Howard University will announce the establishment of a new $2.5-million Institute for Multimedia Applications in ceremonies Dec. 1 at 1:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the university's School of Engineering, 2300 Sixth St., N.W.
The new institute will have the latest technological equipment for computer visualization, animation and multimedia integration. Much of the equipment and software in the institute has been provided to the university by Silicon Graphics, Inc., a Mountain View, Calif.-based company that produces high performance three-dimensional visual computing technology.
Participating in the ceremonies will be actor and comedian Sinbad and Blake White, director of business development and marketing for Silicon Studio, Inc., the entertainment subsidiary of Silicon Graphics, Inc.
Sinbad, who has been named as the first member of the advisory council for the institute because of his long standing interest in technology for the entertainment industry, states, "The technology is already in use in the industry, but there are few people of color applying it. Not only that, I don't know of any historically black college or university that is producing experts who know how to use this technology. With this beginning, Howard University will take a major step right into the 21st century. The way I see it, there is no stepping back."
Dr. Gary Harris, associate vice president for research administration at Howard and director of the institute, says, "This will be a premier center where Howard faculty, students and staff can interact with state-of-the-art technology to create new products, procedures and applications. The initial work of the institute will be in science and engineering, education and entertainment technology."
In addition to members of the university community, Harris expects the institute to attract several private sector, government and educational participants.
Silicon Graphics computer systems are globally recognized for their contributions in the entertainment industry and were used most recently to create animated characters in "Toy Story," the landmark full-length computer-generated movie by Disney Feature Animation. In addition, the company's workstations, servers and supercomputing systems are used to create solutions for diverse markets ranging from manufacturing and visual simulation to interactive games, database visualization and the World Wide Web.
Ken Coleman, Silicon Graphics senior vice president for administration, says, "Silicon Graphics is pleased to provide Howard University with the technology to establish the Institute for Multimedia Applications. As a company, we recognize the importance of technology in education, and we are supportive of the university in its efforts to further this vital objective."