Category: Final

Final

Zoology is a virtual game that can be played with an Oculus Rift headset or google cardboard. Its objective is to raise awareness to the tightly compiled spaces, night cages, and poor living conditions animals endure while living in zoos, circuses, and aquariums. The zoo segment is inside chapter 1. The game begins with the player being a zookeeper. The goal is for the zookeeper is to rescue all the animals in the zoo within 30 hours. Doing so, the zookeeper will encounter a series of mini games that will teach the player how to rescue each type of animal.  Once all the animals are out of the zoo, the zookeeper will drop all the animal off at a set location, built within the game. Then the player will be able to advance to chapter 2. Chapter 2 will be the same concept but now the zookeeper will be rescuing animals from the circus. Finally, will be Chapter 3 where the zookeepers mission is to rescue all fish in the aquarium and return them back to the ocean. All in all, this game will be educational and entertaining, and a fun way to learn about animals and animal cruelty.

The whole idea of keeping animals in zoos can have positive and negative impacts. There has been examples of animal cruelty inside of zoos. Many cruelty treated zoo animals experience negative changes in behavior. The New York Times Upfront stated, “Zoos provide animals with few opportunities to engage in natural behavior and little mental stimulation. In these artificial, restricted conditions, animals may have a mental breakdown and develop “zoochosis”–a form of psychosis that can cause them to sway or pace continually, chew on their own limbs until they bleed, or pull out their own fur or feathers” (New York Times Upfront, “Are Zoos Ethical?”). This article is stating that zoo animals can experience detrimental mental effects from living in the zoo that can cause them to hurt themselves. Worland stated, “….. giving new insights into how they may suffer from anxiety and depression when they are removed from nature” (Worland, “The Future of Zoos”). Worland is stating that the zoo animals are also suffering from anxiety and depression just from living in captivity.

When releasing the animals back into the wild, they might have trouble adjusting to life outside of captivity. Morell Virginia stated, “The young science of reintroduction biology is struggling to map out those strategies for success” (Virginia, “Into the Wild: Reintroduced Animals Face Daunting Odds”). Virginia is insisting that zoo animals have not been very successful in adjusting to their new lives after being released. We should release the animals into the preserves or sanctuaries to help them be able to survive. We should track the animals and monitor them every once and awhile so they don’t struggle with adjusting to a new lifestyle. As an alternative to people visiting zoos, we are offering people the ability to see and learn about the animals in the new virtual reality game that we have created. Our goal is to prevent all animals from behavioral changes, by teaching kids why and how places like zoos, circuses, and aquariums impact the animals lives

User Interface is the varying method of having interactive visuals for the user to respond to. Think of an iPhone; it’s easy to use because of it’s interface which includes legible text, icons, and colors that are attractive to the brain. In Zoology, we are able to navigate it by a main menu, which shows levels and settings. With your VR headset and haptic feedback gloves, you will have a holographic imagery of the main menu, settings, and you will be able to click what you want to do next by just reaching out.  However, a cheaper and simpler alternative will include a joystick, and google cardboard. In the game, our goal is to educate about animals and life captive in the zoo. With the addition of a story and virtual graphics we are able to enrich that experience and add some fun.

The proper user experience comes with an easy navigational experience. The choices of using a joystick, haptic feedback gloves or a balance board. Joystick which is the common and more traditional game controller will have a twist in which instead of a screen that you look at, you will have goggles on to mimic the VR 3D effect. Nevertheless, users will not have the complete experience to feel like you’re in Zoology world, because it uses less resources and is less expensive. It can be used with consoles such as Sony’s playstation and Microsoft’s Xbox. Since Wii was built on the idea of user motion, we will try to improve its use of balance boards and joysticks to recreate a more realistic movement experience in the virtual world. According to research done in Comparing two types of navigational interfaces for Virtual Reality, Forty university students participated in this study. Results show that participants were more efficient when performing navigation tasks using the Joystick than with the Balance Board. This statement proves that the Balance board isn’t yet completely ideal for the accessibility when it comes to virtual reality. Haptic feedback is a tool that will be increase the effect of realism when playing console games.

Zoology is operated by a virtual headset and gloves set that can take you through the game with the menu options operation being apart of the headset. Additions on the prototype is adding more players to the game so that multiple people can rescue the animals and players will also be able to challenge one another. Past the prototype, the headsets will be able to sync to other headsets online, and around the world. Once headsets are able to sync around the world, multiple people will be able to choose options to rescue animals around the world from bad habitats.

The target audience of our Virtual Reality game are kids aged 5-12. However, our primary target market are the parents of the children, since they our the main contributors of household income. The Virtual Reality game will demonstrate animal cruelty in a way that’s not obvious. Also it will educate children on different types of species such as, the Rhinopithecus bieti, and the Short nosed sea snake. This game will allow kids to experience these animals first hand rather than to read about them. Its one of our long term goals to be able to sell our Virtual Reality game to public and private schools. This game can be used in animal science classes, or a Bioscience class. Our company feels with the VR game, schools will be able to incorporate it into their curriculum allowing students to be graded on the chapters they complete.

We will sell our game “Zoology” through different Application stores such as iTunes, Google Play, PlayStation 4, and XBOX One. For PlayStation 4 and XBOX One, the game will cost $23.99. People will have to use a VR headset to play the game on XBOX One and PlayStation 4. On the two applications store such as iTunes and Google Play, the game would only cost $2.99. Also, users will be able to use Google Cardboard to play the game on their phone. We will promote our game “Zoology” through various social media handles such as, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Plus, we will pay famous Youtubers gamers to promote our game on their channel. Also, we will create an advertisement to be played on Youtube and on Television which will consist of a video that demonstrates trailers of the different parts of the game. On top of that,  when people explore different websites, they will have the ability to see the advertisement on the side of their webpage. Lastly, we will also create unique flyer to be hung at game shops and and featured in magazines like the National Geographic.

