Virtual Reality Creates Opportunities for Interactive Learning at VR Summit

A mixture of augmented and virtual reality recently pitted UA faculty, staff and students against cowboys and zombies during the inaugural VR Summit, Aug. 4 and 7, at the Science-Engineering Library.

More than 250 people attended the event, and Q&A panel discussions were available with users, industry experts, and UA faculty members such as Young-Jun Son, department head of systems and industrial engineering.

"It allows us to experience things we couldn't -- and hopefully will never -- experience in the real world, and to go places we haven't been before," Son said.

During the panels, content creation emerged as a central theme rather than technological advances, as interdisciplinary cooperation must be the foundation for virtual content. For example, current technology could allow a virtual tour of the Louvre, but programmers and designers must work with art historians to create the exhibits to be displayed there.

Photo: Jennifer Nichols, left, and Cynthia Elliott try out VR. Both are employees of University Libraries. (Photo by Christine Fox, Defense and Security Research Institute)