City Tech’s COMD Department and the COMD Futures Collaboratory are excited to announce a partnership with Membit.co, a geolocative augmented reality (AR) storytelling platform. The COMD Futures Collaboratory, conceived by Prof. Jenna Spevack to support faculty and student research in emerging technologies, will collaborate with Membit co-founder and CEO Jay Van Buren to engage COMD students and faculty in creative augmented reality research and academic projects.
Our inaugural research project will be an augmented reality exhibition that introduces viewers to the COMD Department through a virtual tour of student work with testimonials from current students and recent graduates using existing assets from recent BFA and Senior Project Shows and other promotional videos produced by COMD students and faculty. The AR exhibition will be geolocated in the COMD Department (Pearl Building), The Society of Illustrators’ MoCCAfest, and Hudson Yards, and will be viewable anywhere using the Membit app.
With support from Prof. Sara Gómez Woolley, City Tech Grace Gallery Director, we are looking for students of all levels to participate in this project via the Emerging Scholars Program which provides a $500 stipend for full-time students and a $250 stipend for part-time students for conducting research with a faculty member. First-year students receive additional funding through the Robinhood Foundation Grant. Students with skills/interests in storyboarding, image editing, 3D modeling, video editing, experience design, or just an interest in augmented reality are welcome to participate.
If you have a student who might be interested in this initiative, please send an email to Prof. Jenna Spevack, Prof. Jay Van Buren, and Prof. Sara Gómez Woolley or use the contact form on the COMD Futures Collaboratory OpenLab site.
Thank you!
