A young Naga studying in New York is using Virtual Reality (VR) technology to enhance traditional learning.

Bendangtoshi T Dominica Jamir from Dimapur, Nagaland currently in New York City, will in May this year, graduate from the New York Technical Institute (New York Tech) with a Master’s in User Experience/User Interface (UX/UI) Design and Development.

Her  web-based platform enhances traditional learning through VR. Jamir’s Master thesis project, in collaboration with PhD professors’ lesson-plans and logistical input, combined her computer engineering and VR skills to create a web-based platform of VR modules as prototypes, for use in enhanced, immersive 3D education.

She submitted her VR project and won the ‘Best Practitioner Poster Proposal’ award by the Immersive Learning Research Network (iLRN) at the iLRN 2020 Conference. iLRN is an international organization of developers, educators, and research professionals collaborating to develop the scientific, technical, and applied potential of immersive learning. Her fascination with VR tech can be traced to her childhood.

She stated that, ’I consider myself introverted, non-conformist, forward-thinking and an artist who is also into emerging technologies, gaming, creative arts, and culture. In retrospect, I discovered these were some of the personality traits that catapulted me to New York City and opened up the world for me.’

After graduating from Bangalore, while in Kolkata, working as a temporary graphic designer in 2018, Jamir discovered a dire need to reduce the complexity and bridge the technological gap between everyday users and modern technology.