Overview
Southern University and A&M College, with support from the NSF Improving Undergraduate STEM Education Program (IUSE:EHR), has successfully implemented an immersive virtual reality (VR) initiative to strengthen the nation’s additive manufacturing workforce. The project created a specialized curriculum integrating cybersecurity with additive manufacturing, giving students direct, hands-on experience with 3D printing, VR environments, and cyber defense tools. Through this approach, students develop the technical expertise and cognitive skills essential for careers in advanced manufacturing, cybersecurity, and digital engineering.
The project directly tackled key challenges facing education and industry:
Cybersecurity threats in manufacturing now surpass those in energy and utilities.
STEM programs previously lacked integration of cybersecurity with additive manufacturing.
Students had few opportunities for hands-on practice with VR, 3D printing, and cyber-defense tools.
The nation faced a workforce gap in professionals trained to secure connected manufacturing systems.
Traditional classrooms offered only passive learning, limiting the development of higher-order problem-solving skills.
Approach
VR-Enabled Training: Develop multiple forms of virtual reality environments that allow students to improve spatial reasoning.
Cybersecurity-Additive Manufacturing Curriculum: Create a specialized curriculum integrating cybersecurity with additive manufacturing, preparing students for real-world workforce demands.
Computational Thinking Development: Validated the Computational Thinking Scale as an effective tool to evaluate Computational thinking skill in engineering students exposed to immersive learning.
Research & Evaluation: Conduct qualitative and quantitative research to explore how VR fidelity and scalability impact learning, identifying correlations and emerging themes for future application.
Knowledge Sharing: Disseminate findings through peer-reviewed publications, workshops, conference presentations, and partnerships with America Makes, the national accelerator for additive manufacturing and 3D printing.
Outcomes
Trained 100+ STEM students annually in a VR-infused cybersecurity-additive manufacturing curriculum.
Achieved a 20% improvement in computational thinking and problem-solving skills through pre- and post-assessments after exposure to VR-infused cybersecurity-additive manufacturing curriculum.
Strengthened Southern University's position as a national leader in immersive STEM workforce development, advancing HBCU contributions to the talent pipeline.
Produced peer-reviewed publications, workshops, and conference presentations through studies on VR fidelity and scalability.
Provided students with early exposure to critical emerging technologies, preparing them for in-demand technology-driven careers.
