May 6, 2006

Students from six North American universities are about to learn if they will be in the next generation of theme park designers ? when they visit Walt Disney Imagineering in Glendale for the finals of Disney?s Imagi-Nations competition June 6 and 7. Imagi-Nations is a program designed and sponsored by Walt Disney Imagineering to encourage students to consider careers in creative and technical fields including digital arts, engineering, and architecture.

Congratulations to Kristy Pron, a junior, majoring in Digital Media and Matthew Fonda, an Engineering major with a Music minor, who have been selected as one of the finalist teams for their proposed design entitled ?EAC Express?. Kristy is on the Dean?s List, listed in Who?s Who Among Students in American Colleges, is an Athletes Helping Athletes Mentor, and a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. She is looking forward to working in a position where she can use digital media to create 3-D animations, 3-D interactive entertainment, ride designs and architectural models. Matthew was the recipient of the Drexel University Jazz Orchestra Scholarship. He is a composer who recorded a full-length CD released in 2005. He engineered the studio recording sessions for that project, as well. Matthew is looking forward to working in the entertainment industry where he can put to use his talent in music composition and performance.

Kristy and Matthew will be traveling to Disney in Glendale, CA, this week for judging. They were chosen from more than 30 entries nationwide, and will be awarded scholarships from Disney Imagineering, as well as having the chance to interview for an internship with the company. Glen Muschio, Associate Professor of Digital Media, served as advisor to the students on this project.