Archive for August, 2010
Ten Years of Cogswell Game Club Celebration
Monday, August 30th, 2010The Offering Invited to Screen at SIGGRAPH Asia 2010
Friday, August 27th, 2010
Cogswell Polytechnical College is pleased to announce that The Offering, the first animated, short film produced under the umbrella of the Project X class, has been selected for screening at the 3rd Annual SIGGRAPH Asia Computer Animation Festival. The festival takes place in Seoul Korea from December 15 to 18, 2010.
The SIGGRAPH Asia Computer Animation Festival strives to present a challenging array of the latest connections between art and technology and broaden new horizons in animation and its related fields. The Festival Committee received hundreds of entries and invited those that represented the highest quality, interest and impact on the SIGGRAPH Asia community. This year promises to offer an exciting display of cutting edge and innovative works that demonstrate the transition in computer graphics and interactive techniques.
Project X is a one-of-a-kind, project-based class – unparalleled in its scope and study as it incorporates every component of animation film production for the big and small screen. This class, under the direction of Animation faculty member and long-time professional animator Michael Huber, is only available at Cogswell. Students worked tirelessly for three semesters to produce this studio-quality short film. They were supported by a massive collaborative effort from faculty, staff, visiting artists, industry professionals and alumni.
Project X is a one-of-a-kind, project-based class – unparalleled in its scope and study as it incorporates every component of animation film production for the big and small screen. This class, under the direction of Animation faculty member and long-time professional animator Michael Huber, is only available at Cogswell. Students worked tirelessly for three semesters to produce this studio-quality short film. They were supported by a massive collaborative effort from faculty, staff, visiting artists, industry professionals and alumni.
-Bonnie Phelps, Dean of Institutional Advancement
Cogswell College will be Exhibiting at the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX)
Wednesday, August 25th, 2010
Cogswell College will be exhibiting at the upcoming Penny Arcade Expo (most commonly known as PAX) in Seattle from September 3 – 5. Come see us upstairs in booth #TCC1! We will be raffling off a new Xbox 360, playing a button game and more!
Dragon*Con Film Festival Set to Screen The Offering
Friday, August 20th, 2010
Cogswell Polytechnical College is pleased to announce that The Offering, the first animated, short film produced under the umbrella of the Project X class, has been selected for screening at the Dragon*Con Independent Film Festival. The festival takes place from September 3 to 6, 2010. The Offering will screen on Sunday, September 5, at 10:00AM in the Hyatt Learning Center in Atlanta.
The Dragon*Con Film Festival is a combination of short and geature independent film screenings, celebrity guest panel discussions, concerts, contests and seminars. Each year the festival focuses on showcasing the finest independent short films of the fantastic. It welcomes not only Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror films, but Mysteries, Thrillers, Film Noirs, Erotica, Alternate lifestyle, Comedies and any other films of the imagination that step out of the slice-of-life category including short animated films of all types.
Dragon*Con 2009 attracted 35,000+ attendees, including over 400 entertainment industry professionals. Located in downtown Atlanta within the Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Atlanta Marriott Marquis complex, Dragon*Con has received extensive media coverage on CNN (based four blocks from the event), NPR, all major network news affiliates, over 60 international on-line news feeds and nearly all radio and print media in the Atlanta area.
Project X is a one-of-a-kind, project-based class – unparalleled in its scope and study as it incorporates every component of animation film production for the big and small screen. This class, under the direction of Animation faculty member and long-time professional animator Michael Huber, is only available at Cogswell. Students worked tirelessly for three semesters to produce this studio-quality short film. They were supported by a massive collaborative effort from faculty, staff, visiting artists, industry professionals and alumni.
-Bonnie Phelps, Dean of Institutional Advancement
Cogswell College Partners with NeuroSky
Wednesday, August 18th, 2010
Digital Arts Engineering student, Christian Lucas, spent the summer working in the Engineering, Simulation and Animation Lab (ESAL) at Cogswell and successfully connected the NeuroSky headset to the Torque 3D game engine. Christian is set to complete his studies and earn his Bachelor of Science degree this summer.
