Join us in the inflatable dome for a world of immersive media developed by students in our Planetarium Media course. In this course, students blend creative vision with technical skill to design content for full-dome projection, exploring spatial visuals and immersive sound. Using Ohio State’s planetarium technologies, students learn how dome environments transform storytelling into a shared, sensory experience. The work you see here represents projects that bring science, art, and design together in creative ways.

Course: ACCAD 5194

Course Instructors:

Maria Palazzi
Professor, Design

Dr. Wayne Schlingman
Director, Arne Slettebak Planetarium
Associated Professor, Astronomy

Rainbow Flowers and Unicorn 
Duration 04:00
Amarth Chen, MFA Candidate, Design

F1
Duration 03:41
Amarth Chen, MFA Candidate, Design

13 Million Galaxies
Duration 08:30
Michael Hesmond, MFA Candidate, Design

Four Seasons  사계 
Duration 02:30
Geonha Kim, Communication, Design

Immersive Eye 
Duration 04:00
Masha Kochanenkova, Moving-Image Production, Art Management

Canopy 
Duration 03:00
Takahiro Okubo, MFA Candidate, Art

This showcase focuses on experimental projects using generative AI tools. Students explore the creative potential of AI by generating  image and video, leveraging these mediums as both creative inputs and outputs. These works represent a semester of technical experimentation and creative problem-solving.

Course: ACCAD 5500

Instructor: Chris Coleman

Pinaki Prasad Guha Neogi 
PhD Student Computer Science & Engineering

Xinxin Guo 
University Fellow, Department of Arts Administration, Education and Policy

Shekar Kandaswamy 
Computer Science & Engineering

Jenna Marti 
MFA candidate, Art

Asher Pollock
Department of Arts Administration, Education and Policy

Mary Finney
Program 60 Student

Linda McDonald
Program 60 Student

Students at ACCAD learning to do creative coding are developing custom algorithms with visual results. In addition to being on a screen, the code can drive this pen plotter to produce physical drawings, bridging the gap between digital and physical arts and design. The results are available to visitors during the open house.

Course: ACCAD 5102

Course Instructor:

Gaëtan Robillard
Assistant Professor, Design

Brody Hall 
Design

Emily Kocur 
Computer Science & Enginnering

Jenna Marti 
MFA candidate, Art

Ella Neiderer 
Design

Lizzy Watkins 
Design

Experience a curated collection of short films and technical exercises produced by students within the core animation curriculum. This showcase highlights the technical and creative progression of our artists, moving from foundational 2D motion principles to high-level, advanced 3D character pipelines and digital lighting techniques. In addition to core coursework, the gallery features independent research and student thesis projects, reflecting the diverse and sophisticated range of animation work currently being developed at ACCAD.

Course: ACCAD 5001 
Course Instructor: Benny Zelkowicz

Course: ACCAD 5002 
Course Instructors:  
Kyoung Lee Swearingen 
Liz Hejny

Course: ACCAD 5003 
Course Instructor: Matthew Derksen

Course: ACCAD 5104 
Course Instructor: Kyoung Lee Swearingen

Assignment 1
Calvin Than

AncientIndiaSFX
Harmanpreet Singh

Breakfast in Bed
Megan Azzolina

Catch
Pearl Snyder 
Ethan Pangracand 
Andrew Valetta

Collective Consciousness
Steven Broaddus

Dark Fantasy Castle
Arno Xue

Flight Of The Dodo
Zandro Santos

Glitchdog
Lou Crow

Joy of Feeling Sound
Arnav Roy Choudhury

Korean Language Society
Been Han

Layers In History
Yeoleum Choi

LightBit Legends Layowitt
Chinedu Ibezim
 
Museum of Sixth Extinction
Yeoleum Choi
Jacob Heiserman
Sebastian King
Kyrie Iswandy

On Sight
Jules Rains

Once It Moves
Wenxi Zhu

Run
Jesus Arellano

Seasons Greetings
Trey Worthen

Seeing Red
Jack Alcorn
Lou Cariello
Andrea Cleveland
Sopha Hulsman

Sugar-Free
Via Carrierot

The Ugly Duckling
Emma Burns

Untitled
Andrew Blake 
Brendan Cabungcal
Wyatt Downey 
Megan Li

Untitled
Ava Robinson 
Zach Ball 
Brett Enders 
Justin Weckstein

Untitled
Courtney Voet 
Grace Mears
Noelle Pride
Nin Prevedello

Untitled
Logan Tsui
Andrew Barchet
Aisyah Zulkifli

Untitled
Megan Azzolina
Owen Riley
Katie Schantz
Trey Worthen

Upon This Night
Addie Johnson

War Pigs
Jesus Arellano Avila
Connor Harper
Emily Kocur
Nicole Li

Winter Night
Sasha Chipper
 

This project utilizes VR technology, putting users into virtual scenarios in which their attention and memory is challenged. Simulating offices and other work environments, the experience reflects challenges that individuals with ADHD face in workplace settings. The simulation raises awareness and ideally will foster change in a wide variety of professional workplaces.

