Carolina Cruz-Neira, director of (IST) and Agere Chair Professor of Computer Science, received the IEEE VGTC Virtual Reality Lifetime Achievement Award — an honor recognizing an individual’s lifetime contribution to the field.

Gregory Welch, Pegasus Professor, AdventHealth Endowed Chair in Healthcare Simulation at the College of Nursing and co-director of the Synthetic Reality Lab at IST, received the IEEE VGTC Virtual Reality Service Award, which celebrates outstanding dedication, support and service contributions to the virtual/augmented reality community.

Their recognition comes full circle. Cruz-Neira (2007) and Welch (2018) are both past recipients of the IEEE VGTC Technical Achievement Award, which honors seminal technical achievements in VR. In 2022, they were both inducted into the inaugural class of the VGTC VR Academy, a prestigious distinction recognizing pioneers whose work has shaped the discipline at the highest level.

�鶹ӳ����ý is among a handful of institutions with multiple recipients of the IEEE VGTC awards.

For Cruz-Neira, the Virtual Reality Lifetime Achievement Award is deeply personal.

“[This award] is dear to me because I was part of the founding team of the IEEE VR community back in 1992, when I was still in the early stages of my career — a Ph.D. student,” Cruz-Neira says. “It is especially meaningful to see that, having been there from the very beginning, the VR community recognizes [my contributions]. This honor truly belongs to the teams of students and collaborators who have worked alongside me to build and shape the field over the years. Awards like this also help sustain and elevate �鶹ӳ����ý’s excellence, strengthening its national standing and reinforcing its reputation as a preeminent university.”

For Welch, the Virtual Reality Service Award underscores his driving principle of servant leadership.

“There is so much that we can and should do to help our communities,” Welch says. “It takes people to step up, commit and invest time to make things happen. I hope my service and leadership inspire others.”

Learn more about why Cruz-Neira and Welch received honors for their significant and sustained contributions to the VR community in the following stories:

• IEEE 2026 Awardee Carolina Cruz-Neira: Turning a “Plan B” Into a Global Legacy

• IEEE 2026 Awardee Gregory Welch: Strengthening the VR Research Community Through Leadership and Service

Founded to reach the moon, we’re already on our way to the next frontier. Built for liftoff, America’s Space University celebrates �鶹ӳ����ý Space Week Nov. 3-7.

Where Global Leaders Unite to Boldly Forge the Future of Space

When humans return to the moon, they won’t be alone. NASA will send robotic machines with them, and like all relationships, trust will be critical.

Through a partnership with Cislune Inc., �鶹ӳ����ý is using immersive technologies to improve trust between humans and artificial intelligence for decision-making in space when circumstances are changing and data remains uncertain — ultimately ensuring astronaut safety and mission success.

Led by �鶹ӳ����ý Associate Professor Gerd Bruder as principal investigator, Phase I of the project was funded through a Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant in which �鶹ӳ����ý collaborated with Cislune to design and build a moon mission simulator. The system was used to refine human decision-making behavior and optimize interactions between astronauts and autonomous systems across the mission timeline.

The project aims to help reduce cognitive workload for astronauts while enhancing critical data, such as breathable oxygen levels, propellant stores and rover range. It’s also an example of how Knights are developing tech solutions that will propel humanity’s possibilities in space, which �鶹ӳ����ý was founded to fuel.

“In future lunar missions, humans will be working in concert with highly autonomous machines — and both will be making decisions while inundated with data from an ever-growing network of sensors and computers,” says Hiroshi Furuya, a �鶹ӳ����ý computer science doctoral student and graduate research assistant who worked on the project.

Cislune provided insights into space mission operations from previous work with space robotics and rovers, while experts from �鶹ӳ����ý’s supplied expertise in using virtual reality (VR) to create immersive simulations. The collaboration highlights how �鶹ӳ����ý often works with industry to generate collective impact.

�鶹ӳ����ý’s team leveraged interdisciplinary knowledge from computer science, engineering and human factors in healthcare — examining decision support systems designed for nurses and medical professionals.

“The healthcare research gave us an insightful window into how practitioners evaluate systems when risk and time pressure are critical features of the workplace, which has important connections for space health and missions,” says Furuya, who was previously awarded a NASA Space Technology Research Fellowship for his graduate studies.

