Do you Sodoku? A chance to flex your brain power with Sodoku wizard Mike Geraci...

At Pacific, we often tell students to find what they love and to turn that passion into a career. Media Arts Professor Mike Geraci is a perfect example of someone who has done just that.

Mike has always been fascinated by new technologies. As an undergraduate, he studied video production. “My undergraduate degree in video production and my love for technology converged when the personal computer became a device for media creation,” Mike explains. “I learned how to create graphical user interfaces and write code all at the same time -- something I think my liberal arts education prepared me for: art and logic all wrapped up in a neat little package.”

Today, Mike helps his students make those same connections. For Mike the best thing about teaching Media Arts, is that he gets to combine two things that he loves: working with others on creative endeavors and using exciting new technologies. “As technology evolves, I get my students involved in it, and we try to come up with a way to use that technology in ways that add value to the it and enhance the lives of the people who will use it.”

“The ability for me to work with students every day exploring all the different facets of this era is a wonderful opportunity to share my knowledge and passion for technology with the next generation that will go out into the world and make a difference with it. It goes back to being excited about what's possible in the world today: global, instantaneous communication via a graphically rich medium.”

But don’t think that being a Professor means that Mike Geraci doesn’t still play with technology. Recently he has been combining his love for Sudoku puzzles with his love of new media technologies.

"I came to Sudoku puzzles almost accidentally. My wife had bought a book of the puzzles for a road trip we were taking back in 2006. It took me a while to uncover the various strategies for solving the difficult puzzles -- I never researched any of the techniques -- so when I would stumble across an advanced solution technique, it was like I had suddenly opened up some untapped region of my brain. As one gets better and better at employing the different strategies for solving the puzzles, it's like suddenly understanding the grammar of another language.”

“I've become a big fan of doing Sudoku on my iPod because it keeps stats on how well you do. I've only botched two puzzles out of 140.  However, there are people out there who can do them much more quickly than I can, so there's definitely room for improvement!"

At Pacific, Media Arts students are encouraged to participate in the student-managed media outlets on campus, including the student newspaper, The Index; KPUR, the campus radio station; and Pacific Productions, the student video production group. If you have a passion for new technologies and want to explore Media Arts at Pacific, come for a visit! You can schedule a campus visit through the Admissions Office.