School of Arts, Media and Engineering

Highlights from 2020-21

Radcliffe Fellow

Grisha Coleman, associate professor in the School of Arts, Media and Engineering, has been named a 2021–22 fellow by the Harvard Radcliffe Institute, one of the world’s leading centers for interdisciplinary exploration.

“The project I proposed, ‘The Movement Undercommons,’ is spacious and needs the space and time to grow. This fellowship allows for that. After a year and some spinning in place, I am able to work in a focused way, in a place that encourages exploration and new hybrid ideas. It couldn’t have come at a better moment. I’m honored to be joining a cohort of folk with diverse perspectives that challenge and inspire the work I make. I anticipate wonderful potential.”

Augmented reality apps

Faculty and students in the School of Arts, Media and Engineering’s Meteor Studio launched two augmented reality apps. ASU’s Mars Space Flight Facility teamed up with assistant professor Robert LiKamWa, director of the Meteor Studio, and graduate student Lauren Gold to launch a new augmented reality smartphone app that allows users to create their own custom views of planetary data. Also, a team of a dozen students from the Meteor Studio, in coordination with the XR at ASU initiative, made an app that allowed families a way to bring graduation into living rooms through a complete augmented reality experience where users could display the virtual ceremony on their phone or tablet.

A career in esports

After graduating from the School of Arts, Media and Engineering in 2017, Marissa Rohr started a career in construction. But she quit her job in 2020 to pursue her true passion – esports. The move paid off for the Herberger Institute alumna, who built a fanbase by streaming her gaming experiences on Twitch, has secured work assisting in esports tournaments and accepted an offer to join a streaming team called 517, where she continues to stream on Twitch and facilitate tournaments. Read more about her journey.

Leonardo Imagination Fellowship

Arizona State University’s Center for Science and the Imagination and the ASU-Leonardo Initiative launched a new eight-week virtual fellowship program for fall 2020. Three fellows, representing different parts of the globe, were selected to carry out experimental projects that combine innovative art and science practices across multiple publishing and broadcast media platforms. All of their projects align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and are either related to water, sustainability or community.

“Our center seeks to inspire collective imagination for better futures,” said Ed Finn, the founding director of ASU’s Center for Science and the Imagination and associate professor in the School of Arts, Media and Engineering in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. “These fellows are working on a fantastic set of projects to deepen our understanding of sustainability by bringing together art and science. Addressing the challenges of the 21st century is going to require us to imagine positive futures together, and art is a very powerful way to do just that.”

Flying high-tech

Dylan Kerr, a student earning a master’s degree in digital culture (art) in the School of Arts, Media and Engineering, teamed up with airmen from Luke Air Force Base to develop a 3D augmented reality system that could revolutionize the way U.S. Air Force pilots train for combat. Learn more about the project.

A Planetary adventure photo courtesy of Lauren Gold.

Esports photo courtesy of Marissa Rohr.

Flying high-tech photo courtesy of Dylan Kerr.

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