Alcatel Picks UTD’s Institute for Interactive Arts
And Engineering To Help Design New Telecom Products
RICHARDSON, Texas (May 23, 2002) – In the first manifestation of The University of Texas at Dallas’ participation in Alcatel’s Research Partner Program, the global communications network provider has selected UTD to collaborate with it on the design of new telecommunications products, including graphical user interface devices.
The eight-month collaborative effort, which will run at least through November, brings together the technical and creative strengths of Alcatel’s Corporate Research and Innovation Center and UTD’s new Institute for Interactive Arts and Engineering, which is directed by Dr. Thomas E. Linehan, a visionary in the field of computer animation who joined UTD several months ago from Ohio State University.
“Our hope is that this corporate-academic collaboration will lead to a host of creative ideas and compelling technical innovations that provide Alcatel with competitive business advantages and end-users with attractive, real-world applications,” Linehan said.
Alcatel expects to benefit from the Institute for Interactive Arts and Engineering in the design of new user interfaces for multimedia communication terminals.
UTD, which has had a long relationship with Alcatel, is one of only three U.S. research organizations selected by Alcatel for its global Research Partner Program, which was established last fall to foster technological innovation through relationships with key universities and research institutes. The program has three components – research collaboration; mobility, training and education; and incubation and start-up initiatives. The research partners are part of a select group likely to be consulted first regarding new Alcatel collaborative research topics.
UTD’s Institute for Interactive Arts and Engineering was established to provide students with an opportunity to learn about interactive advancements in the fields of communication, entertainment, education and training, as well as in scientific and medical applications. As part of their studies, students, along with faculty, are charged with inventing new pathways for the converging disciplines and fields.
The institute is a collaborative, inter-disciplinary effort by two of UTD’s seven schools: the School of Arts and Humanities and the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science.
About Alcatel
Alcatel designs, develops and builds innovative and competitive communications networks, enabling carriers, service providers and enterprises to deliver any type of content, such as voice, data and multimedia, to any type of consumer, anywhere in the world. Relying on its leading and comprehensive products and solutions portfolio, stretching from end-to-end optical infrastructures, fixed and mobile networks to broadband access, Alcatel’s customers can focus on optimizing their service offerings and revenue streams. With sales of Euro 25 billion in 2001 and 99,000 employees, Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries. For more information, visit www.alcatel.com
About UTD
The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor , enrolls more than 7,000 undergraduate and 5,000 graduate students. The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit the university’s Web site at www.utdallas.edu.