Interactive Computer Graphics Program @ FTC: A Center of Excellence

Jaymes Gabrielli, FTC ICG student, watches high school students explore the VR world he helped create under the supervision of ICG Chair, Paul Lipsky.

This past academic year proved that the Interactive Computer Graphics (ICG) program at Five Towns College is second to none. Spearheaded by Chair Paul Lipsky, the ICG program has literally grown from a concept to a real “center of excellence”.

In fact, Phil Rugile of Innovate LI recently visited the FTC ICG Department and Experience Lab. He writes about “centers of excellence” which Wikipedia says is “a team, a shared facility or an entity that provides leadership, best practices, research support and/or training for a focus area.” Rugile goes on to say “Five Towns is growing this concept [as a center of excellence] in the digital arts and I suspect the outcome will be very exciting.”

Go to http://www.innovateli.com/par-excellence-the-niche-deserve-their-own-coes-too/ to read the full article and to find out why Rugile believes FTC can help propel students forward in this industry.

Interestingly, earlier this semester, FTC had hosted the Long Island Media Arts Show. Then, the institution demonstrated all sorts of cutting-edge technology from Film/Video, Mass Communication, Audio Recording Technology, and Interactive Computer Graphics (ICG).

The ICG Division made a splash with a Virtual Reality booth! Students were lined all the way down the hallway, waiting for their turn to put on a HTC Vive VR headset and visit a computer-generated experience created by Jaymes Gabrielli, a FTC, ICG student. Upon entering this virtually created world, the user would be standing in a virtual ICG lab, which was located on top of a city. Once acclimated to the virtual space, they could begin to explore the environment in a myriad of different ways. From looking at the recreated props and interior work, to hitting home runs from the balcony down into the city streets.

“Creating the app was both fun and rewarding. Under the supervision and tutelage of ICG Chair Paul Lipsky, work on recreating the ICG Lab in VR begun around February of 2019 and we set out to express all of our ideas both functionally and creatively,” shared Gabrielli. “It was a blast to be a part of this from the get-go, seeing the reactions from the students who tried the VR Experience was priceless. With every new person trying on the headset, it felt like a new activity was discovered inside the virtual space.”

This cutting-edge VR technology is just one of the many skills that students have the opportunity to master in the ICG program. The program was developed by experienced professionals looking for a way to converge traditional fine art skills and cutting-edge technology. The result is an innovative program unlike any other. At Five Towns College, ICG students have the opportunity to enroll in a four-year B.F.A. or a two-year, A.A.S. degree path preparing them for careers in 2D/3D animation, motion graphics, virtual reality and emerging creative technologies.

Interested in learning more about FTC’s innovative new program? Contact the Admissions Office at (631) 656-2110 to set up a private tour of the ICG Experience Lab.