Principal Investigator
Prof. Ricard de Neufville, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society; Prof. Olivier de Weck and Dr. Rea Lavi, Aeronautics and Astronautics
Fund:
Education Innovation Funds
Funding Period:
AY2026
Department/Lab/Center:
Aeronautics and Astronautics
The proposed project aims to integrate Virtual Reality (VR) into MIT’s Planning and Design of Airport Systems course, enhancing students’ understanding of queuing theory and airport system dynamics. Building on previous VR-based aerospace education efforts, this initiative will develop an interactive, adaptive VR game module to simulate airport operations, as well as demo extensions for other domains. Students will engage with real-world congestion scenarios, improving problem-solving skills and decision-making in transportation planning. The project, utilizing AeroAstro's XR Room, will be piloted in IAP 2026 and expanded in Spring 2026, including workshops alongside the course. It seeks to advance experiential learning, foster interdisciplinary collaboration, and set a precedent for VR adoption in undergraduate aerospace engineering education.