It’s a coming of age for the Computing and New Media Technologies (CNMT) program at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point as it has been named to host an international conference that most recently was held in Istanbul and London.
The Fourth International Conference on the Applications of Digital Information and Web Technologies, which will attract participants from across the globe, comes to Stevens Point next August 4–6.
Since it was launched in 2005, the CNMT department has grown a robust computer/Web-based curriculum that is meeting the stringent demands of employers seeking a well-rounded graduate who has the flexibility to succeed in multiple computer or Web-based sector jobs. According to Chris Cirmo, dean of the College of Letters and Science, CNMT benefits from contributions of a young and energetic faculty who offers a wide variety of expertise in teaching and research.
Faculty member Katie Stern, who will publish a university textbook on digital photography, is an Adobe certified expert in Photoshop CS4. Patrick Seeling is an expert in computer and multimedia networking with a growing focus on wireless and sensor networks. Weimin He teaches about databases with expertise in XML. Quan (Alex) Yuan has industry experience and expertise in mobile technologies. Amod Damle teaches 3D modeling. Anthony Ellertson teaches animation, video gaming and Flash applications with interest in their mobile variations. Trudi Miller has strengths in application development and health informatics. Tim Krause gives students knowledge to succeed in content management systems and systems usability. Robert Dollinger is interested in Rich Internet Applications and Intelligent Tutoring Systems. David Gibbs has expertise in voice processing with an interest in mobile computing.
Earlier this year The Princeton Review ranked UWSP’s Web and Digital Media Development (WDMD) major as one of North America’s top 50 video game design programs, the only major from the UW System that made the grade. The Review considered 500 schools in the United States and Canada.
CNMT has one of the best job placement rates at UWSP and its students work in private, fully funded labs with cutting edge technology that allows them to create projects that would not be possible at most institutions of higher learning. In less than a decade there are now 131 WDMD majors and approximately 170 CIS majors in the Department of Computing and New Media Technologies. Many CNMT students choose a double major CIS/WDMD in order to be a more marketable graduate in a global economy.
