In partnership with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, SIGGRAPH 2017 will present two unique educational opportunities for attendees to learn from the insider experts behind the scientific and technical awards as well as a recent Academy Award®-nominated film, “Hidden Figures.”
The Academy’s Science and Technology Council Presents “Hidden Figures” in Collaboration with NASA
Sunday, 30 July, 3:45 pm – 5:15pm
Hear from the creative minds behind the film “Hidden Figures” — and their NASA scientist counterparts — for an inside look at the accuracies portrayed in the book and film as it relates to real space exploration. During the panel, attendees will learn the process that brought this inspirational story of 1960s female “computers” to the silver screen. Attendees will also hear directly from current female scientists at NASA, who and are today’s “hidden figures.”
Panelists include:
- Beverly J. Wood, Academy Science and Technology Council Member and BJWOOD Consultant, LLC (moderator)
- Tracy D. Drain, Flight Systems Engineer, Deputy Chief Engineer Juno Mission, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
- Chris LeDoux, Visual Effects Supervisor, “Hidden Figures”
- Amy Mainzer, Senior Research Scientist, NEOWISE Principal Investigator, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
- Allison Schroeder, Oscar-nominated screenwriter, “Hidden Figures”
- Powtawche Valerino, Navigation Engineer, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
- Mandy Walker ASC, ACS, Cinematographer on “Hidden Figures”
The Academy’s Scientific and Technical Awards: The Technology, the Awardees, and the Process
Tuesday, 1 August, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Each year SIGGRAPH brings new technologies up close and personal to its conference attendees, and 2017 is no different. Since 1931, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has honored the inventors and developers of motion picture technology. Earlier this year, 18 different technologies were awarded, honoring 34 individuals. These have all had a significant impact on how movies are made and have stood the test of time.
Join the Academy as panelists review some of these award-winning technologies, and discuss the history of the work leading to the awards, as well as the details of the Scientific and Technical Award process. Because many Sci-Tech awards over the last three decades had their genesis at the SIGGRAPH conference, this session also covers the underlying technology-transfer process. Panelists include:
- Barbara Ford Grant, VP of Digital Production Services at HBO (moderator)
- Doug Roble, Creative Director of Software at Digital Domain, Inc., Academy Science and Technology Council Member
- Marcos Fajardo, Solid Angle
- Luca Fascione, Weta Digital
- Larry Gritz, Sony Pictures Imageworks
- Parag Havaldar, Blizzard
- Vladimir (Vlado) Koylazov, Chaos Group
- Maurice van Swaaij, BlueSky Studios
- Paige Warner, Industrial Light & Magic
- Geoff Wedig, Magic Leap
- Brian Whited, Walt Disney Animation Studios
Registration for SIGGRAPH 2017 is now open. Click here to join in the education, 30 July–3 August.
