About Texas A&M University - Department of Visualization

The Department of Visualization - Texas A&M University
College of Architecture - College Station, Texas

The advent of high technology information, imaging, and media systems has fostered a modern renaissance in visualization. During the European Renaissance, many of the period’s great painters were not only artists, but also scientists, architects, and engineers.

Today’s visualizers need skills spanning these older disciplines as well as several new ones, such as computer science, video technology, and psychology. In fact, the range of skills is so broad that no one person can truly master them all, and the solitary genius has been replaced by the collaborative team. Strong participants on such teams have both expertise in a specialty area and the broad background necessary for effective collaboration with other team members.

The Texas A&M University Visualization Laboratory was established in 1988. The academic program started one year later. The Visualization Laboratory and Visualization academic program were created in response to clear indications that digital visualization was going to play a highly important role in digital communication.

The Department of Visualization seeks to advance the art, science, and technology of visualization through developing and engaging in visual, intuitive, and analytical strategies of the mind. Academic programs include the B.S and M.S. in Visualization, with approximately 280 students. MFA and Ph.D. programs in Visualization are in proposal stages. The role of the 14 faculty members is the development and implementation of emerging methods for enhancing understanding and gaining insight through visual means in teaching, research, and creative works including the historical roots, ethical implications, and future directions of the field.

The reputation of our graduates as skilled technical and visual problem solvers has led to strong ties to the animation, visual effects, and game industries. Faculty members are recognized for their scholarly contributions ranging from digitally enabled installations to computational modeling and perception. The academic programs and faculty research and creative works are supported by the resources of the Visualization Laboratory.

Further information about the Department of Visualization is available at http://www.viz.tamu.edu/.