3D Imaging and Modeling in Winston Salem, North Carolina

Be careful if you enter Winston Tower in downtown Winston-Salem, NC, because you might find body part print generation, ranging virtual seas and private dreams animated.

Nickolay Hristov, of the Center for Design Innovation, hosted an assembly of local 3D imaging, animation artists and topography mapping professionals to a packed house this evening. Presentations included Dennis Nikolaidis (formerly of Out of Our Minds Animation) with Animusing Productions, Josh Tan, MS of Research Medical Imaging & 3D Modeling CBI, Thomas Tucker of Winston Salem State University's Animation Department, and David Norman and DeEtta Famiano of Famiano Design Group. Each company and presenter is worth exploring further if you have an interest in 3D animation or modeling in Winston-Salem or the Triad.

Of particular note tonight:

Dennis Nikolaidis demonstrated the process he used to generate a 3D animation of an open sea. The complex and trial and error process resulted in an expansive, realistic 3D animation of a seascape complete with clouds and shoreline that drew gasps and applause from the group. Dennis is an unassuming and highly gifted specialist.

Josh Tan presented examples of how 2D medical digital imaging can be converted into a precise and dynamic 3D medically exact model. This process enables physicians to take virtual, but factual, tours of the patients body, locating tumors, aneurysms, and hidden fractures. Mr. Tan also share the fun (if still incomplete) programming of a Kinect controller adapted to allow motion navigation through a 3D model program. Josh also share a video of 3D model printing as well as a sample of a printed human skull. He had to tell us it wasn't real.

Thomas Tucker showed some clever examples of taking existing 3D modeling research to full animation. The man made a dog skeleton walk in "Night at the Museum" style. Best of all, Mr. Tucker showed several 3D animation projects that were inspired by the images taken from his meditations. Yes, Thomas Tucker has dare to animate dreams!

DeEtta Famiano and David Norman concluded our evening with a presentation of the expansive capabilities of laser scanner data collection - which sounds clever enough, but when applied to topographical and terrain mapping is just downright amazing. Their current project for the restoration of Moody's Furnace has interesting implications for construction site research and large project commercial development. Future applications include our very own I-40 Business corridor here in Winston-Salem, NC.

3D modeling and animation is very much alive in the Triad and it appears may be responsible for bringing a great deal "to life" in our community. Special thanks to Nickolay Hristov and the Center for Design Innovation for an educational and inspirational evening.

Dr. McConnell Shared WFUBMC Goals at Chamber Annual Meeting

From the Winston-Salem Journal:
Dr. John McConnell, the chief executive of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, spread his message to a larger audience yesterday that the system is at a crossroads.

McConnell spoke at the 125th annual meeting of the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce. He gave a similar presentation in February.

Wake Forest Baptist is playing an increasingly large role in the local economic transition. It is Forsyth County’s largest employer, with about 11,800 employees overall, and is the driving force behind the build-out of Piedmont Triad Research Park.

Read the rest of the article, including the names of the winners for both the Duke Energy Citizenship and Service Award and the Cook Medical Innovation Award, here.

Winston Salem Journal Recaps Speaker Series Event

The Winston-Salem Journal wrote a summary of yesterday's Chamber Tech Council panel discussion on cyber security.

From the article:

The cost of fending off cyber threats to businesses is increasing, a panel of local technology officials and analysts said today.

But compared with repairing cyber damage--whether to business and customer information, trade secrets and lost trust--companies are more willing to absorb the expense.

The panel spoke at the quarterly Tech Council presentation sponsored by the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce.

"It is less costly to be proactive than reactive to cyber threats," said Chris Summers, an Associate Director of Enterprise Architecture for Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

Read the entire article here.

Speaker Series Event on Cyber Security

The Tech Council held a Speaker Series event today on cyber security, with advice and wisdom from a panel of experts: Steve Scott, Vice President and Group Technology Manager of Information Security Technology at Wachovia Bank, A Wells Fargo Company; John Pueschel, Attorney at Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice; Chris Summers, Associate Director of Information Security at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center; and Special Agent Christopher Avery, Federal Bureau of Investigation. The panel discussion was moderated by Dr. Errin Fulp, Associate Professor of Computer Science at Wake Forest University.

For more on upcoming Chamber technology events, visit the Chamber website at http://www.winstonsalem.com/.

Winston + Salem = Arts and Innovation

Read this in-depth article in Winston-Salem Monthly magazine about the history of the city's efforts to grow its technology sector. From the article:

The Twin City's wealth of higher education gives us a competitive edge in the 21st century and is part of what makes its Piedmont Triad Research Park, an innovation community for life sciences and information technology, so dynamic and flush with collaborative opportunities. "Life outside the lab makes all the difference," the park's website states. "The city of Winston-Salem nurtures intellectual and business opportunities, stimulating its residents' creativity and their visions for the future."

Read the entire article here.

WinstonNet Secures Nearly a Million Dollars in Federal Funding

WinstonNet Inc., a partnership of local government and academic institutions and the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce to provide free computer services to city and county residents, has received a $926,537 federal broadband recovery grant to provide new equipment for existing labs, better serve the Hispanic population, open new labs in low-income areas, and expand computer training, job training, and educational resources.
The federal grant will be matched with $532,711 in cash and $163,500 in in-kind contributions from WinstonNet and its member agencies, said John Boehme, the president of WinstonNet and the director of technical resources for education- and research-administrative systems at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

Read the rest of the announcement here.

Wake Forest Cancer Researchers Discover New Treatment

(from the Triad Business Journal)

Researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center have made a “major breakthrough” in how to target and destroy the most malignant and aggressive brain cancer cells.

An announcement from the medical center said scientists have identified a way to target and destroy Glioblastoma multiforme, or GBM, cells without harming healthy cells.

“Over the last 30 to 40 years, with all the cancer research efforts out there, we have only been able to extend the survival rate in these patients by about one month per decade of research,” said Dr. Waldemar Debinski, director of the Brain Tumor Center of Excellence at Wake Forest Baptist.

Read more: WFU researchers make cancer discovery - The Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area

WFIRM Mentioned in Today's WS Journal

There is a nice article about Dr. Atala and the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine in today's Winston-Salem Journal. An excerpt from the article:
"The 2010-11 state budget passed last weekend includes $10 million for the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine, which involves several partners around the country, including the Wake Forest institute. The armed-forces effort focuses on creating new tissue and organs for wounded soldiers."
Click here to read the story.

Biomedical Imaging Expert to Give Free Lecture at Baptist on July 8

Roderic I. Pettigrew, Ph.D., M.D., director of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) at the National Institutes of Health, will present a free lecture at 5 p.m. on Thursday, July 8, at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

The talk, “Interdisciplinary Science and Horizons in Health Care,” will be held in Babcock Auditorium, which is accessible from Hawthorne Road. Free parking will be available in the Hawthorne Road Employee Deck.

Click here for more details and directions to the event.