UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Members of the Penn State community are invited to attend an immersive technology open house taking place across the University Park campus on Nov. 12. The event is being organized by the Center for Immersive Experiences (CIE) and will showcase the University’s resources around virtual reality, augmented reality, 360-degree video and more.
“Penn State has embraced immersive technology and is committed to researching how it can improve research, education and outreach,” said Alex Klippel, CIE director, professor of geography, and Gosnell Senior Faculty Scholar. “This open house is a wonderful opportunity to introduce Penn Staters to the newly opened center and demonstrate our collaborative approach to working with immersive technology.”
The center, located in Pattee Library (W003), will welcome open house guests from 3 to 6 p.m. While there they will have the opportunity to experience 360-degree video taking them inside Iceland’s Thrinukagigur volcano, immersive second language learning exercises, joint virtual reality experiences and more.
Other locations taking part in the open house are:
- Chorophronesis, 225 Walker Building.
- SCDC Immersive Environments Lab at the Stuckeman School, 208 Stuckeman Family Building.
- Immersive Construction Lab, 306 Engineering Unit C.
- The Dreamery, 4 Shields Building.
- University Park Libraries VR Center, Pattee Library Sidewater Commons (W102B).
- Earth and Mineral Sciences VR Center, 105 Deike Building.
- Immersive Experiences Lab, 109 Agriculture Sciences and Industries Building.
- Protected Area Research Collaborative (PARC) Social Science Acoustic and VR lab, 201 Henderson Building.
Staff at each open house location will work with CIE leadership to curate immersive experiences unique to that venue. Also, all of the open house participants — with the exception of the center and the EMS VR Lab — will welcome guests throughout the day. The center, as noted above, will be open from 3 to 6 p.m. and the EMS VR Lab will be open from 1 to 3 p.m.
The Center for Immersive experiences is a collaborative venture led by the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, Teaching and Learning with Technology, and University Libraries. It is headquartered in Pattee Library (W003), which provides open access to faculty, staff, students and researchers, and encourages cross-disciplinary collaboration.
The CIE open house is being held alongside Penn State Geographic Information System Day, which is co-sponsored by University Libraries and the Department of Geography.