AdventHealth Endowed Chair in Healthcare Simulation , co-director of SREAL, provided insights into factors that influence trust and the design of human subject experiments.

“I find it fascinating how seemingly subtle changes in how relevant information is conveyed can impact trust and decision making,” says Welch, a computer scientist and engineer in �鶹ӳ����ý’s College of Nursing.

The team studied how human-machine trust, uncertainty and decision-making intersect by using VR simulations. The resulting simulator prototype immerses users in a realistic, mission-relevant environment.

The simulator could be crucial not only for the Artemis program, but also for future lunar and deep space exploration missions.

Cislune and �鶹ӳ����ý have submitted a proposal for Phase II of the project, which will expand the simulator and conduct research studies to improve the way machine assistants can help astronauts make decisions under stress and uncertainty.

Hughes is replacing R. Paul Wiegand, a research associate professor at the institute, who is leaving �鶹ӳ����ý in August for a faculty position at Winthrop University in South Carolina.

Hughes is no stranger to IST. Having served on the committee that formed the institute in 1982, he is currently the co-director of the Synthetic Reality Lab at the institute, which consists of faculty researchers, affiliated faculty members, software developers, doctoral and undergraduate students, artists and digital puppeteers. His research is primarily associated with virtual learning environments including the TeachLivE project, which supports teacher practice in classroom management, pedagogy and content.

‘Mentoring is an honor and a pleasure and is, in fact, how one keeps learning.’

Mentoring students has been an important part of Hughes’ 52-year faculty career — 40 of those at �鶹ӳ����ý. He’s directed graduate and undergraduate programs at Penn State, Tennessee and �鶹ӳ����ý. He has advised 26 doctoral candidates and many undergraduates through to graduation and keeps in touch with many of them who are now working in academia, research institutes and industry. He also regularly mentors high school students who have gone on to graduate from universities including �鶹ӳ����ý, Harvard, Yale and soon Columbia.

“Mentoring is an honor and a pleasure and is, in fact, how one keeps learning,” says Hughes. “The key is to understand that effective mentoring is a two-way street, where roles regularly change so the learner becomes the teacher and the teacher becomes the learner.”

Hughes, who received his doctorate from Penn State in 1970, regularly publishes his research in the areas of virtual environments, human-centered computing, and the application of VR experiences to interpersonal-skills development. His experience and active work in the field keep him abreast of new developments, which benefit his students as well.

Hughes is co-founder and co-lead of the Learning Sciences cluster and a member of the Disability, Aging & Technology cluster. He is also co-lead of the Center for Research in Education Simulation Technology and has secondary appointments in Games and Interactive Media, Education and, of course, Modeling & Simulation.

“Dr. Hughes’ experience and passion for student success make him the ideal candidate to ensure the continued good work of these programs,” says Wes Naylor, the interim director of �鶹ӳ����ý’s School of Modeling, Simulation and Training. “His interdisciplinary work and connections will enrich the program.”

But thanks to the research of Dr. Eleazar “Trey” Vasquez III, assistant professor in the in the College of Education and Human Performance, children on the autism spectrum are getting help from technology he has helped develop.

A self-described “techie” who has spent his career focused on the needs of students with disabilities, Dr. Vasquez has developed, in collaboration with Darin Hughes, an app called the WUBeeS that has shown great promise in helping students on the autism spectrum read non-verbal cues and feel empathy.

“Students with autism have difficulty making connections and understanding different facial features,” says Vasquez. But this app seems to be making a huge impact. In initial tests, positive results have been seen in just five 20-minute game play sessions.

Vasquez developed the app with faculty in theand and hopes to have it available for widespread use in the near future. “One of the most exciting things about working on the app has been that it’s a joint effort with other faculty members and researchers,” he says. “It’s so important to talk outside of one’s discipline.”

Vasquez is also working alongside Gregory F. Welch, the Florida Hospital Endowed Chair in Healthcare and Simulation in �鶹ӳ����ý’s College of Nursing; Arjun Nagendran, Assistant Professor of Research at �鶹ӳ����ý’s Synthetic Reality Lab; and Charles Hughes, Pegasus Professor in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, to compare student responses to simulated learning environments using robotic and 3D avatars and inter-actors. “We have found that children with autism will approach and initiate interaction more easily with avatars than they will ‘real’ humans,” Vasquez says. “This has widespread use in improving the learning experience for K-12 students.”

