Student Biographies

Making up the largest body of talent at the Emergent Media Center, over 75 students contribute to the success of projects, events, and the Center as a whole.

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | Students M-Z

A

Husam Al-Ziab | Joshua Audibert

B

Eric Basile | Steven Beaulieu
Maureen Bonsignore | Darin Boutet
Aaron Bryant | Jeremy Burau | Evan Burrill

C

Sean Caesar | Heather Conover | Glen Cooney | Chris Cheng

D

O. Rafael Diaz | Keith Doherty | Alex Dahl

Husam Al-Ziab

MAJOR: Electronic Game and Interactive Development: Art and Animation
YOG: 2010
PAST/CURRENT EMC PROJECTS: UVM Cystic Fibrosis: Ludicross
AFTER GRADUATION?: Find a company, small or big, to gain more experience.
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Drawing, making/playing music, gaming, drinking water, going on adventures, exploring. It's always fun to do these with other people as well.
THOUGHTS ON THE EMC: It amazes me how well this place is developing. The spirit of its faculty and employees is fantastic.
WEBSITE: http://husamalziab.co.nr/
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Never say you're bored. There's always something to do.

Joshua Audibert

MAJOR: Game Programming
YOG: 2010
EXPERIENCE: I have worked at Champlain's library as a Lab Monitor, and also in High School I worked in child care
PAST/CURRENT EMC PROJECTS: I have been the lead programmer on both Info Lit game Dustin King, and of the CF game Creep Frontier at the EMC. In my classes I have been the sole Programmer on the Jamshed Panther game and the RYB game.
AFTER GRADUATION?: I hope to be working in a game company as a programmer and hopefully be specializing in game engine architecture, game play mechanics and AI.
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Martial Arts, Lacrosse, camping and hiking, hanging out with friends, playing Risk, and of course playing video games.
THOUGHTS ON THE EMC: Its a great place to work to gain experience for what the game industry will feels like. The people there are great and are always willing to help each other out with any kind of problem.
WEBSITE: geocities.com/uuwawh

Eric Basile

MAJOR: Electronic Game Programming
YOG: 2012
PAST/CURRENT EMC PROJECTS: I worked on CIMIT from January 2009 - March 2009 as a programmer.
AFTER GRADUATION?: Hope to fulfill childhood dream of working at id Software.
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Computers, anime, video games, new gadgets and technology, robots and other nerdy things.
THOUGHTS ON THE EMC: The EMC was my first experience in a real studio environment and taught me a lot about the process of making something and working with others.
WEBSITE: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ericbasile | http://www.ericchan.org

Steve Beaulieu

MAJOR: Game programming
YOG: 2011
EXPERIENCE: During the summer, before sophomore year, I was an intern for a company called Zeemote. I was worked Quality Assurance there where I tested cell phone games and software using their joystick input device. I was one of their testers in their Zeemote Ready^TM program.
PAST/CURRENT EMC PROJECTS: I am a programmer on the Information Literacy game.
AFTER GRADUATION?: I hope to get a job as a programmer somewhere in the North East or in Montreal. Then eventually become a producer.
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: When I have time I like to game a lot, I am more of a consol gamer than PC. I also like to go camping; I have a seasonal site at a campground in NH but also enjoy "real" camping too. I like to go paintballing. I enjoy working backstage on theater productions and have been backstage on eight different shows doing everything from stage hand, to lighting technician, to stage manager. I also like to go rock climbing.
THOUGHTS ON THE EMC: I think that the EMC is a really cool place. I have only been working here for a little while but I can already see the great amount of potential that is held here. The students here learn skills that they will use in their careers to help them become the new leaders in this field. The EMC itself is still growing and it is getting projects from all over the world and from all kinds of industries. I think that as time goes on and the EMC becomes better known that more great opportunities will await the EMC.
WEBSITE: http://www.linkedin.com/in/stevebeaulieu#h150-673

