Shenandoah Students Creating VR Experience Following the Lewis and Clark Trail

Summary

A team of students at Shenandoah University is wrapping up work on a groundbreaking virtual reality project that will change how people learn about and experience the famed Lewis and Clark Expedition. The VR experience, titled “Following in Their Footsteps,” was developed by seniors Tyler Dossatt ’25 (Bachelor of Science in virtual reality design), Ann Fink ’25 (B.S. in VR design), Joey Miciotta ’25 (Bachelor of Arts in VR design) and Gabby Pieklo ’25 (Bachelor of Arts in media and communication), and is the result of a nine-month process that kicked off in August 2024, with a 12-day, cross-country, faculty-led road trip from Shenandoah’s main campus in Winchester, Virginia, to Astoria, Oregon. The project is funded in part by a $7,500 grant from the Lewis and Clark Trail Alliance. Retracing the steps of the Corps of Discovery – the team composed of U.S. Army and civilian volunteers led by Meriweather Lewis and William Clark – as it explored the land acquired by the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, Shenandoah’s students, led by Immersive Media Specialist Lee A. Graff, M.Ed., stopped at many of the key sites along the path, capturing 360-degree video and other content that was used to develop the immersive VR program through the Shenandoah Center for Immersive Learning (SCiL). The VR experience provides a new level of interactivity and access to the significant sites and moments associated with the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and aims to capture newer audiences and expand users’ understanding of this important piece of American history through the use of immersive media. “We definitely should teach more about it in schools because so many people aren’t educated enough on this very impactful part of history,” Pieklo said. “The expedition is important, and it kind of represents what America stands for. You know about the Louisiana Purchase. That was a big thing, we hear about that. It’s one of the main things that I remember from my history clas...