This FREE webinar showcases the UCLA XR Initiative (XRI), and projects by its associate faculty in the Arts and Humanities. Working with XR technologies of virtual (VR), augmented (AR), and mixed (MR) realities, their work spans research, performance, app development, and classroom pedagogy. Individual speakers and teams will give lightning talks on the following topics: – Teaching app for the research of 3D films in VR – Creative VR projects designed to catalyze reflections on a diverse UCLA campus community, and individual stories by people living with HIV – Architectural reconstructions of historic Theaters in Downtown LA with AR – Experimental multimedia performance with MR – VR app concept for writing in a 360 space – Classroom pedagogy with VR
XR @ Michigan Summit brings together leaders in higher education, business and technology on the transformative potential and challenges of virtual reality
The XR @ Michigan 2021 Summit will bring a virtual audience from all around the world onto a virtual events platform to hear from leading researchers, higher education innovators and business leaders discuss the potential and challenges of extended reality in the classroom, in homes and on the big screen.
Jeremy Bailenson
Featured speakers include a keynote address from Jeremy Bailenson, the founding director of Stanford University’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab, which works to better understand the psychological and behavioral effects of virtual reality.
The event, organized by the XR Initiative at the Center for Academic Innovation, will be held from April 6-7 from 1-5 p.m. EDT both days. The event is free and registration is required. More information on the featured panelists and a networking reception can be found on the event registration page.
“We are excited to showcase this excellent group of speakers and faculty panels. Our goal with this XR Summit is to bring together a broader community of educators and industry partners to raise awareness on how Extended Reality technologies are shaping education. Additionally, attendees will learn about the transformative work that our faculty are doing in fields like nursing, medicine, architecture, humanities, and engineering with XR.”
There will be presentations delivered by executives from Walt Disney Studios, HP and Microsoft on how their businesses utilize the latest in virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technologies. Faculty innovators at University of Michigan who work with the XR Initiative to bring virtual reality technology into their classrooms will also speak at the event including a team from the Medical School and School of Nursing, and faculty from LSA, School of Education, Taubman College of Architecture and Urban planning, College of Engineering and the School of Music, Theatre & Dance.
The program will be hosted on the virtual events program Hopin and will host a networking reception in AltspaceVR. An RSVP and an AltspaceVR account is required to attend the reception. The reception will be hosted by Nelson and Alan Smithson, co-founder of of the MEtaVRse, on a virtual recreation of the U-M campus Diag. The virtual diag was created by students at the Center for Academic Innovation.
The summit will also feature a student showcase of XR project updates and work from students at the University of Michigan. The event is sponsored by Microsoft, Lenovo, AWE, and the VR/AR Association.
“This is an opportunity to see first hand how Michigan is shaping the future of education with XR technologies. While this summit will be held virtually, this is a chance to learn about how VR and AR technologies have the power to bring people closer together,” Nelson said.
On October 23rd, the UC Learning Centers hosted the annual tech fair for students who were interested in playing with equipment relating to AR/VR. It was also a great opportunity to expose them to various use cases and to encourage them to explore different careers options within STEM. The following are some shots taken at the fair as students trickled in to connect with various booths and play with the demoes.
A crowd of students gather around two virtual reality headset demoesA group of students huddled around the UCLA Makerspace BoothUCLA Makerspace booth with the Oculus Rift demoes in the background.Students waiting in line in front of the DJ’s stage to have their portraits digitally drawn in real-time.Closer shot of students using the Oculus Quests.UCLA Makerspace booth with the Oculus Rift demoes in the background.
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Along with Makerspace, UCLA Esports, Bird, and other vendors, there was a dedicated booth to showcase Augmented Reality in which Anthony Caldwell (the Manager and Resident Technologist at the Scholarly Innovation Lab in YRL) deployed using Vectorworks. Many of the students were wowed by the ease of use as we showed them how to easily upload a 3D model created through Vectoworks into the cloud where it takes anywhere from 10 – 30 seconds of construction until it appear on your IPAD through their dedicated app.
More companies are finding it lucrative and time-saving to invest in integrated features that lower the entry level to immersive experiences. It’s important for students to learn about the ever-changing technological space. Tools like those presented allow users to spend more time creating and scoping the content rather than wrestling with the interface itself.
