- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Basu Joins ��Vlog��ý Little Rock as Computer Science Professor, Emerging Analytics Center Fellow

John Hill — Tue, 30 Aug 2022 12:46:36 +0000

Dr. Aryabrata Basu, an expert in virtual reality and digital visualization, has joined the University of Arkansas at Little Rock as an assistant professor of computer science and research fellow for the Emerging Analytics Center, the university’s premier research center for virtual/augmented reality, visualization, and interactive technologies. “I am very excited to join ��Vlog��ý Little Rock,” Basu said. “I have already met the great faculty members and support staff in the Department of Computer Science and the Emerging Analytics Center, and I look forward to the teaching and research opportunities to come. There is a lot of potential here to expand upon, and I want to bring new paradigms of visualization to the people through the Emerging Analytics Center.” Basu’s research includes human-computer interaction, investigating human spatial decision making in virtual reality, and enhancing virtual reality immersive experiences in education. Some of his past projects include the ,��, and . “Dr. Basu’s enthusiasm is infectious. During the interview process, Dr. Basu reached out to Dr. Ghosh in the Department of Chemistry to explore research collaboration opportunities,” said Dr. Albert Baker, chair of the Department of Computer Science. “This bodes extremely well for cross-disciplinary collaboration. With his expertise in extended reality (AR/VR), natural user interfaces, computer graphics, AI, and haptics, he will enhance and expand research and teaching in established opportunity areas offered by the department. His record of research in the application of his expertise in the healthcare field opens exciting opportunities for research funding. We welcome Dr. Basu with open arms.” A native of Kolkata, India, Basu joins ��Vlog��ý Little Rock from Emory University, where he spent six years as a visual information specialist and research scientist at the Emory Center for Digital Scholarship. He was responsible for creating digital media and 3D models through graphic design, imaging processing, and data visualization for digital scholarship programs as well as researching new methods of visualizing data, including 3D, virtual reality, and augmented reality. Basu has a bachelor’s degree in information technology from West Bengal University of Technology in India and a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Georgia. Basu and his wife Dipannita live in Little Rock with their four-year-old son Aaron.

Students Create Immersive Games During Virtual Reality Camp at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

John Hill — Wed, 24 Aug 2022 13:25:22 +0000

About a dozen junior high and high school students spent a week learning how to create immersive games and virtual reality content for Meta during a virtual reality summer camp held Aug. 1-5 at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. Students learned how to create immersive games for the Meta Quest and Meta Quest 2 using the program, Unity, in the Emerging Analytics Center at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. At the end of the camp, students are set up with developer accounts if they want to continue to create games and other virtual reality content for Meta. Camp participants included Granger Colclasure, an 8th grader at Episcopal Collegiate; Lucas Campbell, an 8th grader at Episcopal Collegiate; Cohen Harris, a 7th grader at Robinson Middle School; Isaiah Johnson, a 9th grader at Jacksonville High School; Delores Meadows, a 9th grader at Jacksonville High School; Samuel Reyes, an 8th grader at Our Lady of the Holy Souls School; Caiden Ross, a 7th grader at Mabelvale Middle School; Aiden Team, a 10th grader at eStem Charter High School; Tripp Sanders, an 8th grader at Our Lady of the Holy Souls School; James Skaletski, a high school student from Germany; and Cedric Wade Jr. a 9th grader at Bryant Junior High School. James Skaletski, a rising 12th grader in Germany, took the camp while he was visiting family in Arkansas. “I think the camp is really cool,” Skaletski said. “We are learning to make games and implement them into virtual reality. You can create any game you can think of and then play it. For a career, I want to become a video editor, so some of the skills I’m learning in camp are similar to that and will be helpful in the future.” Philip Bryan, a graduate student in computer science, said students learned how to use the Unity program to create immersive games for the Meta Quest or Meta Quest 2. “Unity is a useful program to make games and fun tools,” Bryan said. “It’s a really useful skill to have. I hope the students keep involved in computer science. There are a lot of styles of games they create so I hope they keep using Unity. We also set them up with a developer account for the Meta in case they want to continue to develop games.” ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students and researchers in the Emerging Analytics Center led the summer camp. They include Phillip Bryan, Parikshya Bhandari, Wesley Ferguson, Colin McNerny, Cecily (Danica) Mobley, Carlos Ochoa, Adam Perry, and Kimari Watson.

