Nursing students at Fitchburg State University will benefit from cutting edge technology and next-level simulations thanks to generous grants from the Elaine Nicpon Marieb Charitable Foundation and the George I. Alden Trust.

The grants will fund wearable technology to let students and instructors utilize the latest augmented reality software as well as stipends for nursing and game design students to create and deploy new scenarios for nurses in training.

“This really is cutting edge,” said Associate Professor Deborah Benes, chair of Fitchburg State’s Nursing Department. “We’re giving our students the opportunity to work with equipment they never would have seen before that’s being used in the workforce right now.”

Students in Fitchburg State’s game design program work on their their capstone projects in the IdeaLab which is located off-campus. The IdeaLab houses a state of the art studio space designed to promote applied work and create interaction between students, faculty and working professionals. Student groups are tasked with creating a game wherein students have the opportunity to work with developers from Rockstar New England as mentors, in addition to our faculty.

Last week, students in Game Design Professor Les Nelken's Virtual Reality Development course wrapped up their final projects. The course introduces students to virtual reality (VR) development, the principles and history of VR and VR systems, as well as how this rapidly advancing medium can be used in interactive and narrative entertainment, education and training, art and film creation, and other content areas. Topics include 3D interaction and VR user interface types, haptics, human perception, social VR, telepresence, augmented reality (AR) and the philosophical and scientific implications of how virtual reality may inform and alter human perception of reality. Students will playtest and critique a variety of VR games and apps, and work individually and in groups to create VR projects.

The conclusion of the Game Design program's annual Fall Game Jam took place Friday afternoon in the Conlon Game Labs. Game Design students, who worked in small teams to make games that addressed the theme of  "Day in Night", got together in the game labs, along with faculty, to celebrate their hard work and play their, and each others' games.

It was standing room only in the Randall Lecture Hall where students, faculty, family and friends gathered to watch  the students from the Spring 2023 Game Studio showcase their games, discuss their development process and answer audience questions. 

This year's Visions, a juried honors exhibit of the Communications Media Department, opened with an Alumni Panel in the Ellis White White Lecture Hall. This lively discussion was followed by The Gallery Opening, and a Film & Video Screening in Weston Auditorium. Thank you to the alumni, jurors, Communications Media faculty, students, and staff. The Exhibit will run until June 30, 2023. 

Today, Commissioner of Higher Education Noe Ortega visited the Fitchburg State campus as part of his tour of the state's 29 public colleges and universities. During his visit, Commissioner Ortega had lunch with and listened to students, experienced an immersive classroom simulation with education students, spoke with game design students at the downtown game studio about their projects, experienced a virtual nursing simulation designed by students, and checked out facilities including the strength and conditioning laboratory at Landry Arena. 

Students in Fitchburg State’s game design program work on, and test, their their capstone projects in the IdeaLab which is located off-campus. The IdeaLab houses a state of the art studio space designed to promote applied work and create interaction between students, faculty and working professionals. Student groups are tasked with creating a game wherein students have the opportunity to work with developers from Rockstar New England as mentors, in addition to our faculty.

Students in Professor Samuel Tobin's Elements of Game Design course work out, and try out, their classmates re-envisioning/re-utilization of old standby tabletop games like checkers, chess, and cards. Using the elements of these games as a launch point, students are tasked with creating a new game. 

This course introduces students to the process of planning and designing the interactive experience of game play. Students will develop a critical understanding of the formal, dramatic, and systems elements of games across a wide range of game styles and genres, from traditional physical games and sports to video games.