Vasquez has also written dozens of journal articles and attracted more than $4.5 million in grants through the years from state and federal agencies, as well as from private foundations. In fact, �鶹ӳ����ý’s high ranking in the area of exceptional education is owed in great part to the contributions Vasquez has made to �鶹ӳ����ý since he joined the university in 2008. Wilfred D. Wienke, a �鶹ӳ����ý emeritus professor, says of Vasquez, “His daily productivity and energy serves as a strong example and role model for the future scholars we are preparing.”

Most recently, Vasquez was honored at the �鶹ӳ����ý’s Founders’ Day spring convocation with one of eight Reach for the Stars awards. Given for the first time this year, these prestigious awards recognize early-career professors who are producing research or creative activities of national impact. Worth $10,000 each and renewable for up to three years, they are precisely the kind of incentive that helps �鶹ӳ����ý attract and retain top scholars and teachers like Vasquez in an increasingly competitive market — and precisely the kind of initiative that private philanthropy gives the university the flexibility to pursue.

You’re trying to calm your nerves and deliver content clearly and compellingly when you catch C.J. in the back row texting on her cell phone. Sean, another student, interrupts your pre-calculus lesson to tell you about a TV show he watched the night before.

Suddenly, you’ve lost your place entirely.

It is a scenario that’s typical for teachers, but thanks to an innovative teacher preparation tool developed at the �鶹ӳ����ý, it is something that practicing teachers and teachers-in-training can work through without impacting any actual students.

That’s because C.J., Sean and their classmates are avatars in a virtual classroom. The program, called TLE TeachLivE is a mixed-reality simulation environment that provides users the opportunity to practice a targeted skill, whether classroom management or content pedagogy.

Similar simulation technologies are common in medicine and aviation, but TeachLivE is the only one of its kind in education, providing a personalized learning environment customized to the unique needs of teachers-in-training or practicing teachers looking to brush up on their skills or try out new techniques.

“Suspension of disbelief is a key aspect of simulation and training. When a subject steps into the simulator that cognitively they know is not a ‘real’ situation, they begin to accept the simulation as real in a short period of time. The subject is experiencing suspension of disbelief,” said Mike Hynes, a member of the TeachLivE team and professor in �鶹ӳ����ý’s College of Education and Human Performance. “It never ceases to amaze me when I see subject after subject experience suspension of disbelief in TeachLivE.”

Hynes created TeachLivEwith education professor Lisa Dieker, College of Engineering & Computer Science professor Charles Hughes, and an interdisciplinary team that included members of the Synthetic Reality Lab at �鶹ӳ����ý’s Institute for Simulation & Training.

Last month, TeachLivE took the top prize at the NewSchools Venture Fund’s annual summit. The Learning to Teach Impact Award is given annually to a teacher-preparation program that connects teachers with opportunities for practice in real-world settings.

In 2013, TeachLivE earned the 2013 Governor’s Award for Excellence in Modeling and Simulation from the National Training and Simulation Association, an honor that’s typically awarded to military applications of modeling and simulation.

“The various awards, and especially this most recent, recognizing our impact on learning, are such a celebration of the over 25 people who are part of our team,” said Dieker. “�鶹ӳ����ý, too, should be celebrated in each award the TeachLivE team has received in that the university has a culture and climate of true partnerships, not within, but across disciplines.”

Hughes said: “This latest recognition of our collaborative work as members of the TeachLivE team is wonderful in itself, but even more so as it motivates us to continue ignoring disciplinary walls to help make a positive difference for all aspects of society.”

The TeachLivE concept began more than eight years ago. Today, TeachLivE is delivered to more than 10,000 teachers at 37 partner universities and at other sites including the school districts in Orange, Seminole, Lake and Volusia counties. A team of more than 25 at �鶹ӳ����ý supports the technology, development and partnerships.

The current version of TeachLivE requires only a typical computer, a large display and a Microsoft Kinect to allow users to move about the environment and have “natural” interactions with the avatars.

