About BMRC
The Berkeley Multimedia Research Center (BMRC) at the University of California, Berkeley, is an interdisciplinary group of artists, educators, professionals, and scientists who are experimenting with interactive multimedia technology in professional practice, scholarship, and education. Founded in 1995, the Center is active in building partnerships with the academic community and industry. Our research focuses on three areas:
Teaching and Learning
One of our aims is to develop and study interactive hypermedia courseware, distance learning models, and new classroom and working environments. Other areas of investigation include the effectiveness of learner-centered courseware, groupware for collaborative learning and problem solving, and high quality audio/video in distance learning.Multimedia Authoring
BMRC researchers are developing an authoring environment that integrates both new and existing tools and novel paradigms for representing content. A key element of our work is to have smooth integration of content material with interactive simulations and live interactions with experts. Besides improvements in authoring productivity, this environment will emphasize asset management, reuse of material, and re-targeting for different platforms and distribution channels.Infrastructure
BMRC is developing, acquiring, and installing systems to support storage and delivery of digital media objects (e.g., documents, images, audio, video, and animation) on the UC Berkeley campus. The Center is deploying an experimental high-speed computer network and a very large digital media storage system.In addition to basic research, we sponsor public programs that include lecture series, symposia, and seminars. BMRC is funded through contributions from industrial partners, grants from public and private organizations, and discretionary UC Berkeley campus funding.
DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE
Higher education is in the midst of assessing how instructional technology (IT) will affect teaching, research and outreach. Although changes are occurring rapidly, and it is difficult to predict with certainty what the university of the future will look like, there are a few things we do know: 1. Demand for post-secondary education is increasing and the public wants high-quality, low- cost services.
2. Many institutions (e.g., University of Phoenix, UC Berkeley Extension, Western Governors University, etc.) are betting that information technology (IT) will supply education effectively to increasingly diverse student populations.
3. Traditional universities and colleges are threatened by these for-profit companies and educational initiatives. Consequently, most universities and colleges are pursuing new initiatives using IT to improve education with an emphasis on productivity. Productivity means cost per student served and improved student outcomes.
IT is having a tremendous impact on education already and will have even more impact in the future. The speed with which electronic communication (e.g., e-mail, newsgroups, chat rooms, and virtual worlds) and web publishing are being incorporated into education is amazing. Students want access to course material (e.g., syllabus, assignments, schedules, lecture notes/slides, etc.) published on the web. Faculty members in growing numbers are beginning to develop and use new tools for teaching and scholarly research (e.g., the World Wide Web, simulations, MUD's/MOO's). Much experimentation is currently taking place on how best to use IT to teach complicated academic material. Approaches will likely include sophisticated technologies such as video-on-demand, video teleconferencing, and discussions, both moderated and unmoderated, using newsgroups, bulletin boards, and chat sessions conducted in virtual text and graphic spaces (MOO's). Additionally, 3-D modeling and complex animation will certainly become pervasive as more and more education is delivered in on-line environments, and more students and faculty demand increasingly sophisticated teaching and learning tools.
Given the demand for new electronic methods of educational delivery and interaction, how can the process of recording, creating, digitizing, archiving, and delivering high quality educational and research content be managed at a research university the size and complexity of the University of California? A key element of BMRC's research addresses just these problems of new models of educational delivery and interaction. We are using the Berkeley campus as a testbed for the creation and delivery of high quality higher education multimedia content. Implementing a high-speed integrated services network that emphasizes the use of video and on-line services to improve our productivity and effectiveness is required to conduct research and experiments. This high-speed network (BMRCNET) will link together multimedia laboratories, classrooms, and machine rooms. Many servers, including web servers, audio/video servers, and database servers are connected to the network. Experimental next-generation networks (e.g., CENIC, Internet 2, and NTON) are also being connected to the BMRCNET to encourage experiments with researchers at other locations. The network, when it is completed, will not only make the delivery of information more efficient, but it will allow high-quality, high-speed interactions among scholars and students on campus, between other campuses, and globally.
