Virginia Tech Department of Computer Science 3D Interaction Group team took first place at the 20th Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Conference on Virtual Reality + 3D User Interfaces (UI) 3DUI contest held March 12-16. This is their 2nd win in a row, and their 6th overall since the contest began in 2010. 

The team presented their work on Clean the Ocean: An Immersive VR Experience Proposing New Modifications to Go-Go and WiM Techniques. This experience had the objective to increase players’ awareness of trash pollution in the ocean while improving the current interaction techniques in virtual environments. More information can be seen on the project page.

The team was led by computer science Ph.D. student Lee Lisle, along with other computer science graduate students:  Feiyu Lu, Ph.D.;  Shakiba Davari, Ph.D.; Ibrahim Tahmid, Ph.D.; Cory Ilo, Ph.D.; Leonardo Pavanatto, Ph.D.;  Lei Zhang, former iPh.D.; Alexander Giovannelli, MS; Luke Schlueter, undergraduate student; and Doug Bowman, the Frank J. Maher Professor of Computer Science and Director of the Center for Human-Computer Interaction at Virginia Tech.

Lee Lisle Feiyu Lu Shakiba Davari Ibrahim Tahmid Cory Ilo Leonardo Pavanatto Lei Zhang Alexander Giovannelli Luke Schlueter
Doug Bowman works with his students in the Center of Human-Computer Interaction lab.
Doug Bowman engages with his students in the Center for Human-Computer Interaction lab space. Photo by Erin Williams for Virginia Tech.

At the same conference, Bowman was honored as member of the inaugural class of the IEEE Technical Community on Visualization and Graphics Virtual Reality Academy. His citation read, "For significantly advancing knowledge in 3D UIs and VR, profoundly influencing how these systems are characterized and designed.