Catch the Replay: Miami XR 2025 Photo Gallery +…
Did you miss Miami XR 2025? Watch the videos, now on YouTube and check out the Photo Gallery.
Photo Gallery
These applications, along with many others, were on display at the University of Miami’s first conference focused on extended reality. Miami XR 2025 was organized by the UMVerse, an initiative based out of the University’s Office of the Provost to encourage the use of virtual, augmented, and mixed reality on campus, with support from the Frost Institute for Data Science and Computing.
“Miami XR was meant to expose our students and faculty to the incredible potential of this technology and the excellent work people are doing in industry and academia,” said Kim Grinfeder, director of the UMverse, and chair of the Department of Interactive Media at the School of Communication. “I think attendees were stunned by how far we’ve come as a University in this field, and it really put the University of Miami on the map.”
Since the initiative began seven years ago, the University has been able to create a host of student- and faculty-created VR and AR applications through its Virtual Experiences Simulation Lab (The VESL). In addition, there are now more than 40 courses that have integrated a VR or AR experience at the University, reaching at least 1,000 students.
The acceleration and interest in the field led the UMverse to host its own conference last week, organized by Grinfeder and Thomas Merrick, senior project manager of XR initiatives and an adjunct lecturer of interactive media.
The conference attracted hundreds of industry and academic leaders from the XR field, as well as students interested in developing virtual reality applications. Leaders from companies like HTC Vive, which makes innovative headsets for virtual reality; Engage, a VR platform used for virtual classes at the University; Curio, a free virtual reality application for learning; Microsoft and Meta, which create VR headsets; Xennial Digital, which creates VR experiences for colleges and other companies; SafeKitchen VR, which creates apps to train culinary employees; and BodySwaps, a company that helps people prepare for challenging workplace conversations—spoke during 5-minute lightning talks.
Juniors Raquel Henao and Mia Uy, who are both studying interactive media at the University, said they were inspired by Bailenson’s keynote. The two young women collaborated to create an interactive community garden experience for a class assignment and were demonstrating the app at the conference. “Hearing how VR can build empathy was very cool because that’s where I would like to go with this field in the future—to create social impact experiences,” Henao said.
Faculty and staff members using XR on campuses across the country also shared insights during a separate lightning talk session.
Colleen Cleveland, an instructional designer from New Mexico State University, explained how her team is successfully encouraging faculty and students to check out the institution’s growing collection of headsets. And Russell Betts, an administrator from Broward College, explained how he used virtual reality in his organic chemistry classes to build molecules and compounds in VR with his students.
Cruz-Neira said now is the time for fresh ideas in the field. “For the younger students in audience, please be creative. Open your mind and think big. Be disruptive,” she said. “Since the Oculus (headset) came out, we have been doing more of the same. We have been improving, but we have not been disruptive. We need to move forward.”
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SOURCE: NEWS@TheU Story by Janette Neuwahl Tannen | February 11, 2025
Keynote Speakers
for 2025 included Jeremy Bailenson, Carolyn Cruz-Neira, and Daniel O’Brien:
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Jeremy BailensonFounding Director Jeremy Bailenson is founding director of Stanford University’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab, Thomas More Storke Professor in the Department of Communication, Professor (by courtesy) of Education, Professor (by courtesy) Program in Symbolic Systems, and a Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment. He has served as Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Communication for over a decade. He earned a B.A. from the University of Michigan in 1994 and a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from Northwestern University in 1999. He spent four years at the University of California, Santa Barbara as a Post-Doctoral Fellow and then an Assistant Research Professor. Read More |
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Carolina Cruz NeiraAgere Chair in Computer Science Steering Committee member Inventor of the CAVE Virtual Reality System XR Hall of Fame Inductee Carolina Cruz-Neira is a pioneering computer scientist and a leading figure in virtual reality, known for inventing the CAVE Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE). She currently serves as the Agere Chair Professor in Computer Science at the University of Central Florida, where she co-leads the UCF Digital Twin Strategic Initiative and heads the VARLab. Cruz-Neira’s contributions to real-time visualization, VR frameworks, and immersive technologies have earned her numerous accolades, including membership in the National Academy of Engineering and the XR Hall of Fame. Her work bridges engineering, art, and education, inspiring advancements in virtual environments and interactive applications worldwide. Read More |
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Daniel O’BrienPresident, Americas | HTC VIVE Daniel is a seasoned technology executive with over 24 years of experience in leading and managing the commercialization of emerging technologies, innovations, and solutions for consumers and professional customers. He is the HTC VIVE President for the Americas, overseeing the sales, marketing, product, and operations for the immersive and wireless divisions of HTC. As a humanity mission driven leader, Daniel is focused on delivering revenue growth, brand building, e-commerce strategies, business development, content creation, and strategic partnerships for HTC VIVE, the pioneer and global leader in virtual reality. He has a proven track record of defining and executing the channel strategy, marketing strategy, product management, supply chain, and public relations for HTC VIVE. Read More |
Day 1 Playlist on YouTube
Thursday 2/6/2025 | Shalala Student Center Complex
5:00 PM Registrations + Cocktail Hour Opens
5:30 PM Student Welcome | Mia Uy
5:40 PM UM Welcome | Provost Willy Prado—Introduction by Mia Uy
5:50 PM Faculty Welcome | Kim Grinfeder
5:55 PM Intro to XR at the U | Thomas Merrick
6:05 PM LIGHTNING TALKS
6:35 PM KEYNOTE SPEAKER | Dan O’Brien—Introduction by Thomas Merrick
6:55 PM Meta Closing Remarks | Matthew Sanders
7:00-8:00 PM Networking Cocktails | Event Ends
Day 2 Playlist on YouTube
Friday 2/7/2025 | Newman Alumni Center
9:00 AM Registration Opens | Breakfast + Demos
10:00 AM Welcome Remarks | Thomas Sydnor + Thomas Merrick
10:10 AM Lightning Talks Round 1
10:30 AM KEYNOTE SPEAKER | Jeremy Bailenson—Introduction by Thomas Merrick
11:15 AM Break
11:35 AM The Tipping Point for XR | Thomas Merrick
11:45 PANEL: Future of XR | Moderator: Thomas Merrick | Panelists: Matthew Sanders, Denise Mendez, Anna Queiroz
12:15 PM Lunch and Demos
1:30 PM Lightning Talks Round 2
1:50 PM KEYNOTE SPEAKER | Carolina Cruz Neira—Introduction by Sidney Cocimano
2:35 PM Break
3:00 PM PANEL: Jobs in XR | Moderator: Mia Uy | Panelists: Chanel Menard, Sofia Perez-Baux, Sadah Espii Proctor, Alec Warren
3:45 PM Closing Remarks | Kim Grinfeder
4:00-5:30 PM Cocktail Reception + Demos
PANEL: The Future of XR
PANEL: Jobs in XR
Speakers
Chanel Menard |
Denise Mendez |
Thomas Merrick |
Sofia Perez-Baux |
Anna Muller Queiroz |
Matthew Sanders |
Special thanks to our Sponsors!
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Conference Organizers
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Thomas Merrick |
Sidney Cocimano |
Evelyn Cruz |
Jacqueline Green-Allen |
Kim Grinfeder |
Anna Muller Queiroz |
Mia Uy |