Professional Preparation
Post-doc - Visualization Sciences
Texas A&M University - 1994
Ph.D. - Visualization Sciences
Texas A&M University - 1993
M.A. - Computer Graphics & Animation
Ohio State University - 1989
B.F.A. - Fine Arts (Painting)
Joshibi University, Japan - 1986
Publications
Kitagawa, M, B. Windsor. MoCap for Artists: Workflow and Techniques for Motion Capture. Focal Press, 2008. 2008 - Publication
Kitagawa De Leon, M. On line Amish game and its simulation of agricultural environments. Proceedings of International Symposium on the Restoration and Assessments of Agricultural Environments. Department of Education, Sendai, Japan, 17-19, 1998. 1998 - Publication
Kitagawa De Leon, M. Branching Object Generation and Animation System with Cubic Hermite Interpolation, Journal of Visualization and Computer Animation. 2, 2, 60-67, 1994. 1994 - Publication
Kitagawa De Leon, M. Visualization of Environmental Effects on Branching Objects, Proceeding of Resource Technology '90. Washington, D.C., 1990. 1990 - Publication
Kitagawa De Leon, M. Branching Object Generation and Animation System with Cubic Hermite Interpolation, Proceedings of NICOGRAPH '90, Tokyo, Japan, 161-170, 1990. 1990 - Publication
Appointments
Current Associate Professor
The University of Texas at Dallas [2004–Present]
School of Arts and Humanities
Associate Professor
The Ohio State University (OSU) [2001–2004]
Department of Industrial, Interior, and Visual Communication Design
Assistant Professor
The Ohio State University (OSU) [1994–2001]
Department of Industrial, Interior, and Visual Communication Design
Additional Information
Service outside the university
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Paper reviewer, Leonardo: Journal of Arts, Sciences and Technology, 2006 – current
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Member, Media Forum Advisory Committee. Media Forum is a non-profit organization whose goal is to develop academic and professional opportunities in the digital content industry, 2003 – current
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Jury member, SIGGRAPH 2010 Space Time Student Competition, 2010
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Jury member, SIGGRAPH Asia 2009 Best Education Papers. Selected papers have been published in Computers and Graphics: An International Journal of Systems & Applications in Computer Graphics, Elsevier, 2010
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Reviewer, book proposal for CRC Press - Chapman Hall, 2010
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Jury member, SIGGARPH Asia 2009 Educators Program. Reviewed and selected paper, panel, and workshop proposals, 2009
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Reviewer, book proposal for Focal Press, 2009
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ACM SIGGRAPH Japanese Liaison. Worked with the SIGGRAPH Executive Committee and Conference Committees to develop inter-organizational relations and activities, 1994 - 2007
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Reviewer, SIGGRAPH 2007 Sketches and Posters, 2007
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Reviewer, SIGGRAPH 2006 Art Gallery, 2006
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Reviewer, SIGGRAPH 2005 Courses, 2005
Special service contributions to program, school, or university
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Guest lecture organizer, 2005 – 2010. The guest lecturers whom I invited to UTD include the following professionals: Brian Windsor (Motion capture specialist, The Ohio State University), Robert Lurye (Lead lighter, DreamWorks/PDI), Dr. Elisabeth Rega (Associate Professor of Anatomy, Western University of Health Sciences), Dr. Stuart Sumida (Professor of Biology, California State University at San Bernardino, Tim McLaughlin (Chair, Visualization Science Department, Texas A&M University), Scott King (Professor of Computer Science, Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi, Crispin Freeman (Actor/Voice Actor)
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Supervised Dr. Jo Takayama, visiting researcher in ATEC program, 2007 - 2009. The animations Dr. Takayama produced at UTD have been screened at international conferences and exhibitions, such as ACM SIGGRAPH Asia in Singapore, 5th Istanbul Animation Festival in Turkey, and ASIAGRAPH 2008 in Japan, contributing to the ATEC program’s international recognition.
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Showcase organizer, 2006. Organized the first ATEC Showcase, a juried exhibition of animations, films, games, images, sounds, and interactive arts by ATEC graduate and undergraduate students.
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Faculty advisor to the Student Animation Society, 2005 – 2007
Personal Statement
Midori Kitagawa has been teaching and researching computer animation and motion capture as a full-time faculty member for the last 15 years.
The majority of her instructional effort at UT Dallas has been invested into the animation curriculum within the Arts and Technology (ATEC) Program in the School of Arts and Humanities. The animation curriculum is designed to prepare graduate and undergraduate students in the ATEC program for professional opportunities in the animation, simulation, and game industries, and academia.