Maureen Bonsignore

MAJOR: Professional Writing
YOG: 2011
EXPERIENCE: I'm one of the founding members and a writer for our campus's student run zine (a small magazine), Moss On The Moon.
PAST/CURRENT EMC PROJECTS: Presently I'm on the Wiki project, which is a resource available to everyone both outside and inside the EMC.
AFTER GRADUATION?: I plan to move on and become an editor for a publishing company, hopefully one known for being affiliated with fictional fantasy writers. At some point I'd like to start my own literary magazine in hopes of one day being able to distribute nationwide, and if I may be so ambitious, internationally. I also want to, at some point, do some travel writing from Japan.
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Folding origami wishing stars, ballroom dancing, playing guitar, writing, working with hair both natural and synthetic, attending as many concerts as humanly possible, text-based role playing, raving, and reading.
THOUGHTS ON THE EMC: I'm relatively new to the EMC, but my experience has been positive thus far. It's a professional work space, and at the same time I don't find it boring. The EMC builds a consciousness of responsibility and allows students to test the waters of their chosen major in the industry, which is particularly helpful for those in media related industries.

Darin Boutet

MAJOR: Broadcasting
YOG: 2012
EXPERIENCE: I've worked at a student television network station creating news stories and videos for a news program.
PAST/CURRENT EMC PROJECTS: I am currently working on the Video Blog project.
AFTER GRADUATION?: I want to work in the television news industry, or possibly as a video journalist.
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: My favorite activity would have to be skiing.
THOUGHTS ON THE EMC: I think that it is a great place for people to use their skills in a professional environment. Also, it gives Champlain students the excellent experience of real life employment.

Aaron Bryant

MAJOR: Business
YOG: 2011
PAST/CURRENT EMC PROJECTS: The EMC Video Blog.
AFTER GRADUATION?: I want to start my own business, sell it, and then repeat said process.
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: I enjoy playing video games, working with computers, and snowboarding.
THOUGHTS ON THE EMC: I think the EMC is a legit place. Everyone that works there, not just the other students, are really chill and are people that you can just talk to.

Evan Burrill

MAJOR: Art & Animation
YOG: 2011
EXPERIENCE: Basic art classes, messing around with 2D and 3D computer programs.
PAST/CURRENT EMC PROJECTS: Currently working on the Visualize Burlington in 3D project
AFTER GRADUATION?: Become involved in the game industry
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Hanging out with friends, playing pool, snowboarding, drawing, and of course playing a good videogame.
THOUGHTS ON THE EMC: The EMC is a great place to work alongside other people who share the same passion of creating new media.

Chris Cheng

MAJOR: Game Programming
YOG: 2011
EXPERIENCE: C++, php, HTML, Photoshop, Alice, Drupal
PAST/CURRENT EMC PROJECTS: VT Virtual Archeology Museum
AFTER GRADUATION: Somewhere in the gaming industry, possible position as a Technical Director
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Bad movies, MST3K, guitar, video games, professional bed maker, Chuck Palahniuk books
THOUGHTS ON THE EMC: A good experience for students to have a taste of what the gaming industry is like. Helps students learn the basic skills needed to thrive and grow.

Alex Dahl

MAJOR: Graphic Design and Digital Media
YOG: 2011
EXPERIENCE: Art Director for Moss on the Moon
PAST/CURRENT EMC PROJECTS: VT Virtual Archeology Museum
AFTER GRADUATION? I hope to pursure a career in graphic design, ideally by joining a small design firm. I'd like to work on multiple projects, and traditional and new media.
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Design, reading news, rock climbing.
WEBSITE:www.alexdahl.com, www.mossonthemoon.com

Dan Ferrara

MAJOR: EGID Art and Animation
YOG: 2011
PAST/CURRENT EMC PROJECTS: Visualize Burlington in 3D
AFTER GRADUATION: Game and non-game related animating; maybe getting my master's degree.
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Drawing, animation, Rock Band
THOUGHTS ON EMC: Best opportunity I have ever seen for a college student.

