Our Team
Our team consists of Behrend students, faculty, and staff and community/industry partners in the Erie region.
Learn more about who WE ARE below!
Christopher R. Shelton, Ph.D. – Director, VAR Lab
Chris is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology at Penn State Behrend. As part of his research and service endeavors he founded and serves as the Director of the Virtual/Augmented Reality Lab. He earned his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Wyoming in 2018, prior to which he, completed his undergraduate and graduate schooling, and spent two years working as a research assistant at the Center for the Study of Family Violence and Sexual Assault. His research interests include ADHD, Sluggish Cognitive Tempo, emerging adulthood, digital mental health, and internet-based interventions, all of which he hopes to incorporate into his work at VAR Lab. Outside of academia, Chris enjoys keeping up on the latest computer/tech news, working with horses, and trying new recreational hobbies such as sky diving. He and his wife Lauren have two fur-babies (Riley and Rosie) and just welcomed their first human baby (Everly) into the world on July 10, 2020.
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Hafez Shurrab, Ph.D – Faculty Associate
Meet Dr. Hafez Shurrab, our esteemed Faculty Associate! He is an Assistant Professor of Project and Supply Chain Management at Penn State, having joined the university in 2022. Quickly becoming an integral part of the VAR Lab team in October of the same year, Hafez’s journey with the VAR Lab began when he established a VAR committee to represent the Black School of Business, highlighting his dedication to fostering a collaborative environment. What truly enticed Hafez to get involved was the allure of teaching integrations and engaging in research opportunities, which he finds incredibly exciting. Within the organization, Hafez has been actively involved in curriculum development in the VAR Edu unit and conducted valuable research within the VAR Lab unit. Beyond his academic pursuits, Hafez enjoys playing tennis and exploring new places. Originally from Palestine, he has lived in various countries, including the UAE, Turkey, and Sweden. As a pet lover, Hafez had a beloved cat in Sweden, but unfortunately had to leave it behind when he moved to join us at Penn State. Perhaps he will consider welcoming another furry friend into his life someday!
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Jon Gunnell, D.Ed. – Staff Affiliate
Meet Dr. Jon Gunnell, our esteemed Staff Affiliate and the Director of the Center for eLearning Initiatives, who has been involved with Penn State since 2019. Jon’s journey with the VAR Lab began in 2021 when he enthusiastically collaborated on presentations and actively spread the word to faculty members. The most thrilling aspect of his involvement in the VAR Lab has been exploring the boundless potential of immersive media in online courses. Jon’s dedication to the Lab’s mission is driven by his passion for discovering innovative ways to incorporate these technologies. Beyond his professional pursuits, Jon nurtures a deep passion for music. Originally hailing from Pittsburgh, PA, he has a delightful St. Bernard / Pitt Bull mix named Lyla, who has become a true companion. A fun fact about Jon is that he holds not just one but two degrees in music technology, showcasing his expertise and unwavering commitment to his craft.
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Dani McCauley, D.Ed. – Staff Affiliate
Dr. Dani McCauley is a Staff Affiliate of the VAR Lab and an accomplished Instructional Designer at the Center for eLearning Initiatives, Penn State. Her journey with the university began in February 2021, and she joined the VAR Lab team during the Summer of 2021, captivated by Chris and Marcus’ vision to expand the lab and foster faculty participation.
Dani’s excitement for the VAR Lab is ignited by the team’s unwavering commitment to crafting exceptional learning experiences for Behrend’s students. This dedication to providing a high-quality education led her to find her niche within the VAR Edu unit, where she is most involved.
Beyond her involvement in the VAR Lab, Dani’s interests and hobbies revolve around online learning, advocating for rural students in higher education, and engaging in the outdoors through hiking and kayaking. Originating from the picturesque town of Clarion, PA, she takes pride in being a loving dog mom to Bella, her cherished mini-Bernedoodle.
A delightful fun fact about Dani is her profound passion for guiding college students towards success as they embark on the thrilling journey of their next phase in life.
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Kyle Chalupczynski, M.B.A. - Faculty Affiliate
Kyle Chalupczynski is a faculty affiliate of the VAR Lab and a Lecturer in Management Information Systems at the Black School of Business. He joined Penn State Behrend in 2018 and became involved with the VAR Lab in Spring 2023 through a curriculum integration with VAR Edu. Marcus Jacobs reached out to him about the available integration opportunities, and together, they designed an engaging ‘Introduction to VR and AR technologies’ experience that perfectly complemented Kyle’s MIS 204: Intro to MIS course. Kyle’s interest in the VAR Lab was sparked by his fascination with the business impact of VR and AR technologies and Marcus’ passion for the field. Kyle has been most involved in the organization through designing curriculum integrations in VAR Edu.
