The Order of Scroll and Key is a secret society, also known as a “Hat Society” at Dickinson College in Carlisle Pennsylvania . It is one of the three remaining societies at Dickinson and was reactivated in 2001 . Seven rising senior men are tapped into The Order each year on the steps of Bosler Hall. These men typically represent leadership in all facets of campus life. The organization, though not actually part of the college, commits itself to serving both Dickinson and the Carlisle community . Their actions around campus and the community remain exclusive however. They are known simply as "Gray Hats" around the Dickinson College campus denoting the dark gray brimless hat in each their possession …
Koontz, Kristiane. 2006 “Hat Societies Induct New Members” The Dickinsonian. 139(24)
Dickinson College. 2001 “Dickinson College - For Students: Scroll and Key”
http://www.dickinson.edu/stulife/orgdetail.cfm?oid=29
Dickinson College. 2005 “Dicksinson College Order of Scroll and Key”
http://alpha.dickinson.edu/storg/scrollkey/
Koontz, Kristiane. 2006 “Hat Societies Induct New Members” The Dickinsonian. 139(24)
Dickinson College. 2001 “Dickinson College - For Students: Scroll and Key”
http://www.dickinson.edu/stulife/orgdetail.cfm?oid=29
Dickinson College. 2005 “Dicksinson College Order of Scroll and Key”
http://alpha.dickinson.edu/storg/scrollkey/
Safeer-e-arsh () is an Iranian heavy metal band.
Based in Tehran, the name of the band refers to Rumi, Persia's medieval poet. Safeer-e-arsh means Toppest level of Sky.
The band was first founded in 1995, and is composed of song writer Pejman Vaseghi (guitars), Farzad Heidari (vocals), Farshid Hosseini (vocals), Joobin Mahmoodi (Drums), and Reza Khoshnevis (keyboards).
Most of the lyrics of the band are directly derived from verses of Diwan-e Shams-e Tabrizi. Their debut album Kavir was composed in 2001 but was finally released in 2007 after obtaining a record label permit from Iran's Ministry of Islamic Guidance.
Based in Tehran, the name of the band refers to Rumi, Persia's medieval poet. Safeer-e-arsh means Toppest level of Sky.
The band was first founded in 1995, and is composed of song writer Pejman Vaseghi (guitars), Farzad Heidari (vocals), Farshid Hosseini (vocals), Joobin Mahmoodi (Drums), and Reza Khoshnevis (keyboards).
Most of the lyrics of the band are directly derived from verses of Diwan-e Shams-e Tabrizi. Their debut album Kavir was composed in 2001 but was finally released in 2007 after obtaining a record label permit from Iran's Ministry of Islamic Guidance.
Introduction to Audioscape
Audioscape is an open source research project, exploring 3D audio modeling for live music performance. It provides a framework for immersive spatial audio performance, where a user's body can be modelled within a virtual 3-D world, and the propagation of audio is computed based on acoustic physical modelling. This framework is among only a few that have explored virtual environments from the perspective of music and digital signal processing (DSP). It is an interactive and perceptually engulfing experience that causes users to feel like they are inside of an artwork or instrument. Rich 3-D graphics are available for display, providing visual feedback to help control the artwork. However, the primary focus of this research is the development of a paradigm for interacting with 3-D sound, and a method of accomplishing complicated signal processing using spatial relations.
Overview
* Multiple users are immersed in a virtual environment, each having a subjective visual and auditory rendering of the scene.
* Spatialized audio is provided using a virtual microphone technique; the number of virtual mics corresponds to the number of loudspeakers being used.
* Realtime physical modelling of virtual sound is used to provide the necessary signals to the virtual mics.
* The scene also contains other interactive sonic objects, which can perform DSP at specific 3-D locations.
* Users have the ability to ‘steer’ sound through 3-D space to determine how their sound signals will be modified.
Framework for Modelling Virtual Audio
Node-based approach with a scene graph data structure:
An audio scene is composed of sound processing nodes that exist at some 3-D location and maintain various parameters to aid in DSP computation. These nodes are organized in a scene graph, which is a tree-like data structure (commonly found in computer graphics applications) that forms parent-child relationships between nodes. Any operation applied on a node will automatically propagate to all of it’s children.
