Letter from the Director
Meg Moody
This year marked a period of momentum for Studio X and my first as Director. Last year, we
spoke of balance, not because it was achieved, but because we were learning to sustain growth
while staying true to our mission of lowering barriers to entry for XR. That spirit continues as we
move forward with purpose.
Momentum is evident in our expanding research collaborations, from archaeology to stroke
diagnostics. Faculty across the University increasingly look to Studio X as a research partner,
reflecting a surge in demand for XR expertise and support. This growth is visible through the
launch of the Center for EXTended Reality Research and Application (EXTRRA), one of the
University’s new transdisciplinary centers focused on accelerating XR research and education.
Even as we contribute to initiatives like this, Studio X remains student-centered, with
students at the core of everything we do.
This was also a year of milestones. We marked five years of Voices of XR, five years of the
interdisciplinary XR graduate training program, and my own fifth year at Rochester. It was also a
year of transition as Studio X staff and students moved on to new opportunities, including Liam
O’Leary ’23 and Libby Braun ’25. Their contributions continue to shape our community, even as
new team members bring fresh energy and ideas.
Higher education faces uncertainty, yet Studio X remains a hopeful space that inspires
connection and innovation. The students and staff who make this community vibrant remind
me every day what is possible. With this momentum, I am confident we will continue to push
XR forward together.
By the Numbers
first-time VR users
equipment reservations
space reservations
consultations
including 7 new departments
course integrations
reaching 879 students
collaborations with departments and groups
Research
EXTRRA: A Transdisciplinary Future for XR
The Center for EXTended Reality Research and Application (EXTRRA) was one of four initiatives awarded multi-year funding through the University’s Boundless Possibility strategic plan. Selected from more than 42 initial proposals, EXTRRA advanced through planning grants and finalist presentations before being awarded $2 million over five years to support its work. Studio X has been closely involved from the beginning, with Director Meg Moody serving as a co-lead investigator. As part of the planning phase, Studio X helped organize the 2024 AR/VR Symposium, which brought together UR and RIT faculty, students, and staff for presentations, demonstrations, and conversations about the future of XR. The center will serve as a transdisciplinary hub, uniting expertise across optics, AI, human interaction, education, and medicine to advance XR research.
Faculty research highlight
VR Analogy for the Filter Bubble
Professor Zhen Bai (Computer Science) and PhD student Shutong Wu, both members of the Rochester Human–Computer Interaction group (ROCHCI), developed a VR bee simulation with support from Studio X. In the experience, players pollinate a digital garden and witness biodiversity collapse into monoculture, an immersive metaphor for how algorithmic filter bubbles narrow human perspectives.
Kormantin Archaeology Toolkit
The Kormantin Archaeology Toolkit, developed by Professor Michael J. Jarvis (History) in collaboration with Studio X, is a modular VR system for immersive archaeological storytelling. Piloted with 3D scans of a 1640 English castle in Abandze, Ghana, it lets users explore excavations, uncover Kormantin’s history, and adapt the toolkit for other heritage sites.
Diagnosing Stroke Symptoms in VR
Professor Ania Busza’s Movement and Plasticity Lab (MAPL) at URMC partnered with Studio X’s Josh Jones ’25 to develop a VR tool for emergency dizziness assessment. Using eye and head tracking, it detects stroke-related vertigo with greater accuracy. Jones’s expertise in VR and cognitive science helped drive the project’s success.
Shaping the Past in 3D: Object Biometrics Platform
Professor Peter H. Christensen (Art and Art History) collaborated with Studio X’s Tamuda Chimhanda ’26 and the Libraries’ Digital Scholarship team to develop Object Biometrics, a web- based platform for analyzing 3D-scanned objects. The project advances research in design, archaeology, and architecture by enabling computational comparison and generating new insights across physical artifacts.