BMRC's role in campus multimedia content creation is growing. During the past two years we have worked with researchers in architecture, anthropology, art practice, electrical engineering and computer science, and the Institute of International Studies, among others, to develop a variety of multimedia titles. We developed technologies to represent video lectures, interviews, and simulations as a collection of short clips accessible through web pages. We also worked with researchers to create interactive multimedia content using state-of-the-art commercial tools. In the coming year, we intend to experiment with more courseware applications that incorporate interactivity, 3-D modeling, and animation. In addition to employing and creating specialized content, the Center will continue to provide consulting, training, and access to specialized equipment (e.g., audio and video capture, editing and post-production systems, 2-D and 3-D animation modeling and rendering systems, etc.). BMRC operates two laboratories (130 Dwinelle and 514 Soda Hall), networks, and servers used by faculty and students in Anthropology, Art, Architecture, Biology, IEOR, Journalism, EECS, and Mechanical Engineering.
BMRC will continue to offer public programs of interest to the campus and Bay Area communities. Starting in October, the premiere season of the Bay Area Multimedia Arts & Lecture Series, sponsored by BMRC in cooperation with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the UC Berkeley Art Museum, and the San Jose Art Museum, will showcase renowned media artists and scientists who have pioneered interactive art forms, digital technologies, and perspectives on the information age. The series' sponsors are committed to furthering multimedia as a vehicle for artistic expression as well as providing a forum for critical discourse on the impact of digital technologies. Speakers for the fall season will be Michael Naimark, Mark Pesce, and Scott Fisher. Additionally, the Art, Technology and Culture Lecture Series organized by Professor Ken Goldberg is being held on the Berkeley campus. This series focuses on new insights occurring at the intersection of art, technology, and culture. Speakers include Martin Jay from UC Berkeley, Julia Scher from MIT and Radcliffe, Bruce Tomb and John Randolph from IOOA, and Billy Kluver, from EAT in New York City.
Our goals for the coming year include:
1. Strengthening the campus' ability to develop and deliver high quality multimedia content using the BMRCNET and media storage and delivery services.
2. Increasing and strengthening partnerships with UC Berkeley faculty in the production of high quality digital content. We are establishing partnerships with some recipients of The Vice Chancellor and Provost's CyberSemester OED Classroom Technology grants. We intend to provide production expertise to support their courseware development. Additionally, Dr. Diane Harley, Executive Director, BMRC, will continue her activities as the Director of the Humanities Technology Projects, which has the goal of strengthening the integration of technology into humanities teaching and research. This project is funded by the Dean of Humanities.
3. Continuing our outreach activities including sponsoring the annual BMRC Retreat, the Bay Area Multimedia Arts & Lecture Series, and the Art, Technology, and Culture Lecture Series.
1996-97 HIGHLIGHTS
BMRC researchers made significant progress on several initiatives and projects during the past year. A few highlights are presented here. A complete list of research activities is included in a later section.
Infrastructure
The BMRC started many initiatives to encourage the development of Internet MBONE technology for collaboration and distance learning. The following activities are worthy of mention:
The regularly scheduled Berkeley Multimedia and Graphics Seminar is broadcast world-wide on the Internet each week during the academic year. Viewership ranges from 10-200 people and includes viewers from North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.
On March 24, 1997 we produced a three-way audio/video conference using the Internet MBONE tools. That the broadcast included UC President Richard Atkinson at the All UC Conference on Teaching and Learning, UCLA, Chancellor Chang-Lin Tien and Dean Paul Gray at UC Berkeley, and President Wang Dazhong at Tsinghua University in China.
Stuart Lynn, Associate Vice President, UC Office of the President, agreed to deploy on the UCNET (the intranet that connects all UC campuses) the multicast protocols that are required to support the Internet MBONE. The deployment of this technology will simplify future use of the Internet MBONE for research and education experiments between researchers at different UC campuses.
A plan was developed to build a video broadcasting system on the Berkeley campus using BMRCNET and Internet MBONE technology. This system, called the Internet Broadcasting System (IBS) is described in more detail below.
