Dr. Chiao Liu is responsible for research direction and technology roadmap for future generations of AR/VR devices at Facebook Reality Labs. He leads a team of brilliant research scientists, system architects, technologists, and research engineers in innovating, prototyping and delivering solutions for future products.
At heart, Dr. Liu is a technologist and innovator with extensive experience in sensors, signal processing algorithms, silicon, and system architecture. He has developed numerous technologies and products across consumer, medical, scientific fields, most of them ahead of the curve.
Dr. Liu has been actively engaging and contributing to the broader research community, serving as guest lecturer, speaker, technical journal reviewer, conference committee member, and sponsor. He has trained and mentored numerous brilliant young researchers.
Where: Zoom When: Monday, March 15th from 10:25 to 11:40am Register: bit.ly/XRVoices
Voices of XR is a Studio X speaker series, presented in collaboration with the Goergen Institute for Data Science. Speakers are scholars, artists, and extended reality professionals who discuss their work with immersive technologies across disciplines and industries. All talks are free and open to the general public. See the full spring 2021 series.
Dr. Yan Xu is a research scientist from Facebook Reality Labs. Her current research intersects AR, AI, and HCI, focusing on identifying and improving user experiences that can benefit the most with AI and AR. Previously, she led the design and UX work for several product features on Magic Leap One, leveraging eye tracking and hand tracking as input. She has also worked and published on the following topics: user-generated content by camera array, social interactions during augmented reality games, persuasive games for health. Her career focuses on bridging the gap between the physical and digital world with a human-centered lens.
Where: Zoom When: Monday, March 8th from 10:25 to 11:40am Register: bit.ly/XRVoices
Voices of XR is a Studio X speaker series, presented in collaboration with the Goergen Institute for Data Science. Speakers are scholars, artists, and extended reality professionals who discuss their work with immersive technologies across disciplines and industries. All talks are free and open to the general public. See the full spring 2021 series.
This past summer, due to COVID-19 distancing restrictions, a UR student inquired about virtual meeting spaces to foster community in lieu of our physical library spaces. We all miss the pre-pandemic opportunities to meet up and chat. The serendipitous catch-up on campus after class or in between meetings isn’t really possible these days and poses a considerable problem for community building.
This student’s inquiry inspired iZone and Studio X team members, including the Karp Library Fellows, to develop the Dream University Challenge, in which participants imagined, designed, and built virtual university spaces that provided these opportunities to connect. During the 2021 winter break, iZone and Studio X staff led student participants through design thinking and technical workshops. They then worked in teams using Mozilla Hubs, a free and open-source virtual reality platform, to create their own unique campus spaces.
Studio X and iZone staff members served as mentors during office hours and provided both conceptual and technical feedback throughout the week-long building phase. Two teams of four submitted links to their final projects and abstracts that described their concept and acknowledged sources.
Miguel Yakouma, Koshala Mathuranayagam, Joey Chan, & Sophea Urbi Biswas
Explore in VR
Share a virtual room with friends in your browser! Both submissions embody UR pride, consider facilitating connections thoughtfully, and inspire new ideas about space and community. Click on the buttons below to visit these spaces.
The public submitted over 200 votes and awarded the following:
Most Creative Concept
UR Haven
Most Desirable Campus Space
Tie! UR Haven & Dream Rush Rhees
Most Out of the Box
UR Haven
Most Likely to Facilitate Connections
Dream Rush Rhees
The judges awarded Best Overall Winner to…
UR Haven!
We would like to thank our amazing judges:
Wendi Heinzelman, Dean of the Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Julia Maddox, Director of the Barbara J. Burger iZone, River Campus Libraries
Nefle Nesli Oruç ’22, Public Programs Coordinator, Karp Library Fellow
Joe Testani, Assistant Dean & Executive Director of the Greene Center for Career Education & Connections
The UR Haven team will receive UR-branded Google Cardboards and a cash prize of $100 for each team member.