Middle and high school students created immersive games for the Meta Quest Virtual reality platform during a VR camp for youth at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. Photo by Ben Krain.

This is the second year for the virtual reality camp. Sandra Leiterman, managing director of the Cyber Arena, said she came up with the idea for the camp last year when she heard kids talking about the types of virtual reality games they wanted to play. “I thought it would be a great idea if we taught students how to build the games that they really want to play,” Leiterman said. “I hope that the kids will take home the confidence that they can create and that they can have a career building games that they and others will enjoy. Of course, in the long term, I hope that they come back to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock as computer science majors who work at the Emerging Analytics Center!”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Hosts 2022 Summer Camps

John Hill — Mon, 16 May 2022 20:09:00 +0000

With the summer fast approaching, families are on the lookout for fun, engaging, and educational summer programming that will keep kids and young adults on their toes. Look no further than the University of Arkansas at Little Rock! ��Vlog��ý Little Rock is hosting a variety of summer camps in writing, music, virtual reality, athletics, as well as the ever popular Summer Laureate University for Youth (SLUFY) for gifted and talented students. Check out our comprehensive list of summer camps below to find the right fit for your family! Emerging Writers Institute Dates: June 6-10, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Grades 6-8 Dates: June 6-10, 1:30-5 p.m. Grades: High School Dates: June 27 to July 1, 8 a.m. to noon. Grades 3-5 Cost: $150 Contact: Greg Graham, gxgraham@ualr.edu ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Summer Concert and Jazz Band Concert Band Rehearsals: May 31, June 2, June 7, and June 9 from 6-8 p.m. Jazz Band Rehearsals: June 1, 3, 6, and 8 from 6-8 p.m. Final Performance: June 10 The free summer bands are open to all high school students and community members. Contact Dr. Ken Goff for more information at kggoff@ualr.edu. Summer Laureate University for Youth (SLUFY) Dates: July 11-22 Time: 12:30-5:30 p.m. Monday – Friday Cost: $325 Contact: 501-569-3410 or giftedcenter@ualr.edu Dates: Aug. 1-5, 12-5 p.m. Grades: 7-12 Cost: $125 for camp or $450 for camp and purchase of Oculus Quest 2

Middle school students participate in a ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Virtual Reality Summer Camp at the Emerging Analytics Center in 2021. Photo by Ben Krain.

Trojan Athletics summer camps

Camp 1: June 13-16, Noon-4:30 p.m., Ages: 8-18, $220 Camp 2: July 25-26, Noon-4:30 p.m., Ages 8-18, $120 Mini Camp: June 6-8, Grades 1-4, 9:30-11:30 a.m., $70 Individual Camp: June 6-8, Grades 5-12, 12:30-5:30 p.m., $90 Advanced Skills Camp: June 18, 12:30-5:30 p.m., Grades 9-12, $50 Team Camp: June 9-10, Grades 9-12, $180 for 1 day, $360 for 2 days Team Camp: July 27-28, Grades 9-12, $180 for 1 day, $360 for 2 days Hitter/Setter Camp: June 20-21, Grades: 8-12. $70 Serve/Serve Receive Camp: June 22-23, Grades: 8-12. $70 Defensive Specialist Camp: June 24, Grades 8-12. $70 Individual Camp: July 5-8, Grades: 4-12. $175 Junior High Team Camp: July 18-19 Senior High Team Camp: Aug. 1-2 Contact Coach Van Compton at 501-607-2056 for team camp registration questions. June 12-16, Grades: 7-12. Camp costs $275 for commuters and $375 for those who stay on campus.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock to Host Virtual Reality Summer Camp Aug. 2-6