To encourage replay-ability and produce unique experiences among individual users, this project also uses a branching narrative structure in which the user’s choices affect the outcome of scenes. Individualizing the user experience strengthens the impact of the experience.

Users will play through scenarios set in office cubicles, home offices, break rooms, and meetings, offering a wide range of examples of how ADHD affects the lives of people living with it.
 

Funding

• Ohio State University | College of Arts & Sciences Inspire Innovation Grant, “Inspiring Empathy and Inclusive Change for Neuro-diverse Individuals in Educational and Workplace Settings Through Immersive Technology,” Fall 2024 
• Ohio State University | College of Arts & Sciences, Accelerator and Amplifier Grant, Spring 2025

Investigators

Simone Drake, PhD, MSL, Professor, Department of English: Project PI
Shadrick Kuteh, MGD, Assistant Professor, Design | ACCAD: Project Co-PI

Writer
Trey Palmore, English

Voice Actors
Nathan Garthwaite, Art
Lauren Gessel, Art

3D Artists
Lauren Gessel
Yeoleum Choi, MFA Candidate, Design

Graphic Designer
Yeoleum Choi, MFA Candidate, Design

Developers
Skye Winters, MFA Candidate, Design
Sebastian King, MFA Candidate, Design
Roshan Ramamurthy, Computer Science and Engineering
Nathan Garthwaite, Art

In collaboration with the CFAES Department of Food Science & Technology, ACCAD is investigating the nuanced creation of digital twin virtual environments to evaluate the impact of varied physical context on human taste perception. To facilitate this research, we engineered a custom computational pipeline that utilizes 3D Gaussian splatting to reconstruct high-fidelity virtual environments from standard monocular video. Participants engage with these immersive settings, which include stereoscopic video to simulate the presence of others, via a Meta Quest head-mounted display. By integrating augmented reality passthrough technology, our methodology allows participants to interact safely with physical food samples and complete empirical evaluations without disrupting their immersion in the experimental virtual context.

Aishwarya Badiger
Postdoctoral Researcher | Perception Research Lab

Jeremy Patterson 
Sr. Graphics Researcher | ACCAD 

Christopher T. Simons, Ph.D.
Associate Professor—Sensory Science
CFAES | Department of Food Science & Technology

An interactive simulation built for an MFA design thesis, exploring how to create responsive natural environments in video games.

Josh Antolovic
MFA Candidate, Design

Layers In History

An educational animation where a group of ants takes a field trip to an underground fossil museum to learn about Earth's history. The project blends rhythmic music with friendly visuals to present geological history in engaging and accessible manner.

Museum of Extinction

This virtual environment takes users through Earth’s five past mass extinctions to reflect on the Anthropocene and how human activity changes our world. Visitors can meet extinct animals from the past and explore the causes of today’s environmental crises. By blending scientific history with creative storytelling, the project helps people understand our impact on nature in a more artistic and emotional way.

Yeoleum Choi
MFA Candidate, Design

This project builds on extensive work by ACCAD in virtual reality, along with a partnership with the College of Social Work. Together, the team has developed a new way of teaching social work through immersive, hands-on experiences that help students understand different perspectives and build practical skills.
The Virtual Field Lab places students in realistic situations where they experience what it’s like to seek social services. This allows them to practice facing the same kinds of challenges their future clients may encounter, helping them better understand and empathize with those they serve.

The VR simulation is currently used as part of the core curriculum for first-year Master of Social Work students at Ohio State and has also recently been shared with West Virginia University for use in its social work program.

