REU Site: Research in Interactive Virtual Experiences

University Of Southern California, Los Angeles CA

Investigators

Abstract

The objective of this Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site renewal is to engage 10 undergraduate students per summer at the University of Southern California's Institute for Creative Technologies, a unique multidisciplinary research community that combines leading academic researchers in computer science, psychology, communications, cinematic arts, and medicine. Participants will be immersed in collaborative research teams focused on the institute's core theme of interactive virtual experiences, with specific projects in areas such as virtual reality, narrative, virtual humans, natural language dialogue, and graphics. These activities will be combined with weekly interactive seminars for training in best research practices, mentorship support, and peer feedback. The techniques and technologies developed by the researchers drive the creation of compelling synthetic environments and characters with immediate relevance to a broad range of application domains including training, education, rehabilitation, and medicine. The undergraduate students will become engaged in summer experiences that emphasize interdisciplinary research, with the goals of broadening participation from underrepresented populations in computing and exposing undergraduate students to opportunities in science and engineering graduate programs. This effort has the potential to prepare undergraduates to perform independent research, thereby increasing enrollment and retention in computing doctoral programs.