John Hill — Thu, 08 Jul 2021 19:55:23 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will host a virtual reality summer camp in August for junior high and high school students. The university’s Emerging Analytics Center will host the camp for students in grades 7-12 from noon to 5 p.m. Aug. 2-6 at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. Students will spend an action-packed week creating a virtual reality tour for the Oculus Quest or Oculus Quest 2. “Virtual reality is an important part of our lives today and allows us to create almost any type of environment for education, training, and more,” said Sandra Leiterman, managing director of the Cyber Arena. “The new Oculus Quest 2 is a popular ‘toy’ for a lot of people today. Our thought is rather than buying games and simulations, we want to teach kids how to create their own content for Oculus. In a technology-driven world, it’s important to harness the creativity of our young generation that will hopefully lead them into future careers within virtual or augmented reality.” Access to a Facebook account is required to build Oculus content. Students must also bring their own Oculus device. The cost of the camp is $100. Those interested in attending may fill out the .

Springer named director of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Emerging Analytics Center

John Hill — Tue, 30 Jun 2020 20:42:20 +0000

Dr. Jan P. Springer, associate professor in the Department of Computer Science, has been named the new director of the George W. Donaghey Emerging Analytics Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. The Emerging Analytics Center (EAC) is a research center that is home to an energetic group of researchers, faculty, and students performing innovative research and development in technology, infrastructure, and applications for virtual and augmented realities, immersive visualization, interactive technologies, as well as cybersecurity and the Internet of Things. The center was founded thanks to a generous grant from the George W. Donaghey Foundation. Its mission is to be a focus of applied research expertise and technology development in the areas of immersive and interactive visualization for complex and big data applied to problems in industry, government, and research organizations. “In the last year, the EAC generated a revenue of about $5 million in all of our projects,” Springer said. “We have many students who are conducting innovative research and we are an economic factor at the university. Many people in the city look at the EAC as a benchmark in regard to the university.” Springer is taking over for Dr. Carolina Cruz-Neira, now a professor of computer science at the University of Central Florida. Under Dr. Springer’s leadership, research and industry projects in the Emerging Analytics Center will focus on four areas: immersive visualization, multimodal augmented reality/virtual reality applications, cybersecurity, and Internet of Things. As the director of the Emerging Analytics Center, he manages approximately 45 student researchers, from undergraduates to Ph.D. students, as well as four full-time employees. Additionally, the EAC supports six faculty fellows. “Research is not just sitting around reading papers and developing interesting ideas. It’s also about developing talented people,” Springer said. “My intention for students in the Emerging Analytics Center is to experience a professional environment for research and development. It is part of the mission of the EAC to show students the many opportunities available in this area, even if they don’t go into research, working here gives them a good idea of what to expect in their professional career.” Dr. Albert Baker, chair of the Department of Computer Science, said Springer’s leadership of the Emerging Analytics Center will be an asset in taking the EAC to the next level. “Dr. Springer is an accomplished research scientist in the areas of real-time graphics, virtual and augmented realities, and data visualization,” Baker said. “We are very fortunate to have Jan as a member of the faculty in the department. In his additional role as the director of the EAC, Jan is enhancing the strategy of having the EAC support both students and faculty from the department in several exciting areas of research, including VR/AR and cybersecurity. The health and growth of the department and the EAC are intimately intertwined. I am appreciating the opportunity to work with Jan in his new role and continuing to strengthen the EAC and the department.” Springer joined the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty in 2018, after spending the past six years as an assistant professor of computer science at the University of Hull in the United Kingdom. His previous experiences include working as a research scientist with the CREATE group at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, the Virtual Reality Systems Group at Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, and the former VR Research group at the Fraunhofer IMK, the latter two in his native Germany. Springer holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. in computer science from Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. His work includes virtual-reality systems for modeling and simulation in areas such as cluster-based displays, multi-viewer stereo, software frameworks, and interactive high-quality rendering.

