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In order to achieve these goals we are asking for the following start-up support from the College:
• Approval to pursue external funds and corporate partnerships; ASAP
• Institutional recognition of the initiative; ASAP
• Institutional awareness of the initiative; ASAP
• Clearly documented policies and procedures for external funding approval; ASAP
• A half-time grants administrator; September 2008
• An office; September 2008
• Graduate assistantships; September 2008
We are seeking approval to move aggressively on external funding and corporate partnership opportunities.
We need to be able to use the name Networked Localities Collective in association with Emerson College in our efforts to attract external funding and corporate partnership opportunities.
Although every proposal and application will be custom developed to fit the guidelines, the basic objectives of the initiative will remain the same. We need everyone in the approval chain to be aware that this effort is underway so that individual proposals and applications can make it through the approval process more expeditiously and so that potential problems can be identified and resolved prior, rather than during an impending deadline.
We need clearly documented policies and procedures for external funding approval at every level including deadlines. The most efficient way to manage this would be to have one internal deadline with one person in charge of receiving proposals and circulating them for approval.
The half-time staff position is intended to provide project management and support for the NLC research initiative, under the direction of Associate Professor John Craig Freeman and Assistant Professor Eric Gordon. Adam Greenfield, who will report on the individual’s performance to Dean Grafton Nunes, will supervise the individual charged with this responsibility. The primary responsibilities of the position will include grants administration and oversight of grant requirements, such as timelines and reporting, as well management of grant budgets. Additionally, the position responsibilities will include grant research and writing in order to maintain the long term financial viability of the initiative. Lesser responsibilities will include managing the employment needs of up to three graduate assistants and assisting the project directors in planning events associates with the initiative, including scheduling rooms, catering and coordination of all technology needs. As the initiative develops this individual will maintain an inventory of equipment and supplies in support of the various projects. In the long term we hope that this position can be funded at a full-time level through the indirect costs associated with the grants that the project attracts.
We need a small office space where the project management and support person can do their work. The office will need basic computing and communications equipment and supplies.
We will need to hire graduate research assistants outside of the normal financial incentive program. The requirements for this project require advanced, second year skills. The tasks assigned will be determined by the needs of the project and the skills of the students who are appointed.
The following is a list of long term needs, which would ultimately be funded through external sources:
• A full-time “computer scientist in residence”; September 2009
• Field Equipment; September 2010
• Lab facility; September 2010
• Exhibition space; September 2010
In the long term, we are hoping to be able to hire a programmer/engineer to support the software and hardware development aspects of the project. This person will teach Programming for New Media once a semester, but their primary responsibilities will be programming and development for the various NLC projects.
Required skills include:
• full understanding and experience with object-oriented programming
• advanced knowledge of object-oriented languages like actionscript 3, c++, c#, java, PHP, python, ruby, visual basic
• advanced understanding of key programming concepts like logic, input/output, polymorphism, functions, loops, pointers, strings, classes, design and development methodology
• knowledge of abstraction layers like DirectX and OpenGL
• knowledge of graphics programming like shaders, lighting, raytracing, MEL script
• knowledge of mathematics and physics
Field Equipment would include video cameras, still cameras, sound equipment, tripods, laptops and mobile devices. A more detailed list and budget will be developed as needed.
The project should ultimately expand into its own 400 square foot, fully networked lab facility with ten Mac Pro computers, a 3000 lumen ceiling mount projector, streaming servers, a workbench and tools, a conference table and chairs.
We consider public access to the results of this initiative to be quintessential. We imagine that the lab facility would be fronted, at street level, by an additional 400 square foot public exhibition space, equipped with computers projectors and a sound system.
johncraigfreeman
ericbot
