MEDIA CRITICAL
FUSING THE ARTS AND SCIENCES Placing art in the center of a STEM-based university was a bold move. In 2002, the University of Texas at Dallas created an interdisciplinary curriculum combining the arts and sciences. This fusion created the Arts and Technology program, the first degree in Texas combining science and engineering and arts and humanities. The School of Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication (ATEC) was formed to meet the needs of a new generation of artists, scientists, and makers. The programs that began in 2002 continue the tradition of creativity, academic, and research excellence for which UT Dallas, a Carnegie R1 Doctoral Institution, is known.
ATEC’s Game Design graduate and undergraduate programs rank: ATEC Animation & Games programs rank:
#8
AND
# 11
respectively, among Top Public Schools in the US by Animation Career Review (2021)
# 15
AND
# 20
respectively, among Top Game Design Schools in the US by the Princeton Review (2021)
A Plan for Innovation
CULTURE MEDIA STU
UT Dallas formed the Institute for Interactive Arts and Technology under the direction of Dr. Thomas Linehan in 2002. The Institute’s focus was to study the effects of technology on the arts, computer science, physics, filmmaking, literature, and communications. Faculty were charged with inventing new pathways for the converging disciplines and students learned about advancements in interactive applications. Dean for the School of Arts & Humanities Dennis Kratz said, “The creation of the Institute for Interactive Arts and Technology is a pivotal step toward UTD becoming a school dedicated to the study of the mutual impact of art and technology.” STORY
JANUARY 2005
UTD Establishes One of the Few Motion Capture and VR Laboratories in the Country STORY
UDIES ANIMATION GAMES SCIENCE COMMUNICATION
APRIL 2006
UTD Adds ‘Emerging Media’ Track Forecasting Need for a New Generation of Media Developers STORY
OCTOBER 2006
Arts & Technology PhD Student Awarded $1.5M Grant leading to Creation of Sophia the World’s 1st Robot Citizen STORY
APRIL 2007
ATEC Receives the Tech Titan of the Future Award Honoring Innovation and Impact on the Technology Industry for the Greater Good
NOV 2012
ATEC Undergrads Design Digital Soundscapes for 11 Exhibit Halls in New Perot Museum of Nature and Science STORY
APRIL 2014
Arts and Technology Faculty leads team to 1st place at Medical Simulation Conference with GLIMPSE simulation game STORY
Believing in Our Future ATEC is housed in the Edith O’Donnell Arts & Technology building. Edith and her husband Peter pursued decades of philanthropy via the O’Donnell Foundation giving $780M to advance the arts, computing, math, and science. The largest gift ever given to an art history program ($17M), established the Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History currently housed at ATEC. During the building dedication Edith said, “UT Dallas excels in science and engineering. The moment is right to build a program of the same quality and rigor in art history. There is a natural affinity between science and the arts. UT Dallas founders Erik Jonsson, Eugene McDermott, and Cecil Green actively supported the arts. Now, I look forward to seeing what the future holds for art history, UTD-style.” STORY
APRIL 2015
EMAC Alum Launches Magazine Highlighting Modern Muslim-American Women STORY
VISIONARY LEADERSHIP For Arts & Humanities Dean Dennis Kratz (1997 – 2019), placing art in the center of a STEM-based university was key. “This isn’t about putting art in a science-based university. It’s about reconstructing the way we educate people to bring science, art, and humanities together,” Kratz said, The fusion created the Arts and Technology program, Texas’ first degree that combines science and engineering and arts and humanities.
STORY
Dallas Innovates named ATEC Inaugural Dean Anne Balsamo (2016 – 2021), one of North Texas’ Future 50 Innovators and Disruptors you need to know. A scholar and entrepreneur, Balsamo brought her research focus on the cultural implications of emergent technologies to UT Dallas. Under her leadership, ATEC took form and programs transitioned into the model of “translational humanities” – a new term coined by ‘Inside Higher Ed.’ STORY
ATEC Interim Dean Todd Fechter (2015 – 2016), used his expertise in 3D Computer Animation to create the first online digital animation curriculum allowing students access to course materials and examples for learning outside the classroom.
ATEC Interim Dean Nils Roemer (2020 – present) is a scholar, author, and educator. He is also the Interim Dean at A&H. Overseeing the arts on campus, Roemer plays a pivotal role in creating new ways of multidisciplinary collaborations.
DIGITAL IN
ARTS SCIENCE 3D VISUAL NNOVATION TECHNOLOGY
dec 2020
ATEC Animation Alum Safeguards Cultural Authenticity in Pixar’s Feature Film ‘Soul’ STORY
june 2021
ATEC Alum and CTO/ VP of Alto Ride Expands Nationwide Looking to Disrupt Uber and Lyft STORY
nov 2021
ATEC Alum Nagaris Johnson earns Album of the Year Grammy Nomination for his Record Engineering work on the Kanye West album “Donda” STORY
SHAPING THE NEXT GENERATION Endowed Chairs and Professorships are how programs achieve sustainability. They attract the best minds in research and teaching which in turn attracts the best and brightest students.
Faculty credits include:
1 31
ATEC at UT Dallas has 8 endowments to include: 4 Distinguished University Chairs and 4 Faculty Fellowships. Our scholars and researchers publish with the nation’s leading academic presses including Oxford University Press; Duke University Press; Routledge; Dartmouth College Press, MIT Press, and others. ATEC faculty include some of the best artists and game developers in the industry whose careers span decades. They teach and continue to work with the nation’s top studios including Disney, Dreamworks, Epic Games, Gearbox, Industrial Light & Magic, Lucasfilm, ReelFX, Riot Games, Sony Pictures Imageworks, and others.
Digital Health Global commissioner
Patents in design and animation
9
Books
55 54 101
6
25
Game awards
4
Best Esports Game of the Year awards
42 Feature films
5 3
Academy Awards nominations
wins
Journals
3
Conferences
Exhibitions & performances
Articles, talks & presentations * Data taken from 2019
1 3
Annie Awards nominations
BAFTA nomination wins
4
wins
6
Visual Effects Society nominations
3
wins
Imagine What We Can Do We believe if you can imagine it, we can make it. Our students are brimming with promise and creativity. At UT Dallas, ATEC ranks #3 in the top undergraduate majors. Our students are smart, our faculty is driven, and our programs are nationally ranked. But there is more work to do. New Dimensions: The Campaign for UT Dallas adds to our foundation as a top-tier national research institution. Gifts to this campaign will allow ATEC to develop the following areas: • Scholarships • Transforming the Arts • Endowed Chairs & Fellowships • Art-Based Research & Creative Practice Your support strengthens the foundation of our scholarships, arts programming, faculty, and research.
Learn how you can make a difference. atec.utdallas.edu/priorities