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TEACHING ERGUN AKLEMAN |
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As a person with both scientific and artistic expertise, my main
aspiration has always been to successfully integrate science, art and
technology in both education and research. I am a professional cartoonist who has
published more
than 500 cartoons, illustrations and caricatures. I am also an
engineer with a strong background in applied mathematics. I earned
my Ph.D. focused on Computer Graphics from the Department of
Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Georgia
Institute of Technology. I have worked in Computer Science departments and
am currently working in the Architecture department as a faculty member.
During my multidisciplinary academic and professional experiences,
I have developed intuitive
and rigorous knowledge in mathematics, theoretical and practical
knowledge in computer science and the skills and talent of an
artist. My expertise is highly consistent with the multidisciplinary nature
of architecture in which
aesthetics, science, technology and functionality
are all essential elements.
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I predominantly teach master courses in the Visualization Sciences M.Sc. program of
the Architecture department.
The program is designed to prepare students who are
talented in both science and art for a range of long-term careers in
visualization. Although our program is a relatively small, it is
well-known in the special effects industry, where more than 100
of our former students are
currently working in such companies as
PIXAR, ILM, Dreamworks and Disney.
The backgrounds of our students in the program
vary significantly. Some of them come from engineering or
computer science programs, while
others have backgrounds in art or design.
It is both a challenge and
joy to teach such a diverse group of students. My major advantage as
an educator is having a diverse background that matches most students' interests.
My goal as a teacher is to identify and teach fundamental concepts
and skills such that our graduates, regardless of their backgrounds,
can continuously adjust themselves to the rapid changes inherent
in the fields of computer graphics, architecture and digital art.
I believe that I make a significant impact on the careers of many of my students.
In fact, even before coming to the Visualization Sciences Program I motivated
several students towards a graphics career.
For instance, two of my students from Turkey are currently working in Pixar.
Another student of mine
is one of the four developers of the Brazil rendering system.
Because of my diverse background, I teach a wide variety of courses in
the Visualization Sciences program ranging from purely technical such as
Image Synthesis to purely artistic such as
Visual Storytelling. Since I believe that learning can only occur by
doing and exploring, regardless of the subject matter,
my courses are organized around various
projects that are designed to make the students confront the key
issues and problems in the field. I combine a studio approach with
lectures. In my art and design courses, students also learn
mathematics. In my technical computer graphics courses that are
usually heavy in computer science and mathematics, students also
learn aesthetics aspects.
One of the important aspects of
graduate level teaching is advising students.
As an advisor, my main goal is helping my students to learn how to
identify and solve problems. I try to teach students strategies
to avoid beaten paths. I strongly encourage them
to consider various solution methods. I feel fortunate that many of my students
become good problem solvers and have successful careers.