Welcome to The Immersive Lens - the show where emerging tech meets creativity, education, and real-world impact. Hosted by Paul Engin (Professor of New Media) and Dave Ghidiu (Professor of Computer Science) at Finger Lakes Community College, this podcast dives into the technologies and creative innovations reshaping how we live, work, and learn - from AI and augmented reality to the future of media, design, and learning.

Topics Covered:

In this episode of The Immersive Lens, hosts Paul Engin and Dave Ghidiu sit down with Christine Parker, a Professor of Science and Technology and Finger Lakes Community College’s resident "Immersive Classroom Guru". The conversation centers on the transformative power of Mixed Reality (MR) in higher education, specifically focusing on the use of the Microsoft HoloLens to revolutionize how students learn human anatomy. Unlike traditional virtual reality that isolates the user, Mixed Reality allows students to remain present in their physical environment while interacting with high-fidelity, life-sized holograms of the human body, turning a standard classroom into a futuristic "Holography Lab".

Paul and Dave explore Christine’s journey from the pharmaceutical industry to the classroom, uncovering the technical hurdles - from sunlight interference to the necessity of "geometric carpets" - that come with pioneering new tech. The episode concludes with a powerful verdict: technology is merely a tool for storytelling, but when applied with intentional instructional design, it can significantly shift student performance and retention. As the HoloLens era begins to sunset, the team looks forward to the next evolution of immersive rooms that incorporate sound and even scent to simulate high-stakes environments for first responders.

Links & Resources:

Could HoloLens’ Augmented Reality Change How We Study the Human Body? - https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2016/04/could-hololens-augmented-reality-change-how-we-study-human-body

Transforming Medical Education with Microsoft HoloLens - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4M6BTYRlKQ

How to Transform Your Classroom into a 360° Immersive Learning Experience with Projection Mapping? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6SoHMw0mdM

Microsoft is discontinuing its HoloLens headsets - https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2016/04/could-hololens-augmented-reality-change-how-we-study-human-body

FLX AI Hub: https://www.flcc.edu/ai/

FLCC New Media: https://newmedia.csc.flcc.cloud/

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Recorded at Finger Lakes Community College in the heart of New York’s Finger Lakes region.

https://www.flcc.edu/

https://www.theimmersivelens.com/

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Thanks for looking through The Immersive Lens.

Welcome to The Immersive Lens — the show where emerging tech meets creativity, education, and real-world impact. Hosted by Paul Engin (Professor of New Media) and Dave Ghidiu (Professor of Computer Science) at Finger Lakes Community College, this podcast dives into the technologies and creative innovations reshaping how we live, work, and learn—from AI and augmented reality to the future of media, design, and learning.In this episode of The Immersive Lens, hosts Paul Engin and Dave Ghidiu delve into the practical and transformative world of custom chatbots - specifically "Gems" in Google Gemini and "Custom GPTs" in ChatGPT. They explore how these specialized AI tools are shifting from general-purpose assistants to highly tailored "transactional" workflows. By focusing on niche applications like generating accessible alt-text for images or interpreting complex branding guidelines, the duo illustrates how anyone can now "program" an AI using simple English to solve repetitive, data-heavy tasks.The conversation takes a deeper turn as Paul and Dave weigh the immense benefits of these tools against the ethical and safety challenges emerging in the industry. While Dave highlights the efficiency gains for educators and businesses, Paul introduces the sobering reality of "digital attachment" and the ongoing legal battles surrounding social media’s impact on youth mental health. Ultimately, the hosts deliver a verdict of cautious optimism: custom chatbots are powerful allies for productivity and accessibility, but they require human oversight and robust guardrails to ensure they remain helpful rather than harmful.🔗 Links & Resources:Peaky Blindershttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peaky_Blinders_(TV_series)Meta SAM3https://ai.meta.com/research/sam3/ComfyUIhttps://www.comfy.org/Google Genie 3https://deepmind.google/models/genie/Prep for the SAT with practice tests in Geminihttps://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/education/practice-sat-gemini/Google Gem: 🖼 Text from Image Extractor 🖼https://gemini.google.com/gem/1unHgmJh_12o9QIMTskVueYWAbyVhzwDq?usp=sharingGoogle Gem: GenAlphaSpeakhttps://gemini.google.com/gem/1BtU9sp5Y43jh8Lg1zW5GnzpQ6YdCjHvi?usp=sharingGoogle Gem/Chatbot System Prompt Examples:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wGw-UOoWJmg_uUNYFGR_Mh0xsHMP4cDRtMazGmhaFHE/edit?usp=sharingProfessor Maley's PDF to HTML Converterhttps://gemini.google.com/gem/17HdBpSsZunyiIvBRM1p4AWUf2DgzWbek?usp=sharingCharacter.AI and Google agree to settle lawsuits over teen mental health harms and suicideshttps://www.cnn.com/2026/01/07/business/character-ai-google-settle-teen-suicide-lawsuitSocial Media School Districts Lawsuithttps://www.motleyrice.com/social-media-lawsuits/school-districts-lawsuitSpain, Greece weigh teen social media bans, drawing fury from Elon Muskhttps://www.reuters.com/world/spain-hold-social-media-executives-accountable-illegal-hateful-content-2026-02-03/Pluribus (TV series)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluribus_(TV_series)ChatGPT Custom GPT Markethttps://chatgpt.com/gptsFLX AI Hub: https://www.flcc.edu/ai/FLCC New Media: https://newmedia.csc.flcc.cloud/🎧 Subscribe to The Immersive Lens to stay curious and connected!#ai #edtech #generativeai #highered #podcast #sora2 #vibecoding #digitalethics #flcc #newmedia #techtrends #techhistory #uxdesign #webdevelopment #projecticeberg #futureofwork #screentime #foldablephones #visionpro #TheImmersiveLens #edtechtools ✅ Subscribe so you never miss an episode—and share with a friend who loves tech, creativity, or the future of education.Recorded at Finger Lakes Community College in the heart of New York’s Finger Lakes region.https://www.flcc.edu/https://www.theimmersivelens.com/Stay curious. Stay connected.Thanks for looking through The Immersive Lens.