Alumnus Cheng Zhang Heads to Fellowship at NASA

Congratulations to Cheng Zhang, who recently completed a degree in the Digital Animation and Interactive Media track of the MFA in Design!  She has been awarded a Science Visualization Fellowship at NASA, starting in January, 2015.  The Fellowship is a year-long position designed to nurture emerging data visualizers who wish to explore the intersection of science and art through science storytelling. Zhang is currently studying at ACCAD (the Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design) as she completes a PhD in Computer Science Engineering.  She completed her Design MFA thesis project, the Moon Experience, an award-winning virtual reality system based on the historic Apollo program, under the guidance of Associate Professor Alan Price.

The Science Visualization Fellowship at NASA is a year-long position.  Zhang will explore the intersection of science and art by merging science storytelling, data processing, and scientific visualization.  Her background in computer science, computer graphics, and creative practice will support the challenge the fellowship provides:  to create “visually compelling cinematic-quality scientific visualizations of some of NASA’s most exciting science missions.”