At the celebration event, the winners were announced, and students discussed their experiences during the challenge and what they learned. Students expressed enthusiasm for the interdisciplinary collaboration and getting to know others outside of their usual friend groups. They also felt that, regardless of their technical level, they all had something to contribute. One international student appreciated the opportunity to stay connected to campus and the community. Another student noted that the structure of the challenge helped her to maintain a learning mindset during the long break. Others described learning how to consider user needs and how to collaborate in teams:
The challenge taught me that teamwork is all about clear communication, understanding how to think from other people’s perspectives, and respecting each other’s ideas and viewpoints.
Thank you so much to everyone who participated! We are grateful for the support from the River Campus Libraries and the Hajim School of Engineering.
Thank you especially to those who made this event so successful!
Mary Ann Mavrinac, Vice Provost and Andrew H. and Janet Dayton Neilly Dean of the University of Rochester Libraries
Matt Cook, Senior Communications Officer, RCL
Claudia Pietrzak, Student Programming & Social Media Manager, RCL
Sarah Gerin, iZone Community Manager, RCL
Zoe Wisbey, iZone Program Initiatives Manager, RCL
Robert Petrosyan, Online Experience Designer, Karp Library Fellow (iZone)
Emily Sherwood, Director of Digital Scholarship
Want to learn more about this event? Visit the Dream University Challenge page for full details, including our recorded design thinking and technical workshops!
Noah Viso is a student at the University of Rochester majoring in Computer Science and graduating class of 2023. Currently, he is involved in a research team at the University focused on spatial-temporal data analysis. Being a former Finance major, Noah is interested in economics, financial technology, and quantitative finance. He is also passionate about XR development and has several personal projects focused on this. Noah is from California and enjoys playing piano and banjo.
Hi, my name is Fin Tran and I’m a junior double majoring in Digital Media & Marketing with a minor in Computer Science. I’m really passionate about visual storytelling through graphic design, digital photography, and filmmaking. I have always viewed extended reality and games as a new medium for me to try telling stories that affect the surrounding community in a more meaningful way. Off work, people will see me dancing (urban and k-pop), drawing, photo shooting, screenwriting, and filming.
Over the course the spring and fall semesters of 2020, Studio X staff conducted interviews, surveys, and focus groups to understand the needs of UR faculty and student stakeholders across disciplines. The findings of which were used to inform Studio X’s fall pilot programming as well as future services for the planned space slated to open in fall of 2021.
During the fall semester of 2020, Studio X staff met with 34 graduate students participating in the course BCSC 570-1 Introduction to Augmented and Virtual Reality. Their research interests range from immersive audio, to data processing, to VR optics, to analyzing brain activity, and beyond. The course provides a broad introduction to AR/VR systems and is also part of the new NSF-funded XR training program for doctoral students. These students will use Studio X and its resources regularly as they complete their practicum work.
During this class session, we guided students through a series of scaffolded questions to better understand their needs for the opening of our physical space in fall 2021. We consider these initial findings to be part of an ongoing conversation, as students are just beginning or have not started their research. We anticipate new needs will develop and be articulated, and we will check in again at a later point.
Top Priorities for Studio X
We asked students to rank their interest in specific Studio X resources. Here are the top five responses:
1. Mixed reality and virtual reality headsets 2. Access to expertise for software and hardware consultations as well as skill-building workshops 3. 3D modeling software 4. Powerful computing stations and smart devices for testing 5. Other types of immersive technologies such as 3D scanners and 360 cameras
Space & Equipment Preferences
Reservations
Online scheduling
Longer blocks for single sessions
Recurring sessions
3-4 week windows
Reminders
Long-term Access
Persistent log-ins
Admin access to hardware (VR/MR headsets) to upload projects, etc.
Equipment
High-powered workstations
Easy connection to monitors
Flexibility with equipment
Lending outside of Studio X
90% of students indicated they do not own a VR headset.
Expertise & Community
Office Hours
Immediate help for when needs arise
Scheduled open time
Unity assistance
Exposure to Other Disciplines
Reinforce interdisciplinary trainings from course with informal lectures, etc.
Create ways to share resources
Display diverse XR projects on monitors in Studio X
Provide demo space for XR projects
How do you connect with other students, faculty, and staff interested in XR at the UR?