This game has potential to raise awareness about the intentions of zoos, circuses, aquariums and all animal captive environments. We believe this game will start making children have mixed emotions about these places. For instance author Lisa Uddin, stated in her book Zoo Renewal “what is it about zoos that provokes our bad feelings?” (Uddin). Children will realize watching animals suffer, and perform for human entertainment is not right. In addition, this game could influence a change in policy for these companies. For example, circuses can prohibit the use of animals, or zoos can change their concept and only be used for learning purposes of rare breed species. Only animals that are exotic and or going into extinction should be cared for at the zoo. On top of that, their environment should resemble the environment in the wild. Therefore each animal should have a large amount of space with trees and insects.

Nevertheless, this virtual game can also be therapeutic to people that have a zoo-phobia or a ophidio-phobia. Patients would be able to hold and interact with the animals that they have a fear of touching in the real world. Virtual Reality has been proven to be effective as a healing technique. It may not cure all animal fears, but it has the potential to reduce them.

All in all, this Virtual Reality game is a new and refreshing way to deal with social issues. This game will not only educate, but it will also teach children to be  more empathetic towards animals. This game deals with an issue that not fully recognized enough by society. A lot of research went into making this game so we are sure this VR game will be successful.

References

“Are Zoos Ethical?”. New York Times Upfront, vol. 149, Issue 5, 21 November 2016, pp. 22.EBSCOhost, http://ezproxy.stevenson.edu:2063/eds/detail/detail?vid=7&sid=86c2b539-fbb7-46ac-9038-63fbb7f48f9d%40sessionmgr104&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#AN=119640923&db=eue. Accessed 1 May 2017.

Teixera, Luis. “A VR360° player with enhanced haptic feedback.” VR360HD. ACM, n.d. Web. 10 May 2017. Web.http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=2993404 Accessed 6 May 2017

Uddin, Lisa. “Zoo Renewal.” Project MUSE. University of Minnesota Press, 2015. Web. 10 May Web.https://muse.jhu.edu/book/39497. Accessed 6 May 2017

Virginia, Morell. “Into the Wild: Reintroduced Animals Face Daunting Odds.” ScienceMagazine, vol. 320, 9 May 2008, pp. 742-743. Web. http://www.rhinoresourcecenter.com/pdf_files/124/1247142843.pdf. Accessed 1 May 2017.

Worland, Justin. “The Future of Zoos.” Time, vol. 189, Issue 7/8, 27 February 2017, pp. 54-61. EBSCOhost, http://ezproxy.stevenson.edu:2063/eds/detail/detail?vid=5&sid=86c2b539-fbb7-46ac-903863fbb7f48f9d%40sessionmgr104&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=121318862. Accessed 1 May 2017.

Driving under the Influences.

Andrea Tice (CEO)

Jewel Bowlding (Learning Specialist)

George Lowe (Technical developer)

Faith Tyson (Lead Writer and editor)

http://www.storyboardthat.com/storyboards/geolowe3/driving-under-the-influence

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1WGDQpT5hKUm2L0Zy24NQE1lLlZUSKGKt9wfvn2J-dz0/edit?ts=591458e8#slide=id.p

References (Jewel):

Taxman, Faye S., and Alex Piquero. “On preventing drunk driving recidivism: An examination of rehabilitation and punishment approaches.” Journal of Criminal Justice 26.2 (1998): 129-143.  Accessed April 27, 2016

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0047235297000755

1.Faye Taxman, and Alex Piquero. Taxman is a professor at  University of Maryland Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology College Park. Piquero is a  professor at Temple University of Criminal Justice Philadelphia.

  1. They are strongly passionate about it.
  2. I am sure I can find this information somewhere else. It Is general.
  3. It seems pretty trustworthy because they are professors at big universities.
  4. It deals with the subject heavy but I can’t read the whole book or article.
  5. I’m not sure if any are cited because I cannot find the whole book. They aren’t too recent because it was in 1998.
  6. Not considered bias because they are focusing on one topic.
  7. March- April 1998

Taxman, Faye S., Matthew L. Perdoni, and Lana D. Harrison. “Drug treatment services for adult offenders: The state of the state.” Journal of substance abuse treatment 32.3 (2007): 239-254. Accessed April 27, 2016

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0740547207000177

  1. Faye S. Taxman, Matthew L. Perdoni, and Lana D.Harrison. Taxman Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, Virginia Commonwealth University. Perdoni Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, Virginia Commonwealth University. Harrison Center for Drug and Alcohol Studies, University of Delaware, Newark.
  2. Passionate because they good give evidence.
  3. The information is pretty originally to me because they give statics and used pass studies. Specific details.
  4. This information seems pretty trustworthy because these people are high in and are collaborating together.
  5. It deals with the subject first hand because they have good details to back it up.
  6. They cite the TASC, ISPs,  Etheridge, and etc. Having links and siting people make their information more reliable. They are complete and not that recent (April 2007) but it is still a good help.
  7. I don’t consider this book bias.
  8. It was published in 2007.

