Living and Learning in the Metaverse

I would like to take you on a journey to the trenches of VR development, where we will explore how we can harness the power of data visualization to turn data into insights in VR. Concretely, we will investigate two recent research projects: Training people to travel through a virtual building on IU campus as fast as possible, and exploding anatomical structures in the many organs that make up our body.

Building Resilience on the Playground

From our earliest days, we learn through curiosity and experimentation. As we try, try again, we build resilience by learning what works and what doesn’t. While our playgrounds change throughout our lives and careers, we must continue to stoke our curiosity, learn to experiment even in the face of fear of judgment or failure and embrace that learning to grow.

Play is Serious Work

Jon Racek, as the founder of Play360, has built and helped train organizations in the developing world to build learning resources, including playgrounds and classroom resources. He believes that play is not only a priority but a right, and so his projects focus on bringing this to communities all over the world.

Overcoming Shame Using Black Studies & Autoethnography

Black Studies and creative autoethnography offer ways for us to not only express ourselves and to be self-reflexive, but they also allow us to transform, liberate, educate, and resist oppression, ultimately helping us find ways to imagine new futures.

Our New Playground

For trans and non-binary people, coming out and transitioning can be a kind of "second puberty" or even a second childhood. We can all do our part to create loving and supportive environments for them to explore in their gender without pressure or expectation.

The Victory of Patience and Unity over Oppression

The November 2020 Indiana Farmer's Strike rapidly became the biggest protest in human history, with people of all classes and backgrounds participating. After struggling for 16 long months, the laws were repealed. The Indian Farmers’ victory tells us how we can overcome any hurdle or can win any struggle with unity and patience.

The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy of a Relentless Risk Taker

Quincy Owens shares how his life journey, family, and values have informed his artistic endeavors. Throughout his life, taking risks and pushing himself out of his comfort zone have been integral to his creative process.