{"id":440256,"date":"2026-09-18T19:00:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T19:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/440256\/"},"modified":"2026-09-18T19:00:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T19:00:13","slug":"texas-tech-researchers-will-use-emerging-technologies-to-enhance-learning-september-2026-texas-tech-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/440256\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas Tech Researchers Will Use Emerging Technologies to Enhance Learning | September 2026 | Texas Tech Now"},"content":{"rendered":"

Multidisciplinary team looks to use extended reality to bring nature to life for middle
\n school and high school students.<\/p>\n

\t\tCREATORS<\/p>\n

\"Portrait<\/p>\n

Texas Tech University<\/a> researchers are exploring how emerging technologies such as extended reality (XR)
\n can enhance learning about nature in urban environments by making the invisible, visible.<\/p>\n

Muntazar Monsur<\/a>, associate professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture<\/a> in the Davis College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources<\/a>, is leading a cross-functional team that will integrate innovative approaches to
\n make the outdoors more accessible and explorable for middle school and high school
\n students.<\/p>\n

\"MuntazarMuntazar Monsur<\/p>\n

The project is made possible by a $900,000 grant from the National Science Foundation
\n and will build upon previous extended reality work by Monsur. The lifespan of the
\n grant is three years.<\/p>\n

\u201cOutdoor learning is already so well established as an effective strategy, but what
\n we\u2019re trying to achieve is making invisible aspects of nature visible by using a combination
\n of extended reality, artificial intelligence and 3D models,\u201d Monsur said. \u201cWe want
\n to answer the question, \u2018Does this increase the effectiveness of the learning that
\n happens outdoors?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Co-principal investigators on the interdisciplinary project are Mihwa Park<\/a>, associate professor of curriculum and instruction in the College of Education<\/a>; Rozalynne Samira<\/a>, assistant professor in the Department of Plant & Soil Science<\/a>; Stas Tiomkin<\/a>, assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science<\/a> in the Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering<\/a>; and S.Y. Andalib<\/a>, assistant professor in Landscape Architecture. The team also includes Scott Longing<\/a>, associate professor of entomology in Plant & Soil Science, as senior\/key personnel.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a very dynamic team,\u201d Monsur said. \u201cWe are creating conceptual ideas and detailed
\n diagrams and descriptions from the experience of the learner.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Woman\"Woman\"Man\"Bearded\"ManMihwa Park, Rozalynne Samira, Stas Tiomkin, S.Y. Andalib and Scott Longing<\/p>\n

Andalib\u2019s contributions will be in visualization, artificial intelligence (AI) and
\n virtual reality while Samira will create learning resources regarding invisible plant
\n aspects like molecular interactions. Longing will contribute expertise in entomology
\n and place-based science education, helping develop and implement the ecology-focused
\n learning content and experiences. Park will oversee learning theory, assessment and
\n aspects of the research focused on measuring learning effectiveness while Tiomkin
\n will lead AI-related portions of the project.<\/p>\n

\u201cYouth is very tech-driven these days,\u201d Monsur said. \u201cIt\u2019s a new kind of thinking.
\n We would like to see whether tech-enhanced outdoor learning increases their learning
\n engagement.\u201d<\/p>\n

For example, Monsur said students using the available technologies could get an even
\n deeper look at the symbiotic relationship between the milkweed plant and the monarch
\n butterfly.<\/p>\n

He said teachers would take students into the field and show them milkweed, but they
\n would be unable to see many aspects of the unique relationship between the plant and
\n the butterfly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe would be unable to show them so many of the natural things that are happening,\u201d
\n he said. \u201cOut of season, there are no monarchs, and there are a lot of things happening
\n underground in the root system as well as a lot of things that are microscopic.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, through the use of XR, those hidden aspects can be seen.<\/p>\n

Monsur explained how XR differs from other terms such as virtual reality, augmented
\n reality and mixed reality. XR is technology that blends or replaces the physical world
\n with a digital environment.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, virtual reality is when one wears a headset and is detached from the world
\n while augmented reality is when one uses a phone to superimpose visuals on an existing
\n world. Mixed reality includes virtual headsets, cameras and can create virtual elements
\n in the real world.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur goal is to create technology that would help students be able to see the unseen
\n dimension of the nature superimposed in the real world,\u201d he said. \u201cThat is the new
\n dimension we are trying to achieve as well as using a 3D model because 3D printing
\n has advanced so much, making it possible to create very realistic models.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the milkweed-butterfly example, the research team could create a seed pod and show
\n interactions that occur but cannot be seen with the naked eye. The expectation is
\n the enhanced technologies will create excitement about learning and engagement of
\n material.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaking these invisible parts of nature visible is something that has not been tried
\n to this extent,\u201d Monsur said. \u201cThat\u2019s the innovation we\u2019re trying to achieve.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Monsur\u2019s XR lab, the team uses the technology for learning and teaching, leveraging
\n an interactive tool to create virtual tours that provide significantly more depth
\n and detail. Through the use of a Matterport camera, researchers take 360-degree photos
\n that are then stitched together before the virtual tour is enhanced by embedding learning
\n materials.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn landscape architecture where I teach, what we do for our classes is create a virtual
\n tour of a site where a student will design,\u201d he said. \u201cThen we add different types
\n of lectures, PDFs and learning materials on the tour. Students go on that tour and
\n can walk around and take virtual photos. But they also find a lot of learning resources.
\n It became an interesting way to engage students beyond Blackboard or Canvas (learning
\n management systems used by Texas Tech).\u201d<\/p>\n

Creating similar enthusiasm for learning among middle school and high school students
\n is a primary thrust of this research.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have used augmented reality, and we have used virtual reality,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have
\n used 360-degree virtual tours. We haven\u2019t done much innovation in mixed reality. This
\n is new to us, and it\u2019s almost like a new kind of technology, which is why I feel it\u2019s
\n a good area for innovation, so timing-wise, this grant is very meaningful to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The team also will work with two local partners: the Lubbock ISD Agri-Stem Complex
\n and the Lubbock Memorial Arboretum, which hosts numerous education-focused events.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce we have the technologies developed, we will host informal learning sessions
\n at the arboretum,\u201d Monsur said. \u201cIt will be an opportunity to see how people interact
\n with the technology.\u201d<\/p>\n

Monsur said he hopes to see the project lead to the creation of open-source web resources
\n for any STEM teacher, parent or student.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey could go online and learn about visible and invisible aspects of nature,\u201d he
\n said. \u201cMaybe with a QR code, they would be able to get some glimpse of augmented reality
\n that we create. I think it would be really meaningful to create something that doesn\u2019t
\n end in three years, but that continues beyond the life of the grant.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am happy the grant has a lot of support for teachers and participants and support
\n for us to do exciting things for the community. That\u2019s what really fascinates me the
\n most.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Multidisciplinary team looks to use extended reality to bring nature to life for middle school and high school…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":440257,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[27,29,28],"class_list":["post-440256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-texas","tag-texas","tag-texas-headlines","tag-texas-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/440256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=440256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/440256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/440257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=440256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=440256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=440256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}