will receive a one-time summer award/honorarium.

Those interested in collaborating or becoming a 3D viz champion should email Alexander at emmajane.alexander@uwyo.edu. The email should include the following information: college/department/section affiliation; topic(s) of interest; needs, such as active or future funding opportunities; and/or other collaborators.

About the UW Shell 3D Visualization Center

The 3D Viz Center houses the only four-walled, 3D CAVE (Cave Automatic Virtual Environment) in Wyoming. Designed, engineered and integrated by Mechdyne Corp., one of the world’s leading providers of innovative visual information technologies, the laboratory combines high-resolution stereoscopic projections and 3D computer graphics to create a virtual environment in which researchers can analyze, interpret and share a wide variety of spatially related data.

By using visualization technology and embracing collaborative multidisciplinary opportunities, the 3D Viz Center creates and maintains a community of empowered users who will drive the enhancement of teaching and research at UW.