Department of Mathematical Sciences Alumnus of the Semester

Ryan Heniser

If you saw the movie “The Ant Bully” last summer and stayed through to see the credits, you would have seen the name of IPFW math alumnus Ryan Heniser! Ryan has gone a long way, geographically and professionally, since his days at IPFW.

Ryan was born and grew up in Fort Wayne. He recalls that “Ever since I was little I was fascinated with art, computers and mathematics. From the first time I saw Toy Story by Pixar Animation Studio in 1995 I knew I wanted to work in the computer graphics industry.” In 1998 he graduated from Homestead High School and enrolled at IPFW.

At IPFW Ryan pursued a double major in mathematics and computer science. After a bit of a rocky start in calculus (freshmanitis?) he focused his considerable energy and ability to successfully complete both degrees. In the math department he enjoyed Dan Coroian’s differential equations course where he “started to see the awesome power of higher level mathematics”, Doug Townsend’s linear algebra course which contained information he uses daily in computer graphics, and the PI Math Club meetings he attended. In the computer science department he is particularly grateful to his mentor, Beomjin Kim, who encouraged him to read scholarly journals and assisted Ryan in his own research. He also enjoyed classes with James Silver and Robert Sedlmeyer. Activities with ACM as CS Tutors groups are cherished memories.

After graduating from IPFW Ryan enrolled in the Savannah College of Arts and Design (SCAD) and worked toward a Master in Fine Arts degree with a concentration in Visual Effects. About his time at SCAD Ryan says, “The

craft of the visual effects artist has always been a combination of technology and art. It was IPFW that gave me a firm background in the technology and the mathematics that makes the technology even possible. SCAD helped me develop a set of fundamental artistic skills that I use everyday. Plus, they taught me how to harness my strong technical background to create aesthetically pleasing imagery.”

His first professional job was in Dallas, Texas at DNA Productions whose projects included the Oscar nominated “Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius”. It was there that he worked on “The Ant Bully”. For "The Ant Bully", he was responsible for creating pipeline software to facilitate the rendering of the movie. Plus, he assisted in creating and trouble shooting shaders, software plug-ins that define mathematically the visual appearance of the objects in the movie.

In August 2005 Ryan moved to Los Angeles, California to work for Sony Picture Imageworks, an Academy Award® winning, state-of-the-art digital production studio dedicated to the art of visual effects production and character animation. At Imageworks, he is currently working as a shader writer on an animated feature film “Surf's Up” due out in 2007. As a shader writer, he utilizes his training in theoretical and applied mathematics daily, especially in calculus, statistics, linear algebra, Fourier analysis, and numerical methods.

To current math majors Ryan adds, “Explore job opportunities and/or graduate schools as soon as possible. There are thousands of opportunities out there for math and/or computer science majors. But, they're paths are not as straight forward as a lawyer or doctor. You're going to have to tailor yourself for them by taking specific classes and learning on your own. Ask professors, go on-line, visit businesses, and track down your dream job. It's out there!”