I wanted to share the announcement of this fascinating and important conference being hosted by the Smithsonian Institution on November 13-14, 2013 in Washington, DC.  It's free, though registration is required and limited.

Clifford Lynch
Director, CNI
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The Smithsonian Institution invites you to attend an event about museums and 3D technologies on the National Mall in Washington, DC, Wednesday, November 13th and Thursday, November 14th. "Smithsonian X 3D" will feature two full days of in-depth talks, panel discussions and a 3D Technology Gallery showcasing how these technologies will transform the work of the Smithsonian Institution-and museum and research institutions worldwide.

This event is fee, but seats are limited! More information and rsvp at: http://3d.si.edu/

We will announce new strategies and tools to make Smithsonian 3D data available to the world, and you'll hear from curators, researchers and educators about the projects which have created 3D models of familiar (and unfamiliar) Smithsonian collection objects and scientific explorations.

Keynote Speakers:

  *   Paul Debevec, Associate Director for Graphics Research, University of Southern California Institute for Creative Technologies & Research Professor
Paul has created a series of Light Stage devices for capturing and simulating how objects and people reflect light, used to create photoreal digital actors in films such as Spider Man 2, Superman Returns, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Avatar.
  *   René W.R.J. Dekker, Director of Collections, Naturalis Biodiversity Center (Netherlands)
Naturalis has embarked on the logistical feat of digitizing 7 million natural history collection items for an average of 1.86 Euros over a period of 5 years.
  *   Saul Griffith, CEO, Otherlab
Saul is an entrepreneur and inventor who co-founded six companies since 2004, co-authors a series of children's books on building gadgets, and writes a column for Make magazine.

Learn more and share with us about howŠ.

  *   Researchers and conservators can use 3D capture to document and analyze a single artifact or an entire field site
  *   Curators and educators can use 3D imagery to explore complex ideas and share new discoveries
  *   Teachers, collaborators, and members of the public can interact with Smithsonian museum objects in new ways

Please join us as we explore how to grow the Smithsonian's 3D digitization efforts from pilot to program, and unleash the full potential of 3D technology in the museum and research community.

Günter Waibel
Director, Digitization Program Office, Smithsonian Institution