REU Site: Design, Create, and Innovate 3-Dimensional User Interfaces to Improve Human Sensory and Motor Performance in Virtual Environments (HUMANS MOVE)

University Of Wyoming, Laramie WY

Investigators

Abstract

The HUMANS MOVE project at the University of Wyoming is a 10-week interdisciplinary summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site program to design, create, and innovate 3-Dimensional User Interfaces (3D UIs) to improve human sensory and motor performances in Virtual Environments. Students will be recruited from diverse backgrounds, disciplines, and underrepresented populations, especially in rural areas or where opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) are limited. The HUMANS MOVE REU Site will host ten students and provide positive research experiences, training, mentorship, state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, experiential learning activities, tailored resources, and networking connections that will continue to foster students' growth and success in research, graduate studies, and career development. The broader impact of this REU Site is to broaden the participation of underrepresented populations in computing, increase enrollment and retention of those students in graduate studies, and further enhance innovation through increased diverse thinking and creativity. The selected projects for the HUMANS MOVE REU Site focus on conducting state-of-the-art computing research in 3-Dimensional User Interfaces for Immersive Environments, such as Virtual/Augmented/Mixed Reality or Immersive Visualizations. The application areas focus on improving human sensory and motor performance in spatial environments, motor rehabilitation, collaboration and cooperation, and other 3D spatial tasks. The REU site students will collaborate with talented multidisciplinary teams of faculty, students, and staff in areas of computer science, electrical and computer engineering, kinesiology, visualization, art, and design to foster creativity and innovation. Student researchers will evaluate human physical, cognitive, or sensory challenges to inform the design and development of new interaction techniques, input devices, or methods of training, rehabilitation, or augmentation. In addition to collaborating with the research team, students will work together with users or patients to evaluate their proposed solutions. The HUMANS MOVE REU Site will engage students in impactful research projects that will advance technical achievements in 3D User Interfaces, Virtual/Augmented/Mixed Reality applications, training, or rehabilitation as well as broader outcomes to improve 3D tasks, scientific workflow, human health, or the community. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.