Innovative Media & Technologies Graduate Research Award
The campus technology innovation lab, the Extended Reality for Learning (xREAL) with Information Technology Services (ITS), provides support, research opportunities, and faculty mentorship for graduate students who are interested in conducting research with, or writing about, immersive media (virtual and augmented reality, 360-degree video), programming with Unity and Unreal, 3D modeling and printing, machine learning, motion capture, and other leading-edge technologies that have practical applications in the classroom.
Award Details
This award, offered by the Extended Reality for Learning Lab at CSUSB (xREAL Lab), will provide support for the 2025 summer term for graduate students interested in conducting research in the general area of immersive reality use (augmented reality, mixed reality, virtual reality), artificial intelligence, robotics, or the intersection of immersive media with other leading-edge technologies. Under the direction of their regular advisors and the Faculty Director of the xREAL Lab, Dr. Mihaela Popescu, awardees will use the Lab’s technology and expertise to advance their research. Recipients will be awarded $1,000 distributed through the Financial Aid office.
Please note that all funding awarded to students through the Office of Student Research, including support used to purchase research supplies on your behalf, will be reported to the Office of Financial Aid and may affect your financial aid package. Please consult the financial aid office for more information.
Applications for the Innovative Media & Technologies Research Grant will be competitively evaluated by the OSR Awards Committee. The quality of the student research or creative activity (RCA) experience will be a determining factor in being selected. The number of awards depends on the budget and the funds available to the OSR each year. To learn more about the XReal Lab, please visit:
Eligibility
- Students enrolled in a graduate-level program at CSUSB. Must be enrolled in the Fall.
- Students must be in good academic standing (all disciplines are eligible)
- Have a GPA of at least 3.0
- The topic of their research must be related to augmented reality, mixed reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, robotics, or the intersection of immersive media with other leading-edge technologies. All disciplines are eligible.
- All projects involving human subjects and/or vertebrate animals must submit proof of Institutional Review Board and/or Institutional Animal Care.
Submission Guidelines
The following submission guidelines should be followed:
- Applications are due by June 4th for the summer 2025.
- Application and proposal submission must be submitted online through InfoReady.
- Please select the grant to which you are applying,
- Log in with your MyCoyote ID,
- Complete application
- The application must be 6 pages in length.
- All supporting documentation should be submitted at the time of the application submission.
- Letter of support from your faculty advisor.
Document Guidelines
Proposals will only be accepted through InfoReady and must be submitted no later than 11:59 PM on the deadline date.
- The proposal file must be uploaded in PDF format.
- The applicant’s name(s) should appear only on the cover page.
- Please use Times New Roman or Arial font at 12-point size.
- The right and left margins must be no smaller than 0.75 inches. Top and bottom margins must be no smaller than 1 inch.
- Please number the pages consecutively beginning with the cover sheet.
- The complete document must contain the items below and, in the order, given.
Application Opens: May 21, 2025
Application Closes: June 4th, 2025
Innovative Media & Technology Graduate Research Award Guidelines
Submit InfoReady Application - Graduate Extended Reality Award