Finally, during the past year, several key elements of the BMRC infrastructure began to work. In February 1997, the first nodes on the BMRCNET were deployed. These nodes connect facilities in Etcheverry, Evans, and Soda Hall at 310 megabits/second. By the end of 1997, facilities in Dwinelle, including the gateway to the Office of Media Services (OMS) video switch will be connected to this network.
Content Development
Harry Kreisler, Executive Director of the Institute of International Studies, worked with BMRC researchers and staff to develop a web-based video paradigm for presenting an indexed archive of video interviews. The interviews are with major figures in international relations and include Sir Brian Urquart, Undersecretary General of the United Nations, Robert MacNamara, Secretary of Defense under John F. Kennedy, and the Honorable Cho Soon, Mayor of Seoul, Korea. BMRC digitized and organized these interviews in short clips, which the viewer can browse. We have used this web video paradigm in several other multimedia titles, which are described below.
An Introduction to Wireless Communication web title was produced in cooperation with EECS Professor J.P. Linnartz using the same technology developed for the international relations interviews was used in this title.
A web-based record was created for the best projects from the experimental Internet WebVideo class offered through Art Practice. The class and projects explored possibilities for interactive web media.
Public Programs
In January 1997, the second annual BMRC retreat, New Media Teaching and Learning Technology, was held on the Berkeley campus. Over 130 people, including 50 regular faculty, heard presentations from book publishers, faculty and students about the development and use of IT in higher education. Dr. Paul Duguid from the School of Education gave a very thought provoking dinner presentation on the future of the university.
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
Digital Media Storage and Delivery
BMRC is developing, acquiring and installing systems to support storage and delivery of digital media objects (e.g., documents, images, audio/video, and animation). The center is working on three systems: 1) a high-speed experimental network, 2) a large media storage system, and 3) an Internet Broadcasting System. These systems are described in the following paragraphs.
High-Speed Experimental Network
A high-speed experimental network, called the BMRCNET, is being constructed on the Berkeley campus to link together multimedia authoring laboratories, distance learning classrooms, and computer storage systems and servers.
The BMRCNET backbone operates at 310 megabits per second (Mbps). Desktop and server connections operate at 100 Mbps or 155Mbps. The network uses entirely switched technologies (e.g., ATM and switched Ethernet) that provide a scaleable network infrastructure with efficient resource usage. The first phase BMRCNET was an experimental ATM network connecting servers and workstations at the BMRC laboratories in Soda Hall. The second phase BMRCNET (nearing completion) will provide high-speed service to multimedia laboratories and classrooms in Dwinelle, Etcheverry and Evans Halls. Later phases will connect facilities in other buildings.
Web, media, and file servers operated by BMRC, including the Internet Broadcast System and the Berkeley Distributed Video-on-Demand system, are connected to the BMRCNET in Soda Hall.
In Dwinelle Hall there will be connections to the BMRC video authoring studio (130 Dwinelle), the OMS distance learning classroom (127 Dwinelle) and the OMS video terminal room. The video terminal room connection will enable exchange of video sources between the Internet Broadcasting System that operates on the BMRCNET, the campus computer network, and the existing campus analog video network and teleconferencing services.
In Etcheverry Hall, the servers for the National Engineering Education Delivery System (NEEDS) project (http://www.needs.org) are connected to the BMRCNET. There will also be connections to two conference rooms, ten connections to a teaching laboratory, and connections to the Synthesis project offices (http://www.synthesis.org).
In Evans Hall there are connections to the campus computer network backbone and to the offices of the Communications and Network Services (CNS) department.
Planning for the next phase of BMRCNET development is currently underway. BMRC researchers are experimenting with technologies to support service guaranties on the TCP/IP networks and with connections to high-speed Metropolitan Area Networks (MAN). Service Guarantees, or Quality of Service (QoS) are required on computer networks to support real-time communication (e.g., high quality audio/video connections and high performance distributed applications).
