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Black History Month + Emerging Media Design & Development

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The Center for Emerging Media Design and Development includes a diverse group of designers and storytellers from around the world. We embrace the differences and similarities in our individual experiences to develop more inclusive ideas and create solutions that are representative of the culture we have created within our program. During Black History Month, EMDD recognizes diverse storytellers and designers and their contributions to various forms of communication.

Mariam Braimah

“Since I joined to date, the black community at Netflix has grown. I’ve seen so many new designers join our team that are black or of African descent which is awesome to see. They’re learning how to become a more inclusive company.”

– Mariam Braimah

Photo from LinkedIn

Mariam Braimah is a Product Designer at Netflix and founder of the Kimoyo Fellowship, a design education program teaching the skills necessary to become a UI/UX designer at Nigeria’s leading tech companies. She serves as CEO of Kimoyo Insights, a user-testing platform that allows companies to receive meaningful feedback across the African continent.

Ta-Nehisi Coates

“I’ve been wondering who might fill the intellectual void that plagued me after James Baldwin died…clearly it is Ta-Nehisi Coates.” 

– Toni Morrison

Ta-Nehisi Coates is an award-winning author and journalist. His books include The Beautiful Struggle, We Were Eight Years in Power, and The Water Dancer. Named one of the most influential books of the decade by CNN, his Between The World And Me won the National Book Award in 2015. He has also written several series for Marvel Comics, including Black Panther and Captain America.

Jocelyn Bioh

“My goal is always, first, to entertain,” Bioh said. “I think second is to have people walking away, feeling like they now have a different understanding of either a culture, a person, a country—they now have a more unique perspective on that thing than they had walking in.”

– Jocelyn Bioh

Photo by Joshua Bright for the New York Times

Ghanaian-American actress and playwright Jocelyn Bioh is known for her thought-provoking works that delve into themes of identity and culture. A Broadway performer and writer, she was in the original cast of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. She received the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play, The Outer Critics Circle John Gassner Award for New American Playwright, and the Dramatists Guild Hull-Warriner Award for her work School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play.

Tosh Juma

“Design thinking is a human-centered approach to innovation that draws from the designer’s toolkit to integrate the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business success.”

– Tim Brown

Photo from Ideo.org

Tosh Juma is the Managing Director for IDEO.org Nairobi. He oversees the company’s Kenyan design team and focuses on designing products, services, and brands that address emerging global development and humanitarian challenges. He is the Founder of the Nairobi Design Institute. NDI’s mission is to drive the future of innovation and impact in Africa through the power of design education—his vision and mission impact design worldwide.

End of Semester Update: DWNTWN AR

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The Downtown AR stories team will be using augmented reality to tell the stories of historical buildings in Downtown Muncie that no longer exist. There are now parking lots in the places where these buildings once stood. The team narrowed in on four key locations, each with its own story to tell. After meeting with a representative from DWNTWN Muncie, and developing a user journey, the team took a trip Downtown. Seeing the locations in person helped them identify possible usability and even safety issues they needed to consider. They also explored the possibility of using projection mapping. 

The team decided to focus on one story which would serve as the foundation for how the other stories would be developed. They started with the story on the Indiana Union Traction and developed a low-fidelity prototype for how the story would work on Figma. After a series of tests among their team, a mid-fidelity prototype of the story was developed. The team brought in external people this time to test the story flow on Figma using the Wizard of Oz method. 

The team is working on the project in three distinct phases; content, development, and marketing. The content team has developed a script for the first story and has tested it. They worked with other departments like the Department of Theatre and Dance and have recruited actors for all the stories they will be developing. The actor who will be playing George Rolland (the main character in the first story) has been taken through a script reading and will be filmed on Friday, December 2nd. The team will also be working with a costume shop director to provide costumes for our actors to make the story look more authentic since they all take place in the early 19th and 20th centuries. The development team is working to move the story into an augmented reality software called 8th wall. The marketing team is working on designing signages that users can read and scan to experience the stories. 

After recording the actor, the team plans to create a 2D video to be placed on the 8th wall. They will continue to work on the script and storyline for the other stories. They have already started drafting the script for the next story. They will also meet with a project partner, Cheryl, who is a representative from DWNTWN Muncie to update her on the progress of the project. 

Go West! – Kevin Moloney reflects on his family history as he travels the Santa Fe Trail

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The Journey

Recently, Dr. Kevin Moloney traveled into his past as he traversed the Santa Fe Trail. Moloney has familial ties to the trail. His great-great-grandfather, Dario Gallegos, bought and sold goods in the mid-1800s. An avid cyclist, Moloney moved along the trail via car and bike. He took the time to discuss his trip with Colorado Public Radio’s interview show, Colorado Matters.

