INNOV8: 8 days spotlighting Lafayette innovation

    Lafayette is known for its vibrant arts scene and its innovative technology, as a hub for healthcare and a strong entrepreneurial spirit. INNOV8, a project of the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, celebrates this spirit with an eight-day festival of innovation Friday, April 19, to Friday, April 26, 2013. Events focus on Lafayette’s creative economy, entrepreneurship, education, healthcare, technology and innovative endeavors from business start-ups to success stories, from digital interactive technology to art and music.

LITE (Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise) Center

    Here are a few spotlights. For a complete list of events, visit http://innov8lafayette.com.
    Beginning at 2:30 p.m. Friday, April 19, Peruvian artist Grimanesa Amoros presents a lecture on how she uses sculpture, video and lighting techniques to create amazing works of art at the LITE (Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise) Center. Registration is requested for this free event, visit http://liteuroshouse.eventbrite.com.
    The LITE Center is a 3-D immersive visualization resource center located at the Research Park of the University of Louisiana Lafayette. LITE is the only facility of its kind in North America open to both industry and academia.
    Some of the clients at LITE will be giving demonstrations at the iOpener from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 20. There will be Pixel Magic’s “Behind the Scenes of Hollywood Movies” (did you know the 3-D of Harry Potter was created here?), demonstrations on underwater robots and a view inside the 3-D computer known as the “Egg.” Visitors may also play interactive video games against music and lift more than 5,000 pounds in a human-powered crane.
    More iOpener events include the neighboring Picard Center and the UL main campus. For more information on iOpener and a schedule of events, visit www.lite3d.com/iOpener.
    INNOV8 includes the Louisiana Soundtrack Experience, starting a music career, business workshops and the Cajun Code Fest coding competition, among many others.