Sacred Heart University Partnering To Develop Virtual Reality Lab – Fairfield, CT Patch

Press release from Sacred Heart University:

May 21 2020

FAIRFIELD, CT. An industry-leading partnership between Sacred Heart University and The Glimpse Group, Inc., a virtual- and augmented-reality (VR and AR) platform company, will advance development of content, events and services for SHU's NeXReality Lab.

Created under the auspices of the School of Communication, Media & the Arts, the partnership leverages the breadth of Glimpse and its multiple related software and services companies to give students world-class learning experiences.

"This partnership exemplifies the College of Arts & Sciences' commitment to an applied and experiential approach to the liberal arts. Through our association with Glimpse, our students benefit from working with faculty and industry professionals, deepening their learning, developing their skills and preparing them for a competitive and ever-evolving job market," said Robin L. Cautin, college dean.

The NeXReality Lab initially will facilitate the integration of extended reality (XR), along with VR and AR, into existing degree programs in art, design, film, journalism, sports media, public relations, digital communication and business. It also will be central to the future development of academic programs in immersive media and mixed reality that are planned for the media and theater arts department.

"Fostering undergraduate and graduate research in immersive technologies is a top priority for the lab," noted Shanshan Wang, assistant professor of media arts and founding director of the NeXReality Lab. "Students and faculty will partner with Glimpse to develop research projects and apps funded by grants from leading research foundations like the National Science Foundation and National Endowment for the Humanities."

The NeXReality Lab is part of SHU's larger, multimillion-dollar investment in its infrastructure, comprising best-in-class facilities dedicated to artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and the IDEA Lab, a next-generation makerspace.

"This partnership with The Glimpse Group is part of initiatives SHU is pursuing to develop an entrepreneurial and creative ecosystem on our campus with industry partners that will benefit our students, their future employers and the region's economic development," said Rupendra Paliwal, provost and vice president of academic affairs.

"We are proud to partner with SHU and be an integral part of their implementation of next-generation technologies," said Lyron Bentovim, Glimpse president and CEO. "As the VR/AR/XR industry grows and matures, Glimpse is uniquely positioned to provide students access to a wide array of industry-leading, industry-focused software and services."

This press release was produced by Sacred Heart University . The views expressed here are the author's own.

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Sacred Heart University Partnering To Develop Virtual Reality Lab - Fairfield, CT Patch