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TEMPE, Ariz. - Arizona State University is using virtual reality to engage students and train the next generation of scientists.
What we know:
Last year, for the first time, students in an ASU biology course were introduced to a virtual reality experience called "Dreamscape Learn." The program puts students in the middle of a story and tasks them with solving an urgent problem.
"They are the ones who are tasked with solving an urgent problem," said John VandenBrooks, a professor at ASU's School of Applied Sciences and Arts.
More than 40,000 biology students took part in the program. This year, it's expanding to other fields, including chemistry.
Ian Gould, associate dean of instructional innovation, said the VR experience helps students understand chemistry, which can be difficult to visualize because it involves molecules.
Why you should care:
"We bring in some sophisticated chemistry which they can not see any other way," Gould said. "It's a combination of seeing how chemistry works, doing chemistry they can't normally do in a lab and in a setting they actually enjoy."
Gould said the goal is for students to see themselves contributing to the field and to society.