VPRI UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP / AUGMENTED REALITY PROJECT
I was given the Vice President for Research and Innovation Fellowship Award to create an augmented reality experience focused on STEM education. I developed my AR application using Lens Studio and conducted research with this experience along with my mentor, Professor Danny Pimentel. Over time, This AR educational experience was viewed by over 70,000 people, and 68,000 interacted with the experience for an average of 8 seconds, with 25,000 of those being long plays. Scan the code below with Snapchat to try it out for yourself. I then presented that research in poster form to dozens of people in the 2023 undergraduate research symposium. The poster and summary can be found below.
STEM Accessorization: Visualizing Careers in Augmented Reality
Author: Will Nusbaum Co-Author(s): Danny Pimentel, Shane Burrell
The specific aim of this study was to explore how embodiment in augmented reality can influence
self-perceptions and perceptions of science as a whole, despite research showing that augmented
reality influences how someone thinks, feels, and behaves; embodiment has largely been studied
in the context of virtual reality, leaving little insight into how AR-based embodiment may be used
to increase engagement in education beyond understanding the psychological impact of this
embodiment, our project aimed to have applied impacts as well, including inspiring young audiences
to consider, and eventually pursue, science careers To do so, we developed a Snapchat
filter using face tracking and object placement in the engine Lens Studio This AR-based science
application allowed users to see themselves in the roles of specific scientific professionals and
learn more about each career. Ultimately, the goal of this project was to gauge differences in key
outcomes from pre- and post-intervention, namely: interest in science careers, views of self-as
scientist, and attitudes towards science. We additionally assessed the degree of embodiment and
cognitive absorption. This data was all collected online via Amazon Mechanical Turk, through two
questionnaires. After analysis, our findings indicated that identification with scientists increased
significantly after exposure to the augmented reality experience, but unfortunately, other variables
did not.
self-perceptions and perceptions of science as a whole, despite research showing that augmented
reality influences how someone thinks, feels, and behaves; embodiment has largely been studied
in the context of virtual reality, leaving little insight into how AR-based embodiment may be used
to increase engagement in education beyond understanding the psychological impact of this
embodiment, our project aimed to have applied impacts as well, including inspiring young audiences
to consider, and eventually pursue, science careers To do so, we developed a Snapchat
filter using face tracking and object placement in the engine Lens Studio This AR-based science
application allowed users to see themselves in the roles of specific scientific professionals and
learn more about each career. Ultimately, the goal of this project was to gauge differences in key
outcomes from pre- and post-intervention, namely: interest in science careers, views of self-as
scientist, and attitudes towards science. We additionally assessed the degree of embodiment and
cognitive absorption. This data was all collected online via Amazon Mechanical Turk, through two
questionnaires. After analysis, our findings indicated that identification with scientists increased
significantly after exposure to the augmented reality experience, but unfortunately, other variables
did not.