March 29, 2024

The Virtual World of NAWCAD

The Patuxent Partnership has announced that Dr. Karen Cooper, Research Scientist for Future Workforce Technologies and Strategies for the Naval Air Warfare Center, and her avatar, Memoree Lane, will discuss virtual world technologies and demonstrate their unique opportunities to collaborate, prototype and train next week.

The briefing is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 15, at the Southern Maryland Higher Education Center.

Cooper currently leads a NAWCAD strategic studies team in future workforce efforts and Virtual World exploration. She serves as NAWCAD’s Horizontal Integrator, and re-presents NAWCAD across the Department of Defense as the principal on VW investigation, collaboration, and partnering. Cooper has taught in Second Life, is a recognized speaker on VW, and participates in VW panels and conferences.

“Virtual World technology is about the movement from the 2D web to a 3D immersive space,” Cooper said in a prepared statement. “Information is geospatial arranged in a 3D space, with participation represented via avatars. NAVAIR is taking both a strategic look at the impact of this technology, as well as partnering closely with our joint service partners and academia to create pilots, conduct research, and to further the development of VWs for DoD. Virtual worlds are still a pioneering technology. There is much to be learned about their impact, and standards are by no means settled. But the message is consistent — it is perceived to be a significantly disruptive technology to our business over the next 5 to10 years, in much the same way the internet was in the early 90s.”

Bonnie Green, the Partnership’s Executive Director, stated, “Dr. Cooper will provide a fascinating look into a nascent area of exploration. The new opportunities that virtual worlds propose include real-time collaboration and prototyping. This will be an exciting discussion.”

Doors open promptly at 7 a.m. for check-in and coffee. The program will begin at 7:30 a.m. and conclude at 9:00 a.m. This no-cost program will be in the Center Hall, Building 2, SMHEC, 44219 Airport Road in California, Maryland. Seating is limited. Advance registration is required to guarantee your seat.

The Patuxent Partnership works with government, industry and academia on initiatives in science and technology, hosts programs of interest to NAVAIR and the broader DoD community, and supports workforce development including education initiatives and professional development. Visit www.paxpartnership.org or call 301-866-1739.

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