The ‘soundNode’:
The soundNode is the fundamental building block of a virtual audio scene. It can behave as either a source, or sink, or both at the same time. The case where it represents “both” is particularly since this is how spatially localized DSP is realized; the node will collect audio at a specific 3-D location, apply some processing, and radiate the result back into the scene.
The ‘soundConnection’:
The soundConnection specifies the propagation model between soundNodes. That is, it defines how audio travels from a source node to a sink, based on physically-modelled audio propagation (decay with distance, travel time, diffraction, reflection, etc.). When constructing DSP applications, soundConnections perform a similar function to traditional patch cords that used in sound studios or even those found in patcher-based audio software like Max/MSP. The obvious difference is that there is processing involved in the soundConnection based on models of acoustics, hence the connections do not pass signals at unity gain.
The ‘soundSpace’:
The soundSpace provides volumetric processing rather than the localized processing of a soundNode. These nodes are typically defined by some 3-D model (exported from Maya, 3D Studio Max, Blender, etc.), and capture sound from nodes within. These nodes are useful for simulated acoustic effects such as reverberation, but can also be used to define spatial regions of specific sound processing.
Physical Simulation … and bending the rules
Sound that travels through the virtual scene is physically modelled to simulate phenomena such as:
* exponential decay of energy during travel
* travel time according to the speed of sound
* diffraction of low frequencies around volumes
* absorption of high frequencies as a function of distance
etc.
One important feature however, is the ability to bend the rules of physics that govern the propagation of sound. By manipulating the parameters of acoustic models, users can achieve results that are more interesting for artistic or musical purposes than those provided by standard audio simulation. For example, decay & delay of sound can be diminished in order to ‘teleport’ sound from one place to another, Doppler shift can be eliminated to preserve the tonal aspects of a musical piece, and sound can be ‘steered’ in a precise direction instead of propagating as a spherical wavefront.
Publications
1 Cooperstock, J.R., Wozniewski, M., Settel, Z. (2007). Towards mobile spatial audio for distributed musical systems and multi-user virtual environments. Spatial Audio for Mobile Devices, Workshop in conjunction with International Conference on Human Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services (!MobileHCI), Singapore, Sept. 9.
2 Wozniewski, M., Settel, Z. and Cooperstock, J.R. (2007). User-specific audio rendering and steerable sound for distributed virtual environments. International Conference on Auditory Display, June, 26-29, Montreal.
3 Wozniewski, M., Settel, Z. Cooperstock, J.R. (2007). AudioScape: A Pure Data library for management of virtual environments and spatial audio. !Pure Data Convention, Montreal, Aug. 21-26.
4 Wozniewski, M., Settel, Z. and Cooperstock, J.R. (2006). A Paradigm for Physical Interaction with Sound in 3-D Audio Space. International Computer Music Conference, Nov. 6-11, New Orleans.
5 Wozniewski, M., Settel, Z. and Cooperstock, J.R. (2006). A Spatial Interface for Audio and Music Production. International Computer on Digital Audio Effects (DAFx), Sept. 18-20, Montreal.
6 Wozniewski, M., Settel, Z. and Cooperstock, J.R. (2006). A framework for immersive spatial audio performance. New Interfaces for Musical Expression (NIME), June 5-7, Paris.
Artworks
Below are some example artworks, realized in Audioscape
4Dmix3 , a multi-user installation for audio remix creation in space. (Zack Settel 2007)
Menagerie Imaginaire , a live performance work for av-capturer and two musicians playing live in a virtual audiovisual scene. (Dumas, Settel,Wozneiwski 2007)
Acknowledgments
The authors wish to acknowledge the generous support of NSERC and Canada Council for the Arts, which have funded the research and artistic development for this project in their New Media Initiative.