Partial funding for this project was provided by:

Covid-19 Grant | Global Arts and Humanities Discovery Themes, 
College of Arts and Sciences, The Ohio State University

Project Co-PIs:

Maria Palazzi 
Professor, Design 

Dr. Lauren McInroy
Associate Professor, College of Social Work

Concept Development:
Shadrick Addy, Design / ACCAD
Vita Berezina Blackburn, ACCAD
Yang Chen, Graduate Student, Design
Catherine Hechmer, College of Social Work
Katie Klakos, College of Social Work
Maya Jenkins, Graduate Student, Design
Lauren McInroy, College of Social Work
Maria Palazzi, Design / ACCAD
Jeremy Patterson, ACCAD

Interactivity:
Shadrick Addy, Design / ACCAD
Yang Chen, Graduate Student, Design
Sruthi Ammannagari, Graduate Student, 
Computer Science Engineering
Jeremy Patterson, ACCAD

Virtual Environments: 
Shadrick Addy, Design / ACCAD
Mila Gajic, Graduate Student, Design
Maya Jenkins, Graduate Student, Design
Jeremy Patterson, ACCAD

Characters & Motion:
Vita Berezina Blackburn, ACCAD
Yang Chen, Graduate Student, Design
Maya Jenkins, Graduate Student, Design
Heran Zhou, Graduate Student, Design

Voice Actors:
Jake Athyall
Lillian Brown
Matt Derksen
Kylie Logan
Taylor Olsen

Technological advancement has made high image quality almost a given in TV/film productions. This pristine quality in turn prompted artists and cinematographers to deliberately incorporate more imperfections by using vintage lenses, chemical films, and other means to build a “vintage look”. However, computer generated images (CGI) are currently not equipped with methods to recreate these imperfect characteristics faithfully, thus experiencing difficulties to match the CGI sequences with live action footage shot with the vintage aesthetic. This thesis establishes a framework that uses physics-based simulation to faithfully recreate the image characteristics caused by the various components of an imaging system, including but not limited to a lens, an imager such as a digital sensor or chemical film, and other modifiers.

Amarth Chen
MFA Candidate, Design

This project, Joy of Feeling Sound, explores the translation of auditory experiences into a visual language. Utilizing nonverbal animation, the work centers on the strategic use of onomatopoeia (phonetic sound-representation) and emanata (iconographic symbols denoting motion and emotion) to express vibration and energy. Through this film, I develop a visual shorthand that communicates action and affect without the need for audio, ultimately enhancing narrative engagement and deepening the audience’s sensory understanding of the medium.

Arnav Roy Choudhury
MFA Candidate, Design

Circle is a research-driven platform from The Ohio State University designed to normalize play between differently-abled individuals. By distributing agency across players, the system fosters social interaction and cognitive development through a cohesive ecosystem of custom sensors, wearables, and cooperative gameplay.

Sensors & Human-Body Communication (HBC)
Unlike traditional touch sensors, Circle utilizes Human-Body Communication (HBC), using biological tissue as a medium to detect specific physical interactions. The system can distinguish between various touch pathways - such as identifying which players are touching—and transmits this data via Bluetooth. This allows for meaningful physical expression across a wide spectrum of abilities, supporting both active and passive participation.

Narrative-Driven Wearables
The Circle wearables bridge technical function with the steampunk-inspired narrative of Escape to Planet-9. Developed with ergonomic and anthropometric precision, these uniquely designed devices ensure comfort and safety for all users. By grounding technology in a "remote-control rescue" storyline, the wearables become immersive artifacts that spark curiosity and joy.

Cooperative Gameplay: Escape to Planet-9
Drawing inspiration from "golden age" arcade games, the gameplay is designed to accommodate varying cognitive loads. In Escape to Planet-9, players act as astronauts who must coordinate asymmetrical movements—such as navigating a robot or reversing gravity—through shared physical touch. This structure ensures that progress is achieved only through collective, synchronized action.

FUNDING:

Battelle Engineering, Technology and Human Affairs (BETHA)

Kyoung Lee Swearingen 
Associate Professor, Design / ACCAD

Scott Swearingen 
Associate Professor, Design / ACCAD

Dr. Asimina Kiourti 
Faculty Electrical & Computer Engineering

Dr. Jamie Boster 
Nationwide Children’s Hospital

Skye Winters 
MFA Candidate, Design

Rae Watters 
MFA Candidate, Design

Yeoleum Choi
MFA Candidate, Design

Emma Burns 
MFA Candidate, Design

Sebastian King 
MFA Candidate, Design

Andrew Holton 
BS Candidate, ECE

Yuxin Yan 
MFA Candidate, Design

Willow Kim 
BS Candidate, ECE

Dominic J. Camps 
BS Candidate, Music 
Catalina Munoz Arias
MFA Candidate, Design

Melika Akhteh 
MFA Candidate, Design

Welcome to Role Call! In this game you play as the Stage Manager of your University's first student-run theatre program! Cast your show from the rejects of the faculty-run show, each playthrough offering the ability to choose a different group of people. Be careful though, who you choose may be what decides the fate of your newly fledged program and the students involved.
This game is being created to research designing and writing relationship systems that feel reflective of real-life and developing methods for designing stories where the player chooses who is selected for the narrative.

