MSU Computer Science Ph.D. student selected for I/ITSEC scholarship
November 23, 2020
A Ph.D. student in Mississippi State’s Department of Computer Science and Engineering has been awarded a prestigious scholarship to help continue his study of the use of virtual reality in educational settings.
Kendall Moore, a Madison, Mississippi native, was selected as the recipient of the Rear Admiral Fred Lewis I/ITSEC Postgraduate Scholarship. Moore will receive $10,000 to augment his Ph.D. research in computer science.
The Rear Admiral Fred Lewis I/ITSEC Postgraduate Scholarships are awarded to encourage student and university interest in the pursuit of preparing individuals for leadership in the Modeling & Simulation, Training, and Education communities. Only eight students were selected to receive the scholarship from a field of 28 applicants.
“For children on the autism spectrum, research favors using visual means of education, including video modeling, animation and virtual reality (VR),” said Moore. “With a rising popularity of VR devices on the public market, as well as a rising use in games for education purposes, my dissertation aims to explore the use of VR to help ASD kids develop social skills.”
According to the I/ITSEC website, the scholarship encourages the expansion of the I/ITSEC community and promotes innovation through direct investment in community’s future leaders.
Moore said he will be focusing on teaching ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) children social skills using a virtual reality device to see if children will show measurable results in an immersive simulation.
“I intend to use the Oculus Rift S and Oculus Go as the VR devices for my research,” Moore said.
The Inter-service/Industry Training Simulation and Education Conference is held yearly hosted by the National Training and Simulation Association. According to the I/ITSEC website, Moore will be recognized at this conference in November where he will connect with leading professionals from government, industry and academia associating with the modeling and simulation community.
The Bagley College of Engineering is online at www.bagley.msstate.edu and can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube at @msuengineering.
MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.
By: Abbie Kate Hancock