Making virtual reality worlds-interaction between higher education and K-12

For the past two years, the Michigan State University College of Engineering working with the Capital Area Science and Math Center has been putting a weekend program introducing students to virtual reality. The program is very simple but very effective. After a short motivational speech, the middle school students are given a self-paced handout in one of the universities high-performance computer lab. Engineering undergraduate students are in the room to answer questions and provide guidance. At the end of the session, the student projects are collected and placed on a Web page.