EMA alum lands job at Cislune

Lincoln, Neb--Mac O’Brien, who earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in emerging media arts last spring, has landed a job as a 3D Systems Developer at Cislune, a start-up that works on NASA contracts and prototypes. 

“I will be mostly working on a VR program called SimMoon, which will study how astronauts may react to an AI ‘mission control’ system during emergency situations,” he said. “Users will attempt to solve problems and fix equipment on a virtual lunar base with the help of an autonomous AI systems. A version of SimMoon will also be publicly available to try and will allow users to build their own lunar base modeled after actual proposed concepts and ideas developed by NASA.”

He will also work on 3D renders and demonstrative animations and prototypes.

O’Brien interned at Cislune this summer, before recently accepting a permanent job.

“I was interested in Cislune because of its location [Rosemead, California] and the fact that it seemed different than the majority of jobs in the 3D development space,” he said. “It allowed me to use my knowledge of 3D programs and game engines to solve practical problems, as well as virtual ones. I have always been interested in creating advanced 3D simulations based on realism rather than gameplay, and Cislune seemed like the perfect place to start.”

O’Brien felt well prepared for his career with his degree in emerging media arts.

“The classes in the emerging media arts program prepared me very well for my time at Cislune,” he said. “The skills I used most were 3D modeling, digital fabrication and game engine development. During my time at the program, I was able to develop all of these skills and learn how to combine them all to solve problems and accomplish goals. My capstone, which was made possible by the Hixson-Lied student creative grant, allowed me to create a VR rowing machine that combined many different technologies and build a skillset that was exactly what Cislune was looking for.”

His experience in digital fabrication with Assistant Professor of Emerging Media Arts Dan Novy was particularly helpful.

“He found the internship and posted it to the Emerging Media Arts message boards, which is how I found out about it,” O’Brien said. “Hopefully I will be able to continue to work with him at some point to continue creating analog training for astronauts. Collaborating with my classmates in the emerging media arts program has also been a great experience, as it helped me work as part of a team and manage my own part of a central project.”

Novy said O’Brien’s curiosity and adaptability stood out to him.

“Mac O’Brien is exactly the kind of emerging media arts student we’re engineering to produce,” he said. “He understands that the landscape of emerging media is vast beyond traditional entertainment or art mediums and has always been willing to absorb new skills into his skill set. After taking my Digital Fabrication and Physical Computing class, he showed such promise I asked him to TA the class the following year. He was so capable he was able to cover for me while I was on my simulated Mars mission.”

Last fall, Novy was selected to participate as a communications officer in the analog astronaut mission with the Armenian Space Forum at the Mars Analog Research Station in Armenia.

“My research and work in space analogs is an extension of my work in immersive experience design and the needs of this developing industry, including AR/VR production, 2D and 3D animation, scientific and data visualization, etc., are all skills we teach here at the Carson Center,” he said. “The sciences and engineering world NEEDS artists and designers, animators and creative technologists to complete and communicate their work, and our graduates are uniquely qualified to find and fulfill those positions.”

While many of O’Brien’s current projects are under non-disclosure agreements, O’Brien said he has used his 3D animation skills to provide animations for some recent NASA contracts, as well as his work on SimMoon.

“I am very excited about the future of SimMoon, and our team has high hopes for it as we continue to work,” he said. “We want it to be the most accurate lunar simulation program in use.”

O’Brien encourages students to think outside the box, when it comes to finding a career.

“Many students gravitate towards the film, VFX or game development industry, but there are many other opportunities elsewhere, as well, that your particular skillset could have a big impact on,” he said. “Towards the end of my time in the program, I looked into fields like museum exhibit design and technical animations for engineering firms. These are less traditional paths for emerging media arts graduates but are a great use of their skills.”

O’Brien is thankful for his time in the emerging media arts program.

“I am very thankful for everyone who helped guide me during my time in the emerging media arts program and my classmates who I have been able to collaborate with,” he said. “I am excited for this new opportunity at Cislune, and it feels great to work on projects that could make a difference in the future of aerospace and lunar technology. This is a very fast-paced and exciting field to work in, and I am ready to show off what the Johnny Carson Center has taught me.”