A testbed network is being constructed to perform research on the Resource Reservation Protocol (RSVP), which is a proposed Internet standard for service guarantees. The aim is to use the testbed as a means to investigate whether running RSVP or other QoS protocols will be a feasible way to manage bandwidth on high-speed next generation networks such as Internet 2.
We are also developing network infrastructure mechanisms that enable use of these QoS protocols to create gateways to Internet 2 services and applications that know how to make use of these gateways and services. An example application would be a means of routing standard phone calls over Internet 2 with the ability to directly call someone at a computer.
The NTON is an experimental MAN being developed at Lawrence Livermore and deployed in the Bay Area. BMRC is supporting a connection between BMRCNET and the NTON that allows experimentation with high quality remote collaboration and distance learning applications.
A Large Media Storage System
This system is a distributed hierarchical storage system that can store many terabytes (TB) of digital material. Different storage systems are provided for specific types of data such as database, web, and streaming audio/video servers. Data is stored permanently on a tertiary storage system (e.g., robot tape or optical disk system), and it is moved to the appropriate on-line server. All material will be accessible through the web, and databases are being designed to support its use. Currently, BMRC operates a file server, web server, database server, and several streaming audio/video servers (e.g., a Progressive Networks Real Audio/Video server and a locally produced RTP MediaServer for Internet MBONE material). Over time we expect to integrate more servers into the system to provide additional storage and streaming capability. BMRC researchers are working on algorithms and systems to manage digital media and to locate specific media elements.
The Berkeley Distributed Video-on-Demand (VOD) system is a research project that began in the Plateau Multimedia Research group and now operates under the umbrella of the BMRC. The system is designed to provide access to a large quantity of video information over computer networks. Clients across the Internet can submit requests to the VOD system to view audio, video and graphical streams. Playback is accomplished by streaming data from a media file server through the network to the client's computer.
Plateau and BMRC researchers previously designed algorithms to select which media files should be cached on servers for rapid access as opposed to being loaded from a slower tertiary storage system. They also experimented with content query algorithms and developed tools to enter information into a database about video elements.
We are currently working on web-based front-end tools for a VOD System that will be deployed on the Berkeley campus including schemes to support the video content authoring process. These tools will allow any user to add media elements to the storage system and access them later. Managing the various media elements and the larger data files in a multimedia title creation process is a difficult problem. BMRC researchers are working on the storage systems, interfaces, and databases to deal with these problems.
Internet Broadcasting System
The Internet Broadcasting System (IBS) can be used for video conferencing, high quality video broadcasting, and distance learning. Standard Internet protocols and applications (e.g., IP-Multicast, RTP, and the Internet MBone tools) are being used to construct the system. Thousands of live, scheduled replay, and on-demand programs can be broadcast simultaneously to any computer on or off campus. In addition, conventional video programs (e.g., "over the air" broadcast television channels, cable channels, and video programs distributed by the OMS) can also be delivered through the Berkeley IBS System. This technology has been used by BMRC researchers to broadcast seminars world-wide on the Internet (e.g., the Berkeley Multimedia and Graphics Seminar - see http://bmrc.berkeley.edu/298) and to produce special events (e.g., the China/Berkeley/All UC Conference video conferencing demonstration). In essence, IBS is a cable distribution system that operates on the Internet.
Tools currently being developed at the BMRC as part of the IBS include: a) a Broadcast Management System, b) a Video Production Switcher, c) a Questionboard floor control tool, and d) a MBone VCR.
a) The Broadcast Management System, is a key component of IBS. Production of an Internet MBONE broadcast requires the setup and configuration of many software processes and hardware devices. Which processes are required and how they should be configured varies with the scope of the broadcast and the configuration of the room from which the broadcast is being generated. As the complexity and number of elements involved in the broadcast increases, ensuring that all components are correctly configured becomes unmanageable. Moreover, as more live broadcasts are generated from studio classrooms, operational and management support tools are required to reduce costs. Performing broadcast setup automatically for live broadcasts and scheduled replays is the task of the Broadcast Management System.
