'Virtual reality' learning to debut in Baltimore County public schools

So I have to take sometime and give a well deserved shout out to Jim (a co-worker) who was in charge of designing a system that the Baltimore County School system will be using in a pilot program for middle and high school students. The pilot program uses computer simulation to teach problem-solving skills to students via virtual simulators developed at JHUAPL; using recent advances in technology and algorithms. Through these advances, high-fidelity, physics-based modeling and simulation (M&S) is becoming more powerful than ever. It is now possible to model system, and systems of systems, in their environments such that broad analyses of various system designs, component integrations, and various environmental factors are both feasible and credible. In other words we can make a video game out of any situation and allow kids have fun while learning in ways never explored.

The March 27, 2009 Baltimore Sun Article appearing on the landing page of the Sun this past friday, detailed the efforts that JHUAPL and other organizations are comminitng to the educational field.

School officials recently got a preview at the Johns Hopkins' Applied Physics Laboratory. In a dark room illuminated by five 70-inch screens, they went on a ride - alternately in an ATV-like vehicle, a boat and an aircraft - through the sprawling simulated landscape of Mount St. Helens in Washington, as part of a rescue expedition.

Above is a picture of the JHUAPL ARENA, A multimedia room that consist of 15 high powered computers, ten 70 inch high resolution digital television screens on raised platforms forming a 360 closed "Arena" used to immerse an audience in a virtual reality setting. The environment is enhanced by a state of the art high fidelity surround sound system. All of which APL's fundamentally physics-based modeling and simulation framework utilizes to bring its intended audience the highest quality training, learing and even entertainment(only for us engineers) experience.

So once again congrats Jim and the rest of the team who help bring this all together, I have truly enjoyed being apart of the development team.