Experiential Technologies Center

In 1997, UCLA Professors Bernard Frischer (Classics) and Diane Favro (Architecture and Urban Design) created the Cultural Virtual Reality Lab (CVRlab) to explore applications of new digital technologies to cultural heritage. The impetus was an earlier collaborative project to reconstruct Trajan's Forum based on the research of scholar James Packer. Significant funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation focused the lab on reconstructions of ancient Rome and the development of methodology to facilitate the input of scientific committee members noted for their expertise on specific sites. In 2004, Frischer moved to the University of Virginia. At UCLA, the ETC is continuing the work of the CVRlab and pushing the investigation of experiential technologies into pedagogy, performance, and the development of open source tools for creating dynamic virtual environments.

Contact

Questions and inquiries can be directed to the following:

Experiential Technologies Center

UCLA's Experiential Technologies Center
Office of Information Technology/Academic Technology Services
5308 Math Sciences Building
Box 951557, Mail Code 155705
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1557

E-mail: ETC Director Diane Favro (dfavro@ucla.edu)
OIT MAIN PHONE: (310) 825-6635
OIT MAIN FAX: (310) 206-7025

Technology Sandbox/Modeling & Visualization Lab

E-mail Modeling & Visualization Lab Coordinator Bruce McCrimmon or call (310) 206-2140

Visualization Portal

E-mail events@ats.ucla.edu or call (310) 825-6635
Your question will be directed to a consultant that can answer your questions.

For more information about ATS, working in the Visualization Portal, or the Visualization & Modeling Lab please visit the ATS Visualization Portal website.

Mission

The mission of the ETC is four-fold:

1. To foster interdisciplinary and collaborative research focusing on visualization, sound, temporalization, spatialization and other experiential factors in the context of the creation of the simulated environments.

2. To create a collaborative setting where information technology professionals and research scientists come together with faculty and students in the arts, humanities, and social sciences to learn about each others’ methodologies, IT applications, and requirements, and to develop new applications.

3. To create educational products and new learning environments that can be implemented at UCLA, shared with other colleges and universities, and used within the K-12 arena.

4. To create and make available production-quality applications, software, and educational products and materials developed through the center to the campus and to partners outside the campus.  

The ETC welcomes inquiries from third parties about possible collaborative research projects, grants, or contracts. Our clients have included universities as well as corporations such as Intel, Microsoft, book publishers, multimedia producers, and TV production companies. Existing models can be licensed, or new models can be commissioned. Contracts can be negotiated with deliverables and deadlines, or a standard fee for services can be paid.

Locations

ETC Main Office -- 5919 Math Sciences Building
ETC Auxillary Office -- 1125K Perloff Hall
Visualization Portal -- 5628 Math Sciences Building
Modeling Lab -- 5601 Math Sciences Building
Technology Sandbox -- 4328A Math Sciences Building
Conference Rooms -- 5907 and 3909 Math Sciences Building

Directions

See the UCLA Campus Map.  Click on SOUTH view for Math Sciences (just north of Boelter Hall and north of lot 9). Click on NORTH view for Perloff (just west of the Law School and south of Bunche Hall).

More maps of UCLA are available under Quick Links in the left column of the UCLA Map page.

Freeway Directions

From LAX Airport

Follow signs to Century Blvd.
Take Century Blvd. to the 405 Freeway North
Exit the 405 on Wilshire Blvd., heading East (to Westwood).

Note: Los Angeles traffic conditions are very unpredictable. We strongly recommend that you allow at least one hour travel time to campus when coming from the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) vicinity.

From the South

Take the 405 Freeway North
Exit the 405 on Wilshire Blvd., heading East (to Westwood).

From the North

Take the 405 Freeway South
Exit the 405 on Wilshire Blvd., heading East (to Westwood).
Once you exit from the freeway merge into the left-hand lane on Wilshire Blvd. as soon as possible so that you can make it to the left turn lane for Westwood Blvd.
Continue east to Westwood Blvd.
Turn left (north) on Westwood Blvd.

Bus Directions

UCLA is accessible via MTA (lines 761, 20, 21, 2, 302, 305, and 233), Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus (lines 1, 2, 3, 8, and 12), and Culver City's transit system (line 6).

Sponsors

Extramural funding secured through the ETC/ATS partnership has already reached more than $1 million. The ETC is aggressively seeking more granted funding and more gifts to support the important work and specific programs of the ETC. Both the Research Fellow program and the robust K-12 program have seed funding through the ETC, but ongoing funding is needed to ensure their existence and enhancement into the future. The ETC has received support from the following: 

Current Sponsors

• Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
• National Science Foundation
• National Endowment for the Humanities
• SIMIT
• The Steinmetz Family of Los Angeles
• Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts
• UCLA Office of The Vice Chancellor for Research
• UCLA Institute for Digital Research and Education 
• UCLA Academic Technology Services
• UCLA Institute for Social Science Research
• UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture
• UCLA Department of Architecture and Urban Design
• UCLA Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies
• UCLA Center for Digital Innovation
• UCLA Center for Digital Humanities
• University of California Teaching Learning & Technology Center

Past Sponsors

• Intel
• Creative Kids
• UCLA Office of Instructional Development
• UCLA College of Letters & Science
  

Affiliates

UCLA's Cotsen Institute of Archaeology

The Cotsen Institute of Archaeology is a research unit at the University of California Los Angeles that promotes the comprehensive and interdisciplinary study of the human past. Established in 1973, the Institute is a unique resource that provides an opportunity for faculty, staff, graduate students, research associates, volunteers, and the general public to gather together in the explorations of ancient human societies. Archaeological research through the Cotsen Institute spans the globe and is supported through research grants for scholars and students. The Cotsen administers a Graduate Program in Archaeology and a joint UCLA/Getty Program in Archaeological and Ethnographic Conservation.

The ETC has assisted the research efforts of a number of Cotsen faculty, including Director Charles Stanish, Willeke Wendrich, Sarah Morris, and John Papadopoulos. In Spring of 2006, the ETC will be offering a  graduate level course on the use of digital technology for humanities research (Space, Place, and Visualization in Architecture, Archaeology, and Humanities Research) that will be jointly listed through the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology and the UCLA Department of Architecture and Urban Design.   

UCLA's Center for Research in Engineering, Media, and Performance (REMAP)

REMAP is the Center for Research in Engineering, Media, and Performance. REMAP was created by the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television and the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science. It aims to interweave artistic creativity with engineering invention, engaging significant issues in culture, learning and health through research, production and education.

ETC and REMAP jointly sponsor the EXP Lectures (experience - explore - express - experiment), a series that explores intersections of arts and humanities with science and engineering. Past and scheduled speakers include Bill Mitchell (MIT), John Tolva (IBM), Vanda Vitale (Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County), and John Unsworth (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign).