Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology launches new competition, Creativity on Campus

Virginia Tech’s Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology challenges all students, faculty, and staff to submit anything that speaks to them as an excellent example of creativity to the new Creativity on Campus monthly competition. Creativity can come in all shapes and sizes, from songs to graphs, paintings to diagrams, animations to research posters — nearly anything is eligible.

Submissions must be the individual’s own original work, or submitters must have permission from all co-creators to enter a work in the competition. Currently only “softcopy” submissions can be accepted through the competition’s online submission form, which is accessible only to people with a current Virginia Tech PID and password. To enter works in non-electronic original form, such as paintings or dances, submitters are encouraged to send in photos, scans, or videos representing their work. Submissions for each month are accepted until 5 p.m. on the last weekday of the month. The first competition closes on Wednesday, Oct. 31.

A monthly winner will be selected by a panel of Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology faculty and staff, including R. Benjamin Knapp, founding director of the institute and professor in the College of Engineering’s Department of Computer Science; Adam Soccolich, operations manager; and the institute’s studio heads:

• Liesl Baum, research associate; and head, IDEAStudio;
• Ico Bukvic, assistant professor, Department of Music, College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences; and head,  IMPACT Studio;
• Yong Cao, assistant professor, Department of Computer Science, College of Engineering; and head, IMAGE Studio;
• Steve Harrison, research scientist, Department of Computer Science, College of Engineering; and head,  IMPLEMENT Studio;
• Andy Morikawa, fellow, Institute for Policy and Governance, College of Architecture and Urban Studies and Outreach and International Affairs; and head, INTERACT Studio; and
• Dane Webster, associate professor and director of the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Technologies program, School of Visual Arts, College of Architecture and Urban Studies; and head, IMAGE Studio.

The panel will select winners based on which entry the majority believes is the most impactful or strongest example of creativity. The winners will be announced on the Creativity on Campus website and in the institute’s monthly email newsletter.

Winners in October, November, and December 2012 will each receive a $50 gift certificate to Amazon. In January 2014, Knapp will select the first grand prize student winner, who will be considered a top candidate for a one-year Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology student fellowship.

“As the research institute that brings together science, engineering, art, and design, the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology is uniquely focused on fostering creativity not only for faculty looking to expand on their work in a media lab setting, but for students looking to position themselves competitively for today’s job market, which demands creativity and collaboration of its workforce,” said Knapp.

Knapp’s own research, which combines his two areas of expertise — science and music — will be the subject of his TedXVirginiaTech talk about “Emotion as an Instrument” at the daylong event on Nov. 10, 2012, exploring the theme of “knowing.”