Ryan Bown

July 1, 2019
Associate Professor, Lecturer
Williams Building, Floor 4, RM 31101
Phone: 1-801-830-4274
Biography

Ryan Bown is an Associate Professor of Entertainment Arts and Engineering at the University of Utah. Prior to working in the games Industry he devoted a decade (1998-2008) to creating and showing Fine Art works at Galleries and Museums throughout the United States and abroad. Having a love for art and video games, he decided to fuse the two passions together. Over the last 10 years he has worked on a number of popular titles which include: ERIE, Disney Infinity 1.0, and Disney Infinity 2.0. At the University of Utah, he teaches students Fundamentals Art & Design Principles & theory contextualized in current industry pipelines and technologies. As an educator, he aims to increase accessibility to information, learning, and community by blurring the boundaries of traditional education by streaming creative content for Games on Twitch. (https://www.twitch.tv/occasional_player). His research interest blends Games and simulation. He is the co-founder and director of STAGE (Simulation, Training, Automation, Games, Education) Working Group which collaborates with Collins Aerospace.

Courses Taught in Spring 2019
  • EAE 3670-001, Texturing for 3D,  Building 72 Room 117
  • EAE 3670-002, Texturing for 3D,  Building 72 Room 117
  • EAE 3670-003, Texturing for 3D, Building 72 Room 117
  • EAE 3675, Texturing for 3D II, Building 72 Room 117
  • EAE 6110, Game Projects I, Building 72 Room 270
  • EAE 36670, Texturing for 3D, Building 72 Room 117
Research
  • Simulation Pipelines
  • Curriculum Models
  • Alternative Learning
  • Photogrammetry
Education
  • Master of Fine Arts, Entertainment Arts and Engineering, University of Utah. Project: MDA Framework (Mechanics- Dynamics- Aesthetics)
  • Post-Baccalaureate Studies, Center for Animation, Brigham Young University
  • Bachelor of Fine Arts, Sculpture, Brigham Young University
  • Associate of Art and Science, Fine Art, Utah Valley University
  • Undergraduate Studies , Fine Art, Art Center College of Design
Awards
  • University of Utah Career and Professional Development Center Faculty Recognition Award, 2019
  • University of Utah Early Career Teaching Award, 2017
  • University of Utah Career Services Faculty Recognition Award, 2016
game Credits
  • Disney Infinity 2.0, Avalanche/ Disney Interactive Studios, 2014
  • Disney Infinity 1.0, Avalanche/ Disney Interactive Studios, 2013
  • Tactical Measure, Utah Game Forge, 2012
  • ERIE, Utah Game Forge, 2011
Publications

Book Chapters

  1. Bown R., Olson, Gabe. (2017), Avatar Assembled: The Social and Technical Anatomy of Digital Bodies, Chapter 25. Perspective and Physics: Frames for Play, Banks, J (editor),. Peter Lang Publishing, New York, NY

Workshops

  1. Bown R., Olson G,. Brown A, (06/07/2019), Making Your Classroom ALIVE: Teaching with Twitch, Gotland Game Conference 2019 Games Education Summit, June 7-8, 2019, Visby SE
  2. Bown R., Sellers M,. Freyjadis S., Altizer R., (06/07/2019), The Building Blocks of A Curriculum Framework, Gotland Game Conference 2019 Games Education Summit, June 7-8, 2019, Visby SE
  3. Bown R., Freyjadis S., Altizer R., (10/28/18). Visualizing Your Personal Framework: Principles, Methods, Programs (PMP), Chi Play 2018 Games Education Workshop, October 28-31, 2018, Melbourne AUS

Posters (refereed)

  1. Jensen, M., Casucci, T., Bown, R., Runburg, M., Altizer, R., (2015), Research Quest: Six Design Boxes and Six Iterations towards a Game to Teach Critical Thinking, Foundations of Digital Games Conference (FDG2015), June 22-25, 2015, Pacific Grove, CA

Creative Works (refereed)

  1. Jensen, M., Casucci, T., Bown, R., Runburg, M., Butcher, K., Altizer, R., (2015), Research Quest (Dino Lab): Critical Thinking through Video Games and Interdisciplinary Collaboration, Foundations of Digital Games Conference (FDG2015), June 22-25, 2015, Pacific Grove, CA