New Ph.D. In Visual Computing And Interactive Media To Debut In Fall Semester
A doctorate in Visual Computing and Interactive Media will debut in the fall semester to complement the programs in Visualization. It is the first doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in the Texas A&M College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts.
Visual computing and interactive media play an essential part of everyday life, said Don House, interim program director for the degree and senior professor. A smartphone is a perfect example, he said, as everything within it is run by programs that use the science and technology of visual computing, while the device itself is a form of interactive media.
“This is real, and it affects our lives,” he said. “The Ph.D. program will be working on techniques to advance the science and technology that make things like your phone and your computer work better — to do more fantastic things.”
Tim McLaughlin, dean of the College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts, said the program provides another way that the college and Texas A&M will be able to contribute to defining the field of visual computing and interactive media, as well as the transference and application of emerging technologies to the state’s industries and arts.
“The collection of resources available in the college and the timing of this degree relative to the rapid growth in uses of visual computing, machine learning and interactive technologies are ideal for the success of the program’s graduates,” he said.
The degree has long been a passion for House, who joined Texas A&M in 1992 as director of Visualization programs, when Visualization was a lab within the College of Architecture. House brought a computer science background to his role with a focus on curriculum development for the Master of Science in Visualization Sciences.
House helped the lab grow into a department in 2007 — led by McLaughlin — which allowed it to develop a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Fine Arts degree alongside the original Master of Science in Visualization Sciences program.
The following year, House joined Clemson University, where he helped to develop its M.F.A. curriculum in Digital Production Arts. He retired in 2017, but returned to Texas A&M in 2021 on a part-time basis. As the College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts came together in 2022, McLaughlin — now dean of the new college — asked House to focus on the creation of the Ph.D. program.
That singular concentration on creating the degree proposal and pushing it through was essential to getting it across the finish line, House said, as was the development of a strong, tech-oriented core faculty — 11 Ph.D. faculty members — to support the degree.
“Dr. House is a pioneer in computer graphics,” McLaughlin said. “His understanding is not only the computer science aspects of the curriculum but the relationship of the science to the human experience through visual art and design and interaction design. He sees these areas as inseparably entwined for the future of visual computing, and this was critical for the goals of the program.”
House noted that discussions about this degree among Visualization faculty go all the way back to 2008. After a 17-year journey, it is now a reality.
“It feels like a huge relief,” House said. “It’s very exciting.”
Areas of Emphasis
Students admitted to the program should be equipped to take on advanced academic studies and original field research, House said. They should have a multidisciplinary background in arts and sciences, and be skilled in computer science and mathematics.
Among the key areas studied are shape modeling; image analysis and synthesis; computer graphics; game design and development; digital twins; virtual and augmented reality; and human-robot interaction.
Artificial intelligence and its integration with visual data will play a significant role in the program, House said. The application of AI is enhancing everyday devices and major industries — including health care and aerospace — and powering advancements in data visualization, animation, robotics and human-computer interaction, he said.
As an example, House referred to machine vision — using computers to analyze visual content. He pointed to work by Suryansh Kumar, assistant professor in visual computing and computational media, in which images are used to create 3D models.
“Let’s say you’re taking photographs of a statue, where you have one or two or three different angles,” House said. “His work would allow you to take those images and turn them into a three-dimensional model of that statue. So now you could — in the computer — view that statue from any view; fly over the top of it and go under it as if it really existed in a three-dimensional space.”
Courses and Research
Two required courses will be taken in the first semester: Introduction to Deep Learning for Visual Computing and Interactive Media and Introduction to Research in Visual Computing and Interactive Media.
These provide a foundation in techniques used in the field and establish the degree’s research focus, House said. Students will meet each of the program’s core faculty members, who will describe their work and the tools they employ. The final project in the research course is a mock research paper, so that each student knows all that goes into writing a paper with the goal of getting it published.
Five prescribed electives will include at least two courses in computer graphics and data visualization, and at least one in visual arts and aesthetics; motion and animation; and interaction and gaming.
“We think of this program as highly interdisciplinary,” House said. “Students should at least have an acquaintance with all the areas that impact the field, and we thought this was a good representation. We wanted to make sure they have exposure to each of the main areas, but with more emphasis on the technical side. They’re going to need those technical skills to push the field forward to make advancements.”
Research is the dominant requirement in the degree with a minimum of three credits each semester, and a targeted increase to six in the summer, House said. This helps students develop to where they’re not just practitioners in the field but also pushing the state of the art, he said.
“These students will become the inventors who help drive the field forward, and research is the way that happens,” he said. “You’re developing expertise in an area to the point where you can make a contribution to the field.
“Our students will be writing research papers about the work they do, but I suspect most are going to be innovators too. They’re going to actually create new tools, new techniques. So they will be implementers as well as being theoretically based.”
‘High Profile’
Many students who earn the degree will move toward an academic career, House said. He estimates the majority will serve as visual computing research scientists.
“All the big companies — NVIDIA, Google, Meta, Amazon — are very strongly technically based and have major research labs,” he said. “They’re always looking for good people.”
The program will be one of few in the world with such a broad foundation in areas relating to visual computing, House said.
“Most people who end up in this field get a degree in Computer Science, and then have to develop all this other expertise on the side,” he said. “The non-computer science stuff is a fundamental part of our program, as opposed to something students have to pull in from the outside. So I’d say it’s going to be a very unique program and serve a unique need.”
House calls it a “jewel in the crown of the college.”
“Universities are typically known by what they are doing to push the state of the art,” he said. “I think this program is going to be one that people will look to: ‘If you want to study this, go to Texas A&M.’ That’s going to be great for the college, to have a program that is going to be very high profile.”
Top photo: A student wears a mixed reality headset to visualize virtual guidance on how to complete a maintenance procedure in a simulated ship. Photo by Justin Kling.