Lucas happened to join a group of students who were touring Cogswell College as Albert Chen, Director of Cogswell’s Game Program and Associate Director of ESAL, demonstrated the headset to them. This was a few days before he began working on the project and when he saw how intrigued the students were as they experimented with the headset he was even more excited to be involved in the work for NeuroSky.
“Alternative video game controls really grab people’s attention especially if it stems from a novel concept,” said Lucas. “The headset creates an interesting new experience and adds a surreal new complexity to software interactivity. The way it works by taking how you are thinking as input. It has the side effect of inducing you to learn to control your own thought patterns, namely how to focus and relax. Simply put, the wearer of the device learns to start using their mind as a virtual replacement to manually pressing buttons. Controls become as passive as thinking.”
Chen was originally approached by NeuroSky in the company’s university relations outreach. He told them about the work ESAL is doing and thought the brain control interface (BCI) technology would be an exciting avenue for our continuing research into serious application development using game engines.
“Cogswell College, and particularly the ESAL program, were a perfect fit for exploring the boundaries of new technology applications,” said Tansy Brook Head of Communications for NeuroSky. “Their focus on both the artistic and technical aspects of game development gave them a unique perspective. We look forward to seeing the direction that Albert Chen and his students take in the evolution of game development.”
NeuroSky is a worldwide leader in mass-market biosensor technology. Their ThinkGear technology allows the recording and processing of brainwaves that can power user-interface operations in games and medical devices. Industry partner Mattel used NeuroSky’s technology to create Mindflex and Uncle Milton’s Force Trainer. NeuroSky is based in San Jose.
Torque is the most licensed engine middleware in the games industry. The Torque community is now home to 150,000+ game developers and artists with additional licensees of more than 200 universities and schools for computer science and game design curricula.
For more information about ESAL, check out the new promotional video.
-Bonnie Phelps, Dean of Institutional Advancement
AniMazing Spotlight Set to Screen The Offering
Monday, August 16th, 2010Cogswell Polytechnical College is pleased to announce that The Offering, the first animated, short film produced under the umbrella of the Project X class, has been selected for screening at the 2nd Annual AniMazing Spotlight Animation Shorts Festival. The festival takes place from September 4 to 5, 2010.
AniMazing Spotlight is a unique competition for animated shorts featuring an international panel of animation experts who review the shorts and select award winners. The Offering has been nominated for Best Achievement in Overall Design.
The Festival includes over a dozen entertaining and inspiring programs including workshops lead by Teddy Newton who shares his work on Pixar’s Day & Night, a presentation by the UCLA Film Archive of the work of computer animation pioneer Robert Abel, Fred Crippen shares some of his favorite films & stories, Tom Sito speaks on Animation & Politics: the Blacklist, the Mafia and Beyond and Women in Animation moves us from shorts to dollars as Kim Adelman tells us how to market our animated shorts.
Project X is a one-of-a-kind, project-based class – unparalleled in its scope and study as it incorporates every component of animation film production for the big and small screen. This class, under the direction of Animation faculty member and long-time professional animator Michael Huber, is only available at Cogswell. Students worked tirelessly for three semesters to produce this studio-quality short film. They were supported by a massive collaborative effort from faculty, staff, visiting artists, industry professionals and alumni.
-Bonnie Phelps, Dean of Institutional Advancement
In Memory of Marion Van Noorden Class of 1929
Friday, August 13th, 2010
Marion Van Noorden, long time San Mateo resident, passed away peacefully with her family by her side on Sunday July 25, 2010. Marion touched many lives in her 99 years of life with her gentle spirit and positive outlook on life. She was born and raised in San Francisco, CA. After she graduated from Cogswell High School, she worked for Otis Elevator until she married in 1934.
