{"687141":{"#nid":"687141","#data":{"type":"event","title":"Allen\u2013Davidson\u2013Coleman XR Makerspace Grand Opening","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ECelebrate the opening of the Allen\u2013Davidson\u2013Coleman XR Makerspace with an interdisciplinary XR Symposium bringing together faculty, students, and staff interested in immersive technologies for research, education, and human-centered engineering. Plus, guests will enjoy a speaker symposium, networking, and a hands-on open house with live XR demonstrations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EJanuary 23, 2026\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E10:30 AM \u2013 4:00 PM\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003EISyE Main Building\u003Cstrong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAgenda:\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E10:30 AM \u2013 Noon (ISyE Main Atrium):\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EXR Symposium: Invited Talks - Short talks and discussion on XR research and applications across campus\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENoon \u2013 1:00 PM (ISyE Main Atrium):\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr\u003ELunch \u0026amp; Networking: Informal networking in the ISyE Main Atrium\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E1:00 \u2013 4:00 PM (ISyE Main 115)\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EXR Makerspace Open House \u0026amp; Demos: Hands-on demonstrations, guided tours, and conversations with XR Makerspace staff and researchers\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EInvited Speakers:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBruce Walker\u003C\/strong\u003E, School of Psychology \u0026amp; School of Interactive Computing, Georgia Tech\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETalk Title:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;Research With, About, and In Virtual Reality: A Sample of Sonification Lab XR R\u0026amp;D Projects\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBio:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;Bruce N. Walker is Professor of Psychology and Interactive Computing at Georgia Tech. His Sonification Lab studies multimodal interfaces, sonification and auditory displays, and human-technology interaction in complex tasks, futuristic technologies, and VR\/AR\/XR. Dr. Walker is founding Director of VRlandia, a GT shared collaboratory for VR\/AR\/XR research and development. He is also Director of the Center for Human-AI-Robot Interaction (CHART). He teaches HCI, Sensation \u0026amp; Perception, and Assistive Technology; and has consulted for NASA, state and federal governments, the military, and private companies.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFrederick Benaben\u003C\/strong\u003E, H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial \u0026amp; Systems Engineering, Georgia Tech\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETalk Title:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;A Framework for Immersive Technologies in Engineering: An Illustrated Perspective\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBio:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;Frederick Benaben is Tenured Full Professor at Institut Mines Telecom in France (Industrial Engineering Center) and Visiting Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology. His research focuses on the use of Artificial Intelligence and Immersive Technologies for decision support and the management of complex situations in uncertain environments. He is the head of the \u201cDigital Systems for Crisis Management and Security\u201d research team at IMT, directs the IOMEGA VR Lab, leads the POD (Physics of Decision) and HITeC (Hybrid Immersive Teaching Campus) initiatives, and co-directs the international SIReN Lab with Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EShreyas Kousik\u003C\/strong\u003E, George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Tech\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETalk Title:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;Do Dangerous Things Safely in XR Humanoid Robot Teleoperation\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBio:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;Shreyas Kousik is an assistant professor in the Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech. He previously held postdoctoral appointments at Stanford University and in the NAV Lab with Prof. Grace Gao. He earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan, advised by Prof. Ram Vasudevan in the ROAHM Lab. His research focuses on guaranteeing safety in autonomous robotic systems through collision avoidance, with an emphasis on modeling uncertainty in perception and estimation for practical planning and control on real robots.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWayne Li\u003C\/strong\u003E, Colleges of Design and Engineering, Georgia Tech\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETalk Title:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;Using XR for Automotive Interior Development (Hyundai Project)\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBio:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;Wayne K. Li is the James L. Oliver Professor, holding a joint position between the Colleges of Design and Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology. He leads joint teaching initiatives and advances interdisciplinary collaboration between mechanical engineering and industrial design through classes and the Innovation and Design Collaborative (IDC) and Design Bloc. Li\u0027s research areas include ethnographic research, multidisciplinary online education, and human-machine interaction in transportation design. His career spans industry and academia. Li has led innovation and market expansion for Pottery Barn seasonal home products, taught in Stanford University\u0027s design program, led interface development at Volkswagen of America\u0027s Electronics Research Laboratory, and developed corporate brand and vehicle differentiation strategies at Ford Motor Company. He has also worked as a product designer and mechanical engineer at IDEO Product Development.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMeryem Yilmaz Soylu\u003C\/strong\u003E, Center for 21st Century Universities, Georgia Tech\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETalk Title: \u003C\/strong\u003EDesigning Human-Centered XR for Learning, Reflection, and Skill Development\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBio:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;Meryem Yilmaz Soylu is a Research Scientist at Georgia Tech\u2019s Center for 21st Century Universities (C21U) within the College of Lifetime Learning, where her work focuses on human-centered learning design, immersive technologies, and AI-supported educational systems. Her research examines how XR and AI can support learning experiences and engagement, leadership, and durable skills development across online and hybrid learning environments. Her work combines mixed-methods research and learner experience (UX) design to inform the design and evaluation of real-world educational systems.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJoin us for the opening of the Allen\u2013Davidson\u2013Coleman XR Makerspace with an interdisciplinary XR Symposium that convenes faculty, students, and staff to engage with immersive technologies shaping research, education, and human-centered engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Celebrate the opening of the Allen\u2013Davidson\u2013Coleman XR Makerspace "}],"uid":"36736","created_gmt":"2026-01-09 19:42:58","changed_gmt":"2026-02-25 20:14:43","author":"ebrown386","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","field_event_time":{"event_time_start":"2026-01-23T10:30:00-05:00","event_time_end":"2026-01-23T16:00:00-05:00","event_time_end_last":"2026-01-23T16:00:00-05:00","gmt_time_start":"2026-01-23 15:30:00","gmt_time_end":"2026-01-23 21:00:00","gmt_time_end_last":"2026-01-23 21:00:00","rrule":null,"timezone":"America\/New_York"},"location":"ISyE Main Building","extras":[],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/eforms.isye.gatech.edu\/grand-opening-xr-makerspace","title":"RSVP"}],"groups":[{"id":"660404","name":"ISyE Extended Reality Makerspace (ISYE XR)"},{"id":"1242","name":"School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISYE)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[{"id":"194683","name":"Talk"},{"id":"1789","name":"Conference\/Symposium"},{"id":"194613","name":"Industry"}],"invited_audience":[{"id":"78761","name":"Faculty\/Staff"},{"id":"177814","name":"Postdoc"},{"id":"174045","name":"Graduate students"},{"id":"78751","name":"Undergraduate students"}],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}