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Ontario Tech acknowledges the lands and people of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation.

We are thankful to be welcome on these lands in friendship. The lands we are situated on are covered by the Williams Treaties and are the traditional territory of the Mississaugas, a branch of the greater Anishinaabeg Nation, including Algonquin, Ojibway, Odawa and Pottawatomi. These lands remain home to many Indigenous nations and peoples.

We acknowledge this land out of respect for the Indigenous nations who have cared for Turtle Island, also called North America, from before the arrival of settler peoples until this day. Most importantly, we acknowledge that the history of these lands has been tainted by poor treatment and a lack of friendship with the First Nations who call them home.

This history is something we are all affected by because we are all treaty people in Canada. We all have a shared history to reflect on, and each of us is affected by this history in different ways. Our past defines our present, but if we move forward as friends and allies, then it does not have to define our future.

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A film with a twist: ACE screens a movie in ‘4D’

Climatic Wind Tunnel’s weather-generating capability blows audience away

November 7, 2018

Movie audience decked out in goggles and rain gear for a '4D' screening of the film Twister inside the ACE Climatic Wind Tunnel at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology.
Movie audience decked out in goggles and rain gear for a '4D' screening of the film Twister inside the ACE Climatic Wind Tunnel at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology.

From shaking seats to extended low-frequency sound effects (‘Sensurround’) to 3D glasses enhancing the illusion of depth perception, film producers have tried many different physical techniques over the years to amplify the experience of watching a film.

At the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, the ACE Climatic Wind Tunnel recently hosted a screening of the 1996 disaster film Twister that took the cinematic experience in a new ‘fourth’ dimension. It figuratively took everyone by storm.

During Orientation Week, students, faculty, staff and guests were treated to ACE’s first-ever 4D ‘movie in the park’ event in the wind tunnel. Participants wore rain coats and goggles as they sat back, relaxed and experienced Twister like never before.

“This is something you don’t see at any other Orientation events,” says one  first-year student. “It got me really excited about starting at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology this year. I’d definitely come to more movies at ACE.”

For an audience that would normally not have the opportunity to visit the ACE Climatic Wind Tunnel, the screening was a huge hit. As the tornadoes swirled on the screen, the Climatic Wind Tunnel blasted the audience with driving rain and 70 km/h wind. It is safe to say many were shocked by how realistic the experience was when the storm clouds arrived.

“This event was amazing; I’ve never experienced anything like this before!” says student Natalie Shears, a member of the Engineering Society. “It was like I was a part of the movie. It felt so real!”

ACE organized the 4D movie event to better-inform the university community about the state-of-the-art wind tunnel by demonstrating how it can deliver any conceivable weather condition at a moment’s notice. ACE’s amazing capacity to provide the best dynamic testing environment attracts researchers and industries from around the world.

ACE plans more community events like the 4D movie in the coming year.

Follow ACE on social media to make sure you don’t miss the next 4D cinematic experience.

 

ACE links

Gallery

Audience prepares for the movie Twister inside the ACE Climatic Wind Tunnel.
Twister movie 'reviewers' give a thumbs-up on the the ACE 4D movie experience.
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