Hello everyone! I’m Laurie, a Computer Science MS and IMGD MFA student from Rhode Island. My current portfolio can be found here (desktop view only). I also went to WPI for my undergraduate studies and received a BS in Computer Science and a BA in IMGD with Technical Art. After completing my undergraduate studies, I went to work at Demiurge Studios as a designer on Marvel Puzzle Quest.
Before I continue introducing myself, let me answer some questions you’re probably asking:
- “Why did you go back to school?”
- I have a desire to push technology to it’s limits and experiment using it in new ways. This is something that isn’t typically promoted within industry (unless you land at one of the big companies) as it isn’t a safe area to guarantee profits which drives the industry. Graduate school provides me the opportunity to explore this area and build the skills to land a future to continue it.
- “Why two Master’s Degrees?”
- The past couple of years made me rethink my plans and shift the path I was originally following. Instead of throwing work I had already done to the side, I decided to pick up a bit more work and improve my skills which could open up more doors for me in the future.
- “Why so many degrees?”
- Why not?
- “Can you really drive across Rhode Island in an hour?”
- You can drive across the state in 45 minutes if there’s zero traffic and you know the right route.
Continuing with more about myself, I love to travel and will take any opportunity to do so and have new adventures. I have been lucky enough to have had the opportunity to visit over 20 different countries, two of which I had the opportunity to study abroad. I am a person who loves to learn things which is probably evident with the amount of school I’ve done/plan to do. I love learning more about random topics, studying different languages, and picking up new skills. This fuels my ability to create new things which is another thing that I enjoy doing.
These loves have shaped the core mindset that I have about my work which is the desire to bring worlds that once only existed in imagination to life and bridge the gap between them and our own world. My intention for this semester is to explore ways to bridge the gap between an imaginary digital world and our physical one.
Virtual Reality is an area in which I have been doing a lot of work over the past couple of years. I had the opportunity to make multiple different applications for experiments testing environmental factors on human emotions.
I also had an opportunity to work with a team on a project titled Tsubo-niwa/壺庭 (A Garden Dream) for a client based in Japan.
Currently, I am working with a team on two VR applications for a client using a sensor system they are developing. VR has also found its way into my desire to use technology in new ways as I recently developed a Shifting Reality project and project templates that I hope to make available on Github soon.
My enjoyment of mobile games and cute things has also found its way into my work as I’ve worked on teams to make mobile games over the past few years.
I have also done a bunch of other work related to the development pipeline that would take too long to cover in detail here. This includes 3D asset creation, animation, motion capture, graphics simulations, and tool development.
On the non-professional side, I also enjoy creating things for fun. I’ve recently been painting a bit and I clearly have a favorite subject.
I also enjoy creating costumes and the various aspects that go into it. Sewing, prop creation, and makeup skills are areas that I have found myself exploring. Unfortunately, I can’t find any pictures of my work.
To conclude my introduction, I will share a fun fact about myself: I have been on national television before. It was completely unintentional and happened by being in the right place at the right time. The video if you really want to see it here
Impressive. Love the cats.
Cute. I love your animals.
Who can say no to cats? Especially cartoon cats.
Cute
impressive, inventive, inspiring though it is not on the list, its amazing to hear you speak opening about learning and having a passion for just learning, I think that is really cool and translates to the amount of success you are having with your projects.
Cute drawings, funny games, colorful life!
impressive – your work with vr impresses me a lot, especially since that is one thing that I’ve never been able to work on yet and looks hard to do!
As always, the animals are super cute! Your entire work profile and experiences are impressive. You have an inventive way of looking and creating things, which I admire.
Colorful!
You seem to bring a lot to the projects you work on, and the colors are often striking.
Very thought-provoking.
The exploration and experiences you have had combined with the things you create ( Can we make a costume together?) are pretty awesome!