Sponsored by Disney and Target, IMMERSION 2014 features Disney Animation Studios, the Smithsonian, Google, Microsoft, Stratasys, Oculus, Oracle, Bitcoin and more.

BOSTON, MA - May 15, 2014 -- The Immersive Education Initiative today announced that Melissa Carrillo, Director of New Media and Technology at the Smithsonian Latino Center, will keynote the IMMERSION 2014 Arts & Culture reception at the J. Paul Getty Museum (The Getty Center) in Los Angeles, California, this June. During this special event a panel of five Smithsonian experts will share cutting-edge cultural practices that redefine traditional methods of presentation, documentation, collection and preservation in the Age of Immersion. 

For event details and tickets visit  http://summit.ImmersiveEducation.org

Interviews and complementary Media and Press Passes are available upon request.

Sponsored by Disney and Target, and hosted by The Getty and Loyola Marymount University in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution,  IMMERSION 2014 features speakers and exhibits by Disney Animation Studios, the Smithsonian Institution, Google, Microsoft, Stratasys, Oculus, Oracle, Bitcoin and more. 

Building on the success of the previous 8 years of Immersive Education conferences in Boston, the world's leading experts in immersion and immersive technology convene June 6-8 in Los Angeles California for  IMMERSION 2014.

IMMERSION 2014 addresses the personal and cultural impact of digital technologies such as wearable computing (e.g., Google Glass and Oculus Rift), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MXR), mechanical and neural interfaces, affective computing (systems that can recognize, interpret, process, and simulate human feelings and emotions), neuro-gaming technologies (that are used to create adaptive and radically compelling game experiences), 3D printing, personal robotics, virtual currencies and economies (universal digital micropayments, Bitcoin and related cryptocurrencies), telepresence, virtual worlds, simulations, game-based learning and training systems, immersive MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), and fully immersive environments such as caves and domes. 

Modules include Arts & Culture, Entertainment, Human-Computer Interaction, a screening and panel discussion of the movie HER, Immersive Teaching & Learning, and Business and Economics.

During her keynote address Ms. Carrillo will discuss the impact of immersion from a cultural heritage perspective:

“Re-defining curatorial practices has been the outcome of the digital revolution on museums. From social media to avatar-driven environments to augmented reality, we continue to reinterpret and represent cultural heritage from fresh new spaces that provide us with expanded possibilities alongside a wealth of challenges. The Smithsonian Institution has been at the forefront of digital immersion and an industry leader in the representation and interpretation of cultural heritage through trans-media storytelling. 

During my IMMERSION 2014 keynote address I will provide an overview of key Smithsonian initiatives that have contributed to and driven innovative curatorial practices at the Institution. I will introduce several of those innovators, as they join me in a panel discussion.  I will also discuss the Smithsonian Latino Virtual Museum (LVM), an innovative online transmedia resource that I have been directing for nine years. In the virtual museum’s early development back in 2006, the goal was to establish an online identity that would promote cultural heritage through engaging, content-rich and Latino-centric virtual learning environments. Today, LVM has evolved into a unique model for exploring cultural identity through the lens of trans-media storytelling. 

Whether it’s exploring the body politic through the eyes of an avatar, experiencing Smithsonian Latino art collections through 3D visualizations, or experiencing participatory adventures in real-time, one thing stands consistent throughout: This is about our stories, and telling those untold stories that make up the tapestry of the American Experience.”  — Melissa A. Carrillo, Smithsonian Latino Center

PRESS CONTACT:

Barbara Mikolajczak 
Immersive Education Initiative 
http://ImmersiveEducation.org 
Email Contact
(617) 997-1017

THOUSANDS OF MEMBERS WORLDWIDE
The Immersive Education Initiative is a non-profit international collaboration of educational institutions, research institutes, museums, consortia and companies. The Initiative was established in 2005 with the mission to define and develop standards, best practices, technology platforms, training and education programs, and communities of support for virtual worlds, virtual reality, augmented and mixed reality, simulations, game-based learning and training systems, and fully immersive environments such as caves and domes.

Thousands of faculty, researchers, staff and administrators are members of the Initiative, who together service millions of academic and corporate learners worldwide.

Speakers at Immersive Education events have included faculty, researchers, staff, administrators and professionals from Boston College, Harvard University (Harvard Graduate School of Education, Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School, and Harvard Kennedy School of Government), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), MIT Media Lab, The Smithsonian Institution, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), Federation of American Scientists (FAS), United States Department of Education, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Temple University, Stanford University, Internet 2, Cornell University, Loyola Marymount University, Southeast Kansas Education Service Center, Kauffman Foundation, Amherst College, Boston Library Consortium, Stratasys Ltd., South Park Elementary School, Duke University, Oracle, Sun Microsystems, Turner Broadcasting, Open Wonderland Foundation, Gates Planetarium, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Intel, University of Maryland College Park, realXtend (Finland), Computerworld, The MOFET Institute (Israel), Keio University (Japan), National University of Singapore (NUS), Coventry University (UK), Giunti Labs (Italy) and European Learning Industry Group, Open University (UK), Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (Spain), University of Oulu (Finland), Royal Institute of Technology (Sweden), École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs (EnsAD; France), Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya (Israel), Graz University of Technology (Austria), University of West of Scotland (UK), University of Essex (UK), Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain), University of Vienna (Austria), Government of New South Wales (Australia), Eötvös Loránd Tudományegyetem (Hungary), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS; Brazil) and many more world-class organizations.

For more details visit the IMMERSION 2014 website at  http://summit.ImmersiveEducation.org