Skye Winters
MFA Candidate, Design

Rae Watters
MFA Candidate, Design

Experience a behind-the-scenes look at the technical and creative workflows driving the 3D pipeline. This collection features work-in-progress from ACCAD 5002, highlighting the foundational stages of digital world-building.

From initial character modeling and structural rigging to the nuances of virtual lighting and motion studies, these excerpts offer a window into the iterative process. These projects showcase how students navigate the intersection of digital physics and cinematic storytelling to bring their first concepts to life.
 

Course: ACCAD 5002

Course Instructor:  
Elizabeth Hejny
PhD Candidate, Design

Calvin Than
MFA Candidate, Design

Tracy Edo 
Film Studies / Video Arts

Kaylin Muyjong Kerrick
Computer Science & Engineering / Animation

Chelsea Chau Lam
Computer & Information Science / Animation

Megan Li
Computer Science & Engineering / Animation

Ty Pavia
Studio Art

Nin Prevedello
Moving Image Production

Katie Schantz
Art/Animation

Pearl Snyder
Moving Image Production / Studio Art

Logan Tsui
Moving Image Production
 

Explore a showcase of advanced game art and interactive animation. Featuring student-led demo that highlight networked multiplayer games and real-time 3D cinematic experiences.

Course: ACCAD 5104 
Course Instructor: 
Kyoung Swearingen
Associate Professor, Design / ACCAD

Course: ACCAD 6003 
Course Instructor: 
Scott Swearingen 
Associate Professor, Design / ACCAD

Solid Cog
William Frasher

Silent Exposure
Chris Emrick

WIZ
Eric Zhang

New Beginnings
Zarmeen Azmat

Starship Shooter
Michael Blaess

Pocket Wizard
Maisy Friedrichsen

Space Shipping
Adriana Ezekiel 
Maisy Friedrichsen 
Sebastian King 
Carman Ngai 
Vivian Wang

Glitchdog
Lou Crow

Flippin' Out
Sabrina Abdurahim 
Michael Blaess,
Aaron Cole
Chris Emrick
Adriana Ezekiel
William Frasher

Dyna-Might Explode
Logan Costa 
Maisy Friedrichsen 
Anton Gruzberg 
Ridwan Haque

Alchemic Shot
Michael Blaess 
Aaron Cole 
Chris Emrick 
William Frasher
Anton Gruzberg
Ridwan Haque

The Torrent
Been Han

Abandoned
Calvin Than

Silent Rain
Harmanpreet Singh
 
The Stage
William D. Frasher
 
Untitled
David Neal
 
 

AnatoMoves is a collaborative research project exploring innovative ways of teaching anatomy fundamentals through activity-based instruction. Traditionally anatomy is taught through a lecture format and typically relies on either static or animated illustrations, but AnatoMoves is an interactive system that allows learners to freely move their entire body to see their skeleton, muscles, and nerves in action. It utilizes AR-51, a markerless motion tracking system consisting of 8 cameras, to recognize user’s poses and retarget that movement onto an anatomically accurate 3D model.

Project Advisors:

Vita Berezina-Blackburn 
Sr. Creative Technologist, ACCAD 

Dr. Derek Harmon
Department of Anatomy

Contributors:

Alize Raptou
PhD Student, Dance

Skye Winters
MFA Candidate, Design

Sophia Reeder
MFA Candidate, Design

Harmanpreet Singh
 

This showcase features spatial soundscapes for music, film, and installations, produced in ACCAD’s sonic lab using modern immersive mixing.

Course: ACCAD 5500 Immersive Sound Design

Course Instructor:

Jean-Yves Münch
Senior Lecturer 
Creative Researcher 
ACCAD

Pour Over 
Chelsea Lam

Inside the Broken Voice 
Rezvaneh Naebian

Speech and Noise 
Breanna Langenek

Roving   
Felix Lin

Rice Out the Ears 
Liv Bryant

Dark Choir 
Leslie Torkornoo
 

The official student-run outreach organization dedicated to animation fans. The club
sponsors technical workshops, industry guest speakers, and screens original shorts,
providing a creative hub for artists at their weekly meetings.

David Neal Jr
President
  
Ricky Minniti
Vice President
  
Stephanie Griffin
Secretary
  
Joshua Bohn
Treasurer