A large-scale visualization facility with integrated haptic devices is a critical need that will enable the realization of breakthrough science and engineering at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). Our proposed facility (Haptic Vis-Wall) is uniquely configured to provide real-time interaction with very large, complex data sets. Three primary research projects and ten other projects have been identified that require a large-scale visualization facility so that researchers can develop in-depth interpretation of their models and data and produce intellectual insight. In addition, due to the uniqueness of the equipment, sharing of the resource across UTSA, and the highly visible nature of the resource, it is foreseeable that collaborations across engineering, computer science, statistics and others will result. Also, the capability to include haptic devices into research and teaching will spawn new awareness and applications of this important resource into fundamental graduate and undergraduate courses and provide an engaging vehicle for addressing student retention and graduation rate issues.
Today's students often exhibit superior learning through graphically based instruction. This is especially true for underrepresented minority students that are typically the first generation to attend college and often lack access to the latest technology. As a result, this facility, which will be open to all UTSA faculty and students, can have a significant impact on educational and research accomplishments. Further benefits include a dramatic increase in publicity of computational science, engineering, computer programming, haptics and controls, and computer graphics to administrators, faculty, students and prospective students. The facility will be centrally located on campus for both teaching and research.