Peled, Sharon, et al. “Geometrically constrained two-tensor model for crossing tracts in DWI.” Magnetic resonance imaging 24.9 (2006): 1263-1270.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0730725X06002128

  1. Sharon Peled, Ola Friman, Ferenc Jolesz, and Carl-Fredrik Westin. Peled Harvard Center For Neurodegeneration and Repair Boston. Friman Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Jolesz Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Westin Laboratory of Mathematics in Imaging Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
  2. Empathic. I say that because they give a lot of details and go in dept.
  3. This information is original , I think I could find this information somewhere but this is more reliable. Specific details.
  4. It is trustworthy because the people who wrote it.
  5. The authors do a good job with the subject.
  6. They use theories, I didn’t see too many references of people or other books or authors.
  7. In my opinion I think they are too focused on one type of technology they could talk about different types of technology 
  8. It was published in 2006.

www.anderson-schuster.com/what-happens-when-you-are-pulled-over-for-driving-under-the-influence-dui-part-i/

References (Andrea) :

Wagenaar, A. C., P. M. O’Malley, and C. LaFond. “Lowered Legal Blood Alcohol Limits for Young Drivers: Effects on Drinking, Driving, and Driving-after-drinking Behaviors in 30 States.”American Journal of Public Health. U.S. National Library of Medicine, May 2001.

Web. 01 May 2017.

  1. Wagenaar, O’Malley, and LaFond are all responsible for this source. All three of these people are professor in Sociology or of health outcomes.
  2. The general attitude is sympathetic and considerate of the effects of drunk driving.
  3. The information is an original and has been cited by people 124 times.
  4. It is trustworthy because it was written by real professors and who are knowledgeable of the circumstances.
  5. They completely deal with the subject.
  6. This article has been used in books, in MedGen, and PubMed.
  7. They focus on a problem and a solution and i feel as if they should focus on more than just a solution. More action and less talking.
  8. This was published in 2001.

Dai, Jiang Peng, Jin Teng, Xiaole Bai, Zhaohui Shen, and Dong Xuan. “Mobile Phone Based Drunk Driving Detection.” Mobile Phone Based Drunk Driving Detection – IEEE Xplore Document. N.p., 7 June 2010. Web. 01 May 2017.

  1. There are five people responsible for this source. Dai, Jiang Peng, Jin Teng, Xiaole Bai, Zhaohui Shen, and Dong Xuan. All except four are apart of the department of school of computer science and Zhaohui Shen is apart of the division of physical therapy.
  2. The general attitude toward this idea is interested and supportive.
  3. This is also very original and has be cited 42 other times.
  4. It is proven trustworthy because of the people who wrote it and there are other articles related to this specific article.
  5. They deal with the subject they are presented with.
  6. This site contains links to other related sites that base their ideas on this topic. It adds authority because it is accurate information.
  7. They are biased because they focus on technology (mobile phone apps) in preventing the increase of death rates due to drunk driving.
  8. This was published June 2010.

Wattal, Sunil, and Brad N. Greenwood. “Fewer Drunk-driving Fatalities Nationwide.” PsycEXTRA Dataset 41 (2016): 1-3. Ride-sharing Apps Really Reduce Drunk Driving Fatalities. London School of Economics, 8 Dec. 2016. Web. 1 May 2017. <http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/74357/1/blogs.lse.ac.uk-Ride-sharing%20apps%20really%20reduce%20drunk%20driving%20fatalities.pdf>.

  1. Sunil Wattal and Brad Greenwood are responsible for this source. They are both professor. Wattal is an associate professor of management information systems and Greenwood is an assistant professor of management information systems.
  2. The general attitude towards this subject is passionate and aroused by how uber and lyft has helped those who are drunk.
  3. This article is cited by other people and is used in other blogs.
  4. Very trustworthy.
  5. Deals with the subject completely.
  6. This site relates to a recent blog.
  7. This is biased because they show favoritism to lyft and uber.
  8. This was published in December 2016.

References (Faith):

  1. Daniel Eisenberg, professor at School of Public Health, University of California-Berkeley.
  2. Informative.
  3. General information that you can find anywhere if you google it.
  4. Very trustworthy, cited by 76 articles.
  5. Deals with organizations that try to prevent drunk driving, more than dealing with the aftermath of drunk driving.
  6. The online article cites the statistical facts, this adds authority to the cite because it shows that the author of this article did not make up “facts”, and whatever he said can be found, and proven.
  7. Does not talk about any other organizations but MADD.
  8. March 4, 2013.

Eisenberg, D. (2003), Evaluating the effectiveness of policies related to drunk driving. J. Pol. Anal. Manage., 22: 249–274. doi:10.1002/pam.10116

  1. Thomas K. Greenfield, PhD. Scientific Director; Senior Scientist. And John D. Rogers, is an attorney for John Foy & Associates.
  2. Informative.
  3. You can find the information of this article if you looked for the study/survey.
  4. Very trustworthy, cited by 32 articles.
  5. Talks about the information gained from the survey, the interaction between beer and alcohol consumption, and self reported drunkk driving.
  6. Cited a survey from 1995 about people in an household who drinks.
  7. Not really bias, just states statistical facts about people’s drinking patterns, beverage choices, and perceptions risk of drinking before driving.
  8. May 3, 2002.

Greenfield, T. K. and Rogers, J. D. (1999), Alcoholic beverage choice, risk perception and self-reported drunk driving: effects of measurement on risk analysis. Addiction, 94: 1735–1743.

  1. Christopher Carpenter, The University of Michigan School of Public Health
  2. Does not really have a feeling, just explained the results of the study they used about drunk driving.
  3. You can find this information if you looked up the drunk driving law.
  4. Very trustworthy, cited by 58 articles.
  5. Talks about the zero tolerance for drunk driving law,
  6. It cites the behavioral risk factor surveliance system (BRFSS). Has drunk driving using data. As recent as 2001.
  7. Biased when it comes to age group.
  8. January, 2004.

