Next-generation virtual reality room on its way

The Howe Hall dedication festivities were barely over when construction of C6 got under way in the atrium. C6, which is the centerpiece technology of the Virtual Reality Applications Center (VRAC), is a next-generation virtual reality room that will be one of the most advanced synthetic environments in the world.

C6 will have images projected on all four of its walls, its ceiling, and its floor. The latest computer technology will generate images and provide researchers a higher degree of immersion in virtual synthetic environments. C6 will be up and running by June.

VRAC researchers apply synthetic environment technology to real industrial problems, said VRAC Director Jim Bernard. “A primary focus of C6 will be to design and advance virtual prototypes and provide human-in-the-loop simulations to aid the process of product design and data visualization.”

VRAC, formerly the Iowa Center for Emerging Manufacturing Technology, supports the work of 12 faculty and more than 50 graduate students.


Deere Foundation, Procter & Gamble gifts support C6

The $6-million C6 project is being funded primarily by gifts from industrial partners and research grants. The John Deere Foundation recently gave $500,000 to support C6.

John Lawson, BSME’62, a senior vice president at Deere, said, “This gift acknowledges our belief that C6 and the faculty, staff, and students of VRAC will continue to be a premier resource for developing virtual reality prototyping tools for industry. It also shows Deere & Company’s ongoing desire to continue our strong partnership with Iowa State in advancing this important technology.”

The John Deere Foundation and Deere & Company have assisted ISU’s virtual reality research program through VRAC since 1994. Deere researchers are involved in a three-year project using synthetic environments as an enabling technology for product development.

In August, representatives from The Procter & Gamble Company presented a check for $100,000 in support of the construction of C6. The company has sponsored several research projects at VRAC.

“This technology has provided us with new insights into the results from our computer-aided engineering analyses,” said P&G Technology Leader Joseph Kitching. “The C6 will be a premier facility in the country and we look forward to continued visualization efforts and the possibilities that arise from being totally surrounded by stereo images of our data sets in C6.”

Conducting research that’s applicable to industry is important at VRAC, said Director Jim Bernard. “These gifts are a good indication that we’re headed in the right direction.”


Hoovers' gift makes ETRC Phase II a reality

A $3-million gift from an engineering alumnus and his wife has enabled the college to begin construction of Phase II of the ETRC.

In early September, ISU President Martin Jischke announced the generous donation from Donna and Gary Hoover, BSME’61, of Omaha, Nebraska. In honor of the donation, the proposed name of the building will be Gary and Donna Hoover Hall. Construction will begin in the spring with completion slated for the fall of 2001.

“Iowa State’s College of Engineering is a worldwide leader in engineering education and research,” said Gary Hoover. “I am pleased to team with my alma mater and bring a new level of educational opportunities to bright young men and women who will be the leaders of tomorrow.”

Gary Hoover spent 20 years in leadership positions as an engineer with Westinghouse. He retired in 1995 as vice president of Tenaska, Inc., a company he co-founded in 1987 to design, develop, construct, and operate large-scale power plants. Donna Hoover was also a part of the start-up team, providing critical administrative and clerical skills in the company’s early years.

“The engineering fundamentals I learned at Iowa State are the most important factors in my professional career,” he said. “I’ve always stayed closely connected with the ME department people at ISU. It’s very heart-warming to see a university moving the way Iowa State is.”