The Academic Technologies Advisory Council (ATAC) has awarded $50,185 to the project “Utilizing Virtual Reality as a Teaching Tool for Radiation Safety.” This funding will support the cost of graduate student, VR devices, and the necessary software as outlined in the award proposal. 

As written in the project summary by Professors Tori Forbes, Scott Daly, & College of Engineering's 

Ibrahim Demir: "This proposal aims to decrease critical safety and experiential learning gaps in our radiochemistry curriculum by developing a virtual reality (VR) training module that teaches students how to safely handle radioactive solutions—skills that cannot be fully practiced in traditional undergraduate or graduate-level laboratories. The desired learning outcomes include ensuring that Radiochemistry Graduate Certificate students enter CHEM:5129 with a foundational understanding of radiation safety (Course Learning Objective 1) and enabling students in CHEM:4760 to integrate theory with practical risk-mitigation strategies (Course Learning Objective 5). Currently, graduate students in the certificate program lack early exposure to realistic radioactive-solution hazards before hands-on summer labs, and undergraduates have no opportunity to engage in practical radiochemical work due to safety constraints. The VR simulation will replicate laboratory procedures, allow students to practice selecting PPE, transferring radioactive solutions, detecting contamination, and iterating based on feedback, thereby providing a safe, immersive, and pedagogically sound intervention to build competency and confidence prior to engaging in real laboratory environments."

Congrats, Radiochem!