Beyond his work with the VAR Lab, Kyle delves into exploring the impacts of AI and Large Language Models. Born and raised in Erie, PA, he proudly calls it home and shares his living space with a few fish that he cherishes as pets.
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Jasper Sachsenmeier, MLitt – Faculty Affiliate
As a faculty affiliate of VAR Lab, Jasper seeks to explore and use the pedagogical opportunities offered by Virtual/Augmented Reality technologies to engage students in innovative ways beyond the traditional classroom experience. Jasper is a Lecturer of Composition at Penn State Behrend, who comes from a background in linguistics and literature and specializes in ELL instruction. He teaches a variety of topics, ranging from rhetoric and composition to history and folklore. In his spare time, Jasper enjoys baking, Old Norse sagas, and his pet guinea pigs.
Karrie Bowen, M.A. – Faculty Affiliate
Allosaur Skull by VAR Lab on Sketchfab
Karrie Bowen earned a master of arts in communication studies from Edinboro University in 2002, and a bachelor of arts in speech and communication studies from Edinboro University in 1997. She joined the lab in spring of 2020 to help advise on public relations strategies and general promotion of the lab. She hopes to see the integration of VR technology into classrooms to enhance the learning experience.
Hudson Tran - Undergraduate Researcher
Hudson Tran is a valued Staff Affiliate of the VAR Lab and an accomplished Multimedia Specialist at the Center for eLearning Initiatives. Hudson joined Penn State as a staff member in early 2023, however his journey with the VAR Lab dates back to its inception, when he was one of the pioneering students involved in research while pursuing his undergraduate degree. Hudson’s passion for the VAR Lab is driven by his sheer fascination with the captivating world of Virtual Reality (VR) technology and its potential for enhancing the classroom experience. Within the VAR Lab, Hudson focuses on the VAR Studios unit. When he’s not immersed in the world of VR and multimedia, Hudson’s heart lies in the great outdoors. He is an Erie native.
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Jaimen Gallo - Instructional Developer
Jaimen is a Staff Affiliate of the VAR Lab and an Instructional Developer for the Center for eLearning Initiatives. Since joining Penn State in 2007, he has been overseeing the systems and sites of the Center for eLearning, actively participates in commonwealth campus initiatives, creates multimedia, develops interactive content, applications, and sites for projects and courses. His responsibilities also include collaborating with faculty and staff to identify, design, develop, and implement new features and technologies based on educational needs. Jaimen loves adventure, coaching, and spending time with family and friends.
Breanna McClean – Staff Affiliate
Breanna McClain is a staff affiliate of the VAR Lab and serves as the Marketing and Event Coordinator at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. She graduated from Penn State Behrend in May 2022 and joined as a staff member in February 2023. As a friend of Marcus, she became acquainted with the organization’s initiatives and was eager to get involved. In May 2023, she formally affiliated herself with the VAR Lab and quickly began working alongside the team.
Breanna is particularly enthusiastic about the cutting-edge technology employed by the VAR Lab, finding the immersive virtual reality experiences to be truly fantastic. In her role as Marketing and Event Coordinator, she plays a crucial part in facilitating the numerous events hosted by the various units within the VAR Lab.
During her leisure time, she enjoys hiking and photography. Originally from Corry, PA, she now resides in Erie, PA. Breanna has a few cats and a beloved dog as her pets. An interesting tidbit about her is that she got accepted into the Master of Professional Studies in Strategic Communications program through Penn State World Campus, which she is pursuing during her free time.
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Faculty and Community Affiliates
Antigoni Kotsiou - Community Affiliate
Antigoni was a Behrend graduate student, she hoped to use her research background and clinical experience to do research on the integration of new technologies in psychotherapy and education. Born and raised in Greece, Antigoni earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. She fulfilled her dream of coming to the United States when she was accepted into the Applied Clinical Psychology master’s program at Penn State Behrend. Some of her hobbies include taking long walks, reading, baking, and solving jigsaw puzzles.
