Symposium on Education in Entertainment and Engineering
What is the Symposium?
The live entertainment industry presents increasingly complex challenges for technicians—whether in small community theatres or in large theme parks. At the same time, the shape of post-secondary education is changing—with an increasing emphasis on hands-on learning and outcome-based instructional design becoming the norm. At the convergence of these threads is the need to effectively prepare and educate students to enter the rapidly changing world of live entertainment technology.
Typically held in late July, the annual Symposium on Education in Entertainment and Engineering highlights advances, challenges, and trends in curricular design, instructional design, academic research, and cross-disciplinary work related to the intersection of engineering and live entertainment. This symposium is specifically aimed at building bridges between two exceptionally different academic and professional cultures and practices; presentations come from many different backgrounds and academic experiences. Symposium topics explore the interstitial spaces amongst the disciplines of engineering, theatre technology, and education.
Highlights of the upcoming symposium
Keynote with Josh Grow, Vice President of Studio Core Technology at Sphere Entertainment Company
As Senior Vice President, Studio Core Technology at Sphere Entertainment Co., Josh Grow oversees infrastructure that supports Sphere Studios’ core technology functions. This includes architecting the digital pipeline from camera to screen utilizing various software used to create content, as well as data storage and data transfer from Sphere Studios in Burbank to the Sphere venue in Las Vegas.
Prior to joining Sphere Entertainment in 2020, Josh’s career spans positions of increasing responsibility across the entertainment and technology sectors. This includes at The Creative-Cartel, a full production service company focused on visual effects production management and digital pipelines. During his tenure at The Creative-Cartel, Josh led a team dedicated to streamlining digital pipelines and developing cutting-edge software solutions, including the development of a unique production software suite, JOUST, and innovative tools for organizing, transcoding, and securely distributing footage. His prior experience also includes roles at The Walt Disney Studios and Sony Pictures Imageworks.
Josh graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and Technology, with a focus on Spatial Animation.
Presentations, panels, and sessions
A special presentation by Darth Rappers, a middle-school FIRST Robotics team on their design of “A Multisensory System Comprising Audio, Tactile, and Haptic Feedback to Enable the Visually Challenged to Learn and Perform Dance
Accreditation challenges and opportunities in cross-disciplinary curricula (Matthew Ohland, Dale and Suzi Gallagher Professor and Associate Head of Engineering Education)
Industry/Academia Partnerships for developing robust, real-world project work for courses and capstones (Aaron Ramsey, Director of Industry Relations, School of Industrial Engineering, Purdue University; Chris Rogers, Associate Professor and Program Director for Themed Entertainment Design, Purdue University; Chris Conti, Chief Innovation Officer, PRG)
Past Symposium Books
July 28-29, 2023
West Lafayette, Indiana