Fusion Studio for Entertainment and Engineering

Just 6 weeks until the Symposium on Education in Entertainment and Engineering!

This intimate, highly collaborative event brings together educators and industry professionals to explore how real-world entertainment engineering challenges should shape the way we teach.

Through panel discussions and facilitated working sessions, participants will help develop actionable ideas that can be brought back to classrooms, programs, and organizations.

📅 July 24–25, 2026
📍 Purdue University
🎟️ Registration is open: https://rebrand.ly/SEEE-Countdown

We’re excited to feature Matt Jackson as a panelist at the 2026 Symposium on Education in Entertainment and Engineering.

As Project Portfolio Director at Adirondack Studios, Matt has spent his career managing the design, fabrication, and installation of complex entertainment projects around the world. His portfolio includes major attractions for Universal Studios and Disney, as well as work with opera companies, theatres, and large-scale entertainment venues.

Through decades of experience navigating the challenges of construction, logistics, installation, and collaboration across diverse venues, Matt brings valuable insight into how real-world project constraints can inform the way we teach engineering, design, and systems thinking.

🎤 Join us to explore how the realities of touring venues and entertainment projects can help shape the next generation of entertainment engineers.

Register now: https://rebrand.ly/2026-SEEE

We’re excited to feature Iris Williams as a panelist at the 2026 Symposium on Education in Entertainment and Engineering.

As a Sales Engineer with InterAmerica Stage, Iris brings experience from both production and engineering perspectives, having worked as a technician, master electrician, and lighting designer. Drawing from her experience as a visually impaired professional, she is a passionate advocate for accessibility in entertainment venues and works to make both existing and future spaces more inclusive for people with disabilities.

Her perspective offers an important reminder that venue engineering is not only about creating functional spaces—it is also about ensuring those spaces support the diverse needs of the artists, technicians, and audiences who interact with them.

🎤 Join us to explore how venue design can shape more effective, accessible, and inclusive scenic and systems education.

Register now: https://rebrand.ly/2026-SEEE

The countdown is on — just 2 months until the 2026 Symposium on Education in Entertainment and Engineering at Purdue University!

Join academic leaders and industry professionals for two days of conversations and working sessions focused on shaping the future of entertainment engineering education through real-world practice, collaboration, and innovation.

📅 July 24–25, 2026
📍 Purdue University
🎟️ Register now: https://rebrand.ly/SEEE-Countdown

Missed our May 1st First Fridays @ Fusion Studio?

Catch the conversation with Jordan Tani as he explores the creative power of spatial audio and how immersive sound is transforming storytelling, audience engagement, and live performance design.

From shaping emotion to guiding attention in three-dimensional space, this session offers fresh insight into how sound is redefining the live entertainment experience.

Watch the full recording and get inspired: https://youtu.be/Fy9P3mlALD8?si=Gd382zEd53bk57np

Explore more past installments of First Fridays @ Fusion Studio at: https://centers.purdue.edu/fusion-studio/first-fridays-fusion-studio/

First Fridays will be back in September with a new slate of guests for the 2026-2027 academic year!

Spatial Audio: Shaping Sound, Story, and Audience Experience with Jordan Tani In the May 2026 installment of First Fridays @ Fusion Studio, we welcome Jordan Tani, Creative Producer and Sound Designer specializing in spatial audio, for...

Speaker Spotlight: Justin Hess

When things break, what responsibilities do engineers have—and how do we teach students to respond?

We’re excited to feature Justin L. Hess, Associate Professor in the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University, as a panelist at the 2026 Symposium on Education in Entertainment and Engineering.

Justin’s research focuses on ethical and empathic development in engineering—exploring how engineers make decisions, respond to challenges, and consider the human impact of their work. His perspective brings an essential dimension to conversations around failure, emphasizing not just technical recovery, but responsibility, judgment, and care in practice.

Join us to explore how ethics and empathy should shape the way we teach failure, troubleshooting, and resilience in engineering education.

🔗 Register now: https://rebrand.ly/2026-SEEE

One week away!
Discover how spatial audio is reshaping live entertainment with Jordan Tani on May 1. From storytelling to audience engagement, this session is packed with insight for designers, engineers, and creators.
Register now: https://rebrand.ly/FusionStudioFirstFriday

Speaker Spotlight: Kimberly Corbett Oates

How do permanent venues shape the way we design—and teach—for temporary experiences?

We’re excited to feature Kimberly Corbett Oates, Partner at Schuler Shook, as a moderator at the 2026 Symposium on Education in Entertainment and Engineering.

With over 20 years of experience in theatre planning and performance equipment design, Kimberly works at the intersection of engineering, architecture, and live performance—developing flexible venues that support artists, audiences, and operators alike. Her work highlights how thoughtful venue design informs everything from scenic systems to technical workflows, offering critical insights for how we prepare students to design within real-world constraints.

🎤 Join us to explore how facility engineering and venue design can shape the future of scenic and systems education.

🔗 Register Now: https://rebrand.ly/2026-SEEE

🎭🔧 Now Hiring: Summer 2026 Teaching Assistants

Join the Fusion Studio for Entertainment and Engineering for the Entertainment Machine Design Challenge—a hands-on course where students design and build real projects.

📍 Purdue University (West Lafayette)
📅 July 6–18 | 💲 $18/hour

✨ Mentor student teams
✨ Support creative builds (3D printing, laser cutting & more)
✨ Gain leadership + teaching experience

Open to undergrads from any university (GPA 3.0+)

👉 Apply now:

Teaching Assistants Wanted – Summer 2026 | Fusion Studio for Entertainment and Engineering The Fusion Studio for Entertainment and Engineering is seeking undergraduate Teaching Assistants to support a dynamic, immersive design course at the intersection of entertainment and engineering. TAs work closely with instructors and student teams throughout the full design and prototyping process.