Student Panel, Wii Giveaway Part of Sim-U Conference

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Students will have a voice in an upcoming conference on learning through gaming. In addition, they will be eligible to win a gaming console if they register in advance.

Sim-U 2007, which will bring together students, faculty and a panel of national experts, will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Sept. 7, at the Donald W. Reynolds Center for Enterprise Development on the University of Arkansas campus.

In addition to speakers from all over the country, four current and former University of Arkansas students will speak as part of a student panel. The students include Drew Avery, chemistry; Troy Long, industrial engineering; Suzanne Ownbey, computer science; and Quinten Rezin, who received his bachelor’s degree in computer science in 2006. They will discuss how simulation and gaming experiences might enhance course-related learning and how students’ gaming interests might be used toward meeting educational goals. The student panel will also respond to the ideas and issues brought forth during the conference.

The panel will be moderated by Kenneth J. Knoespel, professor and chair of the school of literature, communication and culture at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Knoespel’s interests lie in the role of technology in contemporary culture.

Other speakers include Ian Bogost, co-founder of Persuasive Games, an independent video game studio that makes games about social and political issues; Jason and Sunny Cerchie, who are both 2005 graduates from the School of Architecture at the University of Arkansas, now work for the Electric Sheep Co., creating content for Internet site Second Life; and Judd Ruggill and Ken McAllister, co-directors of the Learning Games Initiative.

Throughout the day there will be an exhibit from Ruggill and McAllister’s video and computer game archive consisting of toys, books, articles, clothes, posters and, of course, games, from all over the world and from the beginning of computer gaming forward.

The event is free but registration is required. To be eligible for the drawing of the Nintendo Wii console, please register before midnight on Sept. 5 at http://simu.uark.edu/.

8-8:45 a.m. — Light breakfast, history of video games exhibit

8:45-9 a.m. — Welcome from Chancellor White

9-9:45 a.m.  — Judd  Ruggill, University of Arizona

9:45-10:30 a.m. — Ken McAllister, University of Arizona

1-1:45 p.m. — Ian Bogost, Keynote Speaker, Persuasive Games, Georgia Tech

1:45-2:30 p.m. — Student panel with Ken Knoespel of Georgia Tech as moderator

2:30-3 p.m. — Ken Knoespel, Georgia Tech

Persuasive Games Web site: http://www.bogost.com/

Learning Games Initiative: http://www.mesmernet.org/lgi/

The Electric Sheep Company: http://www.electricsheepcompany.com/