The project could be expanded in the future to use the data developed to explore variable data email and PURL assets, completing a true cross-media workflow experience, according to Isaacs. “The 16 students and faculty who will participate in this project will get a tremendous amount of hands-on experience and knowledge that they might not otherwise be able to obtain, including under-the-cover views of what is actually involved in complex data-driven workflows as well as the internals of PDF and their real-world ramifications.”

Harvey Levenson, head of Cal Poly’s Graphic Communication Department, said, “Adobe typically works with the likes of MIT and Stanford for research at this level. However, they have come to Cal Poly’s Graphic Communication Department because we have the faculty, staff, knowledge and laboratories to successfully complete this applied research.”

Isaacs earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an MBA in management systems from Cornell University, and a doctorate in computer science from The Ohio State University.