Brittany Kight (’11) | Information Technology

by   |  01.20.11  |  Technology

Brittany Kight ('11)

Information Technology major
(Corpus Christi, Texas)

“The research I am working on has given me the opportunity to learn about how to program iPhone applications that I would not have been able to learn at another university.”

Some freshmen arriving for Welcome Week this fall could be playing an Augmented Reality Game on their iPhones developed by students in ACU’s School of Information Technology and Computing.

The game is designed to help freshmen interact better with each other during that crucial first week of college, said sophomore Brittany Kight, one of two students working on the project. It will encourage freshmen to get out of their shells and meet new friends, she explained.

Brittany is an information technology major taking advantage of the new minor in Digital Entertainment soon to be offered by ACU.

“The research I am working on has given me the opportunity to learn about how to program iPhone applications that I would not have been able to learn at another university,” she said.

Brittany’s work on software and gaming programs for the iPhone project is funded by a research grant from the ACU Honors College and is under the supervision of Dr. Brian Burton, an assistant professor in the department.

“The professors understand my need for creativity, and they encourage me to be creative in my projects,” she said.

On a personal level, Brittany sees the research she’s doing as a chance to explore a new and exciting section of her field. As she sketches layout designs and brainstorms for ideas to make games more complex, she’s getting hands-on experience in her field that may prove useful later. Without the project, she doesn’t think she would have had the same drive to try something new.

“It’s a really good incentive to get students active in research,” she said.

Brittany discovered her love for digital graphics and animation in high school, when she took digital media and video editing classes. She played computer games as a kid and knew that she enjoyed the world of digital media, but she didn’t realize she was good at creating it until she tried.

“I just adored it,” she said.

Brittany especially enjoyed the Connected Summit that ACU held in spring 2009, at which experts from some of the best software companies in the world presented new research, ideas and techniques for using and improving technology. She liked looking at others’ creations and the new technologies they presented. She even thinks some of the new techniques she saw could be implemented at ACU.

For Brittany, all the research, the seminars and the group projects are tied to the people she’s found at ACU. In her department, she’s found teachers who are helpful, smart and willing to give assistance when it’s needed.

“The SITC department is filled with knowledgeable professors who will work with you on tough problems and then on the weekend invite you over for game night at their house,” she said. “It is an amazing department and really prepares you for the future outside of ACU.”

Learn more about the School of Information Technology and ComputingĀ at ACU