Best of CASE District II Award
 

Institution: Kean University

Title of entry: Immersive Virtual Environment Opens at Kean

About this entry: Immersive. Interactive. Electrifying. The new Visualization and Immersive Studio for Education and Research (VISER) at Kean University breaks down the four walls of the classroom, and offers a new path forward for a post-pandemic student experience. Our video team wanted to promote this exciting new addition to our university, and demonstrate all the different ways it can serve the Kean community.

We open our video with Muhammad Hassan, who runs the learning commons at Kean, and spent years working to bring this new technology to the university. Hassan powers on the system and suddenly finds himself skyrocketing to outer space, walking the depths of the Atlantic, and traversing dense jungles. VISER shapeshifts from one environment to another, showcasing the full potential of its ten 4K laser projectors.

We recruited students and faculty across the university to use VISER according to their needs. Two immersive design students connected their virtual reality model of 19th century Nantucket and were able to work seamlessly between their computer, VISER, and Oculus headset. A student athlete completed her daily workout, a biology professor peeled back a digital cadaver, and an architecture student got to live in the digital model she built.

VISER is a tremendous asset to the Kean community, and an embodiment of the values we preach here at Kean: Cougars Climb Higher!