History of DGP

DGP was founded in 1967 by Professor Leslie Mezei. He was joined by Professor Ron Baecker in 1972, who coined the name Dynamic Graphics Project in 1974 when we got our first standalone machine, a PDP11/45 with a highly interactive display informally called the Graphic Wonder. The lab’s name was intended to embody the spirit of the place and to encompass both computer graphics and dynamic interaction techniques, which were incorporated into the emerging field of human-computer interaction in the early 1980s. Under the leadership of Ron Baecker, Alain Fournier, Bill Buxton, and Eugene Fiume, DGP became a world academic leader in these areas.

In the early years, we shared a lab on the 2nd floor of the Sandford Fleming building. When the building’s interior was destroyed by a fire in 1977, we moved to St. Joseph Street. We subsequently returned to a single room on the 2nd floor of Sandford Fleming after the building was restored. In 1987, we moved to a much larger space on the 4th floor of the Sandford Fleming Building.

In July 2002, we moved to our current home in the brand new Bahen Centre for Information Technology, the primary space of the lab today. The primary DGP lab underwent a major renovation in 2011, more than doubling in size. The group’s research has quickly expanded to fill that volume, and is now home to dozens of faculty, visiting faculty and scientists, postdocs, and students.

Supporting DGP

Thank you for your interest in supporting the DGP! To provide our students and faculty with the best academic environment to spur their education and research, the DGP relies on private and corporate gifts to supplement university and government funding. Past gifts have been directed towards scholarships and lab equipment.

Individuals and corporations who wish to give to DGP may do so online at the link here. Donations can also be mailed to the Communications & Liaison Office (address found here). Our Charitable Registration Number is BN 108162330-RR007.

Contact us here if you have any questions, or would like to give under special circumstances, such as establishing a scholarship, taking advantage of a corporate matching gift program, giving equipment, or leaving a bequest to the lab.