Marcus Jacobs – Graduate Researcher
Marcus is a valued Community Affiliate of the VAR Lab, and he currently serves as the Borough Manager of Wesleyville Borough. He holds dual business degrees in Business Economics and International Business from the prestigious Black School of Business at Penn State Behrend. Marcus’ journey with the VAR Lab began in the summer of 2020, during his junior year of undergraduate studies, when he eagerly took on the role of a project manager to create a virtual tour of the Behrend campus. The VAR Lab’s mission to utilize immersive technologies for enriching learning, research, and engagement deeply resonated with him. Upon completing his undergraduate degree, he decided to continue his involvement with the VAR Lab while pursuing a Master of Project Management degree.
Over the course of more than a year, he served as a Graduate Project Manager and played a pivotal role in establishing the VAR Lab’s Project Management Office. He skillfully designed the framework that streamlined project creation, management, and conclusion within the organization. During his tenure, the VAR Lab expanded its personnel and successfully established strategic units, including VAR Studios and VAR Edu. Marcus remained dedicated to the VAR Lab for a total of three years as a student employee until August 2023 when he assumed the esteemed position of Wesleyville Borough Manager. The experience he gained in the VAR Lab played a significant role in crafting an impressive resume, ultimately making him qualified for this key role in the community.
On a personal note, Marcus hails from Pittsburgh and currently resides in Erie, PA. During his leisure time, he finds joy in hiking, kayaking, and car camping, taking the opportunity to explore various national parks and scenic destinations across the United States. An interesting fact about Marcus is that he has experienced skydiving and white-water rafting. While he would gladly go skydiving again, he gained a profound respect for Mother Nature after navigating class 5 whitewater rapids and prefers to stay on her good side. As a Community Affiliate, Marcus is thrilled to continue advocating for the VAR Lab and providing valuable consultation to support its many exciting initiatives.
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Nicholas Smerker - Commonwealth Affiliate
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Community Affiliates
Abigail Manelick
Abigail is a graduate student in the Applied Clinical Psychology program at Penn State Behrend. Abigail obtained a BA in Psychology with a Trauma Studies Certificate from Penn State Behrend, and would like to become a licensed therapist. Her research interests include the nature of psychopathology, interpersonal relationships, and post-traumatic growth.
Abigail enjoys cooking, working out, traveling, and going to concerts.
Andrew Prouty
Abigail is a graduate student in the Applied Clinical Psychology program at Penn State Behrend. Abigail obtained a BA in Psychology with a Trauma Studies Certificate from Penn State Behrend, and would like to become a licensed therapist. Her research interests include the nature of psychopathology, interpersonal relationships, and post-traumatic growth.
Abigail enjoys cooking, working out, traveling, and going to concerts.
Babur Rakhmatullaev
Under Construction
Conrad Lloyd
Under Construction
Hetvi Desai
Hetvi is a second-year student in the Applied Clinical Psychology Program at Penn State Behrend. She has a Bachelor of Science in Psychological Sciences from Purdue University. Her research focuses on stress and mental health for minorities. In her free time, Hetvi loves reading, writing, and cooking new foods.
Matthew Szarmach
Matthew is an undergraduate student from Pittsburgh, PA studying Computer Science at Penn State Behrend. He enjoys learning each aspect of his field including Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, and Cyber Security. In his free time, he enjoys learning new aspects of programming, video games, reading, hiking, and playing guitar.
Roomana Sokeechand
Under Construction
Shwetha Gottumukkala
Under Construction
Ryan Grabowski
Under Construction
Manasi Patil
Under Construction
Arianna Smith
Under Construction
Zach Babb
Under Construction
Ammar Hattab
Under Construction
Nikita Redkin
Under Construction
Johnathan Sedlak
Under Construction
Victoria Mott
Victoria is a Mechanical Engineering major working on the VAR Lab Rover project. She started work at the lab in October, 2023 and was originally interested because of her love of technology and passion for making it more accessible and fun for people to engage with. In her free time, she loves to read science fiction, watch movies, and play her all-time favorite video game, The Last Of Us.
Lerato is a graduate student in the Applied Clinical Psychology Program at Penn State Behrend. Originally from South Africa, Lerato has a BA in Psychology and a BA in Political Science from Michigan State University. Her research focus is in affordable and accessible mental health interventions. Her goal is to use her research to advocate for more mental health interventions in the international development sector,
She enjoys hiking, reading, watching reality TV. Lerato is a self-taught baker and has mastered brownies, citrus cakes, cheesecakes and cupcakes, next stop macarons.
