ICT Appoints Lunceford Chief Technology Advisor

ICT Appoints Lunceford Chief Technology Advisor

Dr. Randy Hill Promoted as Institute Restructures to Move Technology to Market

MARINA DEL REY, Calif., Dec. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Moving forward on its second five-year mission in the wake of a $100 million grant from the U.S. Army, USC's Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT) has hired former head of the Army's modeling and simulation office Wendell (Dell) Lunceford Jr. as chief technology advisor, it was announced today by ICT Executive Director Richard Lindheim.

Lunceford, to be based in Washington, DC and begin his role January 1, will focus on moving technology developed by the ICT into government and business sectors: whether large-scale simulator environments, such as the immersive FlatWorld, or more portable training games, such as Full Spectrum Command and Full Spectrum Warrior. Reporting to Managing Director David Wertheimer, Lunceford will seek to fulfill the ICT's goal of creating and transitioning cognitive decision-making simulation technology to all branches of the government, as well as those in industry. Additionally, Lunceford will also work closely with the Provost and Deans at the University of Southern California in developing a comprehensive program to create and utilize interactive simulations for learning.

"We are very excited to bring Dell aboard," stated Lindheim. "He is one of the world's most respected experts in the field of modeling and simulation. Through his experience at DARPA, the Navy and the Army, and his unexcelled expertise in transitioning modeling and simulation technology into immediately impactful applications, he will invaluably help the ICT in its mission to develop and implement an Experience Learning System, which utilizes advanced virtual reality and simulation technology."

"Given the way its missions and functions are changing, I think the modern military can benefit greatly from the products developed at the ICT, as can the business world," offered Lunceford. Regarding their use by the Department of Defense, Lunceford cites the ICT's leading-edge work in visualization, human behavior (e.g., "explainable AI") and story-drive technologies that train soldiers how to think on their feet, whether in battle or on peacekeeping missions. "For example, ICT's SLIMS project, which creates low-cost, quick-turnaround training games, can have great potential in teaching troops to spot things that might be useful in intelligence gathering," adds Lunceford, who predicts that there will be other "amazing uses for these technologies in the future."

Lunceford recently retired from the DOD, having been employed at different times by the U.S. Army and Navy. A member of the Senior Executive Service (SES), his last position was as director of the Army's Model and Simulation Office (AMSO), recently renamed Battle Command, Simulation and Experimentation Directorate (a transformational change he led that recognized the technology and application overlap between command & control and M&S). As the director he was responsible to establish the Army strategic vision for M&S across diverse areas such as training, concept analysis, and system design (referred to as simulation-based acquisition or SMART). Lunceford was also the head of the Army's officer M&S career field (FA-57, Simulation Operations) and was instrumental is establishing the Army's civilian M&S career field (CP-36).

During his career Lunceford has worked in such areas as program management, systems engineering and R&D development on some of the DOD's largest simulation-based programs. They include the Seawolf Submarine Combat System, the Army's Combined Arms Tactical Trainer, and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) Advanced Simulation Technology, for which he served as project manager. Founding editor of Simulation Technology Magazine and co-founder of the Journal for Defense Modeling and Simulation (JDMS), he has earned numerous honors including the Simulation International Standards Organization Lifetime Achievement Award as well as two Office of the Secretary of Defense Awards for Excellence.

Concurrent With the hiring of Dell Lunceford, Dr. Randy Hill has been promoted from associate director to director of applied research. The ICT is making these moves to respond to the demands for the simulation and training capabilities it has developed and to further facilitate its growth as a leader in the development of experience-based learning systems.

While basic research at the ICT will continue to report to Director of Technology William Swartout, more applied and transitional efforts will report to Hill. Prior to joining the ICT in September 2000, Hill developed artificial intelligence applications for NASA's Deep Space Network and the U.S. Army during eleven years at California Institute of Technology's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, also serving as a project leader and research scientist at USC's Information Sciences Institute, where he led a team that developed virtual helicopter pilots and commanders for large-scale, distributed simulations.

About ICT

Established in September 2000, ICT has been challenged by the U.S. Army with the task of helping prepare U.S. troops to make critical on-the-ground decisions through the development of an Experience Learning System which utilizes advanced virtual reality and simulation technology. This immersive system will be adaptable for a wide range of military objectives and will provide an efficient and cost effective supplement to large-scale military exercises. ICT foresees the expanded use of this advanced technology as a new system for immersive learning -- the next step beyond the Internet -- with exciting applications to industry, entertainment and especially education.

ICT aims to design these emotionally engaging, immersive learning environments by tapping the nation's two greatest resources: technology and entertainment. Uniting disparate communities toward a common goal, the venture brings together top creative and technical talent from the Hollywood and video game communities, as well as the assets of the University of Southern California and other research institutions.

Core technology to be developed by ICT includes: artificial intelligence which allows digital characters to react to situations like real people; incorporation of compelling, realistic storylines; systems which engage the senses of sight, sound, touch and smell; the next generation of computer hardware, from head-mounted displays to force-feedback devices; and computer networks through which hundreds or thousands of troops worldwide may participate together in live simulations.

ICT came to public recognition in 2001 just after the 9/11 attacks when the White House and Army asked the ICT to convene television and film writers, producers and directors, as well as technologists, to help the government assess possible other terrorist scenarios. Over the last two years the ICT has been instrumental in creating training programs based in gaming technologies that have helped support the military's position during the Middle Eastern conflict and the war on terror.

The ICT and its projects are sponsored by the U.S. Army and the above release does not necessarily reflect the position or the policy of the Government, and no official endorsement should be inferred.


Source: Institute for Creative Technologies

CONTACT: Lynda Dorf, +1-310-248-6105, ldorf@bwr-la.com, for Institute
for Creative Technologies


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