Drexel students recieve recognition from Disney for work

By: Daniel Silva

Posted: 6/30/06

Drexel seniors Kristy Pron and Matthew Fonda tied for third place in the annual Disney ImagiNations University Design Competition. The team was flown to Disneyland on June 4 for a week of presentations as part of the final round of the competition.

"Disney offers the annual competition as a challenge for students to show their creativity and skills in design, engineering, architecture and related disciplines," said Glen Muschio, the team's advisor. "The competition seems custom-made for Drexel students."

"The main objective with this contest is for Disney Imagineering to identify the best and the brightest talent for potential future Imagineers," said Lisa England, a publicist from Davidson & Choy Publicity, the public relations firm promoting the Disney ImagiNations Competition.

The ImagiNations Competition had students design, create and present their own ride, attraction, theme park or resort. Students could also design new lands within a current Disney theme park or resort. The competition allows students to design whatever they wish, and is open to junior and senior college students.

Pron, a senior majoring in digital media, and Fonda, a senior majoring in civil and architectural engineering, designed a ride based on the film Finding Nemo. The ride, called "East Australian Current Express - Top Sides Tour," would transport families across the world showcase in Epcot.

Besides providing opportunities for future careers with Disney, the competition awards the winners scholarships.

This year, first place received $2,000 per person, second received $1,500 per person and third received $1,000 per person.

"They want to see how the students incorporate the story line through every element, because with Imagineers the story is always paramount, so the technology should serve the story," England said. "The projects give the judges the opportunity to see how the students develop, sell, think about and implement their idea, because coming up with the concept is only the first step."

The judges review the student entries as they would their own work.

They examine how appealing and exciting the project is. Other criteria include how attractive and enjoyable the project will be for guests and how creative and innovative it is.

Especially important is the ability of the students to bring a story to life through their project.

Entries are also judged on the presentation of their ideas.

"At the May meeting, the [Disney] reps explained to me that once students from a University reach finalist status, Disney encourages students from that University to participate on an annual basis," Muschio said. "Disney is especially interested in encouraging women and minority students to become involved."

Six competition finalists, three teams and three individuals, were chosen from more than thirty entries from across North America.

The winners were announced on June 8.

First place went to Daniel Joseph from the University of the Arts, located in Philadelphia.

The second place winners were Lara Clark and Yrinee Michaelidis from the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering in Needham, Mass.

The Drexel team tied with Ilana Marks from North Carolina State University for third place.

The competition is held by the Walt Disney Imagineering team, which is the planning, creative development, design, engineering and production arm of The Walt Disney Company and its affiliates.

Imagineering began in December 1952, when Walt Disney formed it to develop and build Disneyland, which opened on July 17, 1955.