NASA, College To Explore Virtual Reality Technologies

A Space Act Agreement signed between NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., and Calhoun Community College in Decatur, Ala., establishes a cooperative effort to examine emerging technologies in the area of virtual reality.

The goal of the agreement is to advance man-machine interfaces and collaboration, and encourage interactive design and simulation techniques, through the design and conduct of research and development projects in the area of virtual reality and visualization technologies. The work will seek to identify a common core of skills for visualization technicians and researchers.

Among this core of skills are multimedia applications, virtual reality, image processing, visualization equipment application, geographical information systems application, illustration, 2D/3D CAD/CAM modeling, simulation and remote sensing.

In signing the agreement, both the Marshall Center and Calhoun identified specific responsibilities for themselves.

Calhoun Community College will establish working relationships and identify opportunities with the Marshall Center to facilitate the transfer of virtual reality technologies derived from the nation’s space program to users in both the public and private sector. This will be done through government grants, educational projects and specific tasks. Calhoun will develop virtual reality and visualization educational projects based on technical performance requirements identified by the Marshall Center and will provide test subjects for the evaluation of virtual reality research technologies and visualization applications.

Calhoun also agreed to cooperate with Marshall in developing laboratory applications for virtual reality and man-machine interface visualization research. This is being done through the use of the college’s existing and planned virtual reality facilities and capabilities. It will incorporate selected topics and projects, as appropriate, into its curriculum, permitting them to be used later by the Marshall Center in its virtual reality and visualization activities.

For its part, the Marshall Center agreed to keep Calhoun informed of new virtual reality and visualization technologies as they are developed by NASA and its contractors. Whenever possible, these will be made available for development and enhancement of virtual reality and visualization technologies and applications at Calhoun. Marshall scientists and engineers will advise and support Calhoun in defining laboratory hardware and software environments as well as educational/skill domains for development of virtual reality and visualization educational programs and projects.

The Marshall Center also will provide Calhoun’s faculty and students with access to the center’s virtual reality and visualization facilities and personnel, whenever possible, for cooperative research and development of virtual reality applications and skills development studies. Marshall scientists and engineers also may suggest that specific topics and projects to be incorporated into Calhoun’s curriculum which can subsequently be used in the center’s virtual reality and visualization activities.

The partnership should benefit both NASA’s Marshall Center and Calhoun. It offers a way of bringing together the Marshall Center’s technical facilities and accrued expertise in the field of virtual reality and visualization with similar facilities, interests and capabilities at the college. By working together, Marshall Center and Calhoun will advance the current knowledge base and development of virtual reality and visualization skills.

The cooperative execution of laboratory research topics and academic demonstration projects will advance the infusion of Federally developed technologies into the public and private sectors. It will facilitate the development of new products, provide greater employment opportunities, and enhance prosperity in the region, state and nation.

For more information on this agreement, contact Steven R. Jones at the Technology Transfer Office, Mail Code CO30, Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812 phone (256) 544-4373, fax (256) 544-3151 or e-mail steve.jones@msfc.nasa.gov; or Dr. Sue Mitchell at Calhoun Community College, PO Box 2216, Decatur, AL 35609-2216, phone (256) 306-2655 or e-mail sue@calhoun.cc.al.us.