What if every time you sat down to play a video game, the story that unfolded before you was unique to you? That’s the vision of Michael Young, a computer science professor and co-director of the university’s Digital Games Research Center. In this interview with Escapist Magazine, he and Patrick Sebring, lead technical designer at Atomic Games, talk about artificial intelligence in gaming.
Gaming is big business, and researchers and students at NC State are doing some fascinating work in the area. Earlier this year, we posted a few examples of games created last year by students in one of Young’s classes and a link to an article we did last year on gaming at NC State.
The folks in the College of Management are doing some interesting things with social media to provide an inside look into the student experience. The MBA program is doing a video project (above) documenting the experiences of a handful of current students. MBA students Carl Turner and Ryan Mills are blogging (Ryan is spending the fall semester in Denmark). And students in the master of accounting program also are writing about their experiences.
Not to be outdone are economics professor Craig Newmark and finance professor Richard Warr, both of whom post frequently to their blogs.
Below is the roundtable discussion and Q&A with Chancellor Jim Woodward from the Autumn 2009 issue of NC State magazine. A pdf version is also available.
Taking a Hard Look A conversation about NC State’s culture
Three top university officials step down in May and June, after an investigation of a former governor raises questions about a job created for his wife. The chancellor in the interim pledges to create a culture of openness and transparency. The chair of the Board of Trustees appoints a committee to review what happened. Alumni send in letters from all over the world, expressing disappointment and support and asking questions.
Time for some soul-searching.
We asked Chancellor Jim Woodward about his perceptions of the university and plans for moving forward. (See end.) We also asked a group of six people—each with a unique perspective on the events of this summer—to come together in the Park Alumni Center for a freewheeling discussion about the university’s culture, media relations, governance and more.
The participants were: William C. Friday ’41, president emeritus of the UNC System; Suzanne Gordon ’75, chief information officer of SAS and former second vice chair of the NC State Board of Trustees; Dwuan June ’90, assistant news editor at The Washington Post and former editor of Technician; Billy Maddalon ’90, co-owner of Unique Southern Properties and former chair of the Alumni Association Board of Directors; Jim Martin, a chemistry professor and former chair of the NC State Faculty Senate;and Art Padilla ’69, ’71 MS, an expert on leadership in higher education and head of NC State’s Department of Management, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. An edited transcript of their Aug. 4 conversation follows.
—Rebecca Morphis
NC State: Does what happened here recently indicate something about our culture at NC State?
Friday: [I] think what we’ve been going through is a phenomenon that has happened across the country. I mean by that, the intrusion of politics into the life of an academic enterprise. For example, in the state of Illinois this very week, the Board of Trustees there is being asked to resign. Some of them [were appointed] by a previous governor who is now in prison, and [his successor], who is going to go to prison, apparently. The whole thing shows you what politics can do when you get to tampering with the administrative structure of an institution.
I’m not alleging anything here in North Carolina. I don’t know what the true facts will turn out to be. But we do know that rigidity on this point is very critical to the life of a university. A public institution is of the public process, to be sure. We are a creature of the state. We are financed by the state. We serve the state. But that is far and away a role quite different from being in the political life of the state. [Y]ou step across the line once in any substantive way and you’re in trouble, because there’s always the second time, and a third time, and a fourth time, as Illinois is showing you right now. [There are all kinds of questions that remain to be resolved.] So that’s the role of the trustees. Their job is to maintain that posture of open, free inquiry and involvement. (more…)
If you know any high school students who are interested in NC State, encourage them to come out to NC State’s annual Open House on Saturday, Oct. 17. Information sessions and events go from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It’s a great opportunity for students to see campus and to learn about what the university has to offer.
There will be multiple admissions information sessions, walking and bus tours of campus, and information sessions for NC State colleges. Dozens of campus units will have information booths at Carmichael Gymnasium and Talley Student Center. And stick around to watch the NC State volleyball team take on Duke at Reynolds Coliseum at 6 p.m.
A student sits in a "trainer" that was used by aeronautical students to get the feel of flying an airplane. Professor Robert M. Pinkerton, head of the Aeronautical Option Program, stands beside the trainer. (Photograph courtesy of Special Collections, NCSU Libraries)
With all sorts of university-related organizations using Twitter, the popular microblogging site is a wealth of NC State news and info. We have our own feed to help keep you up to date on news from the blog and around campus. We’ve also compiled a list of other Twitter feeds from around campus. If we missed any, add them in the comments or e-mail them to alumniblog@gw.ncsu.edu.
With everything happening here at NC State, we haven’t had a lot of time to post about much else this week. So here’s an NC State news and notes roundup, which we hope to make a twice-a-week feature.
Alumni and other friends often ask our staff members where NC State and its colleges and programs rank. With all the publications and organizations that release university rankings, it can be hard to keep track. NC State has created a really helpful page that provides a comprehensive list of rankings and links so you can see where the university stands.
NC State awarded more than 4,000 degrees at graduation on Saturday. John Seely Brown, co-chair of the Deloitte Center for Edge Innovation, gave the commencement address, and the university gave honorary degrees to Sarita Brown, founding president of Excelencia in Education, and Wayne Fuller, emeritus distinguished professor in statistics and economics at Iowa State University. The News & Observercovered graduation and has more than 100 photos on its multimedia channel.
The videos above are from the games Blackbeard’s Escape and Spectral Assault, both of which were featured at NC State’s recent Computer Game Development Showcase. Students in a class taught by computer science professor Michael Young and industrial design professor Tim Buie ’88, ’98 MID created the games, which they showed off to the public at the Showcase. Student Daniel McKinnon told The News & Observer, “I think we exceeded what we could do. Or maybe I’m happy because I haven’t slept.” (more…)
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