Mike Fowler

MAJOR: Electronic Game and Interactive Design: Art & Animation
YOG: 2010
WORK EXPERIENCE: In addition to my participation in projects at the EMC, I currently (since 2007) work as a lead web developer and artist for a company in Connecticut called GivaGeta.
PAST/CURRENT EMC PROJECTS: I've had the great pleasure to work on 4 separate projects at the EMC now. I began in the Fall of 2007 working on the IBM Good Games package. Beginning in May 2008, I worked Ben Gerowe to start up the Model Burlington in 3D project, which has continued to receive funding through to the present. I had the opportunity to work on a second IBM-funded project from October 2008 through to March 2009. That project is now in it's second phase after receiving continued funding.
For Summer 2009 I am now working on a new project conceptualizing a Virtual Archaeology Museum for the State of Vermont.
AFTER GRADUATION: While my current pursuit is absolutely games, specifically 3D art and animation, my aspiration is to spend my life doing work I enjoy, wherever that may bring me. I can deal with being a starving artist my whole life as long as I am doing work that I look forward to every day and requires me to use my creative abilities to push the boundaries of my medium.
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Driving down roads I don't know and purposely getting myself lost, an activity that has been difficult in the past few months given gas prices. I think that the feeling of being lost is one that we have very little opportunity to experience, and appreciate, nowadays because of technology and the connectedness of everything. Not having any idea of where you are, but being alright with that, is a feeling that I have and will always greatly enjoy.
THOUGHTS ON EMC: A lot of teachers try to use "real-world problems" in classes to show how a particular field relates to things you may do in a job. How many college students have the opportunity to work on projects that actually have real, practical application, and are then implemented and deployed? The community that Ann has started here at the Emergent Media Center is one that is now a vibrant, dynamic collection of students who want to do more than just take classes. The opportunities given to us by the EMC create real change.

Brittny Elyce Gross

MAJOR: Game Art and Animation
YOG: 2012
EXPERIENCE: Studied traditional art with a few members of an art colony. Otherwise, I'm a self-taught exhibited artist. I've also have been known to mod PC games in my spare time.
PAST/CURRENT EMC PROJECTS: The Wiki project.
AFTER GRADUATION?: I plan to move onto another program, where I plan to gain my Master of Science in Technology. After doing that, I'll try to break into the game art industry, preferably on a project that emphasizes realism or outright artistic expression. I'd really like to make a dent in those cookie-cutter graphics and become the impressionist of game art. And, if that doesn't work, I'll have my Master's anyway; I can go teach.
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Painting, drawing, modding the Sims, coloring my drawings with Photoshop, playing video games and writing fiction pertaining to my views of political wrongdoings.

Alex Gustafson

MAJOR: Electronic Game and Interactive Development - Design
YOG: 2010
EXPERIENCE: Persistent MOD-crafter and Eagle Scout.
PAST/CURRENT EMC PROJECTS: Information Literacy, CIMIT: RIPS Project, and the Cystic Fibrosis Project.
AFTER GRADUATION?: Find a great gaming company to work with as a general game designer or level designer.
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Nearly any and all games, camping, hiking, biking, watching movies, eating ice cream, museums, traveling, volleyball, studying history, mythology, philosophy, psychology, and graphic design.
THOUGHTS ON THE EMC: I think the Emergent Media Center is an excellent place where Champlain students can get lots of exposure to working on long-term group projects and learning key skills such as team management, cooperation, and communication. The projects themselves are also personally rewarding due to the noble cause of each, giving employees a goal with substance in addition to the experience each team member receives. It is one of the closest things a prospective video game student can participate in that is not directly within the gaming industry.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: "Be the change you wish to see in the world." - Mohandas Gandhi
WEBSITE: http://www.alexkgustafson.com/

Dipika Gupta

MAJOR: Software Engineering
YOG: FALL 2009
PAST/CURRENT EMC PROJECTS: UNFPA Project, VT Virtual Archeology Museum
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Web designing, photoshop, games, anime/manga, reading, music, movies, dancing...
THOUGHTS ON EMC: Really good place for students to get experience working for real projects.
WEBSITE: http://flavoroflife.co.nr

Bryan Hare

MAJOR: Game Programming.
YOG: 2011
EXPERIENCE: I have been programming for 3 years now. I started working at the EMC my freshmen year and have been working for them since. Other than that I have always been a gamer.
PAST/CURRENT EMC PROJECTS: IBM Game Tomorrow, Information Literacy, CIMIT RIPS, UNFPA Project, IPhone Development
AFTER GRADUTATION: Hopefully work at Harmonix, if not, who knows. Otherwise travel and find interesting work.
FAVORITE ACTIVITES: Guitar, gaming, programming, climbing, hiking.
THOUGHTS ON EMC: The EMC is a fun and exciting place to work. The opportunities I am offered here are incredible. But coolest of all, is whenever I tell my friends about where I work I got to say I am already a game programmer and it's awesome.

