Chris Ault, Program Coordinator and Associate Professor

Courses: Introduction to Digital Media, Design Perspectives in Interactive Multimedia, Games II: Implementation and Project Management, Projects in Interactive Multimedia - Master Capstone

Professor Ault's teaching and research cover a range of subjects from video games to interaction design to digital media production and literacy. He is a consultant to major corporations in the area of web accessibility. Previously, Chris was a researcher and adjunct professor in NYU's pioneering Interactive Telecommunications Program. He holds a bachelor's degree from the Plan II Honors Program at the University of Texas, and a master's from ITP at NYU.

John Kuiphoff, Assistant Professor

Courses: Introduction to Interactive Computing, Dynamic Web Design

Professor Kuiphoff is a developer and designer who specializes in web development, interactive art and physical computing. His previous experience working in Instructional Technology has led to the development of the "Social Syllabus" project, a tool aimed to integrate social media into the classroom. He holds a Master's degree from NYU's Interactive Telecommunication Program.

Teresa Marrin Nakra, Associate Professor

Courses: Introduction to Electronic Music and Literature

Dr. Nakra teaches Music Technology, Music Theory, Electronic Music, and Game Design, and advises student researchers and composers. Prior to her appointment at TCNJ, she was the Technical Director of the Computer Music Studio at MIT and taught courses in Electronic Music and Composition at several Boston-area universities. She was a Clifton Visiting Artist in residence at Harvard University in 2002. Teresa founded and runs Immersion Music Inc., a non-profit organization that builds technical solutions for musicians, artists, educators and museums. Teresa holds an A.B. in Music (magna cum laude) from Harvard University and Radcliffe College. She holds an M.S. and Ph.D. from the MIT Media Laboratory, where she worked closely with Tod Machover, Rosalind Picard, John Harbison, and Marvin Minsky.

Mike Martinovic, Associate Professor

Courses: Information Retrieval, Artificial Intelligence

Dr. Martinovic's research interests are computer science and interactive computing, including information retrieval, artificial intelligence and computing for education.

Kim Pearson, Associate Professor

Courses: Introduction to Professional Writing, Feature Writing, Interactive Storytelling

Kim Pearson received a B.A. from Princeton and an M.A. in Journalism from New York University. Named the New Jersey CASE Professor of the Year in 2000, she teaches writing for journalism and interactive multimedia majors, as well as a course on W.E.B. DuBois. Her writing about race, religion, and sexuality have appeared in many freelance outlets and in her weblog, Professor Kim's News Notes.

Philip Sanders, Associate Professor

Courses: Introduction to Digital Media, Computer Animation I, Video Art I: Single Channel

Professor Sanders is a digital artist, educator and curator. His first interactive computer gallery installations were in 1979; exhibitions include SIGGRAPH, ISEA, Boston CyberArts, Images du Futur, the Kitchen, the Knitting Factory and the Alternate Media Center. He is co-founder and curator of RYO, an experimental art and technology artists' space in the East Village from 1984-1992, with shows including the first NY SIGGRAPH gallery show and the EVTV: East Village TV series. Sanders was a juror for Web Sites d'Or in Montreal and the 2006 SIGGRAPH Art Gallery in Boston. He has given presentations and been panel chair at the College Art Association, the New Media Consortium and SIGGRAPH; is the founder and first president of the NY chapter of the Alias Gobal Users Association, and the founder and current president of the NJ Autodesk Animation Users Group. He is co-founder and the first coordinator of IMM.

Ursula Wolz, Associate Professor

Courses: Introduction to Interactive Computing, Principles of Interactivity

Dr. Wolz is a recognized computer science educator, with over 30 years' experience teaching a range of students, including disabled children, urban teachers and elite undergraduates. She has a background in computational linguistics, with a PhD in Computer Science from Columbia University, a master's degree in Computing in Education from Columbia Teachers College, and a bachelor's degree from MIT, where she was part of Seymour Papert's Logo group at the very beginning of research on constructivist computing environments. She is a co-founder of the IMM program at TCNJ.

Avani Palkhiwala, Adjunct Assistant Professor

Courses: Principles of Interactivity

Avani Palkhiwala works as consultant for a variety of companies, with a focus on the creation and delivery of educational content and game production for the web. Avani earned her Masters from New York University's Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) in 2007. While at ITP, Avani discovered a passion for combining art and electronics. Avani graduated from TCNJ in 2001 with a BS in Fine Arts and Computer Science. Her first professional website project, RutgerScience, was honored with a Webby Award.

Claire Smuga, Adjunct Assistant Professor

Courses: Computer Animation I, Computer Animation II

Claire Smuga graduated from TCNJ in 2002 with a BFA in graphic design, which led to a job designing custom cabinetry, which led to a position teaching architecture. This, in turn, led to her attend New York University to receive a Master of Science degree in the field of Digital Imaging. She has been teaching 3D animation and design ever since.

Carol Wells, Program Secretary