Cinematic Scientific Visualization
Details
Hybrid Meeting: In-person, Zoom, & YouTube
Kalina Borkiewicz
Former Director, NCSA Advanced Visualization Lab;
PhD Researcher, University of Utah;
Executive Committee Director, ACM SIGGRAPH
Abstract
You’ve seen the results, even if you didn’t know the name: galaxies colliding, hurricanes forming, proteins folding and cells dividing in intricate detail. It looks like Hollywood, but it’s real data. Cinematic scientific visualization turns large-scale simulations and observational datasets into imagery used in IMAX films, planetariums, museums, and digital media, reaching audiences at massive scale. But producing this work means balancing scientific accuracy with the expectations of cinematic storytelling.
This talk takes a production-oriented look at the field through three pillars: technology, design, and communication. We’ll walk through the realities of working with massive, messy datasets; the rendering and pipeline strategies that make them visible; and how filmmaking techniques shape what audiences actually understand. Drawing from real-world projects, the talk highlights the constraints, trade-offs, and practical decisions behind images that are both scientifically grounded and visually compelling.
Bio
Kalina is a researcher at the intersection of computer graphics, data visualization, and human-centered computing. She spent a decade at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, where she was the Founding Director of the Visualization Program Office and the Director of the Advanced Visualization Lab (AVL). The AVL creates cinematic scientific visualizations of phenomena like black holes, ocean currents, and photosynthesis for film, education, and entertainment. Kalina has also worked at The New York Times, Autodesk Research, and Apple. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Graphics & Visualization at the University of Utah. At SIGGRAPH, Kalina has served as the 2023 Computer Animation Festival Director, the 2025 Courses Chair, and she is currently a Director on the Executive Committee.
Doors open at 7:30, presentation starts at 8:00. Refreshments will be served.
In-person attendees must be registered due to limited space.
Zoom: https://acm-org.zoom.us/j/91960449743?pwd=lyCNz1RLOAtJlKeJW8Qz5mpo7mtCnw.1
YouTube: https://youtube.com/video/vUKZRGUjgss