The Project

During the Fall term of 2020 and into the Spring term of 2021, a team of DHSS Capstone students designed and constructed the VR Planetarium. Teammates Oojin Ji, Nic Bove, Chris Eng, and Brenden Jezuit worked with program director Dr. Jessica Lieberman as well as faculty advisors Joe Geigel and Ihab Mardini to develop an accessible environment to view the stars, irrespective of common obstacles such as cloud cover, light pollution, or geographical location. 

The project continued in the Fall term of 2021 and the Spring term of 2022 with a new team of students with the intention of carrying forth the original goals of the project with an educational focus. The team consists of Taylor Anderson, Michelle Bobilev, and Zoe Caggiano working with Dr. Jessica Lieberman along with Joe Geigel, Ihab Mardini, and Jason Nordhaus to create an engaging virtual world in which any user can experience space unimpeded.

The VR Planetarium is developed in Unreal Engine using the HYG Star Database and with 3D assets developed in Blender.