The AlloSphere Research Facility at UC Santa Barbara: “We represent data”
Just the other day, I had the pleasure of speaking with Professor JoAnn Kuchera-Morin, the director of the AlloSphere research facility at UC Santa Barbara.
How did the concept come about? Why is it different from other virtual reality environments?
Professor Kuchera-Morin discusses how 40 million dollars worth of research partnerships was raised, leading to the construction of the AlloSphere building.
The idea was to bring visual artists and engineers together through collaboration.
Professor Kuchera-Morin discussed the importance of:
- The benefits that come from a mutual partnership between scientists and artists.
- The importance of “approaching and taming the beast [computer]” when it comes to mapping abstract data, not being afraid to join forces with computer scientists and material engineers.
- Bringing entertainment, visual arts, computer science, and engineering together: “we represent data.”
The AlloSphere is the culmination of different laboratories, bringing all divisions together in one location.
Why?
Professor Kuchera-Morin simply states, “to make incredible science and do it right.”
The ultimate goal is to maintain data and experimental credibility, because the proper environment has been set up for all different fields of creativity.
Whether your expertise is music, nano science, or material engineering, all information is located in the same place for everyone to access.
This is why the AlloSphere is different than other virtual reality environments like the Planetarium, because massive amounts of scientific data have been brought under one roof that then becomes accessible to all who seek to compute their data, no matter what form it’s in.
The AlloSphere space consists of a 3-story cube that is “treated with extensive sound absorption material, making it one of the largest anechoic chambers in the world,” this is unlike anything ever done in a Planetarium.
Besides the impressive audio capabilites, the AlloSphere also delivers high-resolution 3D video streams.
When all three schools of thought join together, what can be achieved through this sort of cooperation is boundless.
The AlloSphere and Professor Kuchera-Morin’s innovative advances should not only be admired, but also emulated because bringing people together is how we continually expand our research and designs.
The dedication, effort, and patience put into the AlloSphere final product is nothing short of genius.