Audioscape is an open source research project, exploring 3D audio modeling for live music performance. It provides a framework for immersive spatial audio performance, where a user's body can be modelled within a virtual 3-D world, and the propagation of audio is computed based on acoustic physical modelling. This framework is among only a few that have explored virtual environments from the perspective of music and digital signal processing (DSP). It is an interactive and perceptually engulfing experience that causes users to feel like they are inside of an artwork or instrument. Rich 3-D graphics are available for display, providing visual feedback to help control the artwork. However, the primary focus of this research is the development of a paradigm for interacting with 3-D sound, and a method of accomplishing complicated signal processing using spatial relations.
Overview
* Multiple users are immersed in a virtual environment, each having a subjective visual and auditory rendering of the scene.
* Spatialized audio is provided using a virtual microphone technique; the number of virtual mics corresponds to the number of loudspeakers being used.
* Realtime physical modelling of virtual sound is used to provide the necessary signals to the virtual mics.
* The scene also contains other interactive sonic objects, which can perform DSP at specific 3-D locations.
* Users have the ability to ‘steer’ sound through 3-D space to determine how their sound signals will be modified.
Framework for Modelling Virtual Audio
Node-based approach with a scene graph data structure:
An audio scene is composed of sound processing nodes that exist at some 3-D location and maintain various parameters to aid in DSP computation. These nodes are organized in a scene graph, which is a tree-like data structure (commonly found in computer graphics applications) that forms parent-child relationships between nodes. Any operation applied on a node will automatically propagate to all of it’s children.
The ‘soundNode’:
The soundNode is the fundamental building block of a virtual audio scene. It can behave as either a source, or sink, or both at the same time. The case where it represents “both” is particularly since this is how spatially localized DSP is realized; the node will collect audio at a specific 3-D location, apply some processing, and radiate the result back into the scene.
The ‘soundConnection’:
The soundConnection specifies the propagation model between soundNodes. That is, it defines how audio travels from a source node to a sink, based on physically-modelled audio propagation (decay with distance, travel time, diffraction, reflection, etc.). When constructing DSP applications, soundConnections perform a similar function to traditional patch cords that used in sound studios or even those found in patcher-based audio software like Max/MSP. The obvious difference is that there is processing involved in the soundConnection based on models of acoustics, hence the connections do not pass signals at unity gain.
The ‘soundSpace’:
The soundSpace provides volumetric processing rather than the localized processing of a soundNode. These nodes are typically defined by some 3-D model (exported from Maya, 3D Studio Max, Blender, etc.), and capture sound from nodes within. These nodes are useful for simulated acoustic effects such as reverberation, but can also be used to define spatial regions of specific sound processing.
Physical Simulation … and bending the rules
Sound that travels through the virtual scene is physically modelled to simulate phenomena such as:
* exponential decay of energy during travel
* travel time according to the speed of sound
* diffraction of low frequencies around volumes
* absorption of high frequencies as a function of distance
etc.
One important feature however, is the ability to bend the rules of physics that govern the propagation of sound. By manipulating the parameters of acoustic models, users can achieve results that are more interesting for artistic or musical purposes than those provided by standard audio simulation. For example, decay & delay of sound can be diminished in order to ‘teleport’ sound from one place to another, Doppler shift can be eliminated to preserve the tonal aspects of a musical piece, and sound can be ‘steered’ in a precise direction instead of propagating as a spherical wavefront.
Publications
1 Cooperstock, J.R., Wozniewski, M., Settel, Z. (2007). Towards mobile spatial audio for distributed musical systems and multi-user virtual environments. Spatial Audio for Mobile Devices, Workshop in conjunction with International Conference on Human Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services (!MobileHCI), Singapore, Sept. 9.
2 Wozniewski, M., Settel, Z. and Cooperstock, J.R. (2007). User-specific audio rendering and steerable sound for distributed virtual environments. International Conference on Auditory Display, June, 26-29, Montreal.
3 Wozniewski, M., Settel, Z. Cooperstock, J.R. (2007). AudioScape: A Pure Data library for management of virtual environments and spatial audio. !Pure Data Convention, Montreal, Aug. 21-26.