Other Considerations…
Providing immersive sound resources and partnering with Audio and Music Engineering
Creating policies for guest access (e.g. research participants)
Building capacity for other emerging technologies such as haptic body suits and gloves
Making space for creativity and piloting ideas and programs Is it okay to not have an “official” plan? Yes!
Keeping in mind the future is uncertain, the technologies develop rapidly, and the needs will vary from person to person.
By Emma Schaale Karp Library Fellow, Public Programs Coordinator for Studio X June 2020 – October 2020 Area of Focus: Varies between considering branding for Studio X, creating promotional materials, and conceptualizing workshop for Studio X’s fall programming
For the past month, I’ve been working on an exciting project… a Blender workshop for Studio X, which took place on Wednesday, September 23rd, 2020! This came about as a collaborative effort between Studio X and Tinkerspace to create introductory programming on immersive technologies for the UR community.
We first prioritized workshops for Unity, a video game development environment, due to faculty and student interest in this platform. This was not my area of expertise, as I primarily work in Unreal Engine 4, a similar but different development tool. Luckily, Sebastian Jakymiw, the Karp Library Fellow Immersive Technologies Developer for Studio X, has worked extensively with Unity and was able to take on the lead instruction for those workshops. However, I participated in the conversations between him; Meaghan Moody, Studio X’s Immersive Technologies Librarian; and Allegra Tennis, STEM Librarian.
Because students and faculty are also interested in 3D content creation, Meaghan and I started brainstorming a workshop focused on 3D modeling. Having completed recent coursework (CSC131: Recreational Graphics) for 3D modeling as well as having created my own personal gaming projects, I felt comfortable teaching a workshop on Blender, which is a popular, free, and open-source 3D creation software.
One of the most important considerations we had in our conversations is how to brand our programming. This is crucial for building an image and personality for Studio X, so that a community can form around it as well as pique students’ interest. We wanted these workshops to grab students’ attention and spark their creativity. Immersive technologies are still very new and might seem complicated to students. For example, if you’ve never heard of Blender before, an “Intro to Blender” workshop may seem irrelevant or uninteresting to you. While a “Create a 3D Animal with Blender” workshop might just catch your eye.
To prepare for this workshop, my first step was to scout YouTube for existing 3D modeling tutorials. Some of my favorites are by Grant Abbitt, who has hundreds of tutorials and workshops posted to his channel. I was inspired, in particular, by this video on creating low-poly animals and decided to use to use this as the basis for the workshop.
While working on the outline for my workshop, I considered how to make the process more interactive. During a YouTube video, the user can pause or speed up the instruction, but for a live session, I would need to ensure that my students have time to see everything on the screen. For new users, Blender’s user interface can be especially overwhelming–especially when you’re learning it virtually!
This was also mentioned during a practice workshop, which I ran for Meaghan, Allegra, and Sebastian. Allegra advised that I should take more time to make sure attendees can follow my cursor on the screen. I related to this frustration based on my own experiences learning new technologies in the classroom, so it was intuitive to incorporate this.
Screenshot from the Blender practice workshop
During this practice run, it was great to hear that my trial participants found my tutorial to be a great introduction. It’s a difficult software to teach to first-time users, but I was satisfied to hear that they had a fun time learning.
During the actual workshop, I had quite a fun experience introducing the class to Blender’s user interface. Before diving in though, I described how this platform is used for all kinds of projects such as animated films, video games, and virtual reality experiences. I also broke down some basic terminology and concepts. For example, I explained that a mesh is composed of vertices, edges, and faces.
I also explained that Blender’s user interface can seem even more intimidating than the user interface of software like Adobe Premiere Pro or Photoshop. I demonstrated how to perform basics edits in Object and Edit Mode, how to trace along a reference image using extrusions and edits in Edit Mode, how to apply color to the model, and finally, how to export the model.
Screenshot from the official workshop on August 23, 2020
Perhaps the most important advice I received was from Allegra, who suggested I really slow down my instruction. At times, I felt like I was waiting hours in between steps while hovering my mouse over a button or demonstrating keyboard shortcuts. Yet, a couple of times, students asked me to repeat these actions. I learned that going slowly is crucial while teaching a complex software like Blender, especially in a virtual teaching environment.
