Human Development and Media Lab Brings Virtual Reality and Hands-On Learning to UC Davis’ 111th Annual Picnic Day

As part of ongoing efforts to bring social science to the local community, the Human Development and Media Lab (led by Dr. Drew Cingel) highlighted a project on children’s learning from virtual reality at the Children’s Discovery Fair on Picnic Day, UC Davis’ annual celebration that attracts more than 75,000 visitors.

Undergraduate research assistants, graduate students, and a visiting scholar (Dr. Minjung Kim from Ewha Women’s University in South Korea) teamed up to represent the Human Development and Media Lab and the Cognitive Communication Science Lab (led by Dr. Richard Huskey). Children had the opportunity to play with puzzles in virtual reality, and parents heard about how our labs work to support children’s learning from media.

Caption: Minjung Kim (left), visiting scholar, and Jane Shawcroft (right), Ph.D. candidate, at the Children’s Discovery Fair

Further, this event gave undergraduate research assistants the rare opportunity to work with children in a hands-on and dynamic setting. Millie Fong, graduating senior in the Department of Communication reflected on the event:

It was fun to see many of the kids experience VR for the first time and how they reacted to it. The experience gained from helping out at this kind of event isn't something that you can learn in a classroom!

Caption: Sofia Rhea (left), Ph.D. candidate, looks on while Millie Fong, undergraduate research assistant, sets up a virtual reality headset.

Katherine Ong, second year undergraduate student, echoed this excitement:

I’ve been part of the HDML for almost a year now, and it’s been one of the coolest opportunities I’ve had as an undergrad! The lab is always pushing boundaries in how we understand technology’s role in children’s learning, and I love being part of that hands-on research.

Caption: Katherine Ong, undergraduate research assistant, sets up a virtual reality headset

Events like Picnic Day bridge research and community engagement by fostering connection, learning, and curiosity. We are grateful to all of the families that shared their time to learn more about our work!

Caption: Aimie Nguyen, undergraduate research assistant, helps a child put on a virtual reality headset

Caption: Camren Allen, Ph.D. candidate, interacts with families at the Children’s Discovery Fair