Published April 26, 2019
The University of Louisiana at Monroe recently opened its newest cutting-edge opportunity,
the Thomas J. Nicholson Virtual Reality Lab. Thanks to a generous donation from the
Jean and Saul A. Mintz Foundation, a lab with 28 student stations with Oculus Go 64GB
VR headsets and headphones and an instructor’s station has been established in theÌýÃÛ½ÛÖ±²¥
Library. It also features two networked projection screens.
Students in the VR lab in the ÃÛ½ÛÖ±²¥ Library.
The lab willÌýbe officially dedicated at an eventÌýat 1:30 p.m.,ÌýMonday, April 29 in
Room 259.
The lab can be scheduled for classes and has open hours from noon-4 p.m. and 5-10
p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Currently, users have access to several different
software programs including Breaking Boundaries in Science, The Body VR, Jurassic
World: Blue, YouTube VR and many others, with ÃÛ½ÛÖ±²¥-made content coming soon.
The VR lab is the most recent collaborative initiative between the Office of Information
Technology and the library. It represents a significant part of the library’s evolving
Information Commons taking shape on the second floor.
“This is anÌýexciting opportunity for ÃÛ½ÛÖ±²¥ that willÌýenhance the traditional classroom learning experience for our studentsÌýand also open up research possibilities across the disciplines," said Thomas Hoover,
CIO and Dean of Library Information Technology.
The lab will also enhance the learning and teaching experience of the campus community.
The lab has already had an impact beyond ÃÛ½ÛÖ±²¥ as students from Woodlawn Middle School
have used the facility. Additionally, several ÃÛ½ÛÖ±²¥ faculty have brought their classes
to use the lab, representing several different colleges and disciplines across campus
including education, geography, marketing, computer science and astronomy.ÌýÌý Ìý
