📆 Thursday 17 April 2025
1:00 PM Talk & Live Demonstration “Immersive Data Visualisation” at Immersive Futures Studio (IFS).
2:10 PM Workshop “Exploring the Metaverse and Game Engine Development” at CSE VR Lab.
Both venues are close to each other (5 minutes walking), aiming to give you a tour of both VR facilities.
Registration Link: We have a limited number of slots, please register your attendance for either sessions or both sessions here: Eventbrite.
🕑 1:00 PM Talk and Live Demonstration
Immersive Data Visualisation: A Platform for Exploring Your Data in Virtual Reality
Matt Cabanag, Associate Lecturer in Immersive Design, UNSW. Graham Hannah, Manager of Immersive Development Technologies Team, UNSW.
What if you could see abstract mathematical operations in 3D space, rather than imagining them on a whiteboard? This talk introduces a platform designed to visualise vector arithmetic in virtual reality-allowing users to experience the geometric significance of these operations in a more intuitive and immersive way. The talk reflects on how VR’s affordances can support exploration of abstract theoretical ideas, not just simulations of Newtonian actions like object manipulation or throwing balls.
The Immersive Data platform was recently used in a pilot for an undergraduate maths class, MATH1141 “Higher Mathematics 1A”. This was conducted in the newly minted Immersive Futures Studio (IFS), a space where such experiences are developed, deployed and evaluated. There will also be a short background talk about other products developed by the UNSW Media & Immersive team and the use of VR and other technologies in education.
📍Location: Immersive Futures Studio (IFS), Library Tower (F21), Room 177, UNSW (through the sliding doors, through the white corridor, past the office with mannequins with VR headsets).
🕑 2:10 PM Workshop
Exploring the Metaverse and Game Engine Development
Ali Darejeh, Lecturer, UNSW.
This interactive workshop kicks off with an introduction to the UNSW Metaverse Project, offering a glimpse into virtual environments, serving as both an eye-opening introduction and a foundation for the hands-on activities that will follow.
Participants will then get hands-on with Unreal Engine, one of the most powerful game development tools available. You’ll learn how to build your own 3D environments and gain practical insight into game design workflows. This interactive session will empower participants to create their very own 3D environments, offering them a practical experience in game design and development.
Core topics include:
- Transformations and object placement
- Material design and lighting
- Landscape creation
- Foliage tools and environmental detail
📍 Location: VR Lab, Ground Floor, CSE Building (K17), UNSW. Website: https://www.unsw.edu.au/research/cse-virtual-reality-lab
Speaker Profiles
Matt Cabanag, Associate Lecturer in Immersive Design, UNSW
Matt’s infamy comes from international prizes in team-based international competitions. Most recently representing Australia and getting 2nd place in the APEC App Challenge 2022. Before that, winning “Best Mission Design” for a VR learning experience submitted to the NASA Space Apps challenge in 2018.
Matt currently teaches into the Interaction Design stream in the Bachelor of Design; and also into the Master of Simulation and Immersive Technologies, at UNSW. He recently submitted his PhD thesis in Human-Robot Interaction at the MARCS Institute for Brain Behaviour and Development, WSU.
Graham Hannah, Manager of Immersive Technologies, UNSW
Graham is the Manager of Immersive Technologies at UNSW as part of the Media & Immersive Team in the PVC Education Portfolio. The team develops bespoke simulations and VR experiences to enhance the learning and experience of academics and their students across the full range of disciplines at UNSW. Graham’s background in Architecture, Design, Digital Media and IT allows him to continue to lead innovation in the adoption and application of technologies in the higher education space.
Ali Darejeh, Lecturer, UNSW
Dr. Ali Darejeh is a lecturer at UNSW with extensive expertise in augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), brain-computer interfaces, serious games, and educational technology.
His interdisciplinary research focuses on integrating emerging technologies—such as AR, VR, and gamification—with psychological and educational theories including cognitive load, self-determination, and constructivism. Through this approach, he designs software for individuals with special needs and develops e-learning platforms aimed at enhancing user motivation and learning performance. In addition to his academic qualifications and research achievements, Dr. Darejeh brings years of industry experience as a UX researcher and gamification designer, having worked across a range of sectors including oil and gas, healthcare, finance, and insurance.