SpringfieldNewsSun.com

Springfield, Ohio — Wittenberg University, one of the first schools in the nation to offer a computation science minor, has opened a Geek House — a tech-rich building designed to allow students to unleash their imaginations.

Students have to apply to use the renovated house at the south end of campus. Qualified students have access to the high-tech equipment that allows them to create virtual environments to better communicate the complex science concepts they learn in the classroom, said Eric Stahlberg, Wittenberg's director of computational science.

For example, chemistry major Molly Dannaher, is finishing her first Geek House project — a virtual, animated human cell, which can be used for educational purposes.

Dannaher created her project through Maya, the same software used by Pixar and Dreamworks.

"As an undergraduate, I would never expect to have access to this kind of (technology)," she said. She ticked off the projects she thinks would translate well into the virtual world, including a virtual tutor to work with Reading Recovery students. Her ultimate dream though, is to work with a computer animation company like Pixar.

"I don't know of any other university that has put its own money into doing something like this," Stahlberg said. The Wittenberg Investment Fund provided the seed money to start the project. The university believes investors and sponsors will want to get on board.

Prospective students are first surprised to hear that a small liberal arts college would have the technology, said Sarah Jusiewicz, Wittenberg's admissions representative.

"Overall they're very excited," she said.

First-year projects will likely focus in-house, such as improving the virtual features of Wittenberg's Web site and improving existing Web-enhanced classroom offerings, Stahlberg said. However students will not be expected to provide" an easy labor pool" for the university. "We want them to develop skills that will make them more attractive to potential employers."

Dannaher, a junior, is well on her way of doing that. Since her discovery of computation science, the university has allowed the former "math hater" to create her own major: An undergraduate degree in art, chemistry, computer science and computational science.

"I'll be well rounded in all areas," she said.

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0347 or kmori@coxohio.com.