VWs III: Triassic Dinosaurs

Presenter: Dae Miami (Dr. William Schmachtenberg)

Venue: Lecture A – The Hearth

This is the third in a series of talks for VWBPE. During the Summer of 2025, A VW of the Triassic time period using the Unreal game engine was presented at the Virginia Museum of Natural History. Guests at the museum increased their understanding of rocks and fossils of this time period from 51 to 89%. This increase of 38% is the largest measured over the last 3 years as a result of using a VW in real life museum. The simulation also helped correct misunderstandings of the guests such as man lived with the dinosaurs. Perhaps most interesting is that a 5 year old boy used a multiplayer version of the sim to create his own games online. A full length version of last years Cretaceous VW simulation including a virtual dinosaur hunting trip in South Dakota, and dinosaur activities is now available for FREE download.

Objective:

• Participants will be able to think critically about their personal use of AI for information access.

Insights Connection:
I will be sharing my insights on best practices of how to create, use, and share VW simulations with attendees.

Accessibility: Will provide a written script during the presentation.