Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology - ICAT

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Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology - ICAT The Virginia Tech Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology (ICAT) advances research, innovation, and education.

The Virginia Tech Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology (ICAT) advances research, innovation, and education by bringing together faculty and students across disciplines; providing funding, space, support, and expertise; and building mutually beneficial partnerships beyond campus.

Join us for this Friday as Sherri Craig, Brittney Harris, Aline de Souza, Eric Lyon, and Tyechia Thompson discuss The ...
21/10/2026

Join us for this Friday as Sherri Craig, Brittney Harris, Aline de Souza, Eric Lyon, and Tyechia Thompson discuss The Declaration of Independence Spatial Audio Presentation at Cube Fest.

The team will share how the project brought readings of The Declaration of Independence into spatial audio, highlighting the intersection of technology and culture. They will also discuss the significance of the project’s timing and the release of a binaural version.

📍 CID Building, 185 Kent St., Blacksburg (Lobby)
Friday, October 23, 2026 | 8:30 A.M.

Coffee and pastries available for attendees!

Join us for this Friday as Nicole Abaid, professor of in the Virginia Tech College of Science presents "How Flying Sq...
14/10/2026

Join us for this Friday as Nicole Abaid, professor of in the Virginia Tech College of Science presents "How Flying Squirrels Glide", a look at how forest structure influences the way flying squirrels move through their environment.

Nicole will discuss her team’s work developing methods to study animal movement in natural environments, including a recent experiment in New York that used 10 GoPro cameras and five high-speed cameras to record and track flying squirrels throughout their entire glide, from jump to landing.

📍CID Building, 185 Kent St., Blacksburg (Lobby)
Friday, October 16, 2026 | 8:30 A.M.
Also, Live on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/live/OPA87MtRmfI?si=FMmHjj77K2l8vxIN

Presentation: 9-9:30 a.m.

Coffee and pastries available for attendees!

“I was always drawn to music, even before I could walk. I started violin lessons when I was five and taught myself how t...
01/10/2026

“I was always drawn to music, even before I could walk. I started violin lessons when I was five and taught myself how to read music when I was seven.”

For Eric Lyon, that early connection to music grew into a career spanning composition, computer music, electronic and electroacoustic music, sound design, and spatial music research.

He is a Faculty Fellow at ICAT and a Professor of Practice in Virginia Tech School of Performing Arts, within the Virginia Tech College of Architecture, Arts, and Design.

At Virginia Tech, Eric architected Cube Fest in 2015-16 and continues to develop new approaches to immersive and spatial music at The Cube.

In a recent interview with Perfect Sound Forever, Eric reflects on his musical beginnings, discovering computer music, his approach to spatial composition, and the technology behind his work. He also discusses some of his current projects, including spatializing De La Soul’s 3 Feet High and Rising and The Declaration of Independence for the Cube.

Read the full interview:
https://www.furious.com/perfect/ericlyon.html

Join us for this Friday as Jamie Sikora presents QMist, an educational initiative that makes quantum information scien...
30/09/2026

Join us for this Friday as Jamie Sikora presents QMist, an educational initiative that makes quantum information science more accessible through interactive modules and visualizations.

Jamie will discuss the design and development of QMist, including its step-by-step approach to quantum computing fundamentals, entanglement, quantum gates, and algorithms. The presentation will also look at the long-term vision for a dedicated educational app and how QMist is being used in Virginia Tech summer camps for students in grades 7–12.

📍 CID Building, 185 Kent St., Blacksburg (Lobby)
Also, Live on Youtube
Friday, October 2, 2026 | 8:30 A.M.

Coffee and pastries available for attendees!

Join us for this Friday as Eiman Elgewely presents Reimagining 1001 Arabian Nights Through Generative AI, an interdisc...
23/09/2026

Join us for this Friday as Eiman Elgewely presents Reimagining 1001 Arabian Nights Through Generative AI, an interdisciplinary creative research project exploring how generative AI, immersive media, and spatial storytelling can reinterpret one of the world’s most influential literary works.

Eiman will discuss how the project combines historical research, narrative design, AI-generated imagery and animation, spatial sound, and immersive visualization to create a culturally grounded approach to AI-assisted storytelling while centering women’s voices.

📍 CID Building, 185 Kent St., Blacksburg (Lobby)
Friday, September 25, 2026 | 8:30 A.M.

Coffee and snacks available for attendees!

ICAT Funding Opportunities!ICAT offers several funding opportunities for collaborative projects that bring together scie...
22/09/2026

ICAT Funding Opportunities!

ICAT offers several funding opportunities for collaborative projects that bring together scientists, engineers, artists, and designers.

Current opportunities include the SEAD Major Grant, with awards of up to $40,000; the SEAD Mini Grant, with awards of up to $6,000; and the Roger and Debbie West Student Grant, with awards of up to $1,000.

The funding supports creative projects, pilot and feasibility studies, and preliminary research addressing complex challenges through interdisciplinary collaboration.

Learn more about each opportunity: https://icat.vt.edu/funding.html

21/09/2026

ICAT in the Immersive Audio Podcast!

ICAT’s Eric Lyon and Tanner Upthegrove are featured in Episode 129 of the Immersive Audio Podcast, discussing The Cube at Virginia Tech and the creative and technical possibilities of high-density loudspeaker arrays.

The episode looks at how The Cube’s large-scale spatial audio system supports immersive performances, research, composition, and experimentation with sound.

Eric and Tanner also discuss their work with high-density loudspeaker arrays and the opportunities these systems create for artists and researchers working with spatial audio.

🎧 Listen to the full episode through the link in our bio.

ImmersiveAudioPodcast SpeakerArrays AudioResearch ArtsAndTechnology

21/09/2026

ICAT’s Eric Lyon and Tanner Upthegrove are featured in Episode 129 of the Immersive Audio Podcast, discussing The Cube at Virginia Tech and the creative and technical possibilities of high-density loudspeaker arrays.

They discussed how large-scale spatial audio systems can be used not only for immersive performances, but also for research, composition, experimentation, and the development of new approaches to working with sound.

Eric Lyon is a composer and audio researcher and a Faculty Fellow at ICAT. His work with high-density loudspeaker arrays has included the development of the Spatial Music Workshop and Cube Fest at Virginia Tech.

Tanner Upthegrove, ICAT’s Immersive Audio Engineer, works at the intersection of audio engineering, technology, and immersive experiences, designing sound for multichannel audio systems.

Together, they offer a look at how The Cube’s high-density loudspeaker array creates opportunities for artists and researchers to work with spatial sound at a large scale.

Listen to full episode: https://immersiveaudiopodcast.com/episode-129-eric-lyon-tanner-upthegrove-the-cube-a-high-density-loudspeaker-array/

Join us for this Friday as Giorgia Cannici, Bastiaan Bargmann, and Alex Harris present μGnetoGroot, a project that use...
16/09/2026

Join us for this Friday as Giorgia Cannici, Bastiaan Bargmann, and Alex Harris present μGnetoGroot, a project that uses magnetic fields to control the direction of growth in genetically engineered plants.

The presentation will outline the biological mechanism, the experimental framework, and the implications of this approach for material production.

📍 CID Building, 185 Kent St., Blacksburg (Lobby)
Friday, September 18, 2026 | 8:30 A.M.

Coffee and snacks available for attendees!

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