Carpenter, C. (2004), How do zero tolerance drunk driving laws work? Journal of health Economics, Volume 23, Issue 1, January 2004, Pages 61–83.

Intro:

Every 53 minutes, one person dies from a drunk driving vehicle crash. That averages 28 people just in one day. In 2015, 10,265 people died in alcohol-impaired crashes, an increase of nearly 300 from the year before. This VR stimulation will take you on a journey behind the body of an intoxicated individual. This is intended for all audiences ages 13 and over. The purpose of this app is to create a sense of emotion and to decrease or altogether stop the effects of driving under the influence. This is a learning experience for those who do drink and for those who do not drink. This simulation will be designed using stages. The different stages will represent different levels of intoxication and the effects behind each one.

Learning Outcomes:

The user would have more knowledge about the laws of their state involving drunk driving. They will also learn their limit when it comes to drinking or even if you are drunk when should you stop accepting or taking drinks (enough is enough). The user will learn how many drinks it will take to get over the legal limit (Maryland Legal Limit 0.08%). The user would feel remorse or bad for drunk drivers because drunk driving can end up going left and they lose their life. They will know what it feels like to be drunk and driving if they never experienced it. For example in the state of Maryland, if you are drunk driving and pulled over you will be expected to take a variety of field sobriety test. These test are used to “examine whether your mental and physical abilities are impaired by alcohol” (Anderson & Schuster).

User Experience:

Within our VR realm we will be able to give the user a simulated feeling of the rise in their blood alcohol content and its effect on them behind the wheel. Each user will get to see how much alcohol it takes them to surpass the legal limit, then after drive a car. Each subject will get to see the DUI process first hand as a police officer will pull you over and run sobriety tests accordingly. The overall objective is to provoke empathy in the user, ultimately allowing them to make the better decision when a time like this arises in the real world.

User Interface:
Once you power up our VR program there will be a simple home screen displayed. From this page you can select the DUI simulation, the system will then analyze your body through a camera to develop the most accurate body reaction to the alcohol. You are then able to choose from a variety of drinks that are laid out in front of you. As you consume more and more the screen displays a number in the top right corner that corresponds with your BAC. Once the legal limit (.08) is surpassed you are directed to a car where you then see the alcohol’s effects on your decision making and reaction time. The road will display many hazard such as fallen trees, tight curves and sudden stop signs. Each user will have to react to these changes and at the end they will be pulled over by a police officer. The officer will then run a series of sobriety checks and ultimately put you in the back of a squad car, ending the simulation.

Commitment and Research:

There is an existing mobile app that detects sensory readings and compares these readings with an average drunk person. When the slightest evidence of drunk driving is present, the app will immediately notify the police or it will alert the driver. This program has been proven to promote high accuracy. I would add this idea into my VR because it could be used in a scenario whereas the driver disregards the alert from the app, gets pulled over, and so forth.

Implementation Strategy:

We would see what technology cost less and try to use that and just change it or advance it more. For example a DUI breathalyzer it would not have to be too expensive especially if you have to keep it in your car. Since people always have their phones with them  maybe they should breath into the phone since breathalyzer are expensive. To reach out to people we would advertise with posters, talk with police and see if they can make that an option when they pull drunk drivers over.  Also a MR diffusion tensor imaging of the brain and spine provides a unique tool for “both visualizing directionality and assessing intactness of white matter fiber tracts in vivo (Peled). This type of equipment would be very expensive so it would have to change the type of imaging equipment. The barrier with technology will always be the money situation or the people drunk driving who would not want to follow thru with what will help them for the better. For future purposes for drunk drivers it would be something like if you are at a bar without a DD you can’t have over a certain amount of drinks like 3 ½. Solutions to overcome these barriers are having more responsible people, have a class to help people but not a rehab class because some people have been to something like that and then will never go back. Maybe have something like a gathering where people tell if they have a problem with drinking or just to express their experience.  To tell everyone about this new class we would implement it into Driver’s Ed classes and this could be another way for police to tell people too instead of rehab classes.

Long-Term Vision:

  As for the long term vision, I am hoping that this will open the eyes of the younger audiences and change their perspectives on driving under the influence. I do not want this to be seen as an app that people use once and get rid of it just because they’re bored with it and complete all stages. Hopefully if this is used, more scenarios will be added every week, in other words, whoever downloads will have to update every week or have it automatically done.

Mental Health Awareness and Therapy: Brittany Blum, Maria Ziegler, Bruce Stachitas, Beau Schmeusser

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Lt_mTEX_qrfpVR8t89WTbvyZMGRZIhunygoI7EIPNkY/edit#slide=id.g1f36d772ae_0_1

Our Virtual Reality machine is intended to help those deal with a mental illness as well as for others to be able to look into the world of someone else dealing with mental illness, allowing them to relate. The device not only educates others on the physical, emotional and psychological tolls that mental illness has on people, but also it is Virtual Reality therapy for those trying to overcome their issues. The user is able to place the headset on and be immersed into a world exposing them to their fears in hopes to help them overcome their issue with exposure therapy. Our device surpasses other VR devices that are already made because it adapts and reconfigures to each user individually. As the patient moves through each therapy session, the machine stores feedback information. This allows the device see how the patient reacted, see what intensity the patient was exposed to, and see how it can be modified next time to further assist the patient in overcoming their fears. Devices already on the market have pre- programmed demos and therapy sessions that each of their patients walk through, but each person is unique in their own way. Our device adapts to each individual and their specific needs to make their therapy sessions as successful as possible.

