CHCI Student Member: Ethan Candelario

Ethan Candelario is an undergraduate student in School of Visual Arts, with a concentration in graphic design. Prior to his current work with ICAT, he primarily designed for the purposes of marketing, with almost no motion-related work. In describing his start in HCI, Ethan states  “It wasn't until I was introduced to George Hardebeck, who was at the time the facilities director for ICAT, that I started to work on more experiential, motion-based projects. My first interactive work was a touch-sensitive mural which was installed at the Museum of Natural History in Utah. At this exhibit, museum visitors could reach up and touch painted animals and watch them "come alive" via projection mapping, demonstrating how these animals live and interact with each other.  Shortly after that, George brought me on to another projection mapping project, which was to be a celebration of Virginia Tech's 150th anniversary and centered around the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets. Throughout the past two years I've worked on motion graphics for this project; it recently was shown on the front of Lane Hall.” Ethan is also working with the School of Visual Arts, the School of Performing Arts, and The Applied Research in Immersive Experiences and Simulations (ARIES) program to bring The Tell-Tale He(AR)t, an augmented reality book, to life.

Ethan will graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in graphic design. He would like to give credit to Meaghan Dee, George Hardebeck, and David Franusich for “how much help and advice they've given me, and all of the opportunities and doors they've opened for me.”  Ethan was recently hired for a full time position with VT University Relations as a motion designer. He would ultimately like to end up doing work similar to that at ICAT -- a blend of technology and art. In Ethan’s words, “While in Utah I saw firsthand how motion graphics have a unique ability to both educate and entertain, and I hope to have a career where I can do just that.”