CIS Professor James Ferwerda Appointed Xerox Endowed Chair

July 20, 2011
by Susan Gawlowicz

(original article posted on RIT's University News)

Rochester Institute of Technology professor James Ferwerda has been named the Xerox Endowed Chair in the Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science.

Ferwerda, an associate professor in the Center for Imaging Science, will use the three-year appointment to create displays that are characteristic of real materials and to explore the optical properties of “programmable matter,” an emerging technology that will shift display technology from flat screens to three-dimensional objects.

The Xerox Endowed Chair carries with it a yearly discretionary fund of $30,000 designated for research. Ferwerda’s interests blend computer graphics, digital imaging, display systems, visual perception, material appearance, low vision and assistive technologies. He has developed a new approach to assessing image quality known as “visual equivalence” and a variety of tangible display systems that allow natural modes of interaction with virtual surfaces. He has created tools that accurately render three-dimensional models of oil paintings, illuminated manuscripts and photographic prints, allowing users to manipulate and interact with the objects. (more)