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ICAT Creativity + Innovation Day 2022

May 2, 2022

ICAT Creativity + Innovation Day 2022

ICAT Creativity + Innovation Day traverses the boundaries of science, engineering, arts, and design as it both amplifies and unplugs the voices, the arts, and future of Virginia Tech. 

Each spring, we celebrate creativity and innovation at the convergence of science, engineering, arts and design. We are planning to hold the event in person this year. The celebration includes a day of project exhibits, a panel discussion, and an experimental computer music concert.

Congratulations to Judges' Choice and People's Choice awards winners for the 2022 ICAT Creativity + Innovation Day. 

Judges’ Choice

The Judges’ Choice award is given to three individual exhibits that judges find intriguing and appealing based on their work with the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology. Judges are members of the ICAT Advisory Board, which is made up of thought leaders in industry and education who provide input to ICAT leadership. Advisory Board members look for impact on the broader community and alignment with the event theme. 

The 2022 Judges' Choice winners are:

The Tell-Tale He[AR]t - well described and well executed. Strong interdisciplinary aspects and a nice crossover of artistic presentation using technology as a means of capturing new audiences. The collaborative elements that came together (graphic design, sound design, and creative tech) to create what looks like beautiful execution stands out.  In many ways, its experience is rooted in simplicity, but it's been created through layers of complexity.  As noted on their website, their theatrical performance needed to extend its reach. By creating this storybook, they extended the reach and impact of their art.

Hokienauts - A pick because it was student focused, with clearly articulated goals.  It also appeared to employ fun, engaging and future thinking research that culminated in a capstone experience at NASA. Love the term “Hokienauts.” This project is a perfect example of different disciplines (graphic design, software engineering, and hardware engineering) coming together to work toward a common goal.  These handoffs are key to understanding where expertise on a topic lies, learning from other disciplines, and empathizing with different perspectives.  It's certainly impactful for the students.  

Robot Musical Theater for STEAM - Very creative approach to engaging STEAM audiences. Overall this project seemed like a strong, interdisciplinary effort to creatively engage audiences in STEAM topics. This stands out as key contributor to experiences children can learn from and remember. The integration into the after-school program is noteworthy and directly contributes to its impact.  

People's Choice

The People’s Choice award is given to the exhibit that creates the most memorable audience experience by capturing the hearts and minds of event attendees. Exhibits should exemplify excellent two-way communication with visitors and engage them in their work beyond the surface level. ICAT Creativity + Innovation Day is a community event and presenters with enthusiasm and zeal will be recognized for their inspiring presentations. Visitors were encouraged to explore all of the exhibits at the event, and online votes were tallied to determine a winner.

The 2022 People's Choice winner is: 

Arts in XR: Enjoying immersive art as a social experience

Audience comments include:

  • Love the demo
  • Really interesting and was incredibly immersed!
  • Fantastically immersive and a great exhibition of what the technology can do!
  • Very neat
  • such a great experience!
  • Was lit

Thanks to all the amazing exhibitors and to the team organizing the event. Job well done! 

SCHEDULE

May 1:

  • 7:00 PM
    BioTech Couture Fashion show
    Creativity + Innovation District Living Learning Community Performance Hall

May 2: 

  • 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
    Exhibits open
    Moss Arts Center
  • 3:00 PM
    BioTech Couture Fashion show
    CID LLC Community Assembly
  • 3:30 PM
    Panel discussion to Amplify {voices, arts, future} Unplugged
    CID LLC Community Assembly
  • 4:15 PM
    Awards presentations
    CID LLC Community Assembly
  • 6:00 PM
    Virginia Tech New Music + Technology Festival 

May 3:

  • 6:00 PM
    Virginia Tech New Music + Technology Festival 

May 4:

  • 6:00 PM
    Virginia Tech New Music + Technology Festival

EXHIBITS

PANEL DISCUSSION

We will close out this year’s celebration of creativity and innovation with a panel discussion featuring three thought leaders from Virginia Tech's faculty to speak to the themes of voices, the arts, and the future. Andrea Baldwin’s black feminism will represent voices. Meredith Drum will bring her deep understanding of the arts and caring. And Tom Martin’s research in the future of work will represent the future. Together with moderator Lisa McNair, they will consider thoughtfully where we go from here through the lens of amplifying and unplugging. Exhibit awards will be presented immediately following the panel discussion.

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VOICES

Andrea N. Baldwin

Andrea N. Baldwin is an Assistant professor in the Africana  and Women’s and Gender Studies programs at Virginia Tech.  She is an attorney-at-law who also holds a masters degree in International trade policy and a Ph.D. in Gender and Development Studies. She has several publications including her recently published book monograph A Decolonial Black Feminist Theory of Reading and Shade: Feeling the University (Routledge,  2021), and a 2019 co-edited volume Standpoints: Black Feminist Knowledges (Virginia Tech Publishing).  Dr. Baldwin was born and raised on the small Caribbean island state of Barbados and considers herself an all-around Caribbean woman and loves everything coconut and soca.


ARTS

Meredith Drum

Meredith Drum is an interdisciplinary artist working with animation, installation, augmented reality, video, and various modes of public participation. Her projects center around the cultivation of care for others, both humans and nonhumans. She often exhibits in New York City, her former home, including a 2020 solo screening at Microscope Gallery. She also presents internationally including at the International Symposium on Electronic Arts (ISEA) 2022 in Barcelona, ES; ISEA 2020 in Montreal, CA; ISEA 2018 in Durban South Africa; ISEA 2017 in Manizales, Colombia; ISEA 2014 in the UAE. She has been supported by grants and residencies from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, the Bronx Museum of the Arts, the Atlantic Center for the Arts, the Wassaic Project, the Experimental Television Center,  ISSUE Project Room, Wave Farm Transmission Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts, among others. She loves teaching and serves happily as an assistant professor in the School of Visual Arts at Virginia Tech. She is committed to taking care of the land where she lives, which is within the Tutelo/Monacan People's homeland. 


FUTURE

Tom Martin

Tom Martin is a professor in the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech, with courtesy appointments in the School of Architecture + Design, the Department of Engineering Education, and the Department of Computer Science.  He is the Deputy Executive Director of ICAT. He received his Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.  His research and teaching interests include wearable computing, electronic textiles, and interdisciplinary design teams for pervasive computing.

Questions? Contact Phyllis Newbill at pnewbill@vt.edu.