Computer Science Education experts visit Emerging Analytics Center

Ajani Oyindamola — Wed, 26 Jun 2019 13:10:48 +0000

Attendees of the first-ever in Arkansas toured the Emerging Analytics Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock on June 10 to learn about the latest innovations in virtual reality and computer science. The summit included representatives from 26 states, including national and international leaders in the field of computer science education, who met to discuss issues such as academic standards, teacher training, budgets, and development of computer science education policy. “This group consists of leaders of computer science education from across the nation,” said Dr. Carolina Cruz-Neira, director of the Emerging Analytics Center. “A lot of the work we do here is a good example of how to get students motivated to learn about computer science and see what they can create. The Emerging Analytics Center is a very high-end place in Little Rock where we are leading the development of these technologies.” From his first months in office, Gov. Asa Hutchinson has promoted the expansion of computer science education in Arkansas, starting with his signature on Arkansas Act 187, which required all the state’s public and charter high schools to offer a course in computer coding. As these students complete high school, state officials are at a juncture where a clear pathway is needed for these students to transition from high school to college and the workforce. “There are very few jobs today that don’t require advanced computer prowess. As we look at jobs that children will have in 10, 20, and 30 years in the future, you have to think about how these jobs will look in the future,” said Anthony Owen, state director of computer science and chief state STEM officer. “We are leading the nation in K-12 education in computer science. We want educators who are ready to teach these students. We want to create a seamless transition from K-12 education to higher education to the workforce to meet industry needs.” Researchers at the Emerging Analytics Center demonstrated multiple projects created with industry partners, representing how the computer science skills students are learning in the classroom can be used as a future career. One of the apps demonstrated is a virtual visit to Hytrol, an Arkansas-based company, where visitors can see working virtual models of the company’s latest products and appreciate Hytrol’s innovative technology for conveyor systems. “The real workforce at the Emerging Analytics Center is the students. Everything you see here is created by the students,” Cruz-Neira said. Emerging Analytics Center researchers also created an educational augmented reality application targeted to art museums. The app allows users to interact with the art work through their cell phones to learn more about the piece and the artist. Heather Lageman, a summit participant and executive director of leadership development at Baltimore County Public Schools, said she has read about this type of technology in the news and can see how beneficial it would be for students. “I love this app,” Lageman said. “It’s a game changer for students who might not have the opportunity to visit many museums. It allows students to interact with the art in a very personal way.” In the upper right photo, Heather Lageman, a summit participant and executive director of leadership development at Baltimore County Public Schools, uses an educational augmented reality application targeted to art museums.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock gamers create app for Clinton Presidential Center exhibit

Ajani Oyindamola — Mon, 08 Oct 2018 16:02:24 +0000

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock professor, student, and alumnus have created at the Clinton Presidential Center. The app was built to accompany the exhibit, which is on display at the Clinton Presidential Center from Sept. 8, 2018, to March 24, 2019. This exhibit explores how the Clinton administration worked to improve the environment, the green building design elements incorporated into the Clinton Presidential Center, and ways to make sustainable living a part of everyday life. The exhibit uses videos, augmented reality games, hands-on interactives, photos, and text to teach about those themes. The creators of the app include Joseph Williams, associate professor in the Department of Rhetoric and Writing; Tanner Marshall, a graduate student in the Department of Computer Science; and Robbie Hunt, a ��Vlog��ý Little Rock alumnus. All three are members of the Little Rock Game Designers and a company called Little Rock Games. “The app has three components,” Marshall said. “One part is a sustainable homebuilding game, another is an informational component where you can read virtual placards throughout the exhibit, and there is a scavenger hunt where you find hidden markers throughout the exhibit.” The app uses augmented and virtual reality and took more than 100 hours to create. Williams’ favorite part of the app is the homebuilding game, which allows users to virtually build a home to see the environmental outcomes of their choices. “There are pieces that represent how big the house is, flooring and roofing options, and other choices that can make the house energy efficient,” Williams said. “You encourage people to be cognizant of how these choices change the overall impact that their house has on the environment. The interface gives users a green rating for how well they are doing, and it tells them how much the house will cost. If they make green choices, when they are finished the house will show plants and happy animals. If they choose poorly, you may see acid rain at the end. It gives them a visual representation of the outcomes of their choices.”

