A Physics-Based Virtual Environment System To Study Influence Of Agricultural Activity On Air Quality

PROJECT SUMMARY A PHYSICS-BASED VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT SYSTEM TO STUDY INFLUENCE OF AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITY ON AIR QUALITY PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: GAURAV KEWLANI | AFFILIATION: SOFTWORTHY LLC With rising awareness of adverse and disparate health impacts of air pollution there is a need for increasing the diversity and number of qualified environmental engineers in the workforce. In this regard adopting educational approaches that go beyond the dissemination of theoretical content (such as a 'virtualized' learning environment that provides exposure to experiences moving from 'learning about practical application' to 'learning for practical application' to 'learning through practical application') can offer significant benefits while training the next generation of STEM professionals. Therefore the project aims to develop an innovative simulator that employs 'serious gaming' techniques to introduce STEM concepts associated with air quality weather conditions and agricultural activity within the context of a real-time virtual environment. The technology would deliver a combination of physics-based air dispersion & emission models a robust physics-engine high-resolution graphical representations and interactive control in conjunction with high-quality multimedia visualization techniques. It would serve as a standard yet modular base-platform that provides a controlled and repeatable test-bed for advanced simulations for the real-time validation of environmental conservation concepts associated with air quality in an enriched virtual world. The intuitive accurate STEM education and training tool would also serve as an interface that facilitates graduate-level students in creating scenarios to study and compare air quality control strategies. Therefore by providing exciting and relevant STEM content through customizable learning modules and a gaming interface the software would offer a novel learning experience to increase participation and diversity in STEM professions particularly in the discipline of environmental engineering. 1