NRT-HDR: Interdisciplinary Graduate Training in the Science, Technology, and Applications of Augmented and Virtual Reality

增强和虚拟现实（AR/VR）有望成为21世纪世纪最具颠覆性的技术之一，彻底改变我们与他人、环境以及设备和系统的交互方式。VR使用先进的显示和沉浸式音频技术来创建交互式三维（3D）环境。AR使用数字技术将虚拟对象覆盖到物理世界上，以提供信息并美化我们的体验。当前和预期的应用领域包括教育、医疗保健、专业培训、建筑和产品设计、远程交互和娱乐。在新兴的AR/VR领域继续取得进展需要具有博士学位的研究人员。培训和研究经验跨越多个学科，包括电子和计算系统，感知和认知神经科学，光学和成像，计算机视觉，声学和音频，人机界面。为了满足这一需求并实现AR/VR技术的变革潜力，授予罗切斯特大学的国家科学基金会研究培训（NRT）奖将促进结构化，多学科博士学位的发展。关于AR/VR的培训计划。该项目预计将培训62名博士生，其中包括12名受资助的学员，来自电气和计算机工程，光学，生物医学工程，脑和认知科学，计算机科学和神经科学。此外，该项目还将使大约300名其他STEM研究生受益，他们将参加培训和专业发展方面的工作。学员将获得推进AR/VR技术的愿景和技能，以及对这些技术更广泛的文化和社会影响的理解。该项目将培养一批具有包容性的科学家和工程师，作为工业界、学术界和政府的技术领导者为社会做出贡献。在AR/VR领域拥有独特能力的学生。它将有助于塑造未来的科学家和工程师如何接受培训，不仅在AR/VR方面，而且在更广泛的人类数据系统界面方面。该项目将以创新的主题推进跨学科研究：将人类感知认知过程的定量模型整合到跨层设计方法中，以创建和定量评估新的AR/VR技术和应用。以交叉方式与培训计划相结合的研究重点将推进AR/VR系统的科学基础，并影响下一代AR/VR系统的设计。这些研究重点对应于AR/VR问题领域的四个层次，分别是：（1）AR/VR平台和计算，（2）AR/VR设计的感知-认知方面，（3）AR/VR系统的机器智能，以及（4）AR/VR接口和应用。该培训计划包含三个新的创新课程，解决了即将到来的学员的不同背景，使他们面临AR/VR挑战，并提供在多学科团队中开展AR/VR项目的能力，以及各种结构化的专业发展活动。此外，培训将包括行业实习和与行业领导者的沉浸式专业发展。研究生培训模式及其成果将通过有组织的活动和网络向更广泛的学术界广泛传播。NSF研究培训（NRT）计划旨在鼓励为STEM研究生教育培训开发和实施大胆的，新的潜在变革模式。该计划致力于通过创新的、基于证据的、与不断变化的劳动力和研究需求相一致的综合培训模式，在高优先级的跨学科或融合研究领域对STEM研究生进行有效培训。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) promises to become one of the most disruptive technologies of the 21st century, revolutionizing how we interact with each other, with our environment, and with devices and systems. VR uses advanced display and immersive audio technologies to create an interactive, three-dimensional (3D) environment. AR uses digital technology to overlay virtual objects onto the physical world to provide information and embellish our experiences. Current and envisioned application areas include education, healthcare, professional training, architectural and product design, remote interaction, and entertainment. Continued progress in the burgeoning field of AR/VR requires researchers with Ph.D. training and research experience spanning multiple disciplines including electronic and computing systems, perceptual and cognitive neuroscience, optics and imaging, computer vision, acoustics and audio, and human-computer interfaces. To address this need and realize the transformative potential of AR/VR technologies, this National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) Award to the University of Rochester will facilitate the development of a structured, multi-disciplinary Ph.D. training program on AR/VR. The project anticipates training 62 PhD students, including 12 funded trainees, from Electrical and Computer Engineering, Optics, Biomedical Engineering, Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Computer Science, and Neuroscience. In addition, the project will benefit approximately 300 other STEM graduate students who will participate in aspects of the training and professional development. Trainees will gain the vision and skills to advance AR/VR technologies as well as an appreciation for the broader cultural and societal implications of these technologies. The project will train inclusive cohorts of scientists and engineers to contribute to society as technical leaders in industry, academia, and government.The project will train a new cohort of Ph.D. students with a unique set of competencies in the AR/VR domain. It will help shape how future scientists and engineers will be trained not only in AR/VR but more broadly in human-data-system interfaces. The project will advance interdisciplinary research with an innovative theme: integration of quantitative models of human perceptual-cognitive processes into cross-layer design approaches to create and quantitatively evaluate new AR/VR technologies and applications. Research thrusts integrated with the training program in a cross-cutting manner will advance the scientific foundations of AR/VR systems and impact the design of next-generation AR/VR systems. These research thrusts, corresponding to four layers of the AR/VR problem domain, are: (1) AR/VR platforms and computation, (2) perceptual-cognitive aspects of AR/VR design, (3) machine intelligence for AR/VR systems, and (4) AR/VR interfaces and applications. The training program contains three new innovative courses addressing the diverse backgrounds of incoming trainees, exposing them to AR/VR challenges and providing competency to work on AR/VR projects within multi-disciplinary teams as well as a variety of structured professional development activities. In addition, the training will include industry internships and immersive professional development encounters with industry leaders. Both the graduate training model and its outcomes will be widely disseminated to the broader academic community through organized events and a web presence. The NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) Program is designed to encourage the development and implementation of bold, new potentially transformative models for STEM graduate education training. The program is dedicated to effective training of STEM graduate students in high priority interdisciplinary or convergent research areas through comprehensive traineeship models that are innovative, evidence-based, and aligned with changing workforce and research needs.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.