The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers® (SMPTE®), the worldwide leader in motion-imaging standards and education for the communications, media, entertainment, and technology industries, today announced that the Society's 2014 Louis F. Wolf Jr. Memorial Scholarship will be presented Oct. 23 during the SMPTE 2014 Honors and Awards Ceremony, supported by IMAX. The ceremony will mark the conclusion of the SMPTE 2014 Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition (SMPTE 2014), held at the Loews Hollywood Hotel in Hollywood, California.
The Louis F. Wolf Jr. Memorial Scholarship is designed to help students further their undergraduate or graduate studies in motion pictures and television, with an emphasis on technology. The 2014 scholarship will be awarded to two students: Victoria K. McGowen and Matthew Ross Donato, both students at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). Each student will receive $1,500 in scholarship funds, and both will be attending SMPTE 2014 to accept their awards.
"The dedication of our two award winners to the motion-imaging field and their remarkable enthusiasm for the field make it a pleasure to recognize Victoria and Matthew with this year's Louis F. Wolf Jr. Memorial Scholarship," said Wendy Aylsworth, SMPTE president and senior vice president of technology at Warner Bros. Technical Operations. "While it is wonderful that this scholarship will support both students' further advancement toward very promising careers, it is equally fabulous that it brings Victoria and Matthew to SMPTE 2014 to join their colleagues in examining and discussing the technologies shaping the motion-picture industries."
McGowen was recognized by the selection committee for her drive and initiative early in her academic career. By the end of her sophomore year at RIT, McGowen already had gained experience working in multiple laboratories, as well as high marks in graduate-level courses. In addition to serving as a lab manager for an RIT lab supporting scientific work on technologies related to the motion-imaging sciences, she has taken on projects including development of a pipeline for real-time character animation using motion capture; development of an apparatus that can measure the latency of various displays with extreme precision; and creation of an anatomically accurate model of the human eye in Blender (an open-source 3D animation suite) with parameterized visual features that may be adjusted through a "home-brew" Python interface.
Donato was recognized by the selection committee for his genuine interest in the SMPTE process and standards creation, as well as his ability to master both the art and science of filmmaking. Over the summer of 2013, Donato put his RIT motion picture science studies to work, serving in a television postproduction internship at NBC. He later earned a 2014 summer internship with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Science & Technology Council, where he built ACES color transforms for digital cameras, calibrated and validated test equipment, and preformed psychophysical experiments. As part of his senior project work at RIT, he participated in SMPTE standards work.
Those registering for SMPTE 2014 may elect to purchase tickets for the Honors and Awards Ceremony with their conference package. A limited number of tables is also available for purchase. Further details about the event are available at www.smpte2014.org. Additional information about SMPTE and its work is available at www.smpte.org.
About the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers® (SMPTE®)
The Oscar® and Emmy® Award-winning Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers® (SMPTE®), a professional membership association, is the preeminent leader in the advancement of the art, science, and craft of the image, sound, and metadata ecosystem, worldwide. An internationally recognized and accredited organization, SMPTE advances moving-imagery education and engineering across the communications, technology, media, and entertainment industries. Since its founding in 1916, SMPTE has published the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal and developed more than 800 standards, recommended practices, and engineering guidelines.
The Society is sustained by more than 6,000 members — motion-imaging executives, engineers, creative and technology professionals, researchers, scientists, educators, and students — who meet in Sections throughout the world. Through the Society's partnership with the Hollywood Post Alliance® (HPA®), this membership is complemented by the professional community of businesses and individuals who provide expertise, support, tools and the infrastructure for the creation and finishing of motion pictures, television, commercials, digital media, and other dynamic media content. Information on joining SMPTE is available at www.smpte.org/join.
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