Students will now be able to travel with atoms in an electron beam observed by a mass spectrometer, or scientific device used to monitor the destruction and particles of molecules, in a virtual experience.
Employees at the United States Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site (SRS) have designed the programme with an educational video aimed at explaining the functions of spectrometers.
Staff at the facility virtually recreated the mass spectrometer with laser mapping, and engineers later built the virtual programme along with SRS experts in chemistry and physics familiar with the equpiment, who also wrote the educator’s guide, the Office of Environmental Management reported.
Kim Mitchell of the education outreach group for the Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS), said:
“We will be replacing the video with a virtual reality program headset for a visual deep dive into and through the spectrometer, as if you were really there”
Mass spectrometers allow staff to separate a substance into individual components, resulting in a breakdown of the quantity and identity of substances tested, Mitchell added.
She concluded the virtual experience would effectively demonstrate “the need for a variety of professions” in real-world operations, adding scientists, lab technicians, engineers, and others were “just some of the career fields touched by this fascinating technology.”
She concluded such virtual reality programmes could see increased use at future career fairs.
According to David Arrington, science department chair for Lakeside High School in Evans, Georgia, the video offered an “inside look” at the functions of mass spectrometers”.
He added:
“This is something that students otherwise would not have been able to experience. You could definitely see them making the connection between the gas sample, electron beam and the mass fragments detected while watching the video”
According to the SRNS, roughly 2,000 students and educators have viewed the VR-powered video, with over 25,000 students and 410 educators viewing programmes from the SRNS outreach division.
Teachers seeking to access the VR experience can apply via a form to receive links to the video and guide.
The SRS is a 310 square mile facility owned by the US Department of Energy based in South Carolina and bordered by the Savannah River and Georgia, according to the department website.
The facility is also close to top cities for research and development in the region, including Atlanta, Charleston, Charlotte, Greenville and Savannah.
The news comes as numerous VR/AR firms such as ChalkBites, PrecisionOS, Starlink, and many others have begun launching major solutions to train and educate learners in disciplines from the classroom to the operating room, to strengthen VR-enhanced education as a key vertical in the global industry.
