A group of 15 retirees, including UNMC Board of Counselor member Peg Gilbert, came to UNMC in late January to visit two of the university’s newest facilities.
The group toured the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center and Chihuly Sanctuary, then visited the Davis Global Center, where they toured the National Training, Simulation and Quarantine Unit and the iEXCEL simulation learning program.
During the iEXCEL tour, Moriah McCune, community engagement coordinator, highlighted the Davis Global Center’s 8k SONY Infinity Wall, the holographic theater and led the group to the five-sided virtual reality laser-CAVE.
“There are no traditional classrooms in this building,” McCune said. “Everything is hands-on and engaging.”
Guest Ann Tanis stepped into the laser cave wearing the virtual reality headset, journeying through a virtual heart with a stent placed in an artery.
Tanis called the experience chilling and amazing.
“I had high expectations,” she said. “This is better than I thought.”
On another floor, the group witnessed a health care simulation manikin giving birth.
Gilbert, who had a 45-year career in nursing and nursing instruction, said that even though she’s toured different parts of the UNMC campus, she still is amazed at the technology available to learners.
Looking back on her instructional career, Gilbert said, “To have something like this for students, what a gift it would have been.”