Antoine Earns National Science Foundation Grant for Mixed Reality Project at PVAMU’s School of Engineering

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (August 18, 2023) — Dr. Keisha Antoine, lecturer at Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU), was awarded $600,000 by the National Science Foundation (NSF) for a three-year project to incorporate mixed reality (MR) technology into the learning environment in selected Chemical Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering undergraduate courses.

This is Antoine’s first grant. Antoine and her co-principal investigators (Kazeem Olanrewaju, Ph.D., assistant professor of chemical engineering; Jorge Gabitto, Ph.D., professor of chemical engineering; Justin Foreman, Ph.D., assistant professor of electrical engineering; and Penrose Cofie, Ph.D. EE, PE, assistant professor of electrical engineering) are thrilled to bring this level of advanced technology to the engineering department at PVAMU.

The proposed three-year project aims to leverage MR technology to enhance STEM education at The University. This project specifically targets first-generation, underrepresented minority (URM) students, and all genders, with a focus on courses within the chemical and electrical & computer engineering departments. The primary goal of the project is to create MR-based instructional environments that bring practical experiences to abstract content in these courses, enabling the explicit-to-tacit transfer of knowledge.

“I’m excited about the fact that we are preparing our students to be ready for the world, technologically speaking,” said Antoine.

In MR experiences, digital elements are overlaid onto physical environments, providing an immersive learning experience through headsets. This immersive approach helps address the challenges of teaching abstract concepts using traditional methods such as equations and static images. By integrating MR modules, the project seeks to enhance students’ engagement and understanding of complex material by offering a bridge between theoretical concepts and real-world applications.

While MR has been applied in various fields, its potential in engineering education, particularly for underrepresented students, remains relatively unexplored. The project hypothesizes that using MR as an active learning tool will not only improve learning outcomes but also provide engaging digital experiences that benefit both in-person and remote learners.

“This project underscores PVAMU’s commitment to advancing STEM education and ensuring inclusivity in our learning environment. By harnessing the power of mixed reality technology, we are not only enhancing the quality of instruction but also breaking down barriers to understanding complex concepts,” said PVAMU Vice President of Research & Innovation Magesh Rajan, Ph.D., P.E., MBA. “As an R2 institution, we take pride in our readiness to embrace transformative technologies like MR, which align with our mission to provide excellence in education to underrepresented students. This endeavor exemplifies our dedication to fostering immersive learning experiences that transcend traditional boundaries, ultimately empowering our students and shaping the future of STEM education.”

The broader impacts of the project are significant. As a Historically Black College and University, PVAMU graduates the second-highest number of Black engineers in the nation. By introducing MR technology, the university can further its legacy of providing quality education to underrepresented and first-generation students, as well as women. The project aligns with equity initiatives by increasing accessibility to diverse student populations, regardless of their background or learning mode. The Carnegie R2 designation of PVAMU highlights its commitment to innovation, making it well-positioned to integrate transformative technologies like MR into STEM education.

Overall, the proposed project’s positive impact on PVAMU includes improving instruction, increasing accessibility, fostering engagement, and contributing to the advancement of STEM education through the integration of cutting-edge mixed reality technology. The project has the potential to benefit a wide range of learners, catering to different learning styles and needs.

“This generation wants to be part of their own learning from creating content to seeing practical use cases,” said Antoine. “Specifically for engineers, a lot of the concepts can be abstract, so we can help bring some practicality to the theoretical understanding. There’s just so many different benefits that I see and some benefits we don’t even know about right now, but we will discover as we continue to develop this technology and engineering education.”