A screenshot from the app developed for the “White House, Green Building” exhibit at the Clinton Presidential Library.

Museum Curator Christine Mouw said the app has been a positive addition for the exhibit, and she is hoping to incorporate more apps into future exhibits. “They were so great to work with and customized the games to fit our exhibit and our ideas, and they taught us so much about what could be done,” Mouw said. “The end product is fabulous. We’ve gotten so much positive feedback. People are spending a lot more time in the exhibit than they otherwise would, playing the game! I hope we can put games into more of our exhibits in the future.” In choosing projects for their company to complete, Williams said they look for “games that make a difference in people’s lives.” “Our unofficial company mission is to design and work with games that have some sort of social impact,” Williams said. “That matters to us. This project ties to an interest in sustaining world climate and livability.” “The kinds of things we are interested in as a group go beyond games and technology,” Marshall added. “When we can work on a project that has a broader impact, that is meaningful.” In the upper right photo, members of Little Rock Games include (L to R) Tanner Marshall, Brad Sims, Olivia Dunlap, Joseph Williams, and Robbie Hunt. Photo by Ben Krain/��Vlog��ý Little Rock Communications and Marketing.

Cruz-Neira selected as speaker at SIGGRAPH 2018

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 07 Aug 2018 14:27:41 +0000

Dr. Carolina Cruz-Neira, director of the and interim chair of the at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, is one of the featured speakers at the 45th annual (SIGGRAPH) 2018. The conference, to be held Aug. 12-16 in Vancouver, is the world’s leading annual interdisciplinary educational event showcasing the latest in computer graphics and interactive techniques. The event’s business symposium is designed for executives and top creative experts from the project creation industry, will present 22 speakers, and expects to welcome close to 200 executives from over a dozen countries, including Korea, India, Japan, China, France, Russia, and Cameroon. With attendees spanning every specialty from business and technical management to software development and film production, the program will analyze and discuss trends in computer graphics, exploring the responsibility that comes with launching new technologies and fostering opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration. The two-day event will explore the intersection of creativity, technology, and business. Symposium topics include: the social and human implications of technology that impact the way we design prototypes; how artificial intelligence is programmed; and how technology is creating rapid convergence of business models and design interfaces. Earlier this year, Cruz-Neira, world-renowned inventor of the CAVE virtual environment, was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering for her contributions to immersive visualization. She holds a bachelor’s degree in systems engineering, cum laude, from the Universidad Metropolitana as well as a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer science, both from the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she specialized in virtual reality, visual analytics, and computations steering research.

