Justin Ehrlich (SPM) PI
Extramural Sponsored Project – University of Kansas / US Department of Education, 11/1/19-10/31/23.
Justin Ehrlich is the co-principal investigator of a research team-comprised of Ehrlich, researchers from the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning and educational leaders at the Ohio Center on Autism and Low Incidence Disabilities-that received $2.5 million ($246,745 will come directly to Syracuse University) through a grant from the Office of Special Education and Programs in the United States Department of Education to fund a five-year plan to implement Virtual Reality (VR) application that will teach social skills to students with Autism. The application will simulate an average school day and allows students to interact with avatars in various environments such as a classroom, hallway, gymnasium, school bus, and cafeteria. Teamwork skills will be taught using team-based activities such as working in groups or playing sports. The application will be available on multiple platforms, including head-mounted displays, laptops, and tablets.