Students to develop solutions to Australian sustainability concerns using virtual and augmented reality technology
Adelaide, SA | 3 April, 2023 — Immersive technology company, Lumination, has launched its first education challenge, Future Thinkers. The futures-focused design thinking challenge enables students to develop vital skills for future careers by using immersive technology to solve real world sustainability issues facing Australia’s wildlife and ecoregions.
Available to students in Year 5, Year 6 and 9 living in South Australia or New South Wales, the students will use virtual reality experience, EcoRangers, developed by Lumination for students to explore the abundant ecoregions of Australia.
Since 2016, the number of Australia’s threatened species rose eight percent, with climate change increasingly putting pressure on every ecosystem in the country. Sustainability concerns in Australia and beyond are prevalent; students should be learning about current and future issues while developing the skills needed to care for and protect our planet.
“When the students use immersive technology they instantly become more engaged and empathetic,” says Rebecca Bendikov, Head of Education Programs at Lumination. “The aim of this year’s Future Thinkers program is to teach the students about sustainability in a way never done before, using interactive technology to place them into real-world environments, in this case natural Australian ecoregions.”
Within the experience students immerse themselves within a simulated environment and learn about native animals and plants. To deepen their understanding of environmental impacts, the students can alternate the environment conditions to observe and reflect the negative repercussions of harmful change.
Preparing participants for future careers, the students will use immersive virtual reality, coding, virtual world building and 3D modelling, while developing soft skills like communication, creativity and collaboration. Free of charge, the program also includes a half day excursion to the innovative Lumination Learning Lab, or smart classroom, in Sydney or Adelaide.
“By welcoming the students and teachers into our Labs we can show them how easy it is to integrate the technology into the curriculum, and just how effective it can be for engagement and skill development ,” says Dan Becker, SA Education Programs Coordinator.
Through the challenge, participants will gain an understanding of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their own role in developing solutions for a future world. The theme addresses two main United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, ‘Climate Action’, taking urgent action to combat climate change and ‘Life on Land’, protecting, restoring and promoting sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems.
To learn more and register your school, visit lumination.com.au/future-thinkers-2023/.
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About Lumination
Lumination is a world leader in immersive technology, creating Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) software to revolutionise the way we teach, learn and work. Founded in 2016, the Company started in a garage in Semaphore, Adelaide, with the goal of disrupting one of the oldest practices in history — the conventional classroom. With a growing team of over 60 employees, Lumination has served over 2 million customers nationally and is rapidly expanding into the defence, government and enterprise sectors. Increasing access to emerging technologies, Lumination is committed to strengthening the future of the workforce and taking learning to the next level on the world stage.
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