Justin Williams
Justin is a driven Computer Science major with a passion for learning more about Virtual Reality in relation to computer science. He got involved with VAR during his freshman year when a teacher recommended he check out the lab during his summer semester. Since then, he’s been an important member of the VAR team, working primarily in the EDU section during the school year, and in the lab during the summer and off-times. When he’s not working, Justin enjoys playing video games with friends and hitting the gym. He’s also a fan of Super Smash Bros and trying out new restaurants with friends.
Garrett Stroupe, Remote Pilot & Immersive Creator
Garrett Stroupe is a talented member of our VAR Lab team! Garrett is a Remote Pilot in Command of the Aerial Operations Team and an Immersive Creator under VAR Studios. Currently pursuing a DIGIT Major within the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, he aims to graduate in December 2024. Garrett’s journey with the VAR Lab began in the summer of 2023 when he reached out to express his enthusiasm about their upcoming projects. What drew him in was the VAR Lab’s focus on three key areas: Immersive Solutions for Industry, Digital Wellness Solutions, and Aerial Operations.
Within the VAR Lab, Garrett is actively involved in the VAR Studios unit, primarily focusing on the Mobile Operations and Aerial Operations Studios. This exciting role allows him to thrive in a dynamic environment that combines creativity, technical expertise, and collaboration.
Beyond his work, Garrett nurtures a creative hobby of continuously growing and developing his 3D modeling and texturing skills. As an enthusiast of digital art and virtual environments, he takes joy in crafting intricate three-dimensional assets and bringing them to life with textures and materials. Born and raised in Erie, PA, Garrett is also a proud pet owner of two adorable dogs, Dexter and Blaze.
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Captain Lauren Cass - Undergraduate Researcher
Lauren Cass is a 4th year student at Penn State Behrend. She is currently majoring in Communications and minoring in History. Lauren started her career at the VAR Lab, during Fall 2021, when she worked on several projects for the Hagen History Center. She is in charge of headset management in the lab along with heading up the YouTube channel. She said she “is very excited about having a cubicle for the first time.” On the side she owns a Tour company, Tour Erie, that operates on Erie’s Bayfront. In her free time, she enjoys playing Minecraft and Beat Saber as well as kayaking on Lake Erie.
Daniel Schreiber - Undergraduate Researcher
Daniel is a passionate member of the VAR Lab, currently majoring in Digital Media, Arts & Technology. He first became involved with the lab in his freshman year during the fall semester of 2022 when a friend who worked on the team reached out to him, knowing his interest in VR. Daniel currently works in the VAR Lab and is excited to contribute his skills and expertise to various projects. In his free time, Daniel enjoys rock carving, learning guitar, and exploring all things VR.
Sebastian Ortiz - Undergraduate Researcher
Sebastian is a talented DIGIT major with a minor in Game Development who will be graduating in May 2023. He got involved with VAR because it seemed fun and interesting to him. Currently, he works in the VAR Edu section. Sebastian’s hobbies include playing games and building model kits.
Felipe Bassi - Undergraduate Researcher
Felipe is a talented Digital Media, Arts & Technology major with minors in Management Information Systems and Data Visualization. He got involved with VAR after seeing a job posting for developers on the DIGIT Canvas platform. Currently, Felipe is an app developer for the upcoming Behrend Immersive Experience App. He joined VAR in October 2022 and has been an invaluable member of the team since then. Outside of work, Felipe enjoys golfing and skiing, depending on the time of the year. He also has a passion for following sports, from Formula 1 to NBA to soccer.
Sophia Diplacido - Undergraduate Researcher
Sophia is currently an Undergraduate researcher for VAR.
Christopher Mamatas - Undergraduate Researcher
Christopher is currently an Undergraduate researcher for VAR and contributes greatly to the app the Landing Place. Christopher is a computer science major and he will be graduating in December of 2023. Christopher got involved in VAR through the app The Landing Place. The Landing Place app needed a programmer to start building the app. He felt like this would be a great opportunity to help a lot of people with his programming knowledge. When Christopher isn’t working on The Landing Place you can find him going to the movies or possibly gaming.
Remington Matthew Orange - Undergraduate Researcher
Remington is an undergraduate in the DIGIT program, with the hopes of one day getting a job in order to be paid. He enjoys drawing, woodworking, or anything where he can create. Remington is often found with a VR headset neatly glued to his face rather than out socializing or simply lying-in bed unintentionally attempting to reduce his carbon footprint. Remington joined VAR in his first year. Remington hopes to make a great new addition to the VAR Lab team and help to expand VAR far and wide.