b) The Video Production Switcher (VPS) is a software-only system designed to provide video effects processing such as video titling, overlay, and transitions. It is modeled after a traditional broadcast television studio production switcher, which uses special-purpose custom designed hardware. The first prototype implementation of the VPS uses a single processor to generate each effect. Current research is concerned with developing algorithms to distribute video effects processing automatically across large numbers of processors for efficient parallel computation.
c) The Questionboard tool (QB) is designed to enable remote audience participation in MBONE seminars and classes. Current tools assume a videoconference model with a small number of participants. In larger seminar settings there is little remote participation due to the absence of good floor control mechanisms. QB addresses this problem by providing a mechanism for the speaker or moderator to select audience members who have questions to ask, and allowing participants to enter questions asynchronously using text or audio.
d) The last collection of tools being developed supports recording and on-demand playback of MBONE programs. The MBONE Recorder captures and stores the audio/video streams transmitted by all participants during an MBONE broadcast. These stored programs can be replayed into another broadcast at a later time (i.e., scheduled rebroadcast or demonstrations). A second program, called the RTP Media Server, allows recorded programs to be replayed on-demand through the web. The RTP Media Server is being used in the VODS System to archive MBONE programs broadcast on the IBS.
Finally, BMRC is developing web pages to advertise IBS programs on the Berkeley campus. This program guide will list programs being broadcast on different channels, which users can join. Programs will include class lectures, interviews, and previously recorded material (e.g., Cal Sports Highlight Shows.)
Other Multimedia Research Initiatives
A number of other research initiatives contribute to the development of the systems described above. These initiatives include software toolkits and programs used to develop networked multimedia systems. The following specific initiatives will be described: 1) The Continuous Media Toolkit, 2) The Berkeley MPEG Tools, and 3) Asset Management Databases
The Continuous Media Toolkit (CMT) is a software system that simplifies the development of networked multimedia applications that use audio and video data. Example applications are client/server streaming video playback, video conferencing, and video editing. CMT was first developed in 1993 and distributed to other researchers in early 1994. It has been an excellent rapid prototyping tool that BMRC researchers can use to experiment with novel applications of audio and video.
The Berkeley MPEG Tools are widely distributed software applications for decoding and encoding MPEG-1 video sequences. MPEG is the industry standard for digital video. The MPEG-play decoder program developed in 1992 was the first publicly distributed MPEG-1 video decoder. By 1997, more than one million copies of this program had been distributed on the Internet. Other programs included in the Berkeley MPEG Tools distribution are an MPEG-1 video encoder and a collection of programs for analyzing encoded sequences. These tools are still frequently used in content development, MPEG research, and education.
Lastly, BMRC is beginning the development of an asset management database that can be used to track media elements and other information during the development of a multimedia title. This database and associated programs will coordinate work by groups of people on different media elements (e.g., version control), maintain detailed records about the different elements, (i.e., completion status), and track which elements are used in each title. The database should improve title development project management and encourage re-use of media assets.
Multimedia Content Authoring
BMRC researchers are developing innovative methods for organizing and distributing multimedia titles as well as developing titles themselves. The emphasis in these titles is to use audio/video and hyperlinking through the web. The following titles have been developed.
Professor Yehuda Kalay, Architecture
Professor Nezar Alsayyad, School of Environmental Design
Cairo in the Year 1000 CE
Professors Kalay and Alsayyad and their students have developed a computer model of the main street of Cairo, Egypt as it existed in the 10th to 11th centuries CE. The model illustrates the transformation of the city from a regularized, grid plan to the present labyrinthine Islamic City it is today. BMRC staff worked with graduate students to create a video tape that includes animations generated from the computer model.
Harry Kreisler, Executive Director, Institute for International Relations
Conversations with History
Harry Kreisler has videotaped a series of interviews with well-known people in International Relations. BMRC has produced on-line versions of this material in which the interviews are broken up into short clips (30 seconds to 2 minutes) and digitized for streaming playback through the web. Each clip is displayed on a web page that includes links to related material and links to other video clips. Collections of clips can be combined into different titles that focus on specific topics (i.e., viewpoints of different people) or on specific people (i.e., different viewpoints). This project is part of the Interactive University Project. See http://bmrc.berkeley.edu/cwh/cho/index.htmlfor more details.
