New collaborative course teaches the art and science of holography

Emanuel Istrate

High-powered lasers, intricately mounted mirrors and a table that floats... It could be the set up for a magic show but it's actually a description of the holography lab nestled within the 4,000 square feet of laboratory space at U of T's Institute for Optical Sciences, housed at the McLennan Physical Laboratories.

Thanks to a unique partnership between the institute and the Ontario College of Art and Design, 15 OCAD students and 15 U of T students from all disciplines -- including science, philosophy, semiotics and architecture -- learned how to create holograms this spring. These students are the first in Canada to literally learn the art of holography in a scientific setting, a course called Holography for 3-D Visualization taught by Professor Emanuel Istrate. The course was first offered in the spring of 2007 and became a collaboration with OCAD this year.

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