Damian Figueroa and Samuel Wiggins presented their work for the Virtual Proving Ground Lab. Damian presented the development journey of the lightning safety module, from its inception as a virtual-reality experience to its final form as a mixed-reality gamified experience. He also presented a poster about the lighting types educational module, which teaches general audience about different type of lightning, such as cloud-to-ground (CG) and intra-cloud (IC). Samuel unveiled the water cycle module within virtual reality, showcasing how he utilized virtual reality to demonstrate each phase of the water cycle.
In October 2024, Damian Figueroa, Samuel Wiggins, and P.I. Dr. Guangyang Fang traveled to Virginia to show off the Virtual Proving Ground & Training Center application to kids at the Spooky Mad Science exhibition. They were super excited to play the lightning safety game, learning all about how the Faraday cage effect keeps them safe during a lightning storm. Damian and Samuel not only got to see their work come to life, but they also watched closely how the kids interacted with the experience, and used that feedback to make the game even better for future versions!
Interns Ashmita Pyne and Damian Figueroa accepted an invitation to join a round table discussion at the White House about the uses of innovative technology to combat the climate crisis. Ashmita and Damian even had the opportunity to meet the Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff!
During the summer of 2023, Ashmita Pyne, Damian Figueora, and P.I. Dr. Guangyang Fang had the opportunity to travel to Madison, Wisconsin to present at the 2023 NOAA CoRP Science Symposium. Ashmita presented about her Faraday cage educational module, which utilized virtual-reality to educate young audiences about where it is safe and dangerous to hide during a thunderstorm, and how the Faraday cage effect can protect them. She even won an award for the best undergraduate presentation! Dr. Guangyang Fnag presented an overview of the Terrality virtual-reality application. Lastly, Damian unveiled a new visualization of a Supercell thunderstorm within Terrality.
In October 2023, Ashmita Pyne, Damian Figueroa, and Dr. Guangyang Fang went to Virginia to demonstrate various experiences at the Spooky Mad Science fair. Ashmita demonstrated her new Faraday module, which uses virtual-reality to show general audiences how the faraday cage effect can protect them during a thunderstorm. Damian showcased the Terrality weather visualization appilcation, which featured a visualizatoin of the El Niño and La Niña mechanism in the Atlantic Ocean.