Brown U Prof Helps Scientists Visualize Research with VR

Brown U Prof Helps Scientists Visualize Research with VR

A computer visualization expert at Brown University is helping scientists understand their fields in new ways with a range of technologies from virtual reality to 360-degree theaters.

Benjamin Knorlein is an application scientist in the university's Center for Computation and Visualization. Earlier this year, Knorlein was invited to join a team of scientists from across the United States on a research voyage across the Pacific Ocean. Along the way, he used 3D microscopy instruments aboard the ship to create "an immersive visualization in which scientists can not only see the plankton up close, but also move around among them to observe how they function within their environment," according to information released by Brown. Scientists were then able to view the project through VR headsets or Brown's YURT theater, which employs 69 HD projectors, 145 mirrors, 20 nodes of a high-performance-computing cluster and pixels so fine they can't be resolved by the human eye at normal viewing distances.

"Right now virtual reality has a great interest for society, but a lot of people don't really see the potential it can have for science," Knorlein said in a prepared statement. "If you think about it, computation nowadays is more or less in every field of science. A lot of the data people are looking at are also inherently three-dimensional."

About the Author

Joshua Bolkan is contributing editor for Campus Technology, THE Journal and STEAM Universe. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • geometric pattern of interconnected triangles and hexagons

    Gravyty Merges with AI-Powered Student Engagement Companies Ivy.ai and Ocelot

    Gravyty, a provider of alumni and donor engagement and fundraising solutions, has announced a merger with AI-powered student enrollment and engagement companies Ivy.ai and Ocelot. The combined company will operate under the Gravyty brand.

  • glowing digital brain made of blue circuitry hovers above multiple stylized clouds of interconnected network nodes against a dark, futuristic background

    Report: 85% of Organizations Are Using Some Form of AI

    Eighty-five percent of organizations today are leveraging some form of AI, according to the latest State of AI in the Cloud 2025 report from Wiz. While AI's role in innovation and disruption continues to expand, security vulnerabilities and governance challenges remain pressing concerns.

  • illustration of a futuristic building labeled "AI & Innovation," featuring circuit board patterns and an AI brain motif, surrounded by geometric trees and a simplified sky

    Cal Poly Pomona Launches AI and Innovation Center

    In an effort to advance AI innovation, foster community engagement, and prepare students for careers in STEM fields and business, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona has teamed up with AI, cloud, and advisory services provider Avanade to launch a new Avanade AI & Innovation Center.

  • From the Kuali Days 2025 Conference: A CEO's View of Planning for AI

    How can a company serving higher education navigate the changes AI brings to ed tech? What will customers expect? CT talks with Kuali CEO Joel Dehlin, who shared his company's AI strategies with attendees at Kuali Days 2025 in Anaheim.