Teaching
Training the Next Generation of XR Innovators
This year marked five years of the NSF-funded program on Interdisciplinary Graduate Training in the Science, Technology, and Applications of AR/VR. Studio X has been a proud partner throughout, collaborating with Professor Mujdat Cetin and Daniel Nikolov on curriculum development and hands-on support. While Studio X has contributed across the program, it has played a central role in shaping the introductory AR/VR course. Supported by Studio X’s Unity workshops, equipment lending, and consultations, the class has evolved each year. This past fall, under Nikolov’s leadership, roughly 20 graduate students designed VR projects ranging from a virtual escape room to a medical instrument tutorial to a yoga training session. The program has provided doctoral students with cutting-edge technical skills while fostering creative and interdisciplinary applications of XR, helping position Rochester as a leader in AR/VR research and education.
Digital Media Studies 101 at Studio X
Professor Kristana Textor’s 101 class has grown through years of collaboration with Studio X. As a creative partner, Kristana embraces iteration and play. This year, her students joined a VR scavenger hunt, danced with robots, explored Senegal’s African Renaissance Monument, and worked with 3D anatomical models while gaining a foundation in XR technologies and its possibilities.
Writing 105: Exploring Uncertainty through XR
Professor Kate Phillips (Writing, Speaking, and Argument) has collaborated with Studio X to create a rich archive of student blog posts. Her 105 course invites students to explore how VR impacts communication, senses, and understanding of our world around us. They test VR applications, conduct research, and publish reflective op-eds.
Words on the Street in VR
Professor Teresa Valdez, Director of the Language Center, integrated multiple Studio X sessions into her spring course Words on the Street: Language, Street Art, and Performance in Portuguese-Speaking Cultures. Tech-savvy and forward-thinking, she used VR to immerse students in Lusophone graffiti and street art, reimagining classroom learning through XR.
Community Engagement
Lights, Camera, Planetarium! Rochester's first 360° Film Festival
As one of Studio X’s first community-engaged experiments, a partnership with the Strasenburgh Planetarium launched Rochester’s inaugural 360° Film Festival. The planetarium dome became a canvas for immersive storytelling, premiering eight films by 17 creators from the University of Rochester, RIT, and SUNY Potsdam. Submissions featured surreal takes on sleep deprivation, fleeting love stories, 3D animations with stunning visuals, street murals, campus life, and even stage magic. Through his Karp Library Fellowship, Miles Vilke ’25 played a central role in the festival, working closely with Planetarium Director Jim Bader and Studio X staff. Building on this success, the festival will continue this year with RIT as a full collaborator and the competition expanded over a semester to broaden opportunities for community-driven uses of XR technology.
— Miles Vilke ’25
Exploring Genomics Through Virtual Reality
Studio X collaborated with the Genomics Research Center at Wilmot Cancer Institute to create an interactive virtual tour designed as a health literacy tool for the public. The project showcases how cutting-edge research connects to community health. Studio X students Spencer Ahn ’27 (camera work) and Sherkeem Duprey ’26 (Unity development) played key roles in building the VR experience, making complex science more accessible and engaging for all.
Empowering Innovation
Heartbeats in VR
Wilson Magnet High School seniors explored physiology through virtual reality at Studio X, where they discovered how immersive environments affect heart rate and revealed fresh insights into human biology.
Celebrating Women in Games
Studio X students joined Gaming for All: A Women in Games Celebration at the Strong National Museum of Play, where they networked with industry leaders, explored local creations, and showcased their own games.
Collaborations
Practice Makes Virtual
Studio X partnered with the Greene Center; Writing, Speaking, and Argument Program; and iZone to introduce VirtualSpeech, a VR app that uses AI to simulate interviews, presentations, and challenging conversations.
Voices of XR: Five Years, 40+ Events
Celebrating five years, Voices of XR is made possible by Kathy McMorran Murray and the National Science Foundation’s XR Research Traineeship program. The series has hosted more than 40 events, connecting UR students with scholars, artists, and professionals, welcoming the public, and making XR research and practice more transparent and accessible. Watch the recordings here!
