Cutting-Edge Mixed Reality Lab Newest Addition to Touro University’s Cross River Campus
New Lab Allows Students and Faculty to Pioneer New Way of Learning and Experimentation
Walk through Shakespeare’s London while reading the great bard’s Henriade trilogy. Learn how the stock market works by bidding on equities in a simulation of the New York Stock Exchange with classmates. Counsel a patient receiving a difficult diagnosis, with lifelike reactions powered by neural networks inspired by the human brain. Deliver a speech to a virtual United Nations. Examine a beating human heart in three dimensions.
These are just a few of the experiences at Touro University’s state-of-the-art Mixed Reality Lab that debuted at the Cross River Campus at 3 Times Square on October 31. The launch event brought together dozens of faculty members from across Touro’s schools, featuring remarks from the administration and a live demonstration showcasing the lab’s potential.
“The new Mixed Reality Lab reflects Touro’s commitment to innovation, creativity, and collaboration,” said Dr. Alan Kadish, President of Touro University. “We are embarking on this exciting new venture at the intersection of the physical and digital worlds, exploring their use in education. With this facility, we’re offering our students and faculty a chance to pioneer new ways of learning, experimentation, and problem-solving.”
Located on the seventh floor, the lab is equipped with ten stations featuring Meta headsets and a diverse range of virtual and augmented reality software platforms. These tools support immersive educational experiences across various disciplines.
During the event, Dr. Patricia Salkin, Provost of Touro University, highlighted the evolving role of mixed reality in education. “Mixed reality is quickly becoming an essential tool for teaching and learning, especially in medical and healthcare fields,” she said. “It’s safe, personalized, cost-effective, and provides instant feedback to students, allowing faculty to conduct meaningful formative assessments.”
The demonstration provided faculty with the opportunity to try out the headsets, showcasing programs like a CPR simulation broadcast on a main monitor, an anatomy lesson of a human heart, and a chemistry module.
Paula Boyle, MS, PA-C, Director of the School of Health Sciences (SHS) Physician Assistant at the Manhattan Program, highlighted the practical applications. “The anatomy program could be incredibly useful for our students,” she remarked.
Dr. Rivka Molinsky, Associate Dean of Students and Innovation at SHS, also shared her enthusiasm about the lab’s potential. “It is thrilling to bring advanced technology, even in its infancy, to the faculty of our university.”
