Jamestown Community College has received a grant to create a virtual and augmented reality room in the Sheldon Center.
The college was awarded a $12,500 Innovative Instruction Technology Grant. The new VR/AR room will allow for students studying Computer Science to write and test virtual and augmented reality programming.
JCC Computer Science Instructor Jonathan Blair said the dedicated space will give students the ability to move about freely, as though actually in a museum or a foreign country for example, or even a hospital room if a nursing simulation were created. Though initially the room will be for Computer Science students, future goals include the incorporation of training opportunities for other departments and Workforce Development certifications in the future.
Blair said, “I felt it was important for the students to have the ability to do a focused study on a cutting-edge topic that directly impacts the area of Computer Science they are hoping to spend their career in. When you add in the fact that most employers want some type of experience in order to be hired, it makes sense to have them complete a project that they designed, constructed, and managed.”
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of 2022, the median pay for computer and technology occupations is more than $100,000 a year, and it is projected that there are 9,600 new openings for computer programmers each year.
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