The cities read like choice offerings from a travel promotion—Sao Paulo, Mumbai, Florence, Singapore.

But rather than a posting of desirable vacation destinations, this list represents the international cities that students and faculty members from Ball State's immersive learning institutes have been working.

John Fillwalk, director of the Institute for Digital Intermedia Arts (IDIA), was invited to present at the Indian Institute of Technology's International Annual Science and Technology festival in Mumbai, India, for an exhibition and performance of the institute's interactive work to a live audience of more than 20,000, including the IDIA's efforts in the virtual world of Second Life. Past festivals have featured Arizona State University's Mars Rover and the Indian Space Research Organization's Unmanned Lunar Probe—not bad company to keep while globetrotting.

Kevin Klinger, director of the Institute for Digital Fabrication (IDF) and a group of students recently flew to Florence, Italy, to display works in the Beyond Media festival's Spot on Schools exhibition.

The exhibits explored the influence of new media on architecture, including an eye-catching exhibit called Morpholuminescence. This interactive piece reacted to motion and enhanced lighting in changing rooms, amplifying the experience of change. Josh Vermillion, IDF's operations manager, and Mahesh Senegala, chairman of the architecture department, also worked on the project.

Additional international presentations and exhibits include the IDIA's presentation for the International Society for Electronic Art in Belfast, Ireland, and the SIGGRAPH Conference in Singapore.

All signs indicate that Ball State's emerging media export business will continue to grow. Fillwalk and Klinger's agendas includes presenting at SIGraDi 2009 sp in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and will showcase the university's efforts in support of the conference's theme, From Modern to Digital: the Challenges of a Transition.

Even Ball State's movies are drawing international attention. My Name is Jerry, Ball State's first commercial film, is being translated into German. The project, which was coordinated by the Institute for Digital Entertainment and Education, stirred quite a following in Germany upon the movie's release. To satisfy Jerry's growing international fan base, the movie will soon be available in the country's native language.

Das ist wunderbar!

Indeed. Ball State ist wunderbar! And it's coming soon to an international destination near you.