About 3D Embodiment

3DEmbodiment was founded in 2006 with the vision of building immersive 3D environments for teaching and learning.

The company's founder, Mark Dubin, is a "brain scientist" who has 36 years of experience as a professor of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology at the University of Colorado at Boulder. His research and expertise are in the areas of how the human visual system works and in cognitive science.

In the mid-2000s, Dubin conducted research in the Center for Visualization at CU, where he explored relationships between immersive 3D environments and how the brain works. The visualization lab was a full 3D "stereo" cave, with projections on three walls and the floor that created 3D scenes that people could walk through, and they could interact with various objects.

His work there extended into the founding of 3DE, which is focused on creating 3D immersive, virtual environments for teaching and learning. The company creates virtual worlds -- places where people become avatars and interact with others and the virtual world environment -- for educational purposes. The 3DE partners believe in the power of immersive educational environments because they create a sense of place and social interactions that foster the feeling of embodiment.

The concept of embodiment has been researched by many different disciplines. Simply, it is the belief that learning emerges from the interplay between the brain, body and world. In terms of teaching and learning, people tend to remember things better if a sense of being somewhere is attached to that memory. Virtual worlds provide a sense of being somewhere, and with people; they offer an opportunity for students to actively interact with the world while they are learning.

Dubin, who has an extensive record as a grant-funded neroscientist, is the author of numerous articles and publications, including the book "How the Brain Works." Aside from being a virtual world pioneer, Dubin also pioneered the use of the World Wide Web in education. As Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at CU, Dubin was reponsible for introducing and supporting the use of computers and new media into the curriculum.

Dubin and 3DE partner Bruce Henderson worked together on several World Wide Web projects in the early years of the Web. As an associate professor at the University of Colorado, Henderson pioneered the integration of Web technologies with teaching. His research involved how the Web can assist with teaching and learning. His research and creative work earned him a CU systemwide President's Faculty Excellence Award for Advancing Teaching and Learning Through Technology.

Henderson currently also serves as the communications director at the CU's ATLAS Institute. The institute helps students from all disciplines integrate technologies into their studies. The institute offers a minor degree in technology, arts and media, and a Ph.D. in the area of technology, media and society.

3DE partner Jason Lauve has more than 20 years of experience working with computer graphics. He has worked with a wide range of fields from children's stories and internet radio to scientific visualization, forensics and simulation animation. He has worked with companies including Ball Aerospace, Lockheed Martin, Nintendo, NREL, PAX, Starz Encore, Viacom, and the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, teaching 3D animation, special effects, game design and digital media classes in the animation department.

When the Web was in its infancy, Lauve produced EarDrum.com, a world music Internet radio station that was part of the GoGaGa.com radio network.

He also was involved with the insurance litigation animation and 3D computer modeling of the World Trade Center building collapse on September 11, 2001.

Ann Leskaj is an expert virtual world designer, builder and scripter with extensive experience working on 3DE projects.