First Selection of SIGGRAPH 2010 Panels Posted

Panels are moderated discussions on important topics, with expert panelists chosen by a SIGGRAPH jury to provide a wide range of perspectives. Panels have long been an important part of the annual SIGGRAPH conference because they provide a forum for the community to share experiences, opinions, insights, speculation, disagreement, controversy, and audience interaction with the leading experts in computer graphics and interactive techniques.

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The full list of SIGGRAPH 2010 Panels will be available here in May.

First Selection of SIGGRAPH 2010 Courses Available

In SIGGRAPH 2010 Courses, attendees learn from the experts in the field and gain inside knowledge that is critical to career advancement. Courses are short (1.75 hours) or half-day (3.5 hours) structured sessions that often include elements of interactive demonstration, performance, or other imaginative approaches to teaching.

The spectrum of Courses ranges from an introduction to the foundations of computer graphics and interactive techniques for those new to the field to advanced instruction on the most current techniques and topics. Courses include core curricula taught by invited instructors as well as Courses selected from juried proposals.

Click here for details.

The full list of SIGGRAPH 2010 Courses will be available in May.

SIGGRAPH 2010 Media Blog

The SIGGRAPH 2010 Marketing and Media team has created this blog to provide SIGGRAPH media with a central point for the latest information and announcements regarding the upcoming conference in Los Angeles. Return to this blog for updates and important announcements.

Following below is a brief conversation with Terrence Masson, SIGGRAPH 2010 Conference Chair from Northeastern University, on what to expect this year.

SIGGRAPH returns to LA this year - what will be new at the conference?

There will be much excitement and great content as we return to Los Angeles.

Dynamic changes in 2010 include the new SIGGRAPH Dailies! program celebrating excellence in computer graphics by showcasing behind the scenes work and the artists stories that enhance their extraordinary power and beauty. Contributors submitted short (5-15 second) animations of recent work [from the past 18 months] whether professional, personal, academic, or student work.

Also, a major shift this year is in timing. In past years, contributors to the Computer Animation Festival adhered to two deadlines for submission - one for partially completed works, and a later deadline for when that work was completed. In essence, this early deadline had a major impact on submissions. This year’s later deadline for the Computer Animation Festival now provides contributors with far more time to prepare their works for the final submission deadline on 19 April 2010. In the end, this should make for a much deeper and stronger program.

Each year the technical content presented at SIGGRAPH gets more and more impressive. So it’s always the goal to improve upon the content offered in previous years – a challenging but rewarding task. This year, expanding submission categories and extending deadlines opens the pool of contributions to much wider spectrums of the whole industry ensuring the presence of more great content than ever before.

We are also reinstituting our youth program “SIG kids” with a goal of engaging, educating, and fascinating pre-teens and teens through science, CG, technology, art and so much more.

What is your vision in "the people behind the pixels"

To reach out and stress the personalities, the stories, the history behind the most unique and excellent content in CG and interactive techniques ... stressing community and personal interaction during the conference; using social media more than ever to engage our international community before, during, and after the conference.

Previously you served as Computer Animation Festival chair (which is a daunting task in itself), what motivated you to take on the role of overall conference chair?

To make a difference to the Community that has been part of my life since first attending SIGGRAPH in 1988; to take on the ultimate challenge of building a world-class team and leading them to make a conference filled with "Wonder" – a feeling we're hoping to instill in all the 2010 attendees and contributors.

How is the SIGGRAPH conference trying to remain relevant?

By constantly evolving and refining based on all our collective experiences; we listen to our attendees and our volunteers very closely and are constantly re-evaluating the best way to present our unique content. Quality vs. quantity is definitely something we're focusing on in 2010 and beyond.

What are some of the things that you are most excited about for the 2010 conference?

I'm looking forward to experiencing it myself! So much fantastic content that you cannot experience anywhere else - from the Technical Papers Fast Forward, to the Computer Animation Festival, Art Gallery, Studio, networking events … just to name a few.

What changes (if any) should attendees expect this year?

Clarity ... from the redesigned web-site to on-site programming layout - attendees will know what they want to see before and during the show like never before. Also, it is important to note that we are returning to the Sunday through Thursday format based on attendee feedback. So, once again the Papers Fast Forward will kick-off on Sunday.

To request a private interview with Terrence Masson, please submit your request to Brian Ban via brian_ban@siggraph.org