When I met Dr. JoAnn Kuchera-Morin, Thomas Dolby’s song “She Blinded Me with Science” came immediately into mind. Because that’s exactly what JoAnn does, excitedly spewing scientific terms at you, her arms swinging expressively.
She’s the director of UCSB’s AlloSphere, an immersive research facility that sprays 3-D, 360-degree projections of visual and aural data into a 30-foot diameter sphere that sits inside a three-story, echo-free cube. A composer as well as a digital media pioneer, Dr. Kuchera-Morin invented the AlloSphere to facilitate research collaborations in an environment that can simulate reality.
When I visited recently, the experience blew me away — never before have I seen of felt anything like it. And I’ve never met anyone like JoAnn. She is a blast, both erudite and passionate.