Dr. Midori Kitagawa's current research interests are in motion capture and scientific visualization and her most note-worthy accomplishment in 2008 was finishing the manuscript for Mocap for Artists: Workflow and Techniques for Motion Capture, published by Focal Press.
Activities
Synergistic Activities
I have been teaching and researching motion capture animation and the results were published in MoCap for Artists: Workflow and Techniques for Motion Capture (Focal Press, 2008).
For the Conversational Character Robot project, I created a unique 3D facial rig that can be animated by key-framing and motion capture data. In addition, I developed a method to extract the head motion from facial capture data to isolate the motion data of facial expressions. Both of which were described in the book MoCap for Artists.
I developed the Branching Object Generation and Animation System (BOGAS) which generates and animates branching structures, such as trees and plants, originally as my Masters thesis research. I continued to work on BOGAS during my postdoctoral research and beyond, the results from the visualization projects conducted with BOGAS have been published on journals and at conferences, such as ACM SIGGRAPH (Special Interest Group on Graphics).
I was a Co-PI for interactive multimedia instructional projects, On-line Agroecosystem Database for Multimedia Teaching of Agricultural and Cultural Diversity in Holmes County, Ohio and Extensible Electronic Chemistry Study Resource, both of which were funded by the Battelle Endowment for Technology and Human Affairs Grant Program. I developed an on-line interactive game that teaches Amish farming practices and culture with the funding from the Ministry of Education of Japan.
Affiliations
M.A. advanced project advisor
Ming Ku
M.A. 2006
Jason Huang
M.A. 2006 Ph.D. student, UTD
Harold Leach
M.A. 2005 Marriott Vacation Club International, Production Artist
M.F.A. thesis committee chair/advisor
Matt Derksen
M.F.A. 2004 Rhythm & Hues Studios, Character Rigging Supervisor
Jean Halsuka
M.F.A. 2004 3rd Ward, Brooklyn, NY, Education Director
Kyoung Lee
M.F.A. 2004 Pixar Animation Studios, Lighting Technical Director
Vita Berezina-Blackburn
M.F.A. 2003 Ohio State University, Animation Specialist
Jun Oh
M.F.A. 2003 Samaritan's Purse, Motion Graphic Producer
Scott Sweringen
M.F.A. 2003 Electronic Arts, Game Level Designer
Ian Butterfield
M.F.A. 2002 Blue Sky Studios, Senior Materials Technical Director
Brandon Morse
M.F.A. 2002 University of Maryland, Associate Professor, Graduate Director
Yianni Yessios
M.F.A. 2001 Cleveland Institute of Arts, Assistant Professor
Clarke Stallworth
M.F.A. 2001 Savanna College of Arts and Design, Professor
Wooksang Chang
M.F.A. 2000 Chung-Ang University, Professor
Wobbe Koning
M.F.A. 2000 Montclair State University, Adjunct
Janice Braverman
M.F.A. 1999 Kentucky Center School for Arts, Instructor
Heath Hanlin
M.F.A. 1998 Syracuse University, Associate Professor
Neal McDonald
M.F.A. 1998 University of Maryland, Assistant Professor
Marla Mayerson
M.F.A. 1998 Youngstown State University, Assistant Professor
Janet Lucroy
M.F.A. 1997 Pixar Animation, Director of Photography
John Warren
M.F.A. 1997 Pixar Animation, Technical Director
Nathania Vishnevsky
M.F.A. 1997 DreamWorks/Pacific Data Images, Training Specialist
Ph.D. Dissertation committee chair
Vanessa Paugh
Ph.D. 2010
School of Arts and Humanities
M.F.A. advanced project advisor
Phillip Car
M.F.A. 2009
Christina Lanning
M.F.A. 2009 Ph.D. student, UTD
Wei Wei Zhang
M.F.A. 2009 Ph.D. student, UTD
Jun Chi
M.F.A. 2008 Lecturer, UTD
Singkhum Khamonouane
M.F.A. 2008 Walt Disney Studio, Modeler
Joel Ladella
M.F.A. 2008 Invision Media, Graphic Artist
Patrick Dunnigan
M.F.A. 2007 North American Conveyor Co., Visual Database Eng.
Funding
Conversational Character Robot
$24,825 - Hanson Robotics [2007–2008]
Houdini software donation from Side Effects, Inc.
$680,000 - 40 licenses of Houdini Master and 120 licenses of Renderer [2005]
RenderMan software donation from Pixar
$110,000 - 80 licenses of RenderMan and six other related products (80 licenses each) from Pixar [2004]