4 Wozniewski, M., Settel, Z. and Cooperstock, J.R. (2006). A Paradigm for Physical Interaction with Sound in 3-D Audio Space. International Computer Music Conference, Nov. 6-11, New Orleans.
5 Wozniewski, M., Settel, Z. and Cooperstock, J.R. (2006). A Spatial Interface for Audio and Music Production. International Computer on Digital Audio Effects (DAFx), Sept. 18-20, Montreal.
6 Wozniewski, M., Settel, Z. and Cooperstock, J.R. (2006). A framework for immersive spatial audio performance. New Interfaces for Musical Expression (NIME), June 5-7, Paris.
Artworks
Below are some example artworks, realized in Audioscape
4Dmix3 , a multi-user installation for audio remix creation in space. (Zack Settel 2007)
Menagerie Imaginaire , a live performance work for av-capturer and two musicians playing live in a virtual audiovisual scene. (Dumas, Settel,Wozneiwski 2007)
Acknowledgments
The authors wish to acknowledge the generous support of NSERC and Canada Council for the Arts, which have funded the research and artistic development for this project in their New Media Initiative.
Admission Possible is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping promising and motivated low-income young people prepare for and earn admission to college. Their mission is to identify low-income young people with the potential and the motivation for college and then provide them with four critical services: 1) ACT and SAT test preparation 2) intensive assistance in preparing college applications 3) help in obtaining financial aid 4) guidance in transition to college.
Admission Possible relies on AmeriCorps members to fulfill its vision for the future that "the future of America's children is determined solely by their talent, motivation, and effort".
Admission Possible recruits recent college graduates for a term of service ranging from 10-12 months. AmeriCorps members participate in a two week orientation learning the process behind the organization's mission, and they receive ongoing training throughout the term of service.
Admission Possible serves 1,200 students in 15 public high schools and charter schools in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Robbinsdale and St. Louis Park. The organization was founded in 2000 with the first group of AmeriCorps members joining in 2001. The organization has won multiple awards, including the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits Innovation Award, and its founder and CEO, Jim McCorkell, was named an Ashoka Fellow.
Admission Possible has received significant coverage in various publications including the New York Times (November 16, 2005), Business Week (October 22, 2007), A National Service Agenda for the Next Decade from the Center for American Progress (September 2007), and repeated coverage in the Star Tribune and Pioneer Press. These features recognized Admission Possible for its committment to the issue of college access for all as well as for innovation in the use of its funding as well as its use of AmeriCorps members.
Each Admission Possible student is required to participate in community service events as thanks for the services they receive. The organization annually participates in National Make a Difference Day. The most recent of which took place October 27, 2007 when Admission possible students collected 4,749 pounds of food to assist flood relief efforts in Southeastern Minnesota.
Admission Possible relies on AmeriCorps members to fulfill its vision for the future that "the future of America's children is determined solely by their talent, motivation, and effort".
Admission Possible recruits recent college graduates for a term of service ranging from 10-12 months. AmeriCorps members participate in a two week orientation learning the process behind the organization's mission, and they receive ongoing training throughout the term of service.
Admission Possible serves 1,200 students in 15 public high schools and charter schools in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Robbinsdale and St. Louis Park. The organization was founded in 2000 with the first group of AmeriCorps members joining in 2001. The organization has won multiple awards, including the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits Innovation Award, and its founder and CEO, Jim McCorkell, was named an Ashoka Fellow.
Admission Possible has received significant coverage in various publications including the New York Times (November 16, 2005), Business Week (October 22, 2007), A National Service Agenda for the Next Decade from the Center for American Progress (September 2007), and repeated coverage in the Star Tribune and Pioneer Press. These features recognized Admission Possible for its committment to the issue of college access for all as well as for innovation in the use of its funding as well as its use of AmeriCorps members.
Each Admission Possible student is required to participate in community service events as thanks for the services they receive. The organization annually participates in National Make a Difference Day. The most recent of which took place October 27, 2007 when Admission possible students collected 4,749 pounds of food to assist flood relief efforts in Southeastern Minnesota.