Interdisciplinary thinking has been the hallmark of my career as an academic, and my belief is that conversations among discliplines are vital for solving problems. Both my Master's degree and my Ph.D. are in the Humanities, however, even during my...More
Interdisciplinary thinking has been the hallmark of my career as an academic, and my belief is that conversations among discliplines are vital for solving problems. Both my Master's degree and my Ph.D. are in the Humanities, however, even during my graduate years I was someone who crossed boundaries into STEM fields. I created the first multi-modal thesis at NDSU's campus.During my doctoral program at Iowa State I worked on grand funded projects as a software developer first in collaboration between English and the Art Department, and then later as a software developer for Agricultural Engineering in the creation of an ABET-aligned electronic portfolio system. After completing my doctoral program I accepted an Assistant Professorship in a new interdisciplinary program called Web & Digital Media Development (WDMD) at the Univ. of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Faculty from Computer Science, Graphic Design and Rhetoric & Professional Communicaiton staffed WDMD. In WDMD, I taught classes on object-oriented programming, 2 & 3D animation. game development, and mobile application development. During my time at UWSP my program was names as one of the top 50 game design program in the United States (out of 500 considered), by the Princeton Review. Also during my time at UWSP I was the principle investigator on anumber of grants working with medical providers and therapy companies to create serious games, mobile applications, and custom mobile devices to help children with Autism, victims of stroke, out-patient monitoring systems and nursing diagnostics. In 2014 I accepted a position at Boise State to help found and direct a new transdisciplinary program called Games, Interactive Media and Mobile technologies (GIMM). Now in our third year, we are one of the fastest growing majors on campus with over 200 majors and five full time faculty. In my time at Boise State, I have continued my interdisciplinary research. I have been the co-principle investigator on a grant project creating Virtual Reality training environments for Nursing faculty. In 2015, this work was recognized by WCET with the national WOW award for educational and technological innovation. The Nursing VR project is currently in an international field trial as universities around the United States, Canada, and Australia are researching the system in classrooms. In addition to my work with nursing and therapy colleagues, I have also had the privilege of working with museum curators, artists, and other faculty in the creation of Virtual and Augmented Reality displays for a new facility being built here at Boise State called the World Museum. When completed, the World Museum will bring art and artifacts from around the world to Boise. Using VR and AR technologies, we will guide museum vistors through interactive and immersive experiences that help them understand the history, techniques and significance of artifacts on display. Three large VR and AR projects are completed and will be an important part of our proposed presentation.
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Inclusive Museum
Fonda L. Portales
Steven Cutchin