Bolt researching how to create virtual computer monitoring system

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 17 Jul 2018 13:36:41 +0000

For those who have seen Tony Stark effortlessly controlling virtual computer screens in the “Iron Man” and “Avengers” movies, you have seen Zack Bolt’s vision for his research. Bolt, a graduate student in computer science at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, has developed a virtual computer monitor system that he hopes can eventually replace its physical counterparts. Student researchers at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Emerging Analytics Center are often tasked with discovering the possibilities of newly released virtual and augmented reality technologies. Dr. Carolina Cruz-Neira, director of the Emerging Analytics Center, challenged Bolt to come up with a unique application using an augmented reality helmet. “Dr. Cruz told me to do something interesting … so I started out with the idea of a holophone and then it moved on to a holodesktop,” Bolt said. Bolt used a mount designed and printed on a 3D printer to secure a device that detects hand movements onto the augmented reality helmet. People can see virtual screens through the augmented reality helmet and use simple hand gestures to perform functions like moving and resizing the screens as well as clicking and drawing. A virtual computer monitor system allows for an infinite virtual work space in which users no longer have to worry about limited monitor space, since they can open as many screens as they choose and strategically place them in easily accessible virtual space. “The whole point of EAC is visualizing big data more easily,” Bolt said. “This technology could be used to see and interact with more data at once. Instead of tabbing through different charts, you can just turn your head to the side or above or below to see more information. You can achieve much more than just a normal sphere of office.” The device can connect with wireless networks, which would allow multiple users to easily share and access the virtual screens, thereby making it much easier to work remotely while easily sharing information with co-workers. “Think of the computer monitor replacement systems shown in ‘Minority Report’ or Tony Stark in the ‘Avengers’ movies,” Bolt said. “In the future, it could be like that. There are no cords. You could walk around freely, and the technology would replace the monitor completely in a freeform system.” For those who are dreaming of handling technology with the finesse and ease of Tony Stark, Bolt warned the technology, while promising, isn’t quite ready to completely replace the desktop. “The device is currently not accurate enough,” he said. “In the future, I would like to make the holodesktop more intuitive and easier to control. I would also want to get more headsets to have the ability to connect the device with more computers.” Bolt’s created his demo after three months of research. He is hoping an industry partner will see his demo and fund the project for further research.

French interns at Emerging Analytics Center create 3D virtual tour of campus, games for Arkansas Children’s Hospital

Ajani Oyindamola — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 14:35:46 +0000

Five college students from France who interned at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s Emerging Analytics Center have created a 3D virtual tour of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock campus as well as augmented reality games to entertain children at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. The Emerging Analytics Center, led by Director Dr. Carolina Cruz-Neira, has an internship exchange program with the University of Poitiers in France. The five students interned at the Emerging Analytics Center from March 27 to June 17. “We had the opportunity to do our internship abroad, so we can discover visualization, virtual reality, and learn more about English,” said intern Sebastien Four. “We have a chance to see new technologies that aren’t on the markets yet. We have learned lots, and we discovered a new culture and new people. This is a great opportunity for us to work here for three months.” Four and Lea Poignant spent their internship creating a 3D virtual tour of campus that can be viewed via Google Cardboard, a low-cost virtual reality viewer for smartphones. “We had to think about a way for students to visit the campus from just a map and how students can really experience this campus from a 3D map,” Four said. “Hopefully, one day it will be an app on the app store and prospective students can use it. The skills that we learned here will be great for our resume for future jobs and school.”

Julie Couture, left, and Pauline Rouillon, two of several students from France interning at the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Emerging Analytics Center during the summer, demonstrate an augmented reality game they developed for Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Photo by Ben Krain/��Vlog��ý Little Rock Communications.

The second intern team, Pauline Rouillon and Julie Couture, worked on the creation of three virtual and augmented reality games in development for use at. The plan is for the individual/multiplayer games to be available on a cell phone app that can be accessed from waiting rooms and patient rooms, so that kids in the hospital can play games together virtually, even if they cannot meet physically. The fifth and final intern, Antoine Guillard, used the game development platform Unity to develop ways to more easily visualize big data. He created a 3D visualization of the factors involved in the World Happiness Report, an annual publication of the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network that contains rankings of national happiness. In the upper right photo, intern Lea Poignant demonstrates a 360-degree virtual tour of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock campus. Photo by Ben Krain/��Vlog��ý Little Rock Communications.

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

Basu Joins ����Vlog��ý Little Rock as Computer Science Professor, Emerging Analytics Center Fellow

Students Create Immersive Games During Virtual Reality Camp at ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

����Vlog��ý Little Rock Hosts 2022 Summer Camps