The name GVU has become synonymous with excellence in academic research in the following areas of study: 3D compression, animation, augmented reality, collaborative work, educational technologies, gaming, graphics, human-computer interaction, information visualization, new media, online communities, perception, robotics, ubiquitous computing, virtual reality and wearable computing.

But initially, where did the GVU name come from?

Computer graphics have been a subject of great interest at Georgia Tech for many years. In 1988, two professors, Larry Hodges and Bill Ribarsky, created the Georgia Tech Computer Graphics Interest Group, or TechGraph. The group sponsored seminars on projects relating to the members' shared interests in graphics and visualization.

Due to the popularity of the seminars, Hodges and Ribarsky created an SGI-powered Scientific Visualization Lab. It later merged with the Biomedical Visualization Lab, the Animation Lab, and the Video Lab, to form the Georgia Tech Imaging Consortium.

The Consortium created a unified environment for sharing ideas and resources, and encouraged research collaboration. It laid the groundwork for interdisciplinary research by serving as a campus-wide resource, fostering creativity and supporting related academic programs.

In early 1991, under the guidance of Dr. James Foley, the Consortium's name was changed to the Graphics, Visualization & Usability Center, or GVU Center. In 1992, backed by the College of Computing, a new 3,000-square-foot GVU/Scientific Visualization Lab was created. In 2006, GVU significantly expanded into new quarters at the Technology Square Research Building.

Over the years, GVU has become much more than graphics, visualization, and usability. It continues to grow with new faculty, students, labs, and leading edge projects in the interdisciplinary tradition started by Hodges and Ribarsky and fully realized by Dr. Foley.