Treffer: Advanced Certification Program for Computer Graphic Specialists. Final Performance Report.

A pioneer program in computer graphics was implemented at Parkland College (Illinois) to meet the demand for specialized technicians to visualize data generated on high performance computers. In summer 1989, 23 students were accepted into the pilot program. Courses included C programming, calculus and analytic geometry, computer graphics, and computer ethics. During their second semester, students participated in internships. The final program that was developed was a 2-year visualization computer graphics specialist program for an Associate in Applied Science degree. After the conclusion of the original 1-year grant, a summer extension was funded. During summer 1990, 10 students participated in summer internships. Four of them worked together on a project for Motorola, a corporate partner of the National Center for Supercomputing Applications. These students created a program to convert data from an electromagnetic field created by a dipole in free space into images. Thirteen students also attended the SIGGRAPH convention. The quality of the program was demonstrated by success in job placement. Two organizations hired additional scientific visualization specialists just months after hiring a first. The greatest concern of the program was recruitment of new students. (An attached article describes students' experiences in the program.) (YLB)