The device has potential to be implemented in classrooms, hospitals, psych wards, counselors offices, personal use, doctors offices, etc. Our device is so universal and marketable to so many places because of the multiple things it is intended to be used for as mentioned previously. To start off, the idea would be mainly targeted to larger institutions that specialize in the study and research of mental illness. Another main target for marketing would be the medical field. Colleges, Graduate Programs, research facilities, and psychiatric centers. Considering that this device will range more on the pricier side it would be wise to implement it into larger facilities first. As it is more commonly used, updated, tweaked, and becomes more familiar then we would be able to drop the prices of certain models and open them to more public markets. As technology advances and becomes more updated models will become less and less expensive, making them not as much of a ‘luxury purchase’.

The long term goal is to be able to use this device in schools and universities as an education device regarding mental illness. On top of that, we also envision this device being used in psychiatric centers and medical offices just as they would use an X-Ray or MRI machine. Just like any other device as research continues and knowledge expands our creators will work with scientists and specialists to update the programs and information in the models. We can work with companies all over the world to aim for a sleeker design, better graphics quality, and  update the demos to make the ultimate Virtual Reality experience for the user. Our goal is to have this be accessible to any person or loved one that needs to be educated on the illness or be able to overcome their illness themselves.

Phobias today are on the back burner of something that people learn about or have a full idea about what they actually are. The Theory of Phobias by Sigmund Freud is the best way to educate the public about phobias and the best way to cure them today. The Theory of Phobias is the central observation that the fears and phobias didn’t occur to an arbitrary group of objects or situations associated with trauma, but rather are most likely to occur to objects and situations that were dangerous to the pre- technological man (Mineka, Ohman). There are many types of phobias that have this full effect on people it being fear of spiders, flying, snakes, or anything you can think of that’s life threatening. There were 3 studies done that would rate the person on a 5 point scale. Any of the studies that had to do with anything dangerous or life threatening to the person they would always get a 5 on the scale. The exact opposite it was when it wasn’t anything dangerous or life threatening the person would end up on a 1 on the scale. Out of 200 cases most of the clinical phobias scored at a 4 or 5. The way this research can be implemented with our Virtual Reality  experience is that for our patients’ first time being in this simulation we can grade them on a scale of 1 to 5 from their first visit to their last. Through this test the patient’s scale of fear should either start at a 4 or 5 and then plan to have it end at a 1. Through the VR we will be able to change up each simulation depending on the patient’s phobia, and have every time the consistent scale to try and make them overcome their fears.

As the new age of Virtual Reality grows, there are many new devices and new technology that comes with it. VR has come a long way starting with flight simulators, and working its way up to headset devices that connect with your iPhone through an app. The VR device that we have developed is a highly expensive headset unit with audio/mic built in and two hand controls. We wanted to give the most realistic feeling possible for users. This VR device is relatively expensive and usually only owned by medical therapist. They whole system is based around creating an atmosphere to help people overcome their mental illnesses/phobias.  You will feel like you’re actually there being able to interact with people through a mic and being able to touch and move objects with hand held controls. After meeting with your medical therapist, they will go through multiple sessions in this VR devices to help you become more comfortable with your illness. The therapist also is connected to this device through his computer to measure progress and monitor the interactions. We have not created a scenario for every mental illness yet, just the most common ones that people struggle with.

SPEC

Built in audio

Built in mic

Resolution – 2160 x 1200

Two hand held controllers

High power sensors.

 

Overall, our Virtual Reality will be the best in the market because we incorporate a lot of research. The research that’s taken on this VR is through other psychologists’ research and from patients experience through our VR. This experience for patients is recorded by a scale, by what they feel, and by their last session. This will help many places conquer their patients’ phobias and fears. Our VR will be pricey but eventually will get cheaper, and many places will be able to use this for research. Although it can be used for research, this experience can take time to cure the patient.

 

Works Cited

E, Klinger, et al. “Groupe De Recherche En Informatique, Image, Automatique Et Instrumentation De Caen (GREYC), Caen, France.” Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, 1 Jan. 1970, europepmc.org/abstract/med/15295148. Accessed 2 May 2017.

“The Encyclopedia of Phobias, Fears, and Anxieties, Third Edition.” Google Books, books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=E2imSyZZDh0C&oi=fnd&pg=PR3&dq=learn%2Babout%2Bphobias&ots=6vf5dIr122&sig=ugQSvd3pbYLTvTPRSa-gvqGN8ew#v=onepage&q=learn%20about%20phobias&f=false. Accessed 2 May 2017.

“Expanding Use in Mental Health Treatment.” Virtual Reality: Expanding Use in Mental Health Treatment, www.psychiatry.org/news-room/apa-blogs/apa-blog/2017/02/virtual-reality-expanding-use-in-mental-health-treatment. Accessed 2 May 2017.

Gregg, Lynsey, and Nicholas Tarrier. “Virtual Reality in Mental Health.” SpringerLink, D. Steinkopff-Verlag, 12 Mar. 2007, link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00127-007-0173-4. Accessed 2 May 2017.

“a Human Factors Design.” Tailoring Virtual Reality Technology for Stroke Rehabilitation, ACM, dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1125631. Accessed 2 May 2017.

“Phobias and Preparedness: the Selective, Automatic, and Encapsulated Nature of Fear.” Phobias and Preparedness: the Selective, Automatic, and Encapsulated Nature of Fear, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006322302016694.

Srivastava, Kalpana, et al. “Virtual Reality Applications in Mental Health: Challenges and Perspectives.” Industrial Psychiatry Journal, Medknow Publications & Media Pvt Ltd, 2014, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4361984/#!po=59.6154. Accessed 2 May 2017.