Biking the trail allowed Moloney to reflect on his surroundings and the trail’s history. He cycled a portion of the trail in each state he traveled through, “I made a point of hopping on my bike, I’d pull over the car and find a nice stretch of the trail.” Researching his history and connecting to the ecology of the trail created a special experience for Moloney. “As a native westerner it was really particular exciting to sort of roll into the country where what you hear are red-winged black birds and meadowlarks and other bird songs that really inhabit my memories of the west.”

While many think of historic trails such as the Santa Fe and Oregon Trails as highways for travelers looking to settle the west, their place in providing resources and trade for residents should not be overlooked. A part of Moloney’s family history is the story of providing supplies and goods to the people of San Luis.

Dario Gallegos

Dario Gallegos was born near Taos, New Mexico in 1830. Moving into northern Colorado in 1851, he lead the establishment of the San Luis de Culebra settlement and started the first store in the San Luis Valley.

Dario Gallegos circa 1870, photo provided by the Latino History Project, and the R & R Market, now the San Luis People’s Market, built in 1857 photo from Google Maps..

Bringing items into San Luis from Missouri via covered wagon, Gallegos opened the R & R Market in San Luis, Colorado, in 1857. With items such as coffee, matches, chocolate, salt, and textiles, the store was one of the only sources of goods in the area.

Nineteen years before Colorado statehood, Gallegos looked to answer a question still faced today: How do we solve a food desert problem in a remote little town? His answer was the R & R Market which has recently been turned into a co-op and renamed the San Luis People’s Market.

The Santa Fe Trail

The Santa Fe Trail was a route developed by William Becknell, a Missouri trader, in 1821. For nearly 60 years, the trail served as a commercial highway for both American and Mexican traders, connecting Santa Fe, New Mexico, to Franklin, Missouri.

Images by Kevin Moloney.

The trail has served as a trade route, a path for settlers heading west, and a road for military conquest. Although the need for the Santa Fe Trail diminished by the 1880s due to the advent of commercial railroads, its lasting legacy is the mixing of diverse cultures and ideas represented by its native children.

MATCH POINT TEAM JOINS UCLA-MVB IN ATLANTA FOR YOUTH CLINICS, MATCHES AT MOREHOUSE & FORT VALLEY STATE

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MATCH POINT TEAM JOINS UCLA-MVB IN ATLANTA FOR YOUTH CLINICS, MATCHES AT MOREHOUSE & FORT VALLEY STATE

Written by: Dexter Ohaeri, Sarah Alison, Bridget-Anne Burke, Leo Herrera

The Match Point team joined the UCLA Men’s Volleyball team in Atlanta March 21-27 for a series of youth and coaching clinics and matches against Morehouse College and Fort Valley State University. The trip supported production for the upcoming Match Point documentary sequel that will chronicle the inaugural season for six new men’s volleyball programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), two of which are in Georgia. The new HBCU teams comprise the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, also new to men’s volleyball in 2022. The addition of the SIAC is part of a national effort to increase opportunities for minority athletes.

UCLA traveled to Atlanta in support of a nationwide campaign led by First Point Volleyball Foundation with specific foundational goals to improve men’s collegiate volleyball roster and scholarship opportunities, to increase opportunities for boys to learn the game and develop their skills in club, middle school, and high school programs, and to provide boys from low-income communities the opportunity to play and learn the game. 

Youth and Coaching Clinics

The week kicked off on Tuesday, March 22 with players and coaching clinics at Lakepoint Sports Complex near Atlanta. More than 150 girls and boys, coaches, and parents attended the event during which UCLA coaches and players led drills and shared knowledge about the game. 

School Visits

On Wednesday, March 23, the team visited Howard Middle School – a former high school where Martin Luther King attended – and Hope-Hill Elementary School to expose a new generation to the game. “The kids were great,” said UCLA Head Coach John Speraw. They were enthusiastic, engaged, and curious. Our players were wonderful ambassadors for the sport and UCLA. They are role models who will inspire future generations of volleyball players.”

As the UCLA players began the exhibitions, students screamed with excitement. After watching them play, students at both schools were eager to join the UCLA team on the court. The players took their time to show students how to set, pass and hit. The true joy on the students’ faces brought energy and enthusiasm to the UCLA players. 

Many students asked questions of the players like: “Who is the tallest?” “Who hits the hardest?” “Who is the best player?” “Who is the worst player?” and “Why did you want to play volleyball?” The sessions ended with high-fives and hugs.  

