Students Neil St. Clair and Daniel Erdogan with ASNE TW's Old Dominion University Chapter provided a recap of their recent tour of VMASC:

“On March 23, the ASNE Tidewater Old Dominion University Student chapter had the privilege to tour the Virginia Modeling Analysis & Simulation Center (VMASC) in Suffolk. The tour began with a brief history lesson of VMASC, which transitioned into a conversation about their various projects. Some of these projects include providing assistance on building the highway that leads into Busch Gardens and STEM fairs for children on the autism spectrum to stimulate development and cognitive function.

Students had an opportunity to experience some of the simulations hands-on. First, the students got to fly a Cessna plane around a virtual Hampton Roads with a flight simulator. Second, the students were introduced to a virtual reality simulation that simulated a bat's life and how echolocation works. Students were tasked with using echolocation to find and eat mosquitoes while avoiding obstacles such as trees and mountains. It was a fascinating look into the technology being developed by the simulation and  modeling industry.

The final stop was a look into the digital shipbuilding lab; the students were presented a boat that VMASC had previously brought to competition. The students also got an insight into how AR (Augmented Reality) was used in the shipbuilding industry to place and fit pipes, doors, and other various components a ship would have. Overall it was a very enlightening experience. We hope to continue our work on the ASNE Promoting Electric Propulsion (PEP) competition at this facility and  other projects.

A special thank you to Mr. Mike Barkan and Mr. Joe Kosteczko for giving us the opportunity to tour this extraordinary facility.”