News & Events
Robin Bargar Appointed Dean of Technology & Design at City Tech
Robin Bargar, a researcher, educator and creative force in media and information technology, has been named dean of City Tech's School of Technology & Design.
Bargar has expertise in
the design and development of software tools for creating sounds
and images in virtual reality and computer animation, in addition
to extensive management experience in academia and industry. He
comes to City Tech from Hexagram, a Montréal-based non-profit
institute for research and production in arts and media technologies,
where he served as CEO since 2002. The institute undertakes research
projects in innovative media applications and strives to link the
creative and industrial worlds.
Previously, Bargar spent
two years at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he
implemented virtual environment technology and seminars for faculty
development and new curriculum, directed a feasibility study for
an art and design research and development facility, and developed
a program plan for industry partnerships and technology R&D
funding. Simultaneously, he was a consulting technical program manager
with E-MU Systems/Creative Labs, the world's leading manufacturer
of computer audio cards (Soundblaster).
Before that, from 1993-2000,
he was affiliated with the National Center for Supercomputing Applications
(NCSA) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as co-founder
of the Audio Development Group. At NCSA he directed the development
of sound synthesis software for virtual environments, and was a
video producer/director in Scientific Media Systems. In addition,
he served as director of the Integrated Systems Laboratory at the
university's Beckman Institute of Advanced Science and Technology
from1997-1999. Bargar has served on the faculty of the School of
the Art Institute of Chicago and the School of Music at the University
of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Bargar, who resides in
Park Slope, Brooklyn, completed his doctoral studies in computer
music (minor in computer science) at the University of Illinois,
and holds master's and bachelor's degrees in music composition (electronic
media; music technology) from Ohio State University.
His work has been frequently
showcased in the computer music and digital media communities, including
the SIGGRAPH Electronic Theater, MTV Liquid Television and Imagina.
He received a co-nomination for an Academy Award in 1996 for Best
Short Film (Animated) and was a finalist at the 1991 International
Electro-Acoustic Music Competition in Bourges, France.
"After taking up a
career in the arts, I discovered important connections between creative
practice and technology development," says Bargar, who is a
composer specializing in electronic media. "New applications
in digital media are emerging in parallel with new computer-based
technologies. These applications span the breadth of communications,
science, medicine and business - everywhere that computers have
broad impact.
"The common factor in these new fields is the high level of collaboration between developers from different professional areas," he adds. "In my musical endeavors I have discovered many ways that players of diverse talents can perform together in a well-tuned ensemble. This metaphor has been very important to me in productive relationships I have shared with engineers, scientists and designers."
As dean of City Tech's School of Technology & Design, Bargar will oversee a broad array of baccalaureate, associate and specialized certificate programs in advertising design and graphic arts, facilities management and the technologies of architecture, civil engineering, computer engineering, computer systems, construction management, electrical engineering, entertainment, environmental control, mechanical engineering and telecommunications.
The school is also home to the Alliance for Minority Participation Teaching Assistantship and Verizon Next Step Programs, and collaborates closely with the College's Division of Continuing Education in the delivery of adult education and workforce development courses and programs, many of which lead to licensure and certification in selected trades and other fields.
"City Tech's School of Technology and Design is made up of a rare balance of engineering technology and media technology programs, which provides a rich environment for pooling resources, talents and learning opportunities," Bargar says. "My primary goal is to support our talented faculty and attract and motivate students by improving resources and developing new contexts for teaching and mentoring.
"Few schools in the eastern United States offer the diverse programs and diverse cultural contexts that City Tech provides for faculty and students to engage with emerging technologies," he continues. "I am looking forward to developing new high-tech initiatives in partnerships with regional industries, government sponsors and our sister CUNY colleges."
Bargar has consulted widely to concerns as diverse as SUN Microsystems, Yamaha Motor Corporation, the National Science Foundation, NASA, JP Morgan Chase, Parson School of Design, United Technologies, DePaul University School of Computer Science, the University of Tokyo, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain, and holds two U.S. Patents in the areas of data-driven audio and interactive media interface control systems.
He has lectured around the world on a variety of interactive technology topics in venues ranging from Columbia University's Interactive Arts Festival in New York City to Opera Totale II in Venice, Italy, the NTT Inter-Communications Center in Tokyo, and the Beijing Film Academy. He has written extensively for various professional journals and other publications.
3/26/04