Derek Harde

MAJOR: Electronic Game Design
YOG: 2011
PAST/CURRENT EMC PROJECTS: I've worked on CIMIT and Visualize Burlington as an artist.
AFTER GRADUATION?: I would like to work for Bioware right out of college or a company that develops similar titles, but I would eventually like to start my own company.
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: I'm an avid war-gamer, I read a lot of fantasy, science fiction, and historical warfare books, and I play D&D with the guys on Sunday nights.
THOUGHTS ON THE EMC: The EMC is a good workplace with fun people. It's a great environment to gain experience and produce pieces for portfolios.
WEBSITE: A small body of my work resides on my Deviant Art page: http://ravenglass.deviantart.com/

Michael Holm

MAJOR: Art & Animation
YOG: 2012
EXPERIENCE: I've done graphic design jobs for local sports teams.
PAST/CURRENT EMC PROJECTS: The EMC Video Blog.
AFTER GRADUATION?: Join the Peace Corps; travel from northern Africa to southern Africa with as few modern commodities as possible; work as an artist/animator at a videogame or special effects company; use the knowledge learned at school and the EMC to not only make games that entertain, but also games that help others.
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Drawing, painting, hiking, skiing, snowboarding, soccer, rock climbing, videogames, and playing guitar.
THOUGHTS ON THE EMC: The EMC is a great example of students using modern technology in collaboration with their own dedication to help make a positive change in the world.

Casey Hopkins

MAJOR: e-Business Management
YOG: 2009
EXPERIENCE: Marketing, Web Development and Business classes, as well as Internet Marketing internships at Dealer.com, EatingWell Magazine and EpikOne over the past three years.
PAST/CURRENT EMC PROJECTS: UNFPA Game to End Gender Violence
AFTER GRADUATION?: Hopefully find a sweet job in the Internet Marketing industry, probably doing SEM or SEO, or working with analytics. When I applied for Champlain College, I actually applied as an e-gamer, so I've always had a passion for video games and have always wanted to work with a gaming company. I still do! Recently, I've thought about how cool it would be to work with a big company, like Apple, Starbucks or Google, so maybe I'll head out west someday, or, maybe to Europe. But as for directly after graduation, I guess I'll go where ever the wind (or a job offer) takes me, and if the wind doesn't blow, then I'll stay in the Burlington area for a while.
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Skiing, traveling everywhere I can, listening to music, sleeping, playing sweet video games, cooking or baking delicious goodies, and playing with my pets.
THOUGHTS ON THE EMC: The EMC is a fantastic place to work. I love it because it's given me a once in a lifetime chance to not only work on a project for the United Nations as an undergraduate student, but also go to South Africa to collect market and cultural data. Everyone who works here has incredible talent and is highly gifted at what they do. The EMC is especially incredible for the electronic game majors, and as someone outside this field, I can see the potential for great success for everyone here, due to the connections they possess in the gaming field.

Amanda Jones

MAJOR: Double Major. Marketing with a concentration in Advertising and Multimedia & Graphic Design
YOG: 2010
EXPERIENCE: Marketing and Communications Intern, Summer 2008, PIEmatrix, Burlington, VT
PAST/CURRENT EMC PROJECTS: Market Researcher on UNFPA Game to End Violence Against Women starting at the beginning of the project in July 2008
AFTER GRADUATION?: I hope to have a job in marketing or graphic design or both, preferably in the Burlington area
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Photography, Horseback Riding, Snowshoeing
THOUGHTS ON THE EMC: The EMC has provided me with countless opportunities to gain hands on experience in marketing. Without the EMC, I would never have had the opportunity to conduct hands on research in South Africa or present to the UNFPA.
WEBSITE: www.persnicketycreative.com

