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Entertainment & Music

Computer Science About to Get More Hip

Atlanta, GA (October 13, 2012) — Georgia Tech’s EarSketch, a project that teaches high school students how to write computer code to create musical remixes, is adding a true musical guru to its team. EarSketch is partnering with Gimel “Young Guru” Keaton, who will work with faculty to create new audio content for the program. Keaton has engineered 10 albums for hip-hop superstar Jay-Z.

The announcement was made in Atlanta at the eighth annual A3C Festival, the largest hip-hop festival in the Southeast.

“Young Guru brings a new level of creativity and professional musical expertise to EarSketch,” said Brian Magerko, an assistant professor in the Ivan Allen College School of Literature, Media and Communication. “Atlanta high school students will have a chance to learn about computer science with help from one of the biggest producers in hip-hop.”

“I knew early in my career that giving back and teaching young people were my passions,” said Keaton. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for professionals taking me under their wing and teaching me the craft. EarSketch is the program that will spark the next great computer or music mind. I’m sure of it. This is why I wanted to be involved.”

EarSketch is a National Science Foundation-funded initiative that was created to encourage high school students to consider computer science careers. The program, now in its second year, is focused on minorities and girls, but with an approach that is intended to have broad appeal. EarSketch utilizes the Python programming language and Cockos’ Reaper, a digital audio workstation program similar to those used in recording studios throughout the music industry.

EarSketch was developed and is overseen by Magerko and Jason Freeman, an associate professor in the College of Architecture’s School of Music.

“Young people don’t always realize that computer science and programming can be fun,” said Freeman. “Students are using EarSketch to remix samples and loops to express their own creative musical ideas as they learn computer science principles.”

EarSketch had its first test run by Atlanta-area high schoolers during a Georgia Tech summer camp in July. The software and curriculum will be piloted this spring at Lanier High School in Gwinnett County as part of Lanier’s music technology program.

For more information contact:

Jason Maderer
Media Relations
maderer@gatech.edu
404-385-2966

Photos

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Faculty

Amy Bruckman

Associate Professor
School of Interactive Computing, College of Computing
Areas of Expertise:
Educational Technology, Social Networking/Online Communities, Wikipedia, Twitter, Facebook, Internet Research Ethics, Human Computer Interaction, Human Computer Interaction for Kids
Carl DiSalvo

Assistant Professor
School of Literature, Communication and Culture, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts
Areas of Expertise:
Participatory Design, Critical Design, Design Studies, Robotics and Sensing in Art and Community Settings
Keith Edwards

Associate Professor
School of Interactive Computing, College of Computing
Areas of Expertise:
Social Impacts of Technology, Home Network Security, Home Networking, Human-Computer Interaction
Irfan Essa

Professor
School of Interactive Computing, College of Computing
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering
Areas of Expertise:
Computational Video, Computational Photography, Computational Journalism, Computational Media, Computational Perception
Beki Grinter

Associate Professor
School of Interactive Computing, College of Computing
Areas of Expertise:
Societal Impacts of Technology, Human-Computer Interaction, Computer Supported Cooperative Work
Renu Kulkarni

Executive Director, FutureMedia
Areas of Expertise:
Convergence of digital, social, mobile and multimedia industries, Strategic Alliances, Industry Partnerships, Open Innovation Practices
Blair MacIntyre

Associate Professor
School of Interactive Computing, College of Computing
School of Literature Communication and Culture, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts
Areas of Expertise:
Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Mobile Games, Social Games, Augmented Reality Games, Video Game Design, Video Game Architecture
Ali Mazalek

Assistant Professor
School of Literature, Communication and Culture, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts
Areas of Expertise:
Tangible Interfaces, Experimental Media, Media Arts, Interaction Design, Emerging Technologies
Janet H. Murray

Ivan Allen College Dean's Professor
School of Literature, Communication and Culture, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts
Areas of Expertise:
Game Design, Interactive Narrative, Interactive Television, Media Convergence, Information Design, Digital Media and Education
Elizabeth Mynatt

Director, GVU Center
Professor, School of Interactive Computing
Associate Dean for Strategic Planning and Initiatives
College of Computing
Areas of Expertise:
Human-Computer Interaction, Human-Centered Computing, Health Informatics, Ubiquitous Computing, Assistive Technologies
Ashwin Ram

Associate Professor
School of Interactive Computing, College of Computing
Areas of Expertise:
Artificial Intelligence (AI) (Case-Based Reasoning, Natural Language, & Game/Entertainment AI), Human-Centered Computing - Cognitive Science, Healthcare Informatics
Bruce Walker

Associate Professor
School of Psychology, College of Sciences School of Interactive Computing, College of Computing

Areas of Expertise:
Interactive Music, Mobile Music, Human-Computer Interaction, Auditory Perception, Psychology