Louisiana Tech University recently hosted a research partnership showcase and facility tour at the Louisiana Tech Research Institute (LTRI) in Bossier City, highlighting the University’s commitment to research, partnerships, and innovation.
The event showcased a project funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) which is led by Southern University in Baton Rouge (SUBR), LTRI, Louisiana Tech, Alcorn State and BetaFlix.
Dr. Henrietta Williams-Pichon, dean of the College of Education and Human Sciences (CEHS), emphasized how the College’s mission has evolved far beyond traditional norms.
“We are transforming the human experience, and that goes beyond teacher preparation,” Pichon said. “Bringing together individuals from different disciplines allows us to address shared challenges in powerful and collaborative ways.”
Attendees experienced immersive demonstrations of middle school science modules delivered through virtual reality headsets and interacted with “unicorn hats” that track brain activity during the simulations, part of an ongoing study examining how these technologies impact student learning and engagement. These tools are designed to support STEM learning in under-resourced, rural areas.
“This federally funded content development, research, and deployment effort focused on creation of an innovative learning methodology using the middle school OpenSciEd curriculum,” Dr. Lindsey Vincent, associate dean of Research, Outreach, and Innovation, said. “The effort highlights the exciting work universities do in the spaces of research, product development, learning, and community impact.”
Human performance researchers from the Department of Kinesiology and human systems engineers from the College of Engineering and Sciences are working together to understand not only the benefits of the use of the technology but also how best mitigate any negative effects that could impact the learner’s experience.
Dr. Donna Johnson, Louisiana Tech’s Chief Innovation Officer, presented the charge of the University’s new Innovation and Advancement (IA) division and emphasized the importance of customized collaboration across disciplines. The IA division manages and leverages the LTRI facility in Bossier City.
“For Louisiana Tech to remain relevant, we have to come up with new and creative ways to advance our programming, drive research, drive revenue; and that's what the IA division has been designed to do,” Johnson said. “From the heavy impact type of projects to regional manufacturing enhancement opportunities, our division tries to span those worlds and the make best and highest use of the assets on campus.”
Warren Ward, executive director of LTRI, reiterated significance of such partnerships with colleagues such as Dr. Stubblefield at SUBR. He highlighted the importance of student engagement through research-driven learning.
“This showcase reflects the diverse research opportunities our students, faculty, and alumni are plugged into,” Ward said. “We’re proud to support this work through the partnerships at LTRI and across Louisiana Tech with faculty members such as Drs. Mary Fendley and Drew Parks, alumni such as Sree Sanakam, Sharon Jackson, Saj and Sanj Nallanathan and current students such as McKinley Sherman.”
The event concluded with group tours of the LTRI facility, hands-on demonstrations with the virtual reality content; and conversations among University and community leaders, state officials, and educational innovators about how to further leverage these unique and powerful resources.
“These types of research efforts allow us to understand, create, and better utilize technologies to help all learners access information and opportunity to flourish in learning and life,” Vincent added. “Our goal is to continue creating collaborative spaces for solving problems and doing work with passionate partners who also value learning, access, and innovation.”