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If I was in the real world, I would definitely be in the hospital by now. Maybe without legs.
Fortunately, the saw I dropped on the front of my body was not real, but was part of a virtual reality skills training program soon to be offered at Workforce Solutions of West Central Texas.
I had the chance to test the system that will be part of Workforce Solutions’ efforts to bring opportunities to rural areas.
At the time of my near-fatal accident, I was trying to hold the saw as part of the carpentry training tutorial. The trainer who guided me through the series of steps necessary to successfully cut the board berated me for dropping the dangerous power tool because its blade was still spinning.
I do not regularly handle power tools. I don’t know if I would have dropped the saw in real life, although I certainly can. I do know, however, that this particular case was more due to the Oculus Rift’s controller buttons not functioning properly than my inability to hold the machines.
After:Virtual Reality Professional Training Comes to Abilene Market with Workforce Solutions
Aside from the virtual amputation of a leg or two, the program was extremely comprehensive and in-depth. It should be a fantastic tool for students and residents of Abilene and Big Country who want to learn more about various professional opportunities and skills.
This carpentry lesson begins by walking you through the process of inspecting the tool for damage, properly fitting the safety gear and the right blade for the job, securing the piece of lumber (which was the most difficult task because the controllers did not easily secure a virtual clamp to the virtual wood) and cut it rightly.
After its course, the steps are repeated without the teacher’s voice guiding the way and the performance is noted.
Unfortunately for my final result, my incident happened during the test, not the walkthrough. So I finished with a silver medal, not the best score.
Honestly, though, I’m no handyman. I’ll take a silver medal any day of the week.
Aside from multiple issues with picky controls, the experience was entirely educational and will provide significant training opportunities for those who wish to participate in this program. As with just about everything else in education, the effort expended will be directly linked to the outcome that comes out of it.
I can’t wait to hear and see others try the full product, coming up this school year.
Upcoming residency program
Hendrick Health, the West Texas Rehabilitation Center, and Hardin-Simmons University are teaming up to provide residency opportunities for students in the HSU Physiotherapy Doctorate Program.
Beginning this fall, the Hendrick Health and West Texas Rehab Center Orthopedic Residency Program will provide post-graduate training for physiotherapists in the orthopedic field.
It is one of 10 programs in Texas and the only one outside of Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio.
Applications for the residency program are open until August 31. Two will be accepted and will be employed for six months at Hendrick Health and six months at the West Texas Rehab Center.
For more information, visit the Hardin-Simmons website, hsutx.edu, for the graduate program.
Grant for NEXT Lab
The US Department of Energy’s University of Nuclear Energy program provides nearly $ 370,000 for infrastructure for the Abilene Christian University Nuclear Power Experimental Testing Laboratory, or NEXT.
This is part of more than $ 3.5 million provided to a total of 24 universities across the country. ACU is the second most important award in the program as a whole, behind only one project at the University of Notre Dame, ACU said in a press release.
In the statement, ACU said its funding “will support the radiochemistry aspect of NEXT Lab, specifically establishing new and unique real-time direct chemical analysis capabilities for molten salt systems.”
After:Christian University of Abilene hopes to expand NEXT lab as nuclear project grows
“These grants help establish ACU and the NEXT Lab as participants and emerging leaders in molten salt nuclear research, which will contribute to the establishment of an operational molten salt nuclear research reactor on campus. from ACU, “said Kim Pamplin, professor of chemistry and biochemistry. department and a senior chemist for NEXT Lab.
“If all goes well, we may have the only reactor of this type in the world for a while, which will place ACU among the leaders in this area of ​​research.”
NEXT Lab already has a NEUP grant, awarded in 2019, used to study filters for salt.
After:Abilene Christian University’s Faculty of Science Concerned About Future of Nuclear Power
Timothy Chipp covers education and is a general assignment reporter for Abilene Reporter-News. If you enjoy local news, you can support local journalists with a digital subscription to ReporterNews.com.
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