Business Service Center staff increase research knowledge at GRID Lab open house

The Game and Research Immersive Design (GRID) Lab within the Scripps College of Communication hosted an open house on Feb. 28 to showcase the innovative and intricate work in cinematic virtual reality technology being done by students and faculty at Ohio University.  

The OHIO Business Service Center (BSC) strives to improve service and gain efficiencies in purchasing and travel associated to all units working with the OHIO BSC, including the GRID Lab. Because research is such an important part of the University culture and reputation, the OHIO BSC has been working to improve research-related purchases for their constituents.

“We think it is critical for our staff to understand how vital the purchasing work they do is to the overall University ecosystem,” states Heather Krugman, executive director of the OHIO Business Service Center.  “When we were invited to this open house, I jumped at the chance to provide an opportunity for my staff to see an example of what faculty in the research community are doing and how important the purchasing work that we do contributes to the overall success of our researchers.”  

One example of  this work, as highlighted at the open house, is the GRID Lab’s research into virtual reality training programs. The GRID Lab, in a recent partnership with the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service, is providing training for peace officers across the state of Ohio.  The virtual reality technology simulates “real world” situations and the storytelling behind the training modules highlights many ways officers may respond, as well as how to use communication tools to de-escalate situations.

The OHIO BSC will be creating a research purchasing committee this spring to continue to improve services and efficiencies for existing customers.  Committee invitations will be sent in the near future, but if you are interested in participating, please contact Kelly Broughton at broughtk@ohio.edu.