“Treatment of Specific Phobias with Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): Protocol, Empirical Status, and Conceptual Issues.” Treatment of Specific Phobias with Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): Protocol, Empirical Status, and Conceptual Issues, Elsevier, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0887618598000401. Accessed 2 May 2017.

“Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy of Anxiety Disorders: A Review.” Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy of Anxiety Disorders: A Review, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272735804000418. Accessed 2 May 2017.

“Virtual Reality in the Treatment of Spider Phobia: a Controlled Study.” Virtual Reality in the Treatment of Spider Phobia: a Controlled Study, Elsevier, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0005796701000687. Accessed 2 May 2017.

“Virtual Reality Induced Symptoms and Effects.” Virtual Reality-Induced Symptoms and Effects (VRISE) | Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments | MIT Press Journals, www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1162/105474699566152#.WQc2wYnyvVo. Accessed 2 May 2017.

“Virtual Reality Is Helping People Overcome Their Fears and Phobias.” Google, Google, www.google.com/amp/s/uploadvr.com/virtual-reality-helping-people-overcome-fears-phobias/amp/. Accessed 2 May 2017.

PTSD Insight

Ted Sines, Marina Fulcher, Mike Bode, Bobby Considine, Kyle Penn

In the U.S. alone, about 5.2 million adults struggle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Many do not understand why people with PTSD act the way they do. When specifically talking about men that have come home from war, their traumatic experiences will stay with them for as long as they live. Many symptoms that come with PTSD include anger, flashbacks, avoidance, bad dreams, feeling on edge, sleep deprivation, frustration, etc. Daily activities may also become difficult to accomplish. Each individual experiences symptoms in their own way. When dealing with these symptoms, it can be difficult for family members and others around them to understand what and how they are feeling. Family members may become scared about the fact that their loved one might give up. This can happen to anyone. There are many sources available for treating PTSD, but there is no knowing if those resources will get rid of it completely.

PTSD is a grueling disease that affects millions of Americans per year.  It is important we learn the facts about PTSD before we try to understand what people who have it go through every day.  We need to understand that the outbursts these people may have is nothing they can control, so we need to be considerate towards that.  We also need to learn how to treat someone with this disease and or the right means of getting them help.  Everyone is different when to comes to getting help. Some people react better to certain types of medication and others respond better to therapy.  With this Virtual Reality (VR) experience, you will be able to finally feel how they feel when they are going through the PTSD like symptoms.

So, what can we learn from this about PTSD specifically?  With the help of VR, you will be able to be in the mind of someone suffering from PTSD. You will be able to experience the flashbacks to the battle grounds just like them, as well as the dreams that come along with it. You will also be able to see how this disease can affect your everyday activities and life. You can learn what it is like to affect your family members by having this disease as well. The whole point is to make people aware and help them learn the struggles of former US soldiers and the struggles of PTSD. It is a problem that gets swept under the rug and that simply cannot happen anymore.

Over the years, PTSD has been increasingly common in not just soldiers, but people who have been through traumatic events like 9-11. VR has been a new form of treatment for soldiers as well as trauma victims. People who suffer from PTSD are basically submerged in the exact same situation that caused the trauma. Soldiers who suffer from PTSD are submerged back into the war zone that has caused them to suffer from PTSD. It will start from the beginning of the experience of that day and then it will lead up to the traumatic event that caused the PTSD to occur. The event might be seeing a fellow soldier killed in war or falling victim to a car bombing. By being submerged in the recreation, soldiers can go through the experience again.

It might sound crazy for someone who suffers from PTSD to have them relive the experience that caused them trauma, however, there have been some positive results from this tactic. There have been soldiers who have left VR sessions with astounding results. Soldiers could have an incredible decrease in the amount of depression and stress. In just six one hour sessions there was a significant change in their person. Being in the recreation and reliving the events of that fateful day helped ease the depression and the stress they were in following the immense trauma of war.

Inside the VR, you will experience the traumatic event in the Army that fits your case, or that is making PTSD severe for you. Throughout the app there will be different modes that will make the scene or experience less traumatic and that can be raised to higher levels once you mastered the previous level. Through the experience, you will start off on level 1 which will show sand dunes, bodies lying on the ground, and hearing gunshots. On level 2, you will experience a tank rolling through and see a live house being blown up, with the continuation of gun shots. On level 3, you will experience a more intensive traumatic feeling. You will see bodies lying there with blood, people being shot at, EMT carrying bodies and other soldiers crying in the background screaming for their men. The appearance and resolution of the app will run off 1920 x 1080 which is (960 x 1080 per eye). This will lead the patient or person using this VR to feel like they are in the scene and replaying their traumatic experience.

When the user first puts on the head sets, they will experience a menu that pops up. Inside of the menu you will find the difficulty level, whether you want sound, if you are color blind, where they want the location to be, and lastly how many years it’s been since the incident. Inside the app, you will also have two controllers that will make it so you can interact. Having the opportunity to interact with the scene will help the patient better understand what they went through because they will be able to act like they are shooting or anything along those lines. With VR getting bigger and bigger, we expect this to work and grab the patient’s eye when they see it.

When it comes to using VR to help soldiers and veterans deal with their PTSD, Bravemind is the one that most soldiers and veterans use. Bravemind allows the soldier or veteran to go back to a very similar place where their trauma occurred and allows them to “experience it again in a virtual world under very safe and controlled conditions” (Rizzo,Hartholt).  Our VR app, PTSD Insight, is for the families, practitioners, and counselors. It allows them to get somewhat of an understanding so that they are not left in the dark when they try to connect with the soldier or veteran on a day to day basis. It will show the user the conditions that the soldier or veteran went through. Seeing someone go through a PTSD episode is very scary to see. Now because of PTSD Insight the families, practitioners, and counselors will also learn how to pull someone that is having a PTSD episode out of that episode and bring them back to reality in a calm and efficient manner so no one gets harmed or injured.