Student Leadership
Aurum VR: Led by Narrative Design
This year, Aurum VR, Studio X’s immersive alchemical laboratory created in collaboration with Robbins Library, thrived under the leadership of Liz Hogrefe ’25, Karp Library Fellow and Narrative Designer. Liz guided the team to significant progress, including a refreshed project page and a thoughtful retrospective that captures lessons learned and future directions. Beyond development, she conducted original research on how storytelling shapes immersive experiences, deepening our understanding of narrative’s role in XR. Liz’s sharp insights, creativity, and humor made her an inspiring leader and collaborator. Her trajectory continues at Swarthmore College as an Emerging Technologies Fellow—a natural extension of her pioneering work at Studio X.
XR Trailblazers
In 3D: Data Visualization in XR
Karp Library Fellow and XR Developer Miles Vilke ’25 created Studio X’s first XR data visualization workshop in collaboration with the Libraries' Data Services team. He built a custom Unity project visualizing U.S. poverty statistics, showing how VR’s sense of scale can transform data into immersive, impactful experiences.
Dean’s Award for Excellence
Libby Braun ’25 earned the 2025 Dean’s Student Library Services Award, recognized for her creativity, leadership, and innovative contributions to immersive projects and teaching in Studio X. A Karp Library Fellow and summer intern, Libby helped shape Studio X’s welcoming culture, fostering inclusion, mentorship, and collaboration among peers.
Xcalibur Game Jam: The Quest for Gamealot!
Karp Library Fellows Liz Hogrefe ’25 and Miles Vilke ’25 led Studio X’s inaugural XCalibur Game Jam, a 32-hour medieval-themed event held in partnership with Robbins Library. Twenty-two participants formed teams and created eight board and digital games, ranging from dating sims and dragon battles to other medieval adventures.
Spotlight on the Marketing Team
This year, Studio X created distinct roles aligned with students’ interests and skills, resulting in an exceptional marketing team. Under Liz Ritz ’25’s inspirational leadership, Hammer Chen ’26 captured photos, Earl Bumagat ’26 crafted Instagram Reels, Sarah Bernstein ’26 and Bug Cartwright ’26 designed visuals, and Spencer Ahn ’27 produced videos. Their creativity and teamwork made Studio X shine.
Student Success
Studio X helps prepare students for a wide range of roles including jobs, internships, and graduate studies. We're thrilled our students have gone on to exciting positions at:
Inside Studio X
New Professional Staff
Joe
Immersive Technologies Librarian Joe Zelazny applies his expertise in instructional design and educational technology to support UR’s faculty and students in XR teaching and learning.
Yvie
Yvie Zhang, Studio X’s XR Developer, brings expertise in human-computer interaction (HCI), spatial design, and user experience to partner with UR faculty and students, advancing innovative XR research across disciplines.
Expanding Access to XR
Studio X is extending the life of decommissioned VR headsets by donating them to new communities. With student leadership, headsets found homes at the Computer Science Interest Floor (Fenway Powers ’25), the Gandhi Institute (Caleb Kohn-Blank ’26), and Rwanda’s Marie Reine de la Paix school (Tamuda Chimhanda ’26).
Library Space Madness
This year’s Library Space Madness was a fierce contest, but Studio X kept the crown! After facing off against 15 beloved spaces in a bracket-style tournament, followers once again crowned Studio X champion.
Studio X on the National Stage
In 2025, Studio X presented at IMMERSEcon, the Coalition for Networked Information spring meeting, and the Immersive Learning Research Network conference. Topics ranged from XR and AI in language learning, strategic planning for immersive technologies, and Studio Xplorer, a VR onboarding tool for new XR learners.
What's Next?
Studio X is entering an exciting next phase—one focused on deepening impact, expanding collaborations, and sharing what we learn. We’re preparing to:
- Launch a new 2-credit course, Intro to XR: Theory and Practice, debuting in spring 2026.
- Support a growing slate of faculty research projects that explore immersive technologies across disciplines.
- Be more intentional in documenting our work and making processes transparent.
- Create free, reusable assets to expand access and visibility of XR teaching and research.
- Refine our scope-of-work agreements to strengthen communication, clarify roles, and sustain partnerships over time.