Florida International U Building Altered Reality Studio
A new facility at Florida International University will give students hands-on experience with the creative, administrative and business aspects of virtual reality. Part of the institution's College of Communication, Architecture and the Arts (CARTA), the new STAR Labs is described as a studio for altered reality, and will house a lab, theater, classrooms and offices.
FIU is partnering with Hollywood virtual reality company Bridgegate Pictures on the project, which is slated to open in fall 2018. Bridgegate Pictures has a long history of building augmented and virtual reality content, including a number of cinematic VR feature due to be released this year. The company will design, construct and operate the STAR Labs facility; Brian Schriner, dean of CARTA, and Lee Caplin, Bridgegate Pictures CEO and member of the Dean's Advisory Board, collaborated on the studio's academic program.
Commented Travis Cloyd, CTO and director for Bridgegate Pictures, in a statement, "Students will be mentored and provided with hands-on internship opportunities to prepare them for employment in this vital new component of the business of communicating ideas."
Ultimately, CARTA's goal is to drive the "information, innovation and cultural economy of South Florida and beyond," as well as provide students with a "trans-disciplinary curriculum that prepares graduates for meaningful careers and leadership in their chosen professions," according to a university statement.
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Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].