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MATC President Darnell E. Cole and Discovery World benefactor Michael Cudahy shake hands after signing the partnership to launch an advanced center for the digital arts. |
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Virtual Vision
Lakefront Center for the Digital Arts to Open in 2006
Students in the digital arts are about to be handed a stunning new learning tool that will ignite their creativity and build new skill sets. Milwaukee Area Technical College and Discovery World have teamed up to develop the state’s most advanced teaching and research center for interactive communications, scheduled to open in 2006 at the museum’s new home on Milwaukee’s lakefront.
Its centerpiece will be the HIVE (Hybrid Interactive Virtual Education), a cluster of free-standing multimedia pods inside which users will be able to experience multitudes of digital environments. The HIVE will double as teaching space for MATC and an attraction for Discovery World visitors.
Next door, MATC will acquire 6,000 square feet of high-tech classroom space. MATC also will gain instructional use of Discovery World digital theaters. In return, the college is purchasing $3 million worth of multimedia and high-definition video equipment for the creation of science- and technology-based educational programming. Milwaukee Public Television, a viewer-supported service of MATC, is expected to broadcast and distribute some of the programming and provide production support. The college and Discovery World will share in the revenue from educational programs created through the collaboration.
MATC programs expected to use the center include Graphic Design, E-Commerce/Web Administration, Photography, Computer Information Systems, and Television and Video Production. Students from these and other areas will devise applications for the technology on which they’re learning, said Michael Walsh, dean of Business and Information Technology. “This represents a breakthrough in how people use technology,” Walsh said.
Walsh expects the new center to graduate about 100 students per year. “MATC wants to be the state leader in training new communications professionals for an interactive, digital world,” he added.
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The HIVE (Human Interactive Virtual Environment) will provide MATC students with a one-of-a-kind learning experience.
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Officially launching the partnership after more than a year of talks, leaders of MATC and umbrella organization Pier Wisconsin Ltd. signed a 10-year licensing agreement June 27. “Once parameters were agreed upon, things moved quickly, thanks largely to the vision of Michael Cudahy,” said Darnell E. Cole, MATC president. Cudahy co-chairs Discovery World’s board of directors along with Frank Steeves, who was also the founder of the not-for-profit organization that constructed the S/V Denis Sullivan and is developing Pier Wisconsin.
“We are excited about the new learning opportunities for our students and teaching opportunities for our faculty,” Cole continued. “Students are guaranteed an amazing experience, because this will be one of the most advanced educational facilities of its kind. We see it as a major enhancement to MATC, Discovery World and the greater Milwaukee community.”
“The collaboration is an ideal fit for both partners and a highly creative business model,” added Christine Rodriguez, president and CEO of Discovery World. “Interactive and experiential learning derived from the HIVE will be an important part of Discovery World’s quest to connect innovation and technology with exploration and the environment.”
Possibilities Virtually Endless
The HIVE will enable visitors to experience a high-touch, 360° learning environment. “Imagine creating a virtual representation of yourself going back to the 1850s to test water to discover the source of typhoid at that time,” said Paul Krajniak, executive director of Discovery World. “Or, virtually experimenting with the atmosphere around you to simulate weather patterns in different parts of the globe. The HIVE has the potential to change the way people view the world.”
Preliminary plans call for Discovery World to develop youth-oriented science and technology programming for broadcast on Milwaukee Public Television, other public television stations and closed-cable systems such as schools or community centers. These shows would originate from Discovery World, which could eventually be part of a full-time local digital channel with content centered on innovation. Programming also will be developed for use at Discovery World in support of exhibit displays, the HIVE and two digital theaters.
“It will be fascinating to see how all of this unfolds,” said Ellis Bromberg, Milwaukee Public Television general manager. “The partnership presents us with some unique and exciting programming opportunities. Discovery World brings incredible creativity to the table. We are eager to begin working together.”
MATC's contribution further enhances an already-ambitious lakefront development. Discovery World at Pier Wisconsin will include the Great Lakes Aquatarium, the Milwaukee Rotary Amphitheater, the Jeffry A. Posner Promenade, Posner Park and headquarters and summer berth for the tall ship SV Denis Sullivan. For program information, call Kae DonLevy, (414) 276-7700, ext. 37. Visit www.discoveryworld.org or www.pierwisconsin.org.
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