In 1944 she and Al moved to San Mateo with their two daughters where they bought their first home and owned and operated Thomas Alec Dry Cleaners in downtown San Mateo for 40 years. Marion still resided in the same family home until her passing and continued to enjoy traveling, music, dancing, cooking, and gardening; but most of all, she enjoyed spending time with her family and friends.
During her years at Cogswell, Marion played basketball, served as Associated Girls Students President, was the office assistant for the Dean of Girls and a charming hostess for the football luncheon and 3A Tea. We will all miss her wonderful stories about Cogswell’s early days and her wonderful sense of humor.
-Bonnie Phelps, Dean of Institutional Advancement
Fire Science Residency Classes
Wednesday, August 11th, 2010
Cogswell Polytechnical College hosted its annual Summer Term Residency classes for its Fire Science program from July 16 thru 20, 2010. More than 20 firefighters gathered to take part in this intensive learning opportunity as they work toward their BS degrees.
Courses offered included Fire Protection & Systems Design, Organizational Leadership and Accounting.
“The Resident Program gives students the chance to work with other students, network and meet faculty members face-to-face,” said Dr. Younes Mouchid, Director of the Fire Science Program. “With emphasis on group projects and classroom interaction, the courses taught on campus offer a nice change of pace from the more solitary, written-response format used in distance-learning courses.”
The next residency session will take place from October 8 to 12, 2010. For a schedule of classes please visit our website.
-Bonnie Phelps, Dean of Institutional Advancement
Suntactics Releases Solar Powered USB Charger
Monday, August 9th, 2010
Dean Sala (1993 & 2009) and his partner, Gary Heathcoat, are pleased to announce that the first product generated through the solar company they started about two years ago is now available for purchase.
The Suntactics PC5 is a powerful solar charger for iPod, iPhone, Droid, Blackberry, or anything that can charge from a USB port including DSI handheld games devices, GPS units and all sorts of USB batteries used for power backup. It is about the size of a CD case when folded.
“What makes this product different is that it is a miniature version of the high-powered solar panels you would put on your roof,” said Sala. “Using high efficiency silicon solar cells, these panels produce up to 5.4 volts of power at 1.2 amps. That’s over 6 watts of solar power! See if any other small solar charger can match that!”
The SunTactics PC5 can charge a dead iPhone in 3 hours using only the sun. There is no internal battery to wear out and create toxic waste. It’s sturdy, reliable and built to last for many years. And – it’s made in USA!
-Bonnie Phelps, Dean of Institutional Advancement
New Orleans Film Festival Set to Screen The Offering
Friday, August 6th, 2010
Cogswell Polytechnical College is pleased to announce that The Offering, the first animated, short film produced under the umbrella of the Project X class, has been selected for screening at the 21st Annual New Orleans Film Festival. The festival takes place from October 14 to 21, 2010.
The New Orleans Film Festival continues its tradition as Louisiana’s preeminent film event, presenting an eclectic program of films each fall with legendary New Orleans as its backdrop. Offering filmmakers and film fans alike an ideal setting in a world-famous city, the NOFF draws in over 7,000 attendees each year. Both established and emerging filmmakers gain media exposure, connect with the region’s diverse audiences and participate in an acclaimed event attended by industry professionals as well as celebrated luminaries.
Over the past two decades, The NOFF has welcomed numerous indie icons into its family, including Todd Solondz (Happiness), David Gordon Green (Undertow), and Richard Linklater (Slacker). Many of the Festival’s alumni have gone on to be honored at Sundance, Cannes, and Toronto, and even at the Academy Awards.
Project X is a one-of-a-kind, project-based class – unparalleled in its scope and study as it incorporates every component of animation film production for the big and small screen. This class, under the direction of Animation faculty member and long-time professional animator Michael Huber, is only available at Cogswell. Students worked tirelessly for three semesters to produce this studio-quality short film. They were supported by a massive collaborative effort from faculty, staff, visiting artists, industry professionals and alumni.
-Bonnie Phelps, Dean of Institutional Advancement