Virtual Reality Symposium: Speakers

Andrew A. Tawfik, PhD, is Assistant Professor of Instructional Design & Technology at the University of Memphis. His research interests include problem-based learning, casebased reasoning, case library instructional design, and computer supported collaborative learning

Keynote: Building Authentic Experiences: Understanding the role of eye tracking and what it means to learn in virtual real settings

Jared Embree is a project manager with the Substance Abuse Resources & Disability Issues (SARDI) Program at the Boonshoft School of Medicine. The program is based at Wright State University, in Dayton, Ohio. For more than a decade he has worked to improve telehealth services for Deaf and Hard of hearing people in Ohio, and consults on projects in the United States and abroad. Jared’s current work focuses on accessibility and the use of virtual reality (VR) as a reasonable accommodation for remote work for vocational rehabilitation consumers with disabilities. He is currently managing a VR project working with people with albinism to assess the utility of the hardware and software for specific populations with vision issues.

Panel Session: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Virtual Reality

Jeremy Trim is The network administrator at the Substance Abuse Resources & Disability Issues (SARDI) Program at the Boonshoft School of Medicine. The program is based at Wright State University, in Dayton, Ohio. For the past 17 years Jeremy has focused on developing the tools and applications used to serve the staff and consumers of SARDI program. Many of the web based tools developed by Jeremy are used nationwide by clinical providers. Jeremy’s current work focuses on the use of virtual reality (VR) to evaluate the effectiveness of the technology for use in vocational rehabilitation with consumers with low vision.

Panel Session: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Virtual Reality

Dr. Steve Guynup is an award winning VR artist, author and the visiting immersive technologies and data visualization specialist at C+I in the King Library. He chaired the Web3D Art & Design Retrospective at SIGGRAPH 2010, and currently leads VR research for the Serious Play Association. Steve and his students have presented virtual works at diverse conferences including ACM CHI, ACM C&C, DiGRA, Sloan C, The William Blake Symposium, Escape Velocity, FILE, Art Teleported - Brooklyn, Georgia Writers Conference, and the Arts Festival of Atlanta.

Panel Session: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Virtual Reality

VR Exploration: Library VR Resources

Nishani Frazier is Associate Professor of History at Miami University of Ohio. Her research interests include 1960s freedom movements, oral history, food, digital humanities, and black economic development.

Panel Session: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Virtual Reality

Ellen Cross is a senior studying Interactive Media Studies and minoring in Management & Leadership and Digital Innovation. She is currently interning at Atomic Robot as a Project Manager and is passionate about this field. Ellen values seizing opportunities and continuous learning. This has contributed to her success winning top 5 AR teams at the MIT XR Hackathon as well as first place teams at the Direct Effect Innovation Challenge and Miami Startup Week. She is excited about the possibilities of the future, if you would like to connect or follow her journey please don't hesitate to reach out. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellenmlcross/

Panel Session: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Virtual Reality

Ian Ralston is a senior majoring in Emerging Technology in Business + Design, and is currently taking part in the Cincinnati Digital Innovation program. He works with both XR design/development and 3D production pipelines to create immersive, interactive and innovative content and experiences.
He is a local student from Mason, and is aiming to complete a three-year degree in eTBD this spring, and then to find his first home in the XR industry around the Cincinnati area. He has a lot of experience when it comes to AR and VR experiences, working to develop various applications for a multitude of users such as product visualization, social experiences, location-based, automotive and entertainment, and has taken part in prestigious events such as the 2020 MIT Reality Hack, where the team he was part of placed in the top ten overall out of eighty groups, and won top five in Virtual Reality.

Panel Session: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Virtual Reality

Matthew McMurray, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Miami University. His research focuses broadly on how drugs of abuse influence the neurobiological systems associated with reward and decision-making. He also teaches courses across the neuroscience curriculum, at both undergraduate and graduate levels.

VR Exploration: Visible Body

Panel Session: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Virtual Reality

Dr. Rick Page is an Associate Professor and Assistant Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Dr. Page is interested in using virtual reality to increase student proficiency in understanding three-dimensional protein structures and making connections between protein structures, protein function, and the activity of therapeutics. Dr. Page is using the VR application

Nanome to provide students with an immersive experience and a unique view into understanding interactions relevant to protein structures and paradigms for analyzing proteins structures.

Panel Session: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Virtual Reality

Dr. Eric Hodgson serves as the Director of the Smale Interactive Visualization Center (SIVC) at Miami University. The SIVC is an interdisciplinary center dedicated to the research and teaching of 3D visualization technologies including virtual reality, augmented reality, 360º capture, motion tracking, and more. Eric’s research background is in cognitive psychology, with a focus on spatial perception and cognition (e.g., navigation), as well as human-computer interaction in virtual spaces.

Panel Session: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Virtual Reality

Dr. James R. Chagdes joined Miami University in 2015 after completing a postdoctoral research appointment spanning from 2013 to 2015 jointly between the Department of Health and Kinesiology and the School of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN. He received a Bachelor’s degree in 2007 and a Ph.D. in 2012, both in mechanical engineering, from Purdue University.
Dr. Chagdes’ research interests are in the areas of nonlinear dynamical systems, biomechanics, and controls, which he plans to use to develop smart assistive, diagnostic, and rehabilitative robotic devices.
Panel Session: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Virtual Reality

Dr Giabbanelli organized the VR Symposium together with Elias Tzoc. He is passionate about teaching and supervising students in machine learning and predictive modeling. He joined Miami University in 2019 as associate professor after working as a tenure-track faculty at several nationally ranked American universities. Dr Giabbanelli has an international perspective on higher education as he was a researcher at the University of Cambridge (UK), obtained his doctorate and masters at Simon Fraser University (Canada), and received his BSc at the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis (France).

Concluding Remarks: Analytics and Virtual Reality