Aaron Gluck, clinical assistant professor in Games, Interactive Media, Mobile Technology (GIMM) and a Boise State alum, won the award for best paper at the IDEATExR Workshop. IDEATExR called for papers related to inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility, transparency and ethics in extended reality.
Gluck’s winning paper, “Don’t Forget Our Presence: Exploring VR for Older Adults,” built on earlier research from his dissertation. Gluck and his coauthors noted that virtual reality (VR) had tremendous benefits for adults 65 and older—like socialization, rehabilitation and well-being. Despite these benefits, very few older adults use VR.
The research explored VR accessibility needs among the older population. Gluck’s work demonstrated the need for VR hardware and applications to support older users.
Gluck joined the GIMM faculty in 2023. Before earning his Ph.D., Gluck part of the first GIMM cohort and graduated in 2019.