Undergraduates Train in Technology, Arts through Ideate
By Amanda King
This semester, undergraduate student Steve Epple is investigating the merging of live performance with digital technology in his mediated reality course. Eleanor Haglund is learning about entrepreneurship. Haglund, however, is not a business major as one might think. And, Epple is not a drama major, nor a media design major.
Epple and Haglund are both English majors in the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences who decided to minor in the Integrative Design, Arts, Technology Network. (IDeATe).
IDeATe launched in 2014 to give all Carnegie Mellon students an opportunity to expand their studies in interdisciplinary ways in order to enhance their primary majors.
Students can choose from eight concentration areas, all of which can be taken as minors. The themes of each area integrate knowledge in technology and arts: from game design to entrepreneurship for creative industries to physical computing.
Epple chose to minor in media design because he is interested in how literature is circulated through digital media and wanted firsthand experience of producing digital media.
“I am interested in studying how new media affects the production, distribution and reception of writing,” said Epple, a sophomore. “Digital media allows for previously impossible ways of experiencing literature. I want to both create these experiences through media design and study how literature is evolving in the digital age.”
In mediated reality, Epple will develop augmented reality media projects with a focus on producing work that is community conscious. Later this semester, he will work on technology projects ranging from capturing a live performance using both stereoscopic HD camera systems and a Kinect-based motion tracker to create a 3D object using software.
Meanwhile, Haglund a junior creative writing major, is minoring in IDeATe with a focus on entrepreneurship in creative industries.
IDeATe appealed to Haglund because she plans on working as a marketer for a start-up business– fusing her strength in writing with her love of startups.
“Entrepreneurship interests me because startups are agile enough that they can make real change in the lives of their customers,” said Haglund. “Entrepreneurship is a way of creating solutions that address the needs that the industries have previously overlooked.”
Haglund has taken two IDeATe courses, Introduction to Computing for Creative Practices; and New Venture Creation, both of which have taught her how to communicate technical projects – a must for any start-up marketer.
In New Venture Creation, students learn how to finance new ventures, get them started legally and market their products or services.
“If students are interested in interdisciplinary projects and learning, they should consider IDeATe,” said Haglund. “Meeting the people in the program was a great experience, and I am glad to have participated.”