My previous experiences teaching at an all girl’s tech camp in 2018 and as a Publicity Manager for the UR Game Dev Club have made me a much more comfortable instructor. Certainly, having these experiences made me more understanding of the ways others learn and how to make it a comfortable learning environment. While I would say my Blender workshop went well, I’ve had many failures in the past that I have had to learn from. I was even comfortable joking around, which would have been unimaginable a couple of years ago!
Overall, I enjoyed myself during this entire process. I love teaching things I care about, and building this workshop from the ground up was a wonderful experience. I was supported by Studio X, Meaghan, and Allegra, who made me feel more comfortable and confident teaching to my peers. So thank you to Studio X for making this possible!
Are you interested in learning Blender? Check out my workshop slides! Stay tuned for more workshops, and here are some of my favorite resources in the meantime:
During the spring semester and into the summer of 2020, Studio X staff conducted eight half-hour long interviews with faculty members currently working with immersive technologies to inform our fall 2020 pilot programming. We spoke with faculty across the following disciplines: engineering, history, digital media studies, and education. We view these initial conversations as ongoing, and we hope to expand beyond the limitations of the small sample.
Q1: How have you engaged XR through your own research and/or in your classes and other student-centered work?
Faculty discussed their research projects as very interdisciplinary, requiring diverse perspectives and expertise. Several faculty members discussed being more interested in what XR can facilitate rather than the tools and methods themselves, especially when this comes to teaching and learning. They want to address real world problems and leverage XR for active learning opportunities. Faculty also discussed generating content for future research such as assessing tools to guide future development.
Q2: What platforms and skills do your students require to participate in your courses and/or research that leverage XR?
Nearly every faculty member mentioned Unity 3D and its steep learning curve.
Q3: How do students become involved with XR?
Q4: What does a community of practice look like for XR@UR?
Q5: Where do you find inspiration for new ways of teaching, innovative tools, or exciting projects?
Q6: Imagine you have enough funding to work on an XR project with a small group of students. What projects might you choose?
Half of faculty described expanding on current research projects such as generating more content for assessment or making projects more usable. Several faculty members also discussed creating specific XR experiences such as developing AR walking tours centered on social justice topics and designing machines virtually, so one could see the inside of how they operate.
Q7: What challenges do you encounter when engaging with XR?
Faculty discussed their frustrations with the steep learning curve of XR tools and getting students acquainted at an early stage, so they are prepared for more advanced coursework. Faculty find they often must teach students the basics themselves or rely on their graduate student collaborators, who might have no other reason to learn the tool/method. Several participants emphasized the value of resident expertise and introductory, low-stakes trainings.
Access to enough of the same equipment in the same space is also a barrier. Faculty discussed running experiments and struggling to locate the same versions of VR and MR headsets, which are cost-prohibitive. Their research also often requires dedicated, long-term space, and setting up these unique environments can take hours of work before they can even begin to develop. The technology is also rapidly evolving, requiring users to constantly relearn it not to mention maintaining cross-platform compatibility and addressing storage issues.
XR also has a PR problem in that most do not understand its value or see themselves as users let alone creators. One faculty member mentioned that XR seems overly complicated, unrelatable, and not something that everyone is ready to integrate into their courses. Faculty, staff, and students need to see more use cases to pique their interest as well as have access to the costly equipment. Moreover, the timeless debate between theory and practice endures. At a theory-driven institution such as that of UR, hands-on making and skill building remains a challenge.
Q8: Is there anything we should keep in mind?
Beginner Friendly Provide introductory workshops and early onboarding opportunities for students
Facilitate Interdisciplinary Work Support all disciplines & collapse departmental silos
Faculty Development Create new opportunities, space, and time for faculty to experiment
Think Outside the Box Push boundaries, take risks, & make challenging interventions. Studio X is a cross-unit initiative that can help to balance theory and practice.
Be the Hub for Immersive Technologies @UR Stay up to date on XR news @UR and beyond and share out
Practical Advice Host group events and classes, etc.
