The team from the Center for Simulation and Synthetic Humans (The Center), in collaboration with Dr. Jason Kautz of the UT Dallas Jindal School of Management (JSOM), was awarded the 2023 JSOM/STEAM Collaboration Grant. The $25,000 seed funding provides resources for the actualization of conceptual, cross-disciplinary research projects. Dr. Kautz is an assistant professor of the organizations, strategy, and international management group, with expertise in workplace social dynamics and social strategy. The proposal, “CSWITCH-SIM: Developing Self-Awareness and Understanding Workplace Effects of Code-Switching through Virtual Reality to Enhance STEM Participation of Underserved Communities,” aims to develop a unique approach for applying virtual reality role-play to examine the process of code-switching as a workplace social dynamic, and its effects on individual and team outcomes to increase underrepresented workers in STEM fields.
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Director of The Center for Simulation and Synthetic Humans (The Center), Dr. Marjorie Zielke and Program Manager for The Center, Rudy Avila, recently participated in the STEAM Academy with a keynote presentation highlighting the process behind virtual human development and inspiring attendees to conceptualize their own potential virtual humans to improve society. The STEAM Academy is a 2-week immersive technology and innovation-driven experience for approximately 300 children and young teens hosted by the T.D. Jakes Foundation in collaboration with Goldman Sachs and the Dallas Mavericks.
In a recent edition of the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) Magazine, The Virtual Interactive Management (VIM) System was featured as The Center of Simulation and Synthetic Humans conducted experiments with the system at various TXDOT management courses. Stacy Hargrave, a training specialist from TXDOT’s Human Resource Division described the VIM System as, “a safe space to practice responses rather than being in front of classmates and instructors during an in-person classroom role-play.” The VIM System presents virtual reality-based training simulations that combine game-based learning methodologies and virtual humans with current TXDOT curricula.
Student researcher from The Center for Simulation and Synthetic Humans (The Center), Jared Beltran presented a poster at the Summer Platform for Underground Research (SPUR) at the University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas). SPUR is a capstone end-of-summer symposium for UT Dallas students who have completed summer projects. The poster presented, “Testing the Usability of the Virtual Interactive Management System (VIM)”. The VIM System is a virtual reality employee training system developed by The Center in partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation. The Center tested The VIM System at the ATEC Usability Lab. The Director of The Center and principal investigator of the VIM System, Dr. Marjorie Zielke was also present at the event, answering questions and providing insights on the project to guests.
Our Director, Dr. Marjorie Zielke, and her work involving Virtual Humans were featured in the December issue of Dallas Innovates magazine, alongside fifty other influential Dallas based Innovators. Article
Dr. Marjorie Zielke, our director, has been selected as the winner of the Tech Titans 5G Grand Challenge. Dr. Zielke proposed the Emergent Virtual Teacher Platform (EVTP) which would use advanced sensors and Internet of Things (IoT) data transmitted over 5G networks to drive virtual teachers in virtual reality (VR). The Center team is now eligible for a $20,000 award from AT&T, Cisco, Nokia and Ericsson. The EVTP was selected by Tech Titans Judges entrepreneur Mark Cuban; Thaddeus Arroyo, CEO of AT&T Consumer and Charlotte Jones, Dallas Cowboys Chief Brand Officer. Article
The Center announces its award of a $149,967 planning grant (NSF Grant No. 1952163) from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The Center will explore creating an educational platform using collaborative mixed reality (MR) and other advanced intelligent technologies such as high-speed networks to enhance technical education and social emotional learning (SEL) in Richardson Healthcare Careers Academy (RHCA) Students. We will examine the use of networked virtual experiences such as serious games featuring virtual humans to address gaps in SEL education. Our SEL efforts will focus on helping students develop the interpersonal and emotional skills needed to work in a clinical environment, as well as examine the impact equal peers and knowledgeable experts can have on a student.
The Center for Simulation and Synthetic Humans was among 370 teams chosen out of 1500 applicants to participate in the AFWERX Base of the Future online conference. The Team collaborated with the Multi-scale Integrated Interactive Intelligent Sensing and Simulation lab (MINTS), led by UTD Physics Professor Dr. David J. Lary to present a solution in the Empowering Airman and Family Wellbeing Challenge Category.
The Center for Simulation and Synthetic Humans at the University of Texas at Dallas (The Center) at UT Dallas, in collaboration with the Office of Medical Education at UT Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW) has received a grant from the American Medical Association (AMA). The Center has developed the Emotive Virtual Patient (EVP), which is designed to allow medical school students to practice interviewing with a virtual patient in an augmented reality experience using the Microsoft HoloLens. This grant will support The Center’s ongoing EVP research by integrating the EVP into UTSW’s Pre-Clerkship Objective Structured Clinical Skills (OSCEs) curriculum. The Center will integrate EVPs into OSCEs and measure impact on learning through: 1) student confidence measures through qualitative self-assessment; and 2) objective metrics such as the OSCE Skills Clinics scores.