Alex Keyes

MAJOR: Business Management
YOG: 2010
PAST/CURRENT EMC PROJECTS: Visualize Burlington in 3D: Google Earth
AFTER GRADUATION?: I haven't decided 100% on what I want to do after I graduate. I try to leave myself with a lot of options. I would like to start my own paintball business. I actually already have the business plan written up, but with the way the economy is, disposable income is in rare supply and now seems like bad timing. I also have considered getting a job with some type of extreme sports company, preferable a ski or surf company. Mainly I would like to use that opportunity to travel around the world. If all else fails, I've considered joining the Marines.
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Soccer, hockey, lacrosse, running, traveling, hiking, camping, driving, surfing, skiing, snowboarding, going to the beach, walks, playing piano, listening to music, going to the movies, going to the bar with friends, and drawing.
THOUGHTS ON THE EMC: I think the EMC is a great opportunity for kids at the college to not only get the feel of what it is like doing work in their field of study, but it's also a awesome chance to network. Some of the companies and organizations that we work with here are very prestigious and important and the opportunity to work alongside them is something that I'm sure few students at the college considered.

Mike Lahens

MAJOR: EGID - Design
YOG: 2009
PAST/CURRENT EMC PROJECTS: CIMIT: RIPS, Cystic Fibrosis: Ludicross
AFTER GRADUATION?: We'll see
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Cooking, Conversations, Capoeira
THOUGHTS ON THE EMC: One of the best opportunities Champlain as to offer; students who don't try out here are missing out.
WEBSITE: www.mlahens.com
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Lies! Lies! They made me say it! Emergent Media Center is... (bludgeoned in the head by Ray and dragged off to the suply closet). M. Lahens look-alike: "I am Michael and I am soooo happy!"

Jeffrey Lee

MAJOR: Art & Animation
YOG: 2011
EXPERIENCE: Tinkering with 3Ds Max, Maya and Photoshop.
PAST/CURRENT EMC PROJECTS: Visualize Burlington in 3D
AFTER GRADUATION?: Any field that has the capacity of animating ideas: 3d film or games animation.
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Good food, music, art and games.
THOUGHTS ON THE EMC: Working here is a great opportunity to develop career-related skills.

Tony Libera

MAJOR: Multimedia Graphic Design
YOG: 2010
EXPERIENCE: Back in '63 I was involved with an Italian woman who got in trouble that spring when we moved to Sicily. Her sister was sick, and medicine was expensive, so every night she danced. The money was good but bar types are exhausting. Eventually they got the best of her and she disappeared from my life like blown smoke. Now, I drift like vapor from club to club looking for those hips, and the curves of those lashes.
PAST/CURRENT EMC PROJECTS: Info Lit, IBM Presentation, and bunch of little projects including GIV: IT every summer.
AFTER GRADUATION?: Finally, I found her in the slums of Naples; she had become a Hare Krishna and was studying the Upanishads. Her sister had died, and it had devastated her. She turned to the bottle, and wandered as I had wandered before finally settling on the coast to meditate and spend her last days.
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Long walks on the beach, candle lit suppers, etc.
THOUGHTS ON THE EMC: The EMC is the best work-study on campus.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: We found each other in a coffee shop near the Santa Chiara, and kissed at long last under its looming bell tower. I was content in my old age to stay there forever.

Doug Lynn

MAJOR: EGID - Game Design concentration
YOG: 2009
EXPERIENCE: Projects for classes in the major.
PAST/CURRENT EMC PROJECTS: The EMC Video Blog.
AFTER GRADUATION?: Seeing as I'm in the design field, I'd kind of like a job in, well, game design. I also wouldn't mind level design or writing.
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Ultimate Frisbee, Parkour, playing whatever games I feel like playing, designing whatever games I feel like designing, using my various senses to take in the other forms of mass media, sleeping, getting things done, telling boring stories, complaining about life, and planning galactic conquest.
THOUGHTS ON THE EMC: The EMC is a great opportunity for the students here at Champlain - a chance to get involved with real-world design experiences before graduation and build a portfolio
WEBSITE: www.douglynnportfolio.com