Computer science professor receives Academy Award
Guardian
UCSD computer science professor Henrik Wann Jensen will receive a Technical Achievement Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for leading the field in photo-realistic and computer generated humans in the movies. Jensen, along with colleagues Pat Hanrahan of Stanford University and Stephen Marschner of Cornell University, will be recognized for their research in simulating subsurface scattering of light in translucent materials during a ceremony on Jan. 14.
The three jointly published ³Practical Model for Subsurface Light Transport.² Jensen, the principal author of the paper, provided a model for translating light effects on translucent surfaces.
Jensen has previously been asked to speak at major visual effects companies such as Industrial Light and Magic and Pixar, where such new technology is being used. Jensen developed a method called Œphoton mapping¹ in the 1990s to replicate the look of light from several sources.
Photon mapping is now widely used in the computer-graphics industry, but researchers found that the process fails on translucent materials such as milk, marble and snow. Jensen¹s method has been implemented in movies such as ³Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets² and the second and third installments of the ³Lord of the Rings² trilogy. The award ceremony will be held at the Ritz Carlton Huntington Hotel in Pasadena, Calif.
Filmless imaging minimizes patient inconvenience
UCSD Healthcare no longer uses tangible film for radiographic studies, and have moved on to filmless imagery that minimizes patient inconvenience and potential damage or loss of film.
UCSD has been using a Picture Archive and Communication system since 2000, when such digital modalities as CT, MRI, ultrasound and nuclear medicine were put online. Now, however, UCSD Healthcare is taking a further step by putting online non-digital modalities such as x-rays, angiograms, and in the near future, mammography online.
This system allows clinicians to view the images from their offices, homes, when they¹re traveling or even in the operating room. The online storage also allows multiple people to view the images simultaneously, in the case of a telephone consultation, and preserves the image quality indefinitely.
For patients who want a physical copy of their studies, UCSD Medical Centers at Hillcrest and Thornton will have the ability to copy the studies onto compact discs that will be compatible with any standard PC.
KAPLAN hosts med school applications workshop
An interactive medical school application workshop will be held on Jan. 24 at Liebow Auditorium in the UCSD School of Medicine from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Sponsored by KAPLAN, the event will include UCLA medical school admissions committee member Houman Hemmati. The workshop will provide participants tips on taking the MCAT, writing their admissions essay and how to strengthen interview skills.
On Jan. 28, second- and third-year medical students will share their experiences at Liebow Auditorium from 5:30-6:30 p.m. The students will speak on living through medical school and give advice on admissions.
Lecture to discuss liberal arts curriculum on Jan. 22
UCSD Center for Humanities will host a lecture on Jan. 22 entitled ³Teaching Undergraduates at a Research University: Arts, Humanities, and Sciences² to discuss the liberal arts curriculum at American universities. The lecture will feature chemistry and biochemistry professor Thomas Bond, literature professor Stephen Cox and visual arts professor Kim Macconel. Speakers will discuss the role of a liberal arts education and how it assists students in living in a democratic society.
The panel will discuss the goals of higher education, its role in training students in intellectual capacities, and in becoming active members of the society. Speakers will also debate on whether there are specific subjects that students should be required to take regardless of their major and whether there are certain skills that all students should develop.
Audience members will be invited to participate to discuss the proper role of undergraduate curriculum.
The lecture is open to the public and will be held at Peterson Hall 110 at 7 p.m.
