Set design, recording studio work, sound engineering and instrument manufacturing'what do all of these careers have in common?

According to Jim Globig, associate professor of engineering technology, all of them require some grounding in both the engineering and artistic aspect of the field.

'So often we hear parents selling engineering to their children with, 'I know you love music but you have to make a living,'' Globig said in a recent press release. 'How great would it be if they didn't have to choose? This offers foundations in the technical aspects of the arts students couldn't otherwise receive in just engineering or music.'

This sort of opportunity is what the new integrated arts and technology program has been created to offer.

The program, which became a reality when it was awarded a grant last March, was one of 11 total projects that received funding, according to the Fall 2005 Learning Teaching Center Newsletter.

'Organizations such as the Dayton Art Institute, Muse Machine, Human Race Theater, Dayton Contemporary Dance Council (DCDC) and Culture Works involves increasingly complex amounts of technology in their venues, while developers of technological advancements are increasingly cognizant of the aesthetic and cultural impacts of their designs,' Globig wrote in his original funding proposal.

The grant the new program received was part of an effort 'to stimulate changes leading to an enhanced UD student culture for academic engagement and excellence,' the newsletter said.

Kenny Mosher, a sophomore computer engineering technology major, is one of the students considering participating in the program.

Though interested in math and physics upon entering college, he also liked movies and music. He didn't think that engineering was creative enough, and didn't want to be a music major.

The integrated arts and technology program, though, proved to be exactly what he was looking for.

'A job with Disney would be awesome, but I am open-minded to where this can take me,' Mosher said in a press release. 'I'm happy to find a path that allows me to combine my interests.'

Examples of situations in which a grounding in both technology and the arts would be useful are things such as designing stage props that won't collapse, wiring circuits for theatre lighting and digital communications for Internet design.

'This allows students to receive a broader-based education,' Globig said. 'In the past, engineers graduated and just did engineering design work. Today, employers want someone who can be more than just an engineer.'

Facilities such as the Dayton Art Institute, the Schuster Performing Arts Center and the Victoria Theater are expected to be used as offsite 'labs.'

Only a few other universities in the country currently offer a program such as this. They include New York University, Ball State, Northeastern and Northwestern.