SIMCenter launches SIMClub with virtual reality activity

SIMClub members ate pizza, experienced virtual reality and brainstormed future club plans at their first formal meeting last Thursday.

The meeting began in the SIMCenter conference room in Smith Laboratory. Members introduced themselves and ate pizza; afterward, students and faculty tried on an HTC Vive virtual reality headset. They viewed a 3-D simulation created using Unreal Engine that showed a topology optimization of a simple beam under various loading conditions.

SIMClub is for Ohio State students interested in simulation and modeling in industry. The organization is almost entirely student-run; the students get to pick the club’s focuses and activities, and SIMCenter faculty and staff provide the necessary support.

Thanks to SIMClub’s close ties with SIMCenter, members have access to advanced modeling software, SIMCenter’s industry partners and other Ohio State research centers. Emily Nutwell, SIMClub’s staff adviser, launched SIMClub to provide students with an opportunity to explore simulation and modeling in an informal setting.

“We already have several industry partners who are interested in this program,” Nutwell said. “The possibilities are endless.”

At the end of the meeting, students gave suggestions to Co-Presidents Sydney Lee and Patrick Travis for SIMClub’s next activity. The ideas included crash test simulations, software lessons, semester-long projects and more virtual reality.

SIMClub is open to Ohio State students from all majors. The next meeting will take place in the middle of November before Thanksgiving break.

Students interested in joining SIMClub should contact Amber Pasternak at pasternak.6@osu.edu.

By Jake Berg, SIMCenter marketing and communications student assistant.