Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities

Directors

Bernie Frischer
Director
434-243-4080

Professor Frischer is a leading scholar in the application of digital technologies to humanities research and education. He is the founder and director of the Cultural Virtual Reality Lab at UCLA, which uses three-dimensional computer modeling to reconstruct cultural heritage sites. Frischer has overseen many significant projects, including virtual recreations of the Roman Colosseum and the Roman Forum. Frischer's and the Lab's work have received international acclaim and have been featured on the Discovery Channel and in Newsweek and the New York Times.

Dean Abernathy
Email: dla9t_at_virginia.edu
Associate Director
434-243-4091

Dean Abernathy is a practicing architect. He has a joint appointment with the UVA Department of Architecture where he teaches classes on architectural design and information visualization; focusing of the use of computational tools in the processes of design and analysis.His research since 1994 has focused on the visualization of cultural environments and the use of these environments for the research and teaching of architectural design and history. Abernathy is interested in the use of digital technology as a bridge between discipline specific methodologies: how can a digital tool developed for architects be adapted for use by archaeologists, how does this enhance archaeological research methodologies? He also has over a decade of experience in simulation construction of urban sites, real-time computer applications and hardware. Dean has created diverse research projects, from the first digital visualization of temporal changes in the Forum Romanum to a digital model the of the historic urban center of Los Angeles. At IATH he manages the IATH Viz Lab and is developing visualization projects in conjunction with the Virginia Visualization Group and the Department of Architecture.

Anastasia Dakouri-Hild
Photo not yet available
Assistant Director
434-924-4527

Anastasia Dakouri-Hild received her Ph.D. from Cambridge University in 2004. An active archaeologist specializing in Aegean prehistory, she has published extensively on Mycenaean Thebes in Boeotia. Her definitive publication of the House of Kadmos excavations in Thebes is nearing completion; her ongoing work on this site earned her the Michael Ventris Award of the University of London (2001). Anastasia also has a strong interest in the application of digital technologies in heritage management and archaeology; at IATH she is involved in various archaeological projects, and is the editor of the new Digital Archaeology Publication Series. She holds a parallel position at the Lindner Center for Art History, where she teaches Aegean, European and Near Eastern prehistoric art and archaeology.

Worthy Martin
Email: wnm_at_virginia.edu
Associate Director
434-924-3004

Worthy Martin received his Ph.D. degree in Computer Science from the University of Texas-Austin in 1981. He then joined the University of Virginia in 1982 as a professor of Computer Science. He is the author or co-author of 55 papers. His primary research interest is dynamic scene analysis, i.e., computer vision in the context of time-varying imagery, as well as the fundamental concepts involved in machine perception systems composed of independent processes operating in distributed computing environments and cooperating to form interpretations of image sequences.

Daniel Pitti
Email: dvp4c_at_virginia.edu
Associate Director
434-924-6594

Daniel Pitti specializes in research project design with a particular focus on the use of markup and database technologies. During his almost seven years at IATH, he has designed and implemented numerous markup schema and has designed several database schema in support of research projects. Pitti is also the principal technical architect of Encoded Archival Description (EAD) and Encoded Archival Context (EAC). EAD has been translated into Spanish, French, Dutch, and Chinese, and is recognized and used internationally as the standard for communicating archival description. EAC is a prototype standard for the description of people, individuals, families, and corporate bodies. Though in the initial stages of development, it has been translated into Spanish and German.

Staff

Robbie Bingler
Email: rwb3y_at_virginia.edu
Senior Programmer Analyst
434-982-4556

Robbie Bingler, is a programmer in language de Jour, database and interface developer, bug wrangler, and all around integration specialist to "make things work." He is also the person on the other end of Harpo's leash.

Shayne Brandon
Email: wsb4q_at_virginia.edu
System Administrator
434-924-3407

Shayne enjoys everything but work. Hobbies include woodworking, growing fruit, building things, watching TV, and dreaming. Has the ability to befriend scoundrels and rascals in addition to kings and queens - though the opportunity to meet kings and queens hasn't materialized yet. And he loves his family.

Kim Dylla
Email: KimDylla_at_virginia.edu
System Administrator
Visualization Lab
434-243-4082

Kim Dylla is a multi-talented asset to the IATH group. She is a caricature artist, lead singer in a band and skillfull in C++, Open GL, Java, & Quick Time VR. She has a variety of experience with graphics and all forms of media. She is also the president of Kim Dylla Art and Technology.

Cindy Girard
Email: clm6u_at_virginia.edu
IT Specialist
434- 982-4547

Cindy is IATH's resident XML geek, as well as being the backup sysadmin. Her son takes up most of her world, so if you ask her what's new, be prepared for a list of developmental milestones, cute mannerisms, and not-so-cute tantrums. In her spare time, she's become an online gaming geek. She also plays softball (and volleyball), and she's always looking for women to play on her team - so if you play softball (or even just want to learn), give her a shout. She's willing to beg, if necessary.

Harpo
Recreation Specialist
Service Dogs of Virginia




Harpo, a native Virginian and highly trained service dog, provides the public face of IATH. His many skills include tracking tennis balls, exercising squirrels, inspecting wastebaskets, and distracting the staff during meetings. He is always cheerful, always happy to have visitors, never quarrels or offends, and has never made the server crash, which is indeed a unique achievement amongst IATH employees.

Felicia Johnson
flee_at_va.edu
Web Designer
434-982-4557



Felicia makes things look pretty. As IATH's web designer she brings reason and common sense (tempered with mercy) into the more grandiose schemes of our ambitious fellows. In her spare time, Felicia has received her degree in psychology and is using the rest of the IATH staff as experimental guinea pigs. She enjoys being with family, friends and attending AJ's sports events.

Chad Keller
Email: ckeller_at_virginia.edu
Multimedia Designer
434-243-4083




Chad is the Multimedia Designer. He specializes in three-dimensional architectural visualizations. In addition, Chad designs websites and works with GIS technology. His research involves exploring the benefits of computer-aided visualizations and interactive multimedia tools to the historic preservation field. He maintains a lively collection of funky eyeglasses and enjoys riding his two motorcycles.

Doug Ross
Email: dr3f_at_virginia.edu
Programmer Analyst
434-243-2112

Doug is IATH's codeman. He likes writing code, and particularly enjoys creating Internet accessible human-user interfaces to databases. He has a bright young daughter, Isabel, likes riding his bicycle to work, eats organic/local and drinks tea. Find out more here.

Joy Shifflette
Email: jbs9q_at_virginia.edu
Administrative Procedures Specialist
434-924-4527




Joy is the heart and soul of IATH and keeps everyone happy (she IS in charge of payroll, after all). She is the only one who really knows what's going on. She has the patience of a saint, until she's ticked off, and enjoys practical jokes and cheese fries.

Linda Thompson
Email llc_at_virginia.edu
Photo not yet available
Business Manager
434-982-4570



Linda is the "Head Paper Pusher", gifted in her ability to move unruly piles of paper from one side of her desk to the other side - in neat, well-organized stacks of completed tasks! She manages the budgets - if she ain't happy, ain't nobody. New to the IATH crew, Linda enjoys spending time with her family & camping. Linda is a tremendous asset to IATH.

Sarah Wells
Email: spw4s_at_virginia.edu
Scholarly and Technical Communications Officer
434-924-4370

Sarah has worked at IATH, on and off, since 1995. Her current job has a variety of tasks, including project management, XML mark-up, and technical writing. She also studies opera and has her black belt in karate, so that what cannot be gained from logical persuasion can be gained through hysterical sobbing or an intimidating glare.