Yi Zheng - Undergraduate Researcher
Yi is currently an Undergraduate researcher for VAR.
Boluwatife Owodunni - Graduate Researcher
Boluwatife Owodunni is a graduate student in the Applied Clinical Psychology program at Penn State Behrend College. She has a BSc. In Psychology and is interested in working with families, children, and adults.
Sanjana Karnik - Graduate Researcher
Sanjana Karnik is a senior graduate student in the Applied Clinical Psychology program at Penn State Behrend. She completed her BA (Bachelor of Arts) in psychology from Jai Hind College, Mumbai, India. Sanjana is primarily interested in accessible and effective mental health services and interventions for the emerging adulthood population. she wants to do her bit in spreading mental health awareness and normalizing the concept of seeking professional help. She hopes to assist the team with planning, coordinating, reviewing, and editing content for the Landing Place.
Jonathan Robert Phillips - Graduate Researcher
Jonathan is a highly skilled and innovative individual pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He joined VAR in the spring of 2023, after taking an interest in the work done by VARedu during one of their walk-in hours. Jonathan hopes to work with the robot in the lab, as it combines his passion for engineering with his interest in VR technology. Outside of his studies, Jonathan enjoys collecting old foreign currency and studying Japanese. He is always seeking out new challenges and experiences, and is excited to contribute his skills and knowledge to the VAR team.
Salvatore - Undegraduate Researcher
Salvatore is an undergraduate finance major who is also taking additional classes in video game design and games industry history. He got involved with VAR through a growing interest in the fields of human-computer interaction and a lifelong interest in digital media, such as video editing and the video game industry. Sal currently works in the VAR Lab and VAR Edu. He will graduate in May 2025. When Sal isn’t at the lab making videos, you can find him weightlifting, playing video games, outdoor cycling, and investing in ETFs.
Matt - Undegraduate Researcher
Matt is an undergraduate researcher and he is majoring in ECT (electrical and computer engineering) He got started in VAR through his experience with CAD, Unreal, Rapid prototyping and his work with industry. Matt mainly works in the VAR Lab and VAR Studio, he is also an intern at Innovation commons. Matt has contributed quite a bit to VAR, he helped in the creation of XRcast as well as Matchbox Studios. Currently he has been working on creating virtual environments in Unreal. When Matt isn’t busy writing code you can find him in the outdoors biking, kayaking, camping, and dirt biking.
Alex - Undegraduate Researcher
Alex is an undergraduate researcher. He is majoring in Architectural Engineering. Alex will be graduating in 2027. Alex got involved in VAR when he wrote a paper about the potential use cases of VAR technology in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction industry. Along side this paper, he set up a demonstration for students in the VAR Edu space: a tour of the Sistine Chapel! Shortly after, Marcus, the project manager, reached out and offered him a position. Alex currently still works in VAR Edu. When Alex isn’t working hard in Edu he is usually watch collecting, studying architecture, Cycling, or Reading.
Graduate & Undergraduate Researchers
Erica Juriasingani – Undergraduate Researcher
Erica is an undergraduate researcher involved in multiple projects within the lab. She has won multiple grants so she can be paid for her research assistant position over the summer and fall of 2020. Currently, she is undergoing training in 3D content creation (i.e., CAD) and lidar scanning (i.e., FARO) to be able to build prototype 3D models for the Fort LeBeouf project. In addition to this, she is in charge of running a lab study on SONA and has helped create lab promotional content. In her free time, she likes to read, take pictures and travel. Erica plans on continuing her experience with the VAR Lab through her senior year and wants to go into UX/UI design after she graduates from Behrend.
Cedrick Nowatzyk
Under Construction
Joe Houck
Under Construction
Kelly Cass - Undergraduate Researcher
Kelly is a talented team member in the VAR Edu section. She’s an aspiring educator with a major in Elementary and Early Childhood Education, who got involved with VAR through her sister and has been a dedicated member of the team since March 2022. Outside of her work with VAR, she enjoys hiking with her dogs, singing, playing the piano, baking, and spending time with her family. Discover Kelly’s passion for education and the things she loves!
Jackson Currier
Under Construction
Becca Olanrewaju – Undergraduate Researcher
Becca is a Plastics Engineering Technology major and undergraduate researcher starting in Spring 2021. She will be working on projects in the VAR lab involving 3D modeling.
She also took a year long Co-Op during 2020 in Silicon Valley as a Manufacturing Design intern, with project focuses on developing texture standards in plastics, as well as validating and improving material models using flow analysis software and correlating the results with experimental data.
