JoAnn Kuchera-Morin is a composer, Professor of Media Arts and Technology and of Music, and a researcher in multi-modal media systems, content and facilities design. The culmination of Professor Kuchera-Morin’s research efforts is the one-of-a-kind Allosphere Research Facility, completed in 2007, in the California NanoSystems Institute (Elings Hall) at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The AlloSphere, a 30-foot diameter sphere built inside a three-story near-to-anechoic (echo free) cube, facilitates research collaborations in an environment that can simulate reality. The AlloSphere is one of the largest immersive scientific instruments in the world containing unique features such as true 3D, 360-degree projection of visual and aural data, and sensing and camera tracking for interactivity (www.allosphere.ucsb.edu). Dr. Kuchera-Morin serves as the Director of the AlloSphere Research Facility.
Earlier Professor Kuchera-Morin created, built, and designed UC Santa Barbara’s Center for Research in Electronic Art Technology and has been the Center’s Director since its inception in 1986. Her years of experience in digital media research led to the creation of a multi-million dollar sponsored research program for the University of California—the Digital Media Innovation Program. Dr. Kuchera-Morin was Chief Scientist of the Program from 1998 to 2003.