Coastal Carolina University is the only university in the state of South Carolina to be invited to participate in the prestigious 2013 Posters on the Hill program, an annual research competition sponsored by the Council on Undergraduate Research held in Washington, D.C. The 2013 event is scheduled for Wednesday, April 24.

Marcello Garofalo, a senior graphic design major, and Brandon Rudolph, a senior interdisciplinary studies major, will present research they have conducted in conjunction with their work on CCU's ongoing Ashes2Art project. Begun in 2005 by CCU professors Arne Flaten and Paul Olsen, Ashes2Art involves a detailed digital 3D reconstruction of lost buildings and historical sites from the ancient world. The project combines art history, archaeology, graphic and web design, 3D animation and digital photography to create virtual locations of such sites as the Athenian Treasury and the Temple of Apollo.

Garofalo and Rudolph's research, titled "New Wine Skins for Ancient Wine: Gesture Based Learning Environments and Cultural Heritage," was one of 60 undergraduate research projects selected from more than 800 applications across the nation for this year's Posters on the Hill competition. The faculty advisers for the students' research project are Flaten, professor and chair of CCU's Department of Visual Arts; Jeff Case, assistant professor of visual arts; and Susan Bergeron, assistant professor of geography.