For the past few years, the tri-state area has experienced Lumenocity, a live illuminated light show to the music of the Cincinnati Pops and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.  

To help with this, Lumenocity enlisted the help of some of Northern Kentucky University’s brightest students.

Several Electronic Media and Broadcasting students along with students from the Center for Applied Informatics have joined together to complete projects to help Lumenocity make its last year the best.

Since Sunday, August 7 will be the last performance due to the renovation project at Music Hall and the overwhelming schedule of the Orchestra and the Pops, all available resources will be focusing on the Orchestra and re-opening Music Hall in 2017. To go out with a bang, they are re-imagining Lumenocity and making it as innovative as possible.

Electronic Media and Broadcasting professor Chris Strobel had several students who were interested in working on a project for Lumenocity. Those students have been making a VIP movie for the people who helped fund the concert and it will be played in the VIP room and at the free block party.

“We want this film to be a love story to the city,” Strobel said.

David Campbell, junior and student director, said they wanted to focus on things that will be familiar to the audience.

“We want to show the iconic shots of Cincinnati, not just parking lots and signs,” Campbell said. “We want people to say ‘I’ve seen that!’.”

Sara Hughes, junior and student producer, said that the video will be about a ‘cube’. The cube will show up at different iconic locations across the tri-state and will start to glow. Once the cube reaches the Taft Theatre, where the concerts will be held, it will break out into light to represent the start of the show.

The students working for the Center for Applied Informatics have been working on a ‘VR Dome’ to present to the patrons who attended the free Block Party. The VR Dome is sponsored by Lightborne and will use Tilt Brush, a 3D painting program, to place people in their own virtual world. Lightborne wanted to incorporate the younger community and immediately thought of NKU Informatics students.

Students like Kierstyn Oldham, senior and Informatics apprentice, will also collect demographic information from the community for the Orchestra, organize and store it, and make sure the tent runs smoothly during the Block Party.

The students working on this project are excited about having this opportunity available to them.

“A young company reached out to NKU for this opportunity for a reason,” said Vince Scheben, project coordinator. “This is big for these students to use their talents and to become the rising stars that they are.”

Benjamin Sanning, sophomore software developer, was excited about the real-world experience Luminosity would provide.

“We are learning from brand new modern technology,” Sanning said. “This is a great opportunity for us to get hands-on learning on what jobs are actually like.”

Campbell said it was a chance to not only show off the school but the entire region.

“We just want to be involved, not just through NKU, but through the city as well,” Campbell said.