HBCU practices

“Go Tigers!” is splashed high above the court at Forbes Arena, a gym that is decked out in Morehouse’s classic maroon colors. Morehouse hosted the Bruins’ staff and team several times leading up to a match between the two teams on Friday, with both using the space to practice throughout the week. On March 23, Speraw and UCLA Assistant Coach John Hawks headed back to Forbes Arena to lead a practice for the Morehouse men’s volleyball team with Morehouse head coach Emory Lightfoot. For senior Collin Cecepcion, a Los Angeles native who in high school remembers watching and studying Speraw, it was an exciting full-circle moment. “To be able to be taught by him is a once in a lifetime opportunity to be taught by an LA legend,” Cecepcion said.

The next day, UCLA headed south of Atlanta for a joint practice with Fort Valley State University. “I love giving back to the game that’s given me so much,” Speraw said about leading practices with both Morehouse and Fort Valley State players. 

HBCU matches

After the Morehouse match, Speraw applauded the players, Morehouse staff and crowd. “Morehouse didn’t win tonight, but I look forward to the day they win their first match on this court,” he said. It will be a great day for all of us, a great day for Morehouse, and a great day for volleyball.” 

Although Morehouse lost the match, they still made a number of plays that erupted the crowd in excitement. Early in the first set, Cecepcion blocked UCLA hitters for a point that wowed fans.. UCLA won the match 25-8, 25-9, and 25-5. On Saturday, March 26, UCLA played at Fort Valley State and won 25-8, 25-10, 25-11…

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE COMPLETE STORY
John Speraw the head coach of the UCLA-MVB team and founding member of the First Point Volleyball Foundation
UCLA players teaching students how to set, pass, and hit
MATCH POINT TEAM JOINS UCLA-MVB IN ATLANTA FOR YOUTH CLINICS, MATCHES AT MOREHOUSE & FORT VALLEY STATE
John Speraw the head coach of the UCLA-MVB team and founding member of the First Point Volleyball Foundation
John Speraw the head coach of the UCLA-MVB team and founding member of the First Point Volleyball Foundation

Mythcast Trailer

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EMDD Blog

Mythcast Trailer

Welcome to Mythcast from the students at the Center for Emerging Media Design & Development at Ball State University. List for a murmur from under the pandemic blanket-fort recording studio to hear how our process went…

Listen to the full trailer. 

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Mythcast Episode 1 Released

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EMDD Blog

Mythcast: Episode One RELEASED

How to Train Your Demodog

How might we train a demodog? This adolescent form of a demogorgon from Stranger Things storyworld proves to be a compelling (and troublesome) challenge for students at the Center for Emerging Media Design & Development. Listen to how they apply design thinking and usability research to (hypothetically, anyway) train one! They get some important help from zoo keepers and wolf-dog owners. 

Listen to the full trailer. 

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Surviving and Thriving in My First Year of EMDD

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Surviving and Thriving in My First Year of EMDD

I remember sitting in bed the night before my grad program’s orientation and my first day of class. I was so nervous, wondering what to expect since I am the first person in my family to get their Master’s. To my surprise, when I walked in the EMDD lab and sat down in the classroom, I was greeted by smiling faces of faculty and individuals who would be in my cohort. Suddenly, I felt my body’s nervous tension ease and I began to feel at home in that classroom.

Despite my uncertainty in the beginning, my first year in EMDD was far more incredible than anything I could have imagined prior to entering the program. During my first semester, I was improved my research and analysis skills through collaborative and individual work. I had done research prior to being an EMDD student, but was able to further expand these skills through design thinking and usability testing—both things I had never done before. I was then able to take this knowledge into my second semester when creating a transmedia production design and examining virtual reality/augmented reality research. In my second semester, I also expanded my design knowledge through the collaborative creation of a four-part museum exhibition—physical exhibit, virtual reality experience, touchscreen experience, and a live actor experience— about something in relation to Indiana History.

My first year in EMDD was vigorous, but I survived and thrived through it with some helpful resources.

Peers in My Cohort: Over the course of my first year in EMDD, I was able to build strong professional relationships and friendships with my fellow peers in my cohort. This allowed for all of us to really lean on each other if we were struggling or confused with something. For example, I come from a writing background and not a design background. So, if I need guidance with design tools I would ask individuals in the program who come from design backgrounds for help. In return, when the individuals from design backgrounds struggled with writing, I would help them copyedit. This type of support and collaboration allowed us to grow closer as a cohort, while benefiting all of us.

Faculty: If I was ever struggling or feeling confused about the work we were doing, the EMDD faculty were always there to provide guidance. Something I learned over the past year was to not be afraid to ask for help or clarification. It is better to ask then do things blindly.

Now that my first year of EMDD is over, and I have gained all of these skills, I am looking forward to the experiences my year two project and creative project will bring. I feel so lucky to be part of a cohort and have faculty as supportive as what I have in EMDD.

Picture of Eileen Porzuczek

Eileen Porzuczek

Eileen Porzuczek is a second-year EMDD graduate student. She received her BA in English.

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