UMD News Releases

Who:

UMD Chancellor Lendley C. (Lynn) Black

School of Fine Arts Dean William Payne

Associate Professor of Biomechanics Morris Levy

What:

Grand Opening, tour, demonstrations, and ribbon cutting of UMD’s Motion and Media Across Disciplines Lab (MMAD Lab)

Demonstrations include live dance analysis with Vicon motion capture, chroma-key studio drama, and virtual checkers

When:

Friday, April 3

10:15 a.m. - interviews

10:30 a.m. – ribbon cutting, speeches, and demonstrations

Where:

24A Bohannon Hall, 1207 Ordean Court

Duluth, MN — UMD is celebrating the grand opening of its Motion and Media Across Disciplines Lab (MMAD Lab) on Friday, April 3 from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Interviews, a ribbon cutting, and demonstrations begin at 10:15 a.m. The MMAD Lab is in 24A Bohannon Hall off of Ordean Court.

The MMAD Lab features force plates and 12 Vicon motion capture cameras. The studio is a professional, three camera, live video facility with a switcher, director's box, sustainable LED lighting and light board, a sound booth, and chroma-key (green screen) area.

The concept for the MMAD Lab was formed when the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) of the University of Minnesota posted a call for Research Infrastructure Investment Initiative awards in 2011. Lisa Fitzpatrick, director of the MMAD Lab, gathered a team to write the grant. The authors crossed disciplines and crushed the proverbial silos - Bob Feyen and Pete Willemsen from the Swenson College of Science and Engineering, Tom Isbell and Joellyn Rock from the School of Fine Arts, and Morris Levy from the College of Education and Human Service Professions.

The five researchers who collaborated in the MMAD Lab's creation have set into motion the limitless potential of innovation. “Five years from now, I’m sure there’s going to be people doing things in the MMAD Lab that we never imagined,” says Bob Feyen, associate professor in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering. “That would be a great success.”

Watch what the MMAD Lab can do.