UW-Madison students chosen for high-tech, high-stakes competition

For these four UW-Madison students, what began as an introduction in a virtual reality class morphed into a real-life trip to Disneyland ? and a behind-the-scenes look at the technology behind the fantasy of the Magic Kingdom. Liana Zorn, Joe Kohlmann, Rachina Ahuja and Samuel Sclenker were among 20 college students this summer chosen from across the U.S. by Walt Disney Imagineering to travel to Glendale, Calif., as part of Disney?s ImagiNations Competition, a talent search of sorts. During their four-day, expenses-paid trip, the UW-Madison students had the chance to network with “Imagineers” ? the people who dream up and engineer the “three-dimensional attractions” for Disney parks and resorts across the globe ? and to present their concept for a high-tech ride called “Operations Discover E.”