Professor J.P. Linnartz, EECS
Introduction to Wireless Communication
Professor Linnartz gave a two day short course on wireless communication in early 1996. BMRC researchers created a short multimedia title using approximately 45 minutes of video material from the course. This video material was digitized into short clips, similar to the "Conversations with History" title, which can be accessed through the Web. See http://bmrc.berkeley.edu/video/linnartz/ for more details.
Professor Ruth Tringham, Anthropology
The Chimera Web
This title is an interpretive archaeological exploration of a prehistoric village in Yugoslavia. BMRC helped Professor Tringham briefly with getting the introduction of the Chimera Web onto the Internet. This work involved creating a shockwave file from her Director files, including Lingo programming. See http://bmrc.berkeley.edu/people/tringham/chimera.html for more details.
Professor Meg Conkey, Anthropology
Welcome to the Prehistoric Art Module
This title is an educational tool for use in the UCB Anthropology 2 course, Introduction to Archaeology, taught by Professor Meg Conkey, Spring 1997. BMRC helped Professor Conkey put up a shockwave file for this course. See http://bmrc.berkeley.edu/courseware/anthro2.html for more details.
Professor James Landay, EECS
ACM SIGCHI Video Demonstrations
Each year the Annual ACM SIGCHI Conference produces a videotape with demonstrations of interesting user interfaces and applications. These demonstrations were digitized and placed in a gallery that allows one to quickly switch between different clips and pick the ones needed in a particular presentation. This title was developed to explore different interfaces and organizations for video material. It is being used in Computer Science 160, Human-Computer Interfaces, to demonstrate interfaces during lectures.
Dr. Giuseppina Colicci
Viaggio Musicale: An Italian Music Site
This site gives a musical tour of Italy. It will show different musical styles and the cultures from which they originate. This project involves digitizing video and audio, creating graphics, writing html, and creating a UI for the web site.
Professor Lawrence A. Rowe, EECS
Berkeley Multimedia and Graphics Seminar
Professor Rowe has organized a seminar series related to multimedia and graphics. The seminar is broadcast world-wide on the Internet MBONE, and recorded for on-demand replay through the BMRC web site. See http://bmrc.berkeley.edu/galleries/video/smc/index.html for more details.
Professor Lawrence A. Rowe, EECS
Vince Casalaina, Journalism
John Leland, Guest Lecturer
Ellen Seidler, Guest Lecturer
Art 160-1: Internet WebVideo Studio
This course explored the use of video and the World Wide Web. It covered models for presenting material using moving images, sound, and web pages (e.g., story and narrative, lectures, hyperlinked video clips, game/virtual environments, etc.), and the development process (i.e., conception, acquisition, production, storage, and delivery). Students created a multi-page web presentation that featured a minimum of five minutes of video segments. These presentations are currently accessible on the web at: http://media2.cs.berkeley.edu/webvideo/projects/winners/
UNIVERSITY AND PUBLIC SERVICE
PROGRAMS AND EVENTS
Berkeley Multimedia and Graphics Seminar
This weekly seminar series includes speakers on advanced topics in multimedia and graphics. The seminar is broadcast on the Internet MBONE.
Speakers Spring 1997
Speakers Fall 1996
New Media Teaching and Learning Technologies
BMRC Retreat January 15-16, 1997
The 1997 BMRC Retreat, co-sponsored by the Berkeley Academic Senate, the Center for Studies in Higher Education, and UC Berkeley Extension, was held January 15-16 on the Berkeley Campus. The conference theme was the use of new media and information technology in teaching and learning.
