Professional Experience

Assistant Professor, Department of Media Study (DMS), University at Buffalo (UB), 2000 - present

• Courses: virtual reality (VR) production, interactive media analysis, interactive fiction theory and practice
  
• Curriculum development: "digital" component of Media Studies BA, MAH and MFA degrees
• Facilities development: immersive VR studio & linux lab for students studying realtime, interactive computer graphics.

• Production of Interactive Drama in VR, "Human Trails" (current) " The Trial The Trail "  (current), "The Thing Growing" (1997-2001). This activity includes embodied and virtual performance with networked  actors, and research into intelligent actor agents. 
  
• Collaboration on a series of networked VR art exhibitions, viewed simultaneously by audiences in the US, Europe, South America and Japan. Development of  networked art piece "PAAPAB" (2001 - 05) for these exhibitions. 
• Other VR-related art collaborations include: interactive wall installation,  “Falling Over You” (2003), networked VR cultural heritage project "Shared Miletus," (coordinator/programmer, 2000); virtual reality experience “The Multi-Mega Book in the CAVE"” (coordinator/programmer 1996-7).
• VR projects involving scientific visualization and industrial application include, "Enhancing Crystal Structure Determination through Data Mining, Collaborative Environments, and Grid Computing" (2002-3), "Interactive welding application" for Fronius, an Austrian welding company (1997)
• Research on low-cost VR solutions, development Low Cost VR Systems for the Department of Media Study, UB, and use of system to direct the creation of VR art projects by UB Students. 
• Artist in Residence, Ars Electronica Center (AEC), Linz, Austria, May- Aug 1997

• 1983 – 1999:  Collaboration with Julie Zando as a writer, performer and producer on a series of award winning, experimental video tapes. "The Apparent Trap" (performer, 1999); "Uh-Oh" (producer, 1994); "The Bus Stops Here" (writer/producer/performer, 1990); "The Ah-Ha! Experience," (writer, 1988); "Let's Play Prisoners" (writer/performer, 1988); "Hey Bud" (performer, 1987);  "Fru-Fru Le Bon Weston Goes to the Soft Seas" (performer 1983).
• 1985 – 1996:  Production of a series of short stories. Two have been published, one is a self-published hyper-text, one is a video tape. "The House of Nishime", 1996; "Les Girls", 1996; "Dwayne Loves Johnny Coggio", 1995; "Let's Play Prisoners", 1988.
• 1994: Produced a 30 minute documentary on BlackFeet Women Forest Fire Fighters which aired on NPR's Horizons, "Battling the Heat: BlackFeet Women Fire-Fighters." Produced a five minute report of the same material which aired on the BBC's Woman's Hour, "BlackFeet Firewomen". 1994

• Juror, Worldwide Student Competition for Best Digital Short Video using Special Effects and/or 3D Animation, Virtuality 2005, the 6th International Conference on Digital Cinema, Virtual Reality, Computer Graphics, (3D) Animation and Visual Effects, Turin, Italy, Nov 2005
  
• Panel Chair, Virtual Theater,  Virtuality 2005, Turin, Italy, Nov 2005
  
• Organizer, Virtual Theater VR Exhibit, Virtuality 2005, Turin, Italy, Nov 2005
  
• Reviewer for CUNY Collaborative Incentive Research Grant Program, 2004
  
• Workshop co-organizer, "VR for Public Consumption," IEEEVR 2004 conference, Chicago IL
• NSF Reveiw Panel 2004, Washington DC
• Juror, Medi@terra 2002,  judging the Best Project in the Artificial Entities Category, Athens, Greece
• Panel Chair, SIGGRAPH 2001, The CAVE and Beyond: VR Art in Museums and Galleries, LA, CA
• Panel Chair, SIGGRAPH 1998,  Chair of the Interactive Installations Panel, Gallery Talks, LA, CA

• Master of Fine Arts in Electronic Visualization, University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC),  2000
• Master of Arts in American Studies/Women's Studies,  University at Buffalo, State University of New York, 1986
• Bachelor of Arts (hons) in English Studies, University of East Anglia, Norwich, England, 1977

• Dr. Nuala McGann Drescher Award: Affirmative Action/Diversity Leave Program,  State of New York/United University Professions Joint Labor-Management Committee 2005 – 2006
  
• IRCAF Grant: "Virtual Drama with Intelligent Agents," University at Buffalo, PI, 2003
• Young Investigator Award: Exceptional Scholars Program, University at Buffalo, 2003
• NSF Award 0204918: ITR: Enhancing Crystal Structure Determination through Data Mining, Collaborative Environments, and Grid Computing, Co-PI, 2002-3
• Faculty Development Grant: Awarded Education Technology Grant, by the Faculty Development Committee of the University at Buffalo, 2001
• Foreign Title Award: "The Multi Mega Book in the CAVE," in the Theatre and Exhibition Section of Multimedia Grand Prix '97, Multimedia Content Association of Japan, 1997
• University Fellowship: University of Illinois at Chicago, 1995-1997
• Second Prize: "Uh-Oh", 6th International Video Festival, Cultural Council of the City of Vigo, Spain, 1995
• Chelsea Award for Short Fiction: "Dwayne Loves Johnny Coggio", 1994
• Best Dramatic Video: "The Bus Stops Here", 15th Annual Atlanta Film & Video Festival, 1991
• Best Experimental Video: "Let's Play Prisoners", 13th Annual Atlanta Film & Video Festival, 1989
• Grand Prize: "Let's Play Prisoners", Black Maria Thomas Edison Film & Video Festival 1989

• Have lived and worked on three continents.
• Speak Spanish, French and a little German.
• Practice tai chi and garden.