Program
IMMERSE Symposium - Program
April 29 & 30, 2025
Unlocking the Potential of Immersive Computing: What Will it Take?
Unless otherwise noted, all sessions will be held at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign (1205 W Clark Street, Urbana, IL 61801).
Agenda
All times in CDT
| DAY 1 - APRIL 29 |
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| 7:30 - 8:00 |
Breakfast
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| 8:00 - 8:15 |
Susan Martinis, Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation
Rashid Bashir, Dean, Grainger College of Engineering
Nancy Amato, Director, Siebel School of Computing and Data Science
Bill Gropp, Director, National Center for Supercomputing Applications
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| 8:15 - 8:35 |
Sarita Adve, Computer Science, Illinois
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| 8:35 - 9:45 |
Highlights From the Last Yea
Moderator: Sarita Adve, Computer Science, Illinois
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| 9:20 | ||||
| 9:45- 10:10 | Break | |||
| 10:10- 12:30 | Immersive Technologies |
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| 10:10 |
Keynote - The Immersive Future of Wearable, Human Centered Computing | Video
Peter Capak, Senior Director of Extended Reality Systems, Meta Reality Labs
Moderator: Shenlong Wang, Computer Science, Illinois
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| 11:00 |
Industry perspectives panel: Where are we today and what will it take?
Moderator: Kris Hauser, Computer Science, Illinois
Peter Capak, Senior Director of Extended Reality Systems, Meta Reality Labs
Rob Shearer, Senior Director of Silicon, Meta
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| 12:00 | Q&A | Video | |||
| 12:30 - 1:30 | Lunch - First and lower atrium floors, Siebel School for Computing and Data Science | |||
| 1:30 - 2:40 | Immersive Applications |
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| 1:30 |
Moderator: Matt Bramlet, Pediatric Cardiology, OSF Healthcare
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| 2:00 |
Lightning Talks - Abstracts
Moderator: Matt Bramlet, Pediatric Cardiology, OSF Healthcare
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| 2:15 | Discussion and Q&A | Video | |||
| 2:40 - 3:05 | Break | |||
| 3:05 - 4:15 | Immersive Human Experience | |||
| 3:05 |
Invited Talk - Harnessing the Potential of Virtual Reality-Based Nature Immersion to Improve Wellbeing | Slides| Video
Victoria Interrante, Professor, University of Minnesota
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| 3:35 |
Lightning Talks - Abstracts
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| 3:50 | Discussion and Q&A | Video | |||
| 4:15 - 4:55 | Immersive Technologies Lightning Talks - Abstracts | |||
| 4:15 | Moderator: Elahe Soltanaghai, Computer Science, Illinois
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| 4:35 | Discussion and Q&A | Video | |||
| 4:50 - 5:00 | Remix | |||
| 5:00 - 7:00 | Posters & Demos | |||
| 7:00 - 9:00 | Dinner - First and second atrium floors, Siebel School for Computing and Data Science | |||
| DAY 2 - APRIL 30 |
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| 7:30 - 8:00 |
Breakfast
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| 8:00 - 8:50 | Keynote - Under Your Nose: A Human Approach to Immersion That Doesn’t Leave the Body Behind Dav Rauch, More Please Moderator: Rachel Switzky, Siebel Center for Design, Illinois |
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| 8:50 - 9:30 |
More lightning perspectives - Abstracts
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| 9:10 |
Discussion and Q&A | Video
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| 9:25 - 9:35 |
Breakout charge
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| 9:35 - 9:55 | Break | |||
| 9:55 - 11:25 |
Breakout sessions: Each session will be a focused discussion, steered by a team of organizers with a plan for a clear deliverable to produce over the next few months. |
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Session 1Experience-centered immersive technologies roadmap Location: Siebel School of Computing and Data Science 2405 Organizing team:
Anthony Rowe, Carnegie Mellon University (Lead)
Tarek Abdelzaher, Computer Science, Illinois
Sarita Adve, Computer Science, Illinois
Elahe Soltanaghai, Computer Science, Illinois
This breakout session will focus on mapping out capability milestones and the associated technology gaps required for immersive technologies to go mainstream. The goal will be to team together to develop a “perspectives” style paper like those found in magazines like CACM. The session will start off with introductory material to set the scope and goals. We will then break into smaller groups to answer questions related to potentially disruptive enablers, driving applications, roadblocks, the road ahead, and potential strategies for shaping innovation. The discussion will be guided by a human experience centered approach.
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Session 2Designing a graduate curriculum for an interdisciplinary XR workforce Location: NCSA 1030 Organizing team:
Lisa Bievenue, Informatics, Illinois (Lead)
Bryan Wang, Computer Science, Illinois
This breakout session focuses on designing a graduate curriculum for the emerging interdisciplinary Extended Reality (XR) workforce. Participants will explore how to anticipate and address the needs of target students in terms of XR technologies, applications, and human experience within an interdisciplinary program and curriculum. The session will include presentations and group discussions to address challenges such as identifying essential knowledge and skills, adapting to evolving industry demands, and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration. The goal is to establish a workgroup that will draft a white paper on creating a balanced and effective graduate curriculum that prepares students for the future of XR.
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Session 3Integrating XR in healthcare procedures and workforce skills development Location: NCSA 1040 Organizing team:
Rishi Reddy, University of Michigan (Lead)
Claudius Conrad, CI Med, Illinois
Greg Polites, CI Med, Illinois
Amitabh Varshney, University of Maryland
The goal is to form a working group and use the discussion as a framework for a new white paper on the breakout topic.
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| 11:25 - 11:40 | Break | |||
| 11:40 - 12:05 |
Report from breakouts, feedback, and next steps
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| 11:40 | Breakouts summary and next steps | Video | |||
| 11:55 | Q&A | Video | |||
| 12:05 - 12:55 |
Panel: What did we get right? What did we miss? | Video
Moderator: Sarita Adve, Computer Science, Illinois
Rob Shearer, Meta
Amitabh Varshney, University of Maryland | Slides
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| 12:35 | Discussion and Q&A | |||
| 12:55 - 1:00 |
Closing Remark
Sarita Adve, Computer Science, Illinois
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| 1:00 - 1:45 | Boxed lunch | |||
| 1:45 - 3:45 |
Advisory Board Meeting, SC 2405 (closed meeting)
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| 6:00 - 8:00 | Dinner for external guests and IMMERSE leadership (by invitation) - Big Grove Tavern, 1 E Main St, Champaign, IL 61820 | |||