$275,000 in grants to boost augmented reality platform that helps students learn STEM concepts
Summary
– A Purdue University-affiliated startup developing a platform using augmented reality to encourage students to learn about science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) has received grants totaling $275,000. “Our idea is that Explore Interactive would be a consistent platform where teachers could access all various hands-on lessons, almost like an augmented reality encyclopedia of experiences to learn how the world fits together.” Purdue research, led by Monica Cardella, an associate professor of engineering education and executive director of INSPIRE, and Sean Brophy, an associate professor in the School of Engineering Education, will test the prototype on late elementary age students. Explore Interactive plans to conduct classroom testing in the spring of 2020 and begin making its program widely available to educators for the start of the 2020-21 school year. Explore Interactive technology aligns with Purdues Giant Leaps celebration of the university’s global advancements made in health, space, artificial intelligence and sustainability as part of Purdue’s 150th anniversary. America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF awards $200 million annually to startups and small businesses, transforming scientific discovery into products and services with commercial and societal impact.