Speakers from academia and industry discussed how new media and technology can be integrated into instruction and scholarly work. The first day focused on new media courseware. Publishers discussed their perspective on the changing world of publishing, and members of the campus community discussed the development and use of interactive courseware including multimedia titles and the World Wide Web. A discussion panel addressed topics related to new media courseware publishing including:
Forms of publication (e.g., Web, CD-ROM, hybrid technologies, etc.) Advantages, disadvantages, and opportunities to publish material using new media Specific approaches that faculty can pursue now Copyright issues on multimedia material
Speakers came from a variety of campus disciplines including the Arts, Humanities, Sciences, and Engineering.
On Wednesday evening a reception and dinner was held at The Berkeley Faculty Club. Dr. Paul Duguid, co-author of an important paper "Universities in the Digital Age," presented interesting ideas related to the future of universities including proposed MegaUniversities. A lively discussion followed Dr. Duguid's prepared remarks.
The second day of the conference focused on new instructional delivery modes. Speakers described different approaches to distance learning and speculated about the future of virtual universities. A panel discussion considered the state of technology research and the positive and negative impacts these developments might have on university education.
Retreat Program
New Media Publishing (January 15, 1997)
Welcome
Lawrence Rowe, Director, BMRC and Professor, EECS
The Publisher's View
(Moderator Gary Matkin, Associate Dean, UC Extension)
Lew Gossage, VP, New Media Internet ( McGraw-Hill/Irwin)
Kathy Shields, Media Editor (Wadsworth Publishing/Thomson International)
Kristina Baer, Senior Editor Modern Languages (Houghton-Mifflin)
Courseware Developer/User View
(Moderator Professor Lawrence Rowe, BMRC and EECS)
Integrating Technology into the Foreign Language Curriculum
Dr. Mark Kaiser, Director, Berkeley Language Media Center, UCB
Experiences Developing and Using ModularCHEM Modules
Dr. Marco Molinaro, ModularCHEM Consortium, UCB
A Multimedia Digital Library of Courseware
Professor Alice Agogino, Mechanical Engineering, UCB
Employing Web Technology in Classes
(Moderator Dr. Diane Harley, Center for Studies in Higher Education, UCB)
Art History
Carol Paxson, Art History, UCB
Molecular Neurobiology and Neurochemistry
John M. Barrie, Biophysics, UCB
Animations
Dan Garcia, Computer Science, UCB
Integrating the Internet into Teaching
Professor Larry Friedlander, Department of English, Stanford University
Discussion
(Moderator Professor Alice Agogino)
Topics: Structuring deals and economic models, Intellectual property, Institutional involvement and support, The marketplace
Panelists: Professor Hal Varian (Dean, School of Information and Management Systems, UCB)
Associate Dean Gary Matkin (UC Extension)
Professor Larry Rowe (BMRC and EECS, UCB)
Reception & Dinner
Universities in the Digital Age
Dr. Paul Duguid, Education School and Xerox PARC
Distance Learning (January 16, 1997)
Current and Future Distance Learning Practices
(Moderator Associate Dean Gary Matkin, UC Extension)
University Extension and AOL
Mary Beth Almeda, UC Extension
Using Interactive Video
Professor Lawrence Rowe, EECS
Virtual Universities
Maclen Marvit, Worlds, Inc.
Discussion
(Moderator Dr. Diane Harley, CSHE)
Topics: Impact of new technologies on the university, Observations on new technology experimentation, Funding
Panelists: Professor Howard Besser (School of Information and Management Systems, UCB)
Professor Sheldon Rothblatt (History, UCB)
Professor Martin Trow (Graduate School of Public Policy, UCB)
BMRC Industrial Advisory Board Meeting (January 16, 1996)
A meeting of the BMRC Industrial Advisory Board was held that included presentations on Center activities for the past year and proposed activities and research for this coming year.
