INSTITUTE FOR IDEAS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Fellow at Brown University
Brandon Woodard is a 2nd year PhD fellow at Brown University and graduate researcher for the Brown Visual Computing group under the advisement of Dr. David Laidlaw.
Prior to attending Brown, he received his B.S. in Computer Science at CSUMB and has interned for the MIT Lincoln laboratory, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Intel. He is interested in the intersection of scientific visualization, graphics, and human-computer interaction. His current research is focused on increasing the utility of LiDAR data captured by the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) instrument aboard the International Space Station with inferential data modeling and visualization techniques.
Job Titles:
- Computer Scientist
- Assistant Professor of Computer Science at California Polytechnic State University
Christian Eckhardt, PhD, is a computer scientist, physicist, and software developer. Passionate about travelling the globe, he is dedicated to sharing his multinational experiences with colleagues and students. After studying physics at the Vienna University of Technology where he graduated with an MSc in 2007, Christian continued his academic pursuits as a Computer Scientist, developing 3D simulation, at the Vienna University of Technology until his graduation in 2011. A postdoc appointment at the University of Vienna, one of the most vital ab initio simulation groups, gave him the necessary skills in parallelism: GPGPU, MPI and Open MP - the foundation of his current computer graphics research program.
As an educator, Christian founded the Mixed Reality Lab (MRL) at the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in 2017. The MRL is an graduate research facility emphasizing Mixed Reality, Computer Graphics, Human- Computer Interaction, and Physics Simulations.
In addition, Christian is part of the Immersive Learning Research Network, an ongoing conference series for Mixed Reality Education. Besides his scientific and educational career, he manages several start-ups regarding Avionics, such as Emergency Landing Guidance System (ELGS) and a weather data server and application for off-shore small-bandwidth communications.
Colton Hood, MD MBI is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the George Washington University and has a Master's in Biomedical Informatics from the Oregon Health Sciences University. His interests include clinical informatics in general but also clinical decision support and utilizing technology to improve healthcare outcomes. He is also an active telemedicine researcher and is Assistant fellowship director for the Telemedicine and Digital health fellowship at George Washington University. Dr. Hood built and manages a remote monitoring system for ED discharge patients with COVID.
Job Titles:
- Lecturer, University of Wroclaw Filmmaker and Journalist
Jesse is an American University graduate with degrees in both Computer Science and Communication: Film and Media Arts. He has a passion for interactive media, artificial intelligence, and learning any new skill that he can get his hands on. A former Division I team captain, Jesse spends his free time playing guitar, talking politics, and exploring the city in the quest to find the best bagel.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of Digital Media and Animation, Alfred State College
Job Titles:
- Professor of Media at the American University of Sharjah in the UAE
Job Titles:
- Media from American University