Immersive Visualization Institute 2024 Recap

This summer, faculty and graduate students across the entire university were invited to apply and participate in the 2024 Immersive Visualization Institute, for a chance to explore and use the digital display technology platforms at MSU.

Together with Abrams Planetarium, MSU Libraries and MSU Museum, The Graduate School hosted a hybrid institute involving the pedagogic possibilities of three large-scale immersive display platforms:

The institute was open to participants from all disciplines and interdisciplinary perspectives to allow for cross-field cooperation, which aligns with The Graduate School’s goal to strengthen relationships across campus communities.

Participants assessed and compared the learnings and affordances of MSU’s platforms during their workshops. This included exploring ways to teach complex natural and cultural phenomena through immersive representations and narratives. In addition, the students practiced designing digital products for display using the three projection spaces, and they each developed a final product to showcase creative uses of the technologies for research, teaching, or artistic work.

Participants

This year’s faculty included Yetunde Alabede (Teacher Education), Alison Dobbins (Theatre) and Max Evjen (College of Arts & Letters). As participants, the Immersive Visualization Institute engaged seven students from various degree programs, who each received a $500 fellowship stipend. Their final projects involved a variety of immersive products, for which they utilized MSU’s display platforms creatively within their fields of interest.

Kunle Adeyemo smiling while wearing a suit.

Kunle Adeyemo

Dual doctoral student in Civil and Mechanical Engineering

“As a dual-degree Ph.D. student in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering and the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Michigan State University, my research focuses primarily on the multi-scale analysis of progressive failure in multi-material (metal and composite) hybrid fastening systems. This analysis is crucial for the lightweighting in both aerospace and automotive industries, particularly in the design of complex parts for future electric vehicles. For the IVI project, I worked on visualizing the trend of electric vehicle usage in the United States using AFDC data for full electric vehicles.

I leveraged the skills I acquired from the QGIS lecture, which is part of the IVI program, to develop a dataset that will be displayed on the MSU Museum's Science On a Sphere. This project facilitates easy visualization of electric vehicle usage in the United States from 2016 to 2022 and can be updated subsequently.”

Luisa Chavarria

Doctoral student in Earth and Environmental Sciences

“’Magnifying Glass: Salty Crystals’: As part of my doctoral program in Earth Sciences, I’m studying the chemistry of sodium in the Earth’s mantle, an area so deep in the interior of our planet that is not possible to access directly but can be studied using experiments with minerals at very high pressures and temperatures in the laboratory. Daily, we interact with minerals formed by sodium. For example, halite, a mineral formed by sodium chloride (NaCl) and that is commonly known as salt.

My project explores the geology of salt from a micro and macro scale perspective using the 360 Visualization room in the Digital Scholarship Lab at the MSU Library. I’m connecting crystallography and salt geography using video time-lapses of crystals growing and 360 Google Street View images of salt flats and salt lakes around the world. My project looks to appeal to the visual and sound senses to create an immersive experience where textures and different scales of salt geology transition and transform in the space.”

Joelle Eaves sitting and smiling at the camera while wearing a pink sweater.

 

Joelle Eaves

Doctoral student in Chemical Engineering

“’A Drug’s Life (Planetarium Public Program)’: As a National Science Foundation fellow, I am invested in engaging the public in my research on protein engineering. The IVI has afforded me the opportunity to employ innovative platforms, such as the Abrams Planetarium and the Science On a Sphere exhibit, in my outreach efforts.

I intend to create a program for teens and adults that provides an immersive tour of the human cell, narrated by a drug being processed by the cell. Through this, I will highlight the key biological processes and machinery involved in drug absorption and metabolism. The use of the planetarium will enhance the simulated perspective of being within the cell.”

Morgan Hill standing in a yellow cap and blue sweatshirt.

 

Morgan Hill

Master’s student in Fine Arts

“In preparation for my MFA thesis, this project is parallel to my research of representing and showing significance to the physical rituals that form bonds in the black community. Using the 360 Visualization Room in the Digital Scholarship Lab, I am hosting a creative workshop where the viewer has to listen to sounds stemming from the common black childhood experience: sounds of hands clapping together and rhymes from hand games, double Dutch and other physical experiences.

By listening to these sounds, the viewer has to draw something in accordance with the rhythm. This immersive project gives an opportunity to viewers in and outside the arts how to be creative using different senses and learn the significance of rituals.”

Amir Mohammadzadehshirazi sitting while wearing a tan suit and black pants.

 

Amir Sam Mohammadzadehshirazi

Doctoral student in Chemical Engineering

“My advisor's research focuses on thermoelectric devices and the critical role of controlling heat transport, often highlighting the use of Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs) in space missions, particularly the Curiosity Mars rover. For this workshop, I aim to create a 2-minute Science On a Sphere project that introduces the application of RTGs on Mars, directly relating to our current research.

This presentation will cover the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers, detailing how RTGs provide reliable power for these missions, enabling continuous scientific exploration and groundbreaking discoveries in the harsh Martian environment. Through interactive visualizations including a rotating Mars globe highlighting rover landing sites, 3D RTG models and mission timelines, the presentation will effectively demonstrate the significance of RTGs in Mars exploration and their connection to our work on thermoelectric devices.”

Katie Quinlan standing on the beach in a blue and grey sweater and smiling.

 

Katie Quinlan

Master's student in Environmental Geoscience

“This summer, I had the opportunity to intern at the MSU Museum. The museum closed to the public on June 30, 2024, and will remain closed for 18-24 months for a massive renovation that will improve the visitor experience and ensure a stable environment for the collections. As an intern, I was responsible for packing and cataloging the Fossil Hall on the museum’s ground floor. Since the Fossil Hall will likely be replaced with a different exhibit post-renovation, I decided to use my access to the building and the Fossil Hall to document as much of the exhibit as possible.

Using a 360-degree camera loaned from the Digital Scholarship Lab, I photographed the exhibit and put together a virtual tour that included close-up images of the fossils and accompanying placards. The tour is on a website called ThingLink. While it can be accessed via phone, tablet, or computer, I hope that it will be viewed in the 360 Visualization Room in the Digital Scholarship Lab. Additionally, I included several images of fossils being packed for storage and information used to catalog the fossils for anyone interested in behind-the-scenes content!”