When families, practitioners, and counselors see PTSD Insight, they will know how to connect with the soldier or veteran after using our app. By experiencing a glimpse of war with PTSD Insight, they will have a general idea of what is bothering the soldier or veteran. It also allows the person to know what subjects are off limits to talk about when around the soldier or veteran. The person also using PTSD Insight will also be able to grow their knowledge about PTSD and what someone goes through when they experience a PTSD episode. Going through life with PTSD is a difficult thing for soldiers and veterans to go through, but to know that someone else is there to help them go through it allows them to relieve some of that pressure of dealing with PTSD. Soldiers and veterans dealing with PTSD say that support is great but connecting with another human being that is going through or has experienced that same thing is lacking in their recovery process. So, having PTSD Insight for the families, practitioners, and counselors; allows for that lacking connection with the soldier or veteran.

So how do we this VR system in the hands of the right people? First, we target the counselors that work with people suffering from PTSD. If we can get the counselors ear on something like this, it is very likely that they would be able to relay that information to the families affected by this disease. Other people have tried to use VR systems like this in the past, so we need to find a way to separate ourselves to make the VR successful. How do we do this? We go to any military convention or veterans banquet we can find to get the word out about or VR system and how it can help families who have someone with PTSD around them or close to them.

Unfortunately, there may be some barriers in the way of being successful with this VR system. How can we afford something like this? How can we even create something like this with little technical design backgrounds? Well, cost is an issue no matter what you are doing.  Like many other organizations when they start out, we will have to take out loans. Hopefully, we can get our product out there and maybe an organization will back us to get us started with the production costs. We would also have to hire some people in the tech design industry to help us create the VR experience. It will not be easy in the beginning but it’s doable and our product can help a lot of people in need.

The expansion of PTSD Insight will increase year by year. Every year, we will look at PTSD Insight and see how we could make it better for the user. In years to come, we expect to have grown PTSD Insight. PTSD Insight only contains one branch of the military, but we look to expand to every branch of the military to help every possible soldier or veteran dealing with PTSD. Expanding the branches of the military is ensuring that every person gets the help that they need. Once all the branches of the military have been explored, moving to other traumatic experiences is where PTSD Insight is going next. PTSD Insight will help those that have gone through traumatic experiences like 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, Boston Bombings, etc. By expanding to other traumatic experiences, we can reduce the amount of people that experience PTSD.

When thinking about expanding the market of PTSD Insight, the market must not have something like PTSD Insight. PTSD Insight will be expanded to the United States Government, hospitals, and old age homes with the new updated version that contains all the types of causes for someone to have PTSD. By expanding to these markets, people who are not veterans get a chance to live a normal life again without worrying about having a PTSD episode. These people will be able to free themselves of PTSD after using PTSD Insight.

In conclusion, VR can help many soldiers and others to move past their traumatic experience. There are things that family members can also do to help, such as asking questions, offering resources in the community, and understanding what they are going through. VR can be a very effective treatment method for veterans. It will help them deal with their symptoms and even reduce them. With guidance, veterans can improve their condition and hopefully move on with their lives. VR can show a sense of reality and presence in a way that is hard to understand unless it’s been experienced. Who knows, maybe in the future doctors’ offices will have VR therapy for those with PTSD, if proven effective.

 

Works Cited

Alice Films, 2014. DVD. Watch Your Favorite Movies Online. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. <http://123movies.net/watch/kvYX8rdb-of-men-and-war.html>.

American Sniper. Directed by Clint Eastwood, performances by Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, and Kyle Gallner, Warner Bros., 2015.

“American Sniper-Drill Scene 18+.” YouTube, uploaded by Danger Arnie, 28 March 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDTifFGBcAI

“American Sniper PTSD BBQ Scene.” YouTube, uploaded by Andy McNish, 13 December 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7L-Er1b2Co

“CyberPsychology & Behavior.” Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for World Trade Center Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: A Case Report | Abstract. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2017.

“Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking.” Exposure Therapy with and without Virtual Reality to Treat PTSD While in the Combat Theater: A Parallel Case Series | Abstract. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2017.

Hoffman, Hunter G. Virtual Reality Therapy. Place of Publication Not Identified: Duc, 2012.Scientific American. Scientific American, July 2004. Web. http://www.behavioralassociates.com/pdf/scientificamerica.pdf

Military Behavioral Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2017. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/21635781.2012.721064

Pathways, Andrea Carlile Military. “One Person’s PTSD Can Affect a Whole Family.” Military.com. Ho Lin, n.d. Web. 01 May 2017. http://www.military.com/benefits/veterans-health-care/ptsd-can-affect-whole-family.html

“Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.” National Institutes of Health. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Feb. 2016. Web. 27 Apr. 2017. <https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/index.shtml>.

“Psychotherapy Treatment for PTSD.” Psych Central. N.p., 17 July 2016. Web. 01 May 2017. https://psychcentral.com/lib/treatment-of-ptsd/

“PTSD: National Center for PTSD.” How Common Is PTSD? – PTSD: National Center for PTSD. N.p., 05 July Web. 30 Apr. 2017. <https://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/ptsd-overview/basics/how-common-is-ptsd.asp>.

“PTSD Statistics.” PTSD United. Creative MMS, 2013. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. <http://www.ptsdunited.org/ptsd-statistics-2/>.

