RAPID: New Models for Online Social Experiences Supporting Immediate Needs of NSF REU students, Conferences and the Advancement of Remote Research

The Covid-19 pandemic has dramatically impacted how and where work may take place, creating a profound demand for technologies and strategies supporting remote work and education. While video conferencing and chat applications have been a great help during this time, their limitations have also become clear. This project explores how 3D virtual worlds can recreate the advantages of being in shared office and learning environments: awareness of the work of your colleagues or fellow students, a sense of being part of a shared community, and opportunities for impromptu interactions. The project promotes the design and development of more resilient work and learning environments by advancing knowledge of how 3D and virtual reality technologies enable people to connect and collaborate at a distance, simulating the physical constraints that naturally create social situations that are vital to the emergence and diffusion of new ideas and professional networks. This project will study how 3D and virtual reality technologies may be effective at recreating the positive aspects of physical conditions of the real world, while allowing for social interaction to be more convenient and efficient than video or chat technologies. The project will also study how virtual reality technologies promote diversity and inclusion by reducing barriers to remote participation.

Virtual worlds technology will be used to support key social interactions of current and future scientists in three areas. First, the project will support a network of undergraduate research students over the summer as a starting point for exploring more regular sharing of research progress and community building, by situating ongoing research artifacts in virtual worlds to stimulate conversation as well as co-construction and review of the research products. The project will explore ongoing informal collaboration as well as formal presentations. Second, it will leverage work completed over the summer for exploring new approaches to online and multi-site models of conferencing in the fall. Third, it will build on both of these projects and previous work to support and study the transition of a major academic conference to an online or hybrid form. Throughout, the 3D and virtual reality technology will be systematically studied and advanced through feedback from participants and partnership with industry that can scale these approaches globally.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.