Meeting Agenda (Introductions and Overview Professor Lawrence Rowe, BMRC)
Using Multimedia and the Web to Enhance Student Understanding of Human Rights Government Service, and the Humanities Harry Kreisler, Institute for International Relations
New Media Art Repository: A Virtual Museum of Art & Technology Dr. Randall Packer, BMRC
Protecting and Distributing Digital Media Professor Howard Besser, SIMS and BMRC
BMRC Multimedia Networking, Storage, and Distribution Oliver Crow, BMRC
The Berkeley-China Internet MBONE Demonstration
On March 24, 1997, BMRC researchers produced a three-way audio/video conference using the Internet MBONE tools. The broadcast included UC President Richard Atkinson at the All UC Conference on Teaching and Learning, UCLA, Chancellor Chang-Lin Tien and Dean Paul Gray at UC Berkeley, and President Wang Dazhong at Tsinghua University in China. The technology did not work quite as well as we would have liked, but people at Berkeley and Tsinghua were able to communicate well. There was limited audio communication with UCLA.
The primary reason for the problems was that UCNET that links together the UC campuses, does not currently run multicast. Therefore, we had to route many streams using point-to-point links over the same physical circuits which created a bottleneck. As a result of this experiment, UCNET will be enabling multicast protocols on the backbone routers soon, and we will begin to use administrative domain scoping to control packet delivery so that more use of the MBONE technology within UC will be possible in the near future.
Art, Technology, and Culture: A New Colloquium at U.C. Berkeley
As part of the Chancellor's CyberSemester Initiative, UC Berkeley initiated a new lecture series. Broadly titled to encompass interests across the campus, the intent is to focus on new insights occurring at the intersection of art, technology, and culture. The series was organized by Professor Ken Goldberg with support from the BMRC, the Art Practice Department/Harmony Chase Fund, the College of Engineering, the Townsend Center for the Humanities, and the Center for Studies in Higher Education. The Spring 1997 schedule was:
Icons in the Sprawl: Making Form in the Electrosphere, Aaron Betsky, SF MOMA
Transgressing the Boundaries: Towards a Transformative Hermeneutics of Quantum Gravity, Charles Ray, UCLA Art
Interface Metaphors: Narrative Strategies in Interactive Media, George Legrady, SFSU Art
Clicking In: Digital Cinema, Virtual Sets and Infinite Reality, Lynn Hershman, UC Davis Art
Media Synthesis, Paul Haeberli, Silicon Graphics
Reconfiguring Cyberia: Cultural Theory Addresses Technology
The transformation of the social and cultural world by new communication and information technologies has been overtaken by the rapid changes in the technology itself. In a series of lectures, films and a CD-ROM exhibit, social scientists and cultural theorists discussed the cultural impacts of technological change. In addition to the BMRC, Reconfiguring Cyberia was sponsored by the Doreen B. Townsend Center for the Humanities, the Center for Studies in Higher Education, the Library, the School of Information Management and Systems, and the Pacific Film Archive.
A Case Study of Living in Cyberia at an Internet Cafe, Dr. Nina Wakeford, Department of Sociology, Sheffield University
How Real is a Virtual Community?, Howard Rheingold, Director, Electric Minds
Visualizing On-Line Cultures: Maps and Measures of Usenet, Marc Smith, Graduate Student, Department of Sociology, UCLA)
How We Became "Posthuman", Professor N. Katherine Hayles, Department of English, UCLA
Database Politics and Cultural Reality, Natalie Jeremijenko, Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University
The series of events also included screenings of the video Pandemonium and The Virtual Wasteland, and an exhibit of Techno-Grrls: Interactive CD-ROMs by Women at the Pacific Film Archive.
BMRC Web Site
The BMRC maintains a web site that serves as a source of information about BMRC and multimedia topics. The site is BMRC's showcase of multimedia in action, a combination of technology and creativity. Since October 1996 the site has been in "zine" format. The zine format creates an environment where new technology, media, and design can be shared with the multimedia community. Changing the site on a regular bases encourages users to visit the site often. The site is updated one or more times each semester with new articles, features, and highlights of new multimedia. Articles discuss multimedia, including how to create it, the technology behind it, and its uses in the classroom.
In addition to the "zine," the site contains pages that are relatively static. These pages contain information such as: research topics, announcements for upcoming multimedia related events, a directory of BMRC affiliates, and lists of the equipment and software which is available to students in the BMRC multimedia labs.
BMRC Steering Committee
BMRC Affiliates Program
BMRC Sponsors