Kaylee Larson – Undergraduate Researcher
Ruchi Kudalkar
Under Construction
Marina Bystryy – Undergraduate Researcher
Marina’s involvement in the lab was beneficial to the early stages of the lab as she helped with lab startup tasks. She also helped with literature reviews on VR/AR material related to mental health that would help shape the direction the lab would take in terms of research. When the Annual Penn State Behrend STEAM fair came around she was there to help as well. Marina likes to travel and to do nails in her free time. Her future plans are to gain experience in Erie by working in a Psychology-related career. Once she has the experience she wants to move out of state and go back to school for a master’s in criminology or criminalistics.
Haley Altadonna
Under Construction
Mistie McColm
Under Construction
Dante Colorito – Undergraduate Researcher
Dante previously worked as an Undergraduate Researcher.
Bri Grove – Undergraduate Researcher
Bri previously worked as an Undergraduate Researcher.
Husain Kapadia – Undergraduate Researcher
Husain previously worked as an Undergraduate Researcher.
Jasmine Lewis – Undergraduate Researcher
Jasmine is a 7th semester senior in the psychology department at Behrend. She is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree, with certificates in both Trauma Studies and Behavioral Health and Psychological Counseling, with plans to attend Behrend’s Applied Clinical Psychology master’s degree program. She has assisted in the research labs under Dr. Dawood, Dr. Hetzel- Riggen, and now Dr. Shelton. Jasmine is currently enrolled in the Advanced Research Methods course where she is conducting her own research study with a team of classmates. Outside of academia, Jasmine works part time during the school year and enjoys hobbies such as Goju Ryu karate, singing, and spending time with her family and fur baby, Delaney.
Sam Deeter – Undergraduate Researcher
Sam is currently a junior majoring in DIGIT and hopes to go into game design.
Jacob Ognibene – Student Lab Member
During his time at the lab, Jacob helped look for potential programs to use for 3D content creation. These programs have a variety of applications within the lab such as recreating historical locations to be viewed in VR. Jacob’s future plans are to either go directly into the workforce with a career in usability or go to graduate school for human-computer interactions or usability.
Adrienne Pauline – Lab Consultant and Student Lab Member
Adrienne was one of the first students to help with the creation and the initial work of the lab. Using her experience gained pursuing her Bachelor’s in Psychology she was able to compile literature reviews on virtual reality and help set the direction that the lab would take. Adrienne loves academics and finds that it is what drives her and keeps her motivated. She also has a passion for music and participated in musicals in high school and college. She is attending Edinboro University in fall 2020 pursuing a masters in Social Work.
Kaelyn Randall – Student Lab Member
Kaelyn was one of the early members of the lab. She helped with, researching articles related to the use of VR/AR in education, lab startup tasks, STEAM Fair, and lab promotional content. In her free time, she liked to travel, hike, and read books. Her future plans are to earn her master’s degree in clinical counseling.
Heather Vommoro – Student Lab Member
Heather was another one of the original student members of the lab that helped run lab startup tasks. She helped showcase the capabilities and future plans of the lab to faculty and admin on tours of the lab. She also helped troubleshoot hardware and equipment issues along with researching articles on forensic use of VR/AR that helped evaluate it usefulness to the lab. Heather Graduated in 2020 with a degree in Psychology.
Emily Wargo – Student Lab Member
Emily is our talented Data Visualization Intern in the VAR Lab. She’s an accomplished Marketing major with minors in Management Information Systems and Data Visualization. Emily got involved with VAR through a data visualization internship in another department of Penn State Behrend, and she quickly found her calling in helping the VAR Lab with visualizing their own data. She’s also volunteered her time to help at some events put on by the VAR Lab and was able to communicate with community members the value of having a space where Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) can be further explored. Outside of work, Emily enjoys the great outdoors, practicing yoga, and trying new recipes using ingredients from a successful summer garden.
Ryan Scott - Undergraduate Researcher
Ryan Scott is a talented MIS student with a passion for technology, design, and the outdoors. When he’s not busy working with Partnership Erie or developing custom websites for VAR, Ryan can be found playing a round of tennis, exploring the local waterways by kayak, or unleashing his creativity through graphic design. He also loves spending time with friends and family, whether it’s through a friendly game night or a weekend camping trip. Discover Ryan’s unique blend of technical skills, artistic flair, and adventurous spirit!
