{"id":7993,"date":"2019-09-19T06:21:51","date_gmt":"2019-09-19T13:21:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/garage-en-us\/?p=7993"},"modified":"2019-09-19T06:22:49","modified_gmt":"2019-09-19T13:22:49","slug":"new-vr-garage-project-microgravity-lab-takes-students-to-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http://approjects.co.za/?big=en-us/garage\/blog\/2019\/09\/new-vr-garage-project-microgravity-lab-takes-students-to-space\/","title":{"rendered":"New VR Garage project Microgravity Lab takes students to space"},"content":{"rendered":"

Virtual reality can transport us to new lands that are near, far, or imagined. As a team of Garage interns found partnering with the Microsoft Hacking STEM and NASA Stem on Station teams, it can also demonstrate physics concepts and spark an interest in STEM careers. For the back-to-school season, we\u2019re excited to announce the opportunity to try Microgravity Lab, a Microsoft Garage project<\/a>. The VR experience for Windows Mixed Reality and corresponding lesson plan equip teachers with an engaging tool for teaching physics concepts by simulating microgravity. Interested educators can request an invite<\/a> to try the VR application and corresponding lesson plans. Be sure to include your school name and plan for using the application into the form.<\/p>\n

Bringing space into the classroom via Windows Mixed Reality<\/h3>\n

The Garage Internship is a unique, startup-style program in which teams of interns build projects in response to pitched challenges by Microsoft engineering teams. When this Vancouver intern team heard that the Microsoft Education team was looking for a creative new method way to illustrate the concept of microgravity through VR, they jumped at the opportunity to work on the project.<\/p>\n

\"MicrogravityAn often-misunderstood concept, microgravity is difficult to simulate and understand in Earth\u2019s gravity-laden environment. It is best explained through experiential learning. The Microgravity Lab VR lab experience for Windows Mixed Reality and its accompanying lessons gives teachers the tools to bring this experiential learning to their students.<\/p>\n

As NASA Education Specialist Matthew E. Wallace shared, \u201cThe concept of microgravity is often misunderstood by students who learn about astronauts on the International Space Station. Providing a virtual reality world for them to explore the phenomena of life on orbit is an excellent way to engage students and solidify their comprehension of concepts related to force, mass and gravitational acceleration.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sabrina Ng, Design Intern for the project noted, \u201cWhen I think of microgravity, I think of it as something you feel, not what you see per se. Thinking about how to visualize and communicate such an abstract concept without stimulating the physical senses was a really cool challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Microgravity Lab joins a collection of eight middle school lesson plans<\/a> developed in partnership with NASA to celebrate 20 years of humans living in and working on the International Space Station.<\/p>\n

Experiencing microgravity to understand Newton\u2019s 2nd & 3rd Law<\/h3>\n

Microgravity Lab is designed for grades 6-8. Students can explore three VR modules to understand these physics principles in the context of microgravity on the moon:<\/p>\n