Member Profile: AJ Christensen
1. What do you do, and how long have you been doing it?
I’ve been an FX TD and visualization programmer (different sides of the same coin) since 2009. I work at the NASA Goddard Scientific Visualization Studio, and before that spent many years at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, turning enormously complex computer models of physics into pretty pictures for documentary films. I took a brief sabbatical to join the “Interstellar” FX team at Double Negative.
2. What was your first job?
I worked the salesfloor at Target.
3. Where did you complete your formal education?
I got my BS in Computer Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). I got my MS in Science Learning in Digital Environments.
4. How did you first get involved with ACM SIGGRAPH?
I founded the University of Illinois ACM SIGGRAPH Student Chapter which is still going strong today!
5. What is your favorite memory of a SIGGRAPH conference?
Through an unlikely connection, a friend and I found ourselves in charge of escorting film actor Richard Dreyfuss around the conference for a day. When filling in the registration form, in the line for occupation he put “Inventor”. We then witnessed him spend hours wandering around Emerging Technologies, literally crawling around on his hands and knees to see if the exhibits had more secrets down on the floor, and then proceeding to lecture the presenters on how important the loss of American Civics education was.
6. Describe a project that you would like to share with the ACM SIGGRAPH community.
I have been working with a number of colleagues for many years now to formalize the term “cinematic scientific visualization”, teach people how to do it, and earn recognition for it as a specific type of visual data-driven storytelling. We’ve hosted courses at SIGGRAPH and IEEEVis, there’s a Coursera course through the University of Illinois, and through the Houdini.school platform. I’m always looking for new ways to encourage storytellers to use real scientific data in their films and other visual media!
7. If you could have dinner with one living or non-living person, who would it be and why?
Toni Myers, the IMAX director known for turning musicians and astronauts into film stars. I got to work with her on two projects before she passed away last year, and I have a profound respect for how for any audience she could turn the world into poetry. I’d love to have one more dinner with her.
8. What is something most people don’t know about you?
I ran for office, including a full fundraising campaign and debate participation to be elected to my local city council. I lost that race, but eventually did win an elected position as precinct captain.
9. From which single individual have you learned the most in your life? What did they teach you?
My former boss, Professor Donna Cox, was extremely generous in sharing her knowledge of the world. She massively expanded my artistic and technical abilities, but she also helped me navigate one of the most highly political environments in the world: academia. She taught me to be a science communicator, and sent me to present our work to many high-pressure stakeholders including museums, the IMAX company, Weta Digital, the United Nations, and the Gates Foundation. I owe my unusual career to her mentorship.
10. Is there someone in particular who has influenced your decision to work with ACM SIGGRAPH?
Alain Chenais encouraged me to be ambitious in the organization long before I seemed competent. When I was in college, I told him that I wanted to be Director-At-Large, and he laughed because he knew I didn’t know what it meant, but encouraged me to work my way there all the same.
11. What can you point to in your career as your proudest moment?
“Interstellar” winning the VFX Oscar!