From: gbnewby@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: INFO: SU's VR lab, more information
Date: 14 Dec 92 01:09:38 GMT
Article-I.D.: u.1992Dec14.015043.7033
Organization: University of Washington
Originator: hlab@stein.u.washington.edu


Hi gang.  I got the following information from Syracuse University.
Evidently, the situation isn't as bleak as it might have appeared.
I'm curious as to the extent to which other institutions might
be experiencing the same sort of virtual 'growing pains' and
retrenchment...

For further information on VR at Syracuse, contact
Tom Harblin, Director of Corporate and Foundation
Relations.  Syracuse University.  Syracuse, NY, 13244.

------- Forwarded Message

Greg, I noted your comments and concerns on the network regarding the
news article on the Syracuse University VR Lab. That article was misleading
and contained inaccurate information. As such, as you can appreciate, it
causes potential problems and misimpressions among people we are relating
to as we seek to continue to develop our VR infrastructure, research, and
collaborations.
     The SU VR Labequipment has been temporarily assigned to a faculty
member conducting a research project on how students learn the manual dex-
terity skills required to operate weaving machines they use in textile design
courses. It is not randomly scattered about.
     The VR Lab, qua lab, is indeed in a transition. As you may recall, the
lab was originally established under the auspices of the New York State Center
for Advanced Technology in Computer Applications and Software Engineering
(CASE) at Syracuse University as a result of a gift of used equipment from
AGE. It was agreed to set up that lab within the Advanced Graphics Research
Laboratory in Heroy Hall for as long as it made sense for it to be there.
     SU has recently reorganized its Computing Services operation. In the
process, it made sense to return the VR LAb equipment to CASE for its pur-
poses. This accomplished two things, namely, getting the Lab identified with
the Center for Science and Technology where so much of our advanced computing
programs and resources are located; and, allowing the equipment to be tempo-
rarily dedicated to a faculty research project that has a number of instruc-
tional as well as research payoffs.
     Although it remains as an open question, it is generally understood that
SU would likely have more than one VR Lab, according to the type of technology
and activities associated with it. For example, the Northeast ParallelArchi-
tectures Center (NPAC) has a number of initiatives and proposals that will
bring it substantial VR capabilities to add to its software and massively
parallel platforms so as to allow some sophisticated research and application
work that the original lab equipment could not support.
     The original VR Lab achieved a number of objectives, including introducing
faculty, staff, and students, to VR and supporting a variety of exploratory
projects. When the faculty project currently using that equipment is done, I
assume that the equipment will continue to be available for that purpose
generally again via the CASE Center.
      The Campuswide Information System (CWIS) that Mike Nilan discussed in
most of the article is but one very interesting application of VR. That is a
well supported project that has already generated wide interest and made
substantial progress. As you may know, the VR component is planned to be integ-
rated in a subsequent phase, and when it is it should advance CWIS technologies
to a new level.
      So, VR work is alive and well at SU. We have a number of initiatives that
we anticipate will accelerate even further the involvement and support commit-
ted to VR inquiry and applications at SU.
      CASE is in the midst of its routine decennial reauthorization review.
When that is over in spring, '93, I expect that we will see more CASE initiated
VR projects and the expansion of a VR Lab within CASE.
      So, "soaring costs" did not force "closure" of the  Lab, but rather a
combination of events and opportunities have led to some changes which, while
they may temporarily limit the access of "novices" to VR technology, will con-
tinue to support VR work by SU faculty and students.
      Would you please do your alma mater a service by distributing this infor-
mation to those who may have seen and been mislead by the newsarticle which
did not accurately or completely characterize the University's support for VR
and the various and exciting VR initiatives expected to be undertaken in "93?

------- End of Forwarded Message

***** Greg Newby, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
***** Ass't Prof, Grad. Sch. of Library and Information Science
***** Research Scientist, Nat'l Cntr for Supercomputing Applications
***** 417 David Kinley Hall, 1407 W. Gregory Drive, Urbana, IL, 61801
***** Voice:  217-244-7365.  Fax:  217-244-3302  E: gbnewby@uiuc.edu
***** gbnewby@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu, gnewby@ncsa.uiuc.edu