A.P. (Preetham) Parigi, Walter F. Parkes, and Peter Schwartz ’68 joined President Jackson in the discussion.

EMPAC

Presidential Colloquy Kicks Off Opening

An Oct. 3 discussion among global leaders in the media, technology, and the arts launched three weekends of opening events planned in celebration of the opening of the Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC).

The presidential colloquy, titled “Photons, Sound Waves, and Data Bytes: Creativity at the Nexus of Science, Technology, Media and the Arts,” was moderated by President Jackson. Panelists included A.P. (Preetham) Parigi, managing director and CEO of Entertainment Network (India) Ltd. and Radio Marchi and CEO of Times Infotainment Media Ltd.; Walter F. Parkes, film producer and executive producer of more than 30 films and former co-head of DreamWorks Pictures; and Peter Schwartz ’68, acclaimed futurist, entrepreneur, and founder and chairman of Global Business Network.

An unprecedented experimental center dedicated to the integrated pursuit of the performing arts and sciences, EMPAC was launched under President Jackson’s Rensselaer Plan, and was made possible by a lead gift of $40 million from Nvidia co-founder and Rensselaer alumnus Curtis Priem ’82. The building was formally named for Priem at the Oct. 3 dedication.

“EMPAC is the embodiment of high ambition, meant to create unique opportunities for creative and smart people to work together, imagine together, discover together, and innovate together at the intersection of the arts, science, and technology,” President Jackson said. “It is fitting then to begin our celebration with a conversation that will engage our minds and inspire our imaginations. In inviting global leaders from the media, technology, and the arts, we have the opportunity to discuss the global impact of EMPAC as it reflects culture today and acts as an instrument for cultural change in the future.”