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Developed in collaboration with polar science experts, this virtual reality game immerses users in the life of a scientist maintaining weather stations in Antarctica. Designed for the Meta Quest 3, the game challenges players to complete realistic repair tasks reimagined as engaging tactile puzzles. As players tackle these challenges, a virtual assistant provides guidance, not only assisting with gameplay mechanics but also offering valuable insights into the real-world science behind their actions. This interactive experience aims to captivate players aged ten and above, offering a unique blend of education and entertainment. 

This paper presents, Waddle, a virtual experience to promote informal learning by embodying the user as an Adélie Penguin to partake in a narrative-based virtual reality application that shares the story of the lives of these unique animals. We test the effects of this experience on informal learning and empathy, an important component for fostering social engagement with ecology. The research demonstrates that the developed experience is able to support informal learning, virtual embodiment, and is able to create a positive change in empathy. 

Quantification of gait changes in response to altered environmental stimuli may allow for improved understanding of the mechanisms that influence gait changes and fall occurrence in older adults. This study explored how systematic manipulation of a single dimension of one’s environment affects spatiotemporal gait parameters. A total of 20 older adult participants walked at a self-selected pace in a constructed research hallway featuring a mobile wall, which allowed manipulation of the hallway width between three conditions: 1.14 m, 1.31 m, and 1.48 m. Spatiotemporal data from participants’ walks were captured using an instrumented GAITRite mat. A repeated measures ANOVA revealed older adults spent significantly more time in double support in the narrowest hallway width compared to the widest, but did not significantly alter other spatiotemporal measures. Small-scale manipulations of a single dimension of the environment led to subtle, yet in some cases significant changes in gait, suggesting that small or even imperceptible environmental changes may contribute to altered gait patterns for older adults.