The newsletter for the WKU community |
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WKU students, faculty creating virtual world this summer in XR Research Lab |
Virtual reality. Augmented reality. Mixed reality. Extended reality.
Whatever term you use for it, a new digital world is taking shape this summer in the XR Research Lab on the third floor of the WKU’s Industrial Education Building.
Opening the door to this new reality is as simple as putting on a VR headset and entering the virtual space created by an interdisciplinary team of WKU students and faculty in the Ogden College of Science and Engineering and Potter College of Arts & Letters.
The XR project is also opening the door to changes in industrial manufacturing, along with new opportunities for students. “We really are focused on creating the largest and most interdisciplinary research project on campus,” said Dr. Greg Arbuckle, professor in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
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Project PREP students work together at camp |
In one room at the Suzanne Vitale Clinical Education Complex, children who attend the Kelly Autism Program are learning about numbers in a math lesson. In another room, a group is listening to a story about ice cream and learning about sharing and manners.
The group leaders for Camp COLLAB (Communicate with Others, Listen, Learn and Activate Brainpower) are nine WKU graduate students in the special education and speech language pathology programs.
“Camp COLLAB is a dual partnership between teachers and speech language pathologists where we work on both academic and communication goals with the collection of students we have here,” said Veronica Hess, a second-year graduate student in speech language pathology.
Hess is a member of the first cohort of Project PREP (Preparing Rural Educators and Professionals for Students with High-Intensity Needs), a five-year federally funded collaboration between the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences and the College of Health and Human Services.
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The WKU Alumni Association National Board of Directors recently recognized Board members who completed their terms of service in July 2021. Learn More
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In case you missed it, check out the following campus messages:
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LifeSkills, WKU center enter into five-year partnership |
LifeSkills, a private nonprofit that delivers social services to an 18-county region, has entered into a five-year partnership with the Center for Child Welfare Education and Research, part of the WKU College of Health and Human Services (CHHS). |
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Spotlight: Fallon Russell |
Finding an explanation for why people do not end texts with periods was the starting place for Typographical Tone in Texting, a research paper written by 2021 WKU English graduate Fallon Russell. Russell presented her findings at the 2021 Student Research Conference.
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Climbing to Greater Heights |
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Here's a look at some summer internships, research project and outreach activities by WKU faculty and students. |
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“This research on human perception fascinated me, and I decided to alter my career to study it instead. Our lives depend upon our sensory abilities, but we tend to take them for granted. The ability to visually perceive distance is critical for successful everyday behavior." -- Dr. Farley Norman, University Distinguished Professor in WKU's Department of Psychological Sciences who is investigating how people visually perceive distance in various contexts
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“At the end of this experience, I will have spent three solid months absorbing and collecting information, ideas, and connections from one of the major art centers in the world. ... My current studio research has been influenced by my time and experiences here in NYC." -- Kristina Arnold, head of WKU's Department of Art & Design who is spending her summer conducting research as an artist in residence at Residency Unlimited in Brooklyn, N.Y.
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"Drawing upon my backgrounds in counseling, neuroscience, yoga, and education, I hope to create an experiential and contemplative PD for participants and to support educators as they find their motivation for change toward racial and cultural re-imagining." -- Dr. Lacretia Dye, Associate Professor in WKU's Department of Counseling and Student Affairs who facilitated professional development training for local educators
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“I have learned how valuable weather consulting can be for many different companies that rely on up to the minute weather information so they can do their job. At my internship, I have been forecasting and analyzing the weather to help clients make decisions, such as roofing, construction, professional sports teams, and public works." -- WKU junior Cooper Bennett, Consulting Meteorologist Intern
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“Throughout my internship so far, my main duties have included writing talking points, collecting note-worthy news stories to share on social media, proofreading briefings and press releases, and writing media advisories. I have learned more than I ever thought imaginable throughout just a few weeks in this internship.” -- WKU senior Emily Bunning, Communications Intern for Ohio Lieutenant Governor
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“To start my internship, I spent the majority of my time learning the local geology and the geologic history of the area to fully understand the geometries of the gold orebody. I now learn from various geologists that handle geologic mapping, material routing/shipment, and production modelling and estimation." -- WKU senior Mason Wade, Nevada Gold Mines (NGM) Geology Intern
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College Heights Foundation celebrates milestone |
Born from a $100 gift from a faculty member, the idea for the College Heights Foundation (CHF) started with the goal to help WKU students in need. This summer, CHF celebrates its 98th anniversary with achieving the milestone of surpassing $100 million in its endowment. |
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Camp COLLAB
It’s a meeting of the minds for speech language pathologists and special education teachers with one common goal in mind—how to best communicate with students. WKU's Amy Bingham takes us inside Camp COLLAB.
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Summer Dance Intensive
High school dancers from as far away as Georgia and North Carolina were at WKU last week for Summer Dance Intensive. It’s a week of dance that also serves as a great recruiting tool as WKU’s Amy Bingham explains in the View from the Hill.
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WKU SPIRIT available online |
The latest issue of WKU SPIRIT magazine is available online. |
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Here are some recent highlights from the campus community:
Check out these newsletters from WKU programs for highlights from 2020-2021:
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Planetarium Show
PlanetQuest: Discovering Worlds Around Other Stars will open at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Hardin Planetarium. Show times are 7 p.m. Tuesday, 7 p.m. Thursday and 2 p.m. Sunday through September 9. Admission is free. Learn More
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Kentucky Museum Mural
The Kentucky Museum invites the public to view its buon fresco mural-in-progress from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday in the museum lobby. Learn More
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Staff Senate
The Staff Senate will meet at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Downing Student Union, room 2081. Learn More
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Western Kentucky University
1906 College Heights Blvd.
Bowling Green, KY 42101
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