UNMC held a celebration/ribbon-cutting July 25 for its new EON Reality VR Innovation Academy (VRIA).
UNMC and UNO Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D., Pamela Boyers, Ph.D., associate vice chancellor for clinical simulation/iEXCEL℠, and Ken Swain, chairman of EON Reality UK, were among the speakers who welcomed students, media, public and private partners and other guests to the event.
See a photo album from the event.
Dr. Gold said the academy would serve the future of the region, the country and the world.
“We have incredibly bold and audacious goals for building the future,” he said. “We believe augmented and virtual reality are going to change the world — not only the world of health care education, but the world of clinical care, all of higher education and ultimately K-12 education and even beyond that.”
The academy provides an industry certificate for tech-savvy individuals who are interested in developing skills in augmented and virtual reality content creation. The VRIA is designed to help communities “grow their own” expertise in augmented/virtual reality, a skillset that is starting to explode around the world.
The UNMC academy is one of only five EON Reality academies in the U.S. and one of 15 in the world. The first class of 18 students currently enrolled in the academy is taking classes in the Williams Science Hall for the one-year program. Up to 20 students will be able to enroll in the program each year.
The UNMC academy’s location on a medical center campus makes it unique among other EON Reality academies, enabling students to experience how virtual reality technology can enhance medical specialization.
Swain thanked Drs. Gold and Boyers, as well as the UNMC and Nebraska community, for this collaboration.
“This past year has been a momentous one for VR and AR as well as for EON Reality,” Swain said. “Our vision statement is that ‘Knowledge is a human right,’ and we can think of no better way than using AR and VR to fulfill this dream.”
Early next year, UNMC will open the Dr. Edwin Davis & Dorothy Balbach Davis Global Center for Advanced Interprofessional Learning. The Davis Global Center will serve as the headquarters for iEXCEL (Interprofessional Experiential Center for Enduring Learning).
Just before the ribbon cutting, Dr. Boyers thanked the EON students and the academy’s business and educational supporters and collaborators.
“It does truly take a village, and we very much appreciate everyone’s efforts,” she said.
The iEXCEL program will contribute to workforce and economic development in Nebraska. It will create up to 325 well-paying jobs and generate a projected $39.3 million annually in economic impact for the state.