May 14, 2012

Research, Innovation, Scholarship and Creativity were celebrated April 19th when over 400 members of the Drexel Community presented projects at Research Day 2012. The Westphal College had impressive representation with over 25 students showcasing their projects during the daylong presentation in the Daskalakis Center.

Digital Media students Melissa Cell, Mike Cossentino, Geena Sundaram, Sonia Havens, and Glenn Bender were the winners in the Creative Arts & Design category for their project Monsters and Maidens, an animated commentary on the evolution of video games. Their advisors were Digital Media Professors Ted Artz, Jervis Thompson, and Dave Mauriello.

Kristen Chleboski and Jessica Powell, Design & Merchandising students, took home the top prize in the Business Research category for their business proposition, TagAssist. A service for the visually impaired that manufactures and attaches Braille garment care tags to clothing.

The Antoinette Westphal Dean’s Awards were given out to outstanding projects. First prize went to Jacob Nichols, Digital Media student, for Spirit of the Virginia: Prologue, An Interactive Animated Storytelling Experience for iPad. Second prize went to Justin Chapman, Music Industry student, for Real-Time Song Manipulation for iOS: The Old Atlantic and third prize went to Caitlin Chow, Interior Design student, for Electric Move Dance Center, Interior Design and the Dancer. Awards of merit went to Abby Renninger, Fashion Design student, for Fitting the Future of Fashion; Glenn Winters, Digital Media student, for A Server-Based Modular Interactive Museum Experience; Ore Alaka, Interior Design and Architecture student, for Women's Revitalization Center in the City; Dawn Mazzola, Dance student, for Ancient: A Creative Improvisation Structure Inspired by Dinosaurs; and Melissa Cell, Digital Media student, for Monsters and Maidens: An Animated Commentary on the Evolution of Video Games.

Jody Graff, Graphic Design Professor, was responsible for the way finding at Research Day, which included color-coordination, making this the easiest of Research Days to navigate despite being one of the largest. Graphic Design students Morgan Cichewicz, Randi Dean, Lia Giambanco, Herbie Hickmott, Alexa Lareau, Kate Lawler, Catherine Lewandowski, Ariel Lieberman, Tori Mayer, Carlin Rieger, and Jennifer Rover helped with the installation and breakdown of the Research Day graphics. Click here for a list of all present and past winners.