Background

1. Proposal forMaster of Engineering Degree inGames and Media Integration (GMI)College of Engineering and Applied ScienceUniversity of Colorado at Colorado Springs

2. Background • Minor in Games Design • GDD degree program • Recruiting efforts in the local high school • Interaction with the industry • HCI research collaboration • Conversation with the community • MEngg in GMI degree program

3. GMI Program Committee • Professor Sudhanshu Semwal, Computer Science • Professor Valerie Brodar, Visual and Performing Arts • Professor Tim Chamillard, Computer Science • Professor Dan Dandapani, ECE • Professor Robert von Dassanowsky, Director of Film Studies • Professor Chip Benight (Psychology) • Professor Bob Melamede, Biology • Murray Ross, Artistic Director TheatreWorks

4. Required Courses CS580 Introduction to Computer Graphics (1) CS578 3D Games and Digital Contents Creation (1) CS572 Design and Analysis of Algorithms (2) Are already offered every year to support present degree program. • Required for Minor in Game Design • Required for MS in CS

5. Required • Required: Masters of Engineering Thesis (up to 6 credit hours) or Project (3 credit hours) • Student will be expected to work with an advisor in the GMI area of concentration following the guidelines of MS Thesis or Project work in the CS Department. • Required: GMI Portfolio Development (up to 6 credit hours): • Note: Student can not take more than a total of 9 credit hours for their Masters of Engineering Thesis or Project, and the GMI portfolio. For example, if a student takes 6 credit hours of portfolio development then only 3 credit hours would be allowed for MS thesis or project. Similarly, if a student takes 6 credit hours of MS thesis then the portfolio can only be a maximum of 3 credit hours. • This requirement allows student to take up to 21 credit hours of courses from the following list.

6. Portfolio • Will involve completed works with an interdisciplinary focus. • Student will work with at least one faculty member from CS and at least one faculty member from LAS. • Complete works are expected to be submitted to SigGraph Animation and Film Festival, International Symposium on Wearable Computing, variety of virtual reality and HCI interaction conference, Game Developers Conference, or other related venues around the world.

7. Portfolio … • Portfolio advisory committee would consist of three faculty members from the consisting of at least one CS graduate faculty member and, if applicable one faculty member from LAS. The third member should preferably come from a local industry representing, e.g. the SigGraph, IGDA community with major portfolio development experience. • Dr. Semwal would be initially the CS member. • Portfolio may include interdisciplinary applications and completed works by student. Suggested applications, with strong GMI emphasis areas, include but are not limited to – applications integrated in TheatreWorks Productions with strong GMI emphasis, Digital Animation Movie Production; and/or Production of Game; Coordination with center of aging, visual and performing arts, and disability applications. • The student would be required to show an ability to completely realize their individual contributions resulting in possibly a high quality exhibit, movie, or game.

8. List of elective coursesList One • Remainder of 12 credit hours would be from the following elective courses. Some courses have prerequisites as noted. New courses are identified in bold. • (i) CS 577 Animation and Visualization (**) • (ii) CS 677 Virtual Reality and Human Computer Interaction (**) • (iii) CS 571 Evolutionary Computation (****)[Advanced] • (iv) CS575: Computational Geometry (****) • (v) CS581 Advanced Computer Graphics/Morphing (**) • (vi) CS678 Advanced Digital Effects and Olfactory applications • (vii) CS 579 Wearable Computing and Complex Systems (**) • (viii) CS 525 MultiMedia (**) • (ix) AI I (*) • (x) CS 522 Commuter Networks (*) Sufficient for a student to have 7-7-7-7-2 cycle or 9-9-9-3 cycle. Only may need one or two of the above courses per semester.

9. Additional Courses if necessaryList Two • (xi) CS 584 Computer Vision (prerequisites) [Advanced][**] • (xii) CS505 Computational Computer Vision (prerequisites)[Advanced] • (xiii) ECE5530: Multivariate control I (prerequisites) [Advanced] • (xiv) ECE5520: Multivariate Control II (prerequisites) [Advanced] • (xv) CS587: Introduction to Artificial Neural Networks (**) • (xvi) CS551: Distributed Systems (requires CS550 – Operating Systems) [Advanced] • (xvii) MAE 5130-001:  Advanced Fluid Dynamics (prerequisites)[Advanced] • (xviii) CS526 Advanced Web Systems and Internet (*) • (xix) AI II (Advanced) • (xi) CS 589 Computational Lingusitics (prerequisites) [Advanced] May be taken by some students who can not take the courses in List One.

10. Samples of student work • Chris Koenert, Ed Mucker, David Norman early game thesis • Richard Doyle – Celtic Design • Water simulation work – CThomas Wolfe 2nd place locally • Crimson Tide (movie from Colorado Springs) • Soccer, planes etc.

11. More … • Intel donated $50,000 gift for Game related lab • Existing courses are sufficient • Small program within EAS MEngg series of degree program • Student more marketable as portfolio development is required by industry • Small number of industries (RustCylce; Black Lodge; NewtPrism ….) • Cross college collaboration

12. Would interest GDD, BS student Helps with getting contracts with the east-coast west coast industry Would provide potential students for PhD Engg program UCCS survey makes this a 6th choice of top three choices of students More ….

13. More …. • ATR Sense of smell experiments showcasing technology using game situation • VR, graphics, networks, AI technology showcase • Animation houses/ Bollywood connection • Makes our student and UCCS more marketable to the industry