MU Virtual Lab opens to students

By Sarah Hart, Treasurer

The Virtual Lab, located in North Hall Library, is now open for the public to use. Over a year of planning and months of construction have led to its opening.

Virtual Reality (VR) is a computer-generated simulation of three-dimensional images or environments that can be interacted with by a person using special electronic equipment. Last May, the Mansfield University Police Academy became the first in the state to integrate VR into its training program. After seeing the impact of the use of VR at the Academy, it became evident that the application could benefit the traditional classroom as well.

Russ Dodson, professor emeritus of Geosciences at Mansfield, played a significant role in creating the VR lab for students. In 2018, he saw Stanford University communications professor Jeremy Bailenson speak about his world-renowned VR lab located in California. As Bailenson was explaining the many uses of VR, Dodson thought to himself “Mansfield could do that. This is what Mansfield needs. I can’t think of a department that couldn’t use this.” He then spoke with the Deans and lent them a copy of Bailenson’s speech and generously donated $15,000 to the project to get it started. When asked why he felt so passionately about the creation of a lab for students, he replied, “I love Mansfield. And I want to see Mansfield prosper and grow, so I’m willing to do my part.”

The Mansfield University Public Safety Institute donated an additional $40,000 to the VR lab’s creation and construction began on the third floor of North Hall Library in the summer of 2019. Campus facilities and technology built and set up the entire lab, and no outside contractor was used.

Currently, there are three different VR headsets that everyone may use. The HTC Vive is located in the room in the center of the lab, also called “the fishbowl,” while there are two Oculus Rift S’s set up with desktops on the back wall. Microphones are placed outside of the fishbowl so the user can hear what those outside of the room say and there are screens outside of the room that let other spectators see what the user sees.

Students may use many different software applications while using the VR system. Examples include Google Earth VR, which allows users to explore different areas of the world, and Sharecare VR, which simulates a three-dimensional model of the human body and how it functions. Students are welcome to present applications that they would like the lab to download or even bring in software that they already own. Student worker Kelsey Seymour states, “We would love to eventually expand the lab.”

Dr. Josh Battin, Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities has worked alongside Criminal Justice Instructor Mark Thompson and Police Services Director Scott Henry to turn the VR lab from a dream into reality. Dr. Battin plans to have a grand opening celebrating the lab in the next coming weeks, inviting local media and press. He noted that he is excited to see the VR lab bridge the gap between the classroom and reality. Thompson also stated that “We are just scratching the surface of VR in the academic realm.”

Photo by Morgan Myers