The TLE TeachLivE team says the “sandbox” nature of the program—its ability to be used in different ways and for different purposes—could also have uses in areas outside of education.

Up next for the TeachLivE team is the program’s second annual conference, which will be held at �鶹ӳ����ý May 22-23.

The conference will include presentations by institutions that use TeachLivE with opportunities to share teaching and research ideas. Actress Cheryl Hines, a �鶹ӳ����ý alumna, will kick off the conference Thursday at 3:45 p.m. in the Morgridge International Reading Center with a keynote presentation about improvisation.

Other conference sessions will focus on how “virtual rehearsal” can be used to curb teacher anxieties, train counselors and prepare early childhood educators.

�鶹ӳ����ý architecture students, city planners and other agencies have partnered to create the Orlando Virtual City, an interactive project using technology to help prepare for the future while preserving history for generations to come.

Electronic 3-D representations of downtown buildings will be combined with historical photographs, written and oral histories, cultural information and infrastructure images to create a rich repository of information.

“This project represents a unique experiment in integrating the preservation and display of cultural heritage with urban planning and facilities management,” said Thomas McPeek, assistant professor of architecture at �鶹ӳ����ý’s School of Visual Arts & Design. “It will provide the public with a means of experiencing the life of the city across time – ‘looking over the shoulders’ of the city’s planners and managers.”

Both the city and �鶹ӳ����ý started working on independent projects to achieve similar architectural goals before they discovered that their paths crossed about a year ago. They then teamed up to develop the city’s virtual world through 3-D technology.

The project gained international exposure this week when several of McPeek’s undergraduate research students presented their progress at a conference in Orlando before about 300 professionals from around the world that create and work with three-dimensional data.

Yuly Mojocoa, Diana Ariza, Trevor Stephens, Terrance Perdue, Massey Brooks, Natalia Savorotca and Lucas Najle discussed the team’s work during the FARO 3-D Documentation Conference. FARO develops products that create 3D representations.

“We would like to have a virtual representation of the city to be used for planning purposes for everything across the board: infrastructure, street drainage, fire rescue, police training,” said Holly Stenger, a city project manager and architect. “It’s a planning tool.” The images also could be used to refurbish buildings if they are damaged by a hurricane, fire or some other disaster.

“First responders would have access and would benefit,” Stenger said. “Part of what we envision is to locate an incident and see what and where it is, and how to respond.”

The exteriors of about 75 downtown buildings so far have been modeled to create virtual 3-D images, and some have been supplemented with interior images made by laser scanners. Examples of the early models include the 29,000-square-foot Orlando Public Library, the Sligh Boulevard train station, and Howard Middle School, which at one time served as Orlando High School. The images will be able to be viewed from all angles on a computer screen.  

This semester, the project turned its focus on the Church Street tourist and commercial area, and its nearby Interstate 4 overpass; next on the agenda is the landscape along Orange Avenue.

“Before I came here I had some preconceived notions of what Orlando was, and most of them were about Disney and theme parks,” McPeek said. “I didn’t realize what a wonderfully historical and cultural city it is.”

Najle, a �鶹ӳ����ý junior working on the project and a graduate of Winter Park High School, said metropolitan Orlando has changed dramatically just since he was a young boy, and that this project “is a really great way to preserve the way Orlando is now. This is a new take on how you can go about preserving historical buildings.”

Stenger said Orlando’s urban-design objectives call for 3-D modeling, and the city is among the pioneering few to tackle the concept.

“Los Angeles and Disney and Universal have similar models for their use,” she said. “We are kind of a hub with the digital and gaming industry, and we have the talent and information to pull it all together.”

Najle said it is exciting to be on the front edge of the new applications.

“A couple cities in Europe have virtual cities and we’re bringing that technology here,” he said.

Najle said that working on the project has already helped give him some insights that will benefit him as a professional architect.

“This really connects me to the building process,” he said.

The project is still in its data-acquisition stage and no specific date has been set to post all the collected images and cultural information online.

In addition to the City of Orlando, the project’s partners also include FARO, the Orlando chapter of the American Institute of Architects, and the �鶹ӳ����ý Synthetic Reality Lab.

 “This is something that we will continue to add to,” McPeek said. “It will be an ongoing repository.”