[Although it doesn’t cover specific steps to bring about institutional change, this opinion column from Times Higher Education makes the compelling argument for the incorporation of presence-evoking technologies in higher education. –Matthew] [Image: CAVE2 at the Electronic Visualization Laboratory (EVL) at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). Source: UIC] Universities should immerse themselves in virtual reality Embracing immersive content would aid public engagement and bring research and teaching closer together, argue Vincent Tong, Sam Smidt and Matilda Katan May 3, 2018 By Vincent Tong, Sam Smidt and Matilda Katan While universities bill themselves as pioneers of technology, they are…

[This story from Artsy describes the trend towards technology-based experiential art and attractions, focusing on Meow Wolf’s installation in Santa Fe (coming soon to Denver, Las Vegas and elsewhere); the company’s CEO “envisions a future where the lines between things like art, theme parks, role-playing games, and augmented reality will be blurred. The emerging term, he explains, is ‘alternative reality.’” The original story includes a large photo gallery, and for more information see Meow Wolf’s website and a 2:20 minute video on YouTube (which will lead you to other videos). Two related news stories from the last few weeks may be…

[Thank you to everyone who joined us for PRESENCE 2018 last week in Prague, either in person or virtually. Special thanks to organizing committee members SongYi (Grace) Lee, Kun Xu, Hocheol Yang and Jihyun Kim. For me at least, it was another rewarding, intellectually invigorating and very enjoyable combination of presentations and informal discussions about different aspects of a fascinating topic. In our concluding session we identified a variety of challenges we face as presence scholars and we’ll be following up soon on some of the steps we developed towards addressing them. In the meantime, the story below is about…

[One last news item before ISPR Presence News takes a break for a few weeks: This piece from Big Think considers the role of VR and other presence-evoking technologies in defining, and controlling, our personal reality; the original includes more images and three videos. –Matthew] [Image: You are who you are because of your environment. What happens in a virtual world? Credit: Shutterstock/Big Think] How will virtual reality change your mind’s consciousness? May 16, 2018 by Derek Beres Over a half-century ago, Canadian professor and philosopher Marshall McLuhan wrote one of the most influential books on media theory ever. Understanding…

[A Villanova University professor is using a CAVE to evoke spatial presence and help baseball players train; this story is from Philly.com, where it includes two more images. –Matthew] [Image: A Villanova professor developed a program to help Wildcat players improve at the plate. Sam Margulis, a freshman outfielder, demonstrates the virtual reality setup located in “The Cave” in a campus library. Credit: Michael Bryant / Staff Photographer.] Taking a swing at virtual reality: How Villanova baseball is using tech to improve at the plate Updated: May 10, 2018 by Frank Fitzpatrick, Staff Writer Heads down, hoods up, hands buried…

[Peter Rubin’s new book covers a wide range of interesting presence topics; this interview with the author is from The Verge (where it includes a different image). –Matthew] Why the real promise of virtual reality is to change human connection It’s not all about gaming By Angela Chen Apr 17, 2018 All the talk about virtual reality revolutionizing the gaming industry is “just first-day stuff,” says VR expert Peter Rubin. Forget 360-degree video and video games, he says. That’s just the beginning, and focusing too much on these uses takes away from the true potential of VR: a social technology…