“PTSD Treatment Options.” Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury. N.p., 08 Dec. 2016. Web. 01 May 2017. http://dcoe.mil/psychological-health/about-ptsd/treatment-options

Reger, Greg M., Kevin M. Holloway, Colette Candy, Barbara O. Rothbaum, JoAnn Difede, Albert A. Rizzo, and Gregory A. Gahm. “Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for Active Duty Soldiers in a Military Mental Health Clinic.” Journal of Traumatic Stress. Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company, 03 Feb. 2011. Web. 02 May 2017.    http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jts.20574/full

Rizzo, Albert, and Arno Hartholt. “Prototypes.” Institute for Creative Technologies Bravemind Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy Comments. N.p., 2005. Web. 03 May 2017. <http://ict.usc.edu/prototypes/pts/>.

“Select a Website below to Get This Article.” Elsevier: Article Locator. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2017.

Final Reflection

In Authentic Learning in the Digital Age: Engaging Students Through Inquiry, Larissa Pahomov writes, “For student reflection to be meaningful, it must be metacognitive, applicable, and shared with others,” and defines metacognitive reflection as taking the process of reflection “to the next level because it is concerned not with assessment, but with self-improvement: Could this be better? How? What steps should you take?” (read full article here). In light of this assertion, I would like you to write a metacognitive reflection on the final project. This reflection should address the following questions, with an aim to identify how you could improve your work.

  1. Describe your contributions to the final project in detail. What writing/research/design/management responsibilities did you take on in order to complete this project? How did you complete your individual contributions to the group? What steps did you take? What tools did you use? Did you meet your deadlines (why or why not)?
  2. Did you feel like your contributions had a positive impact on the final project? Did you feel the other group members valued your contributions? Did the reactions of your group members (revisions, suggestions, critiques) help you develop your materials in a constructive way?
  3. How do you feel you worked as a team? How did you facilitate communication and collaboration between the group members? What tools did you use? Can you suggest improvements for this process? What did you learn that would help you in future group work situations?
  4. What did you learn through the process of creating and presenting this project? How did this project help you synthesize and apply the topics we covered throughout the semester? Do you have suggestions to improve this assignment?
  5. And finally, what readings, activities, assignments, and discussions did you find particularly helpful, informative, and engaging in this class this semester? What would you suggest be changed to improve this course next time it is offered?

You may expand or add to these guidelines in any way you wish. This is your opportunity to speak directly to me about what you learned in this course.

This will be submitted as a Google Doc (title: finalreflection_yoursection_yourlastname for example finalreflection_151ON1_licastro) that you share with me upon completion. You must invite me as an editor (with privileges to edit, not just read or comment). You will complete this after our final presentations on the day of our scheduled final exam.

Also, please include this statement at the bottom of the document and fill in your name and response:

I ____________ do/ do not give Dr. Amanda Licastro permission to use my final project as an example in scholarly presentations and publications.

 

 

Presentation Strategies

Presentation

Tips

  • Format
    • What form will your presentation take? Prezi, PowerPoint, Google Slides, a skit, a song?
    • Slides should be visual! Choose images, colors, and fonts carefully. (Cite all images and videos!)
    • Follow the rule of 7 (aim for 7 words or less on each slide).
    • Know of all your material without reading it from the presentation slides.
  • Flow
    • Avoid repetition!
    • Practice together as a group.
    • Speak slowly and clearly.
  • Interactivity
    • Engage your audience.
    • Make eye contact with your audience.
    • Design a survey, quiz, Q&A, or something to solicit responses from your peers.
  • Timing
    • 15 mins to present, 5 for questions.
    • Practice makes perfect.

The goal is to be engaging and informative. Watch Shark Tank and TED Talks for inspiration.

Reliable Sources

Finding Reliable Sources

For every source you wish to use as a resource for an academic paper, you should be able to answer ALL of these questions, and you should acknowledge these findings when citing the source in your paper. Your initial assignment is to find one source for the topic you choose to share with the class. Once you find a source you want to use for this class, answer the following questions:

  1. Who is responsible for the source? What do you know about them?
  2. What is the author’s general attitude toward the subject?
  3. What is the level of originality of the material? Can you find this material elsewhere? Is it too general or too specific?
  4. How authoritative or trustworthy does the material seem? Why?
  5. How completely does the site/article/book deal with the subject at hand?
  6. If a website, what sorts of links does the site contain? If an article, book, or chapter, who or what does the source site? How do these links/citations add the authority of the site? How complete and recent are they?
  7. How is the source biased?
  8. When was the source published? If a website, when was it last updated?

If you are unsure about a source, bring the information to class and together we will determine if it would be appropriate to use for a research paper and why. You should repeat this process for ALL of your work in this class and every class you take. If possible, consult a librarian, tutor, or e-mail your instructor if you are having trouble evaluating a resource.

Maria Ziegler VR Pitch, Perception is Reality

Statistics show that one in four people in the world will be affected by mental or neurological disorders at some point in their lives. Often times, many people can’t understand or truly relate to what these people are going through. For this reason there are many times that mental illness, such as drug addiction, PTSD, Depression, or eating disorders tear families and relationships apart. For the people suffering with mental illness what they are experiencing is very real, their perception is their reality. I’ve designed a virtual reality device that allows the user to be put into the mind of someone struggling with mental illness. The user is able to choose from a variety of ‘demos’ which will place them into the mental and physical state of whichever mental illness they choose. For instance, someone that has a loved one struggling with PTSD will be able to place the virtual reality headset on and choose the ‘PTSD’ demo. The user will now be in the state of mind of their loved one for however long they desire to leave the headset on for. The device will be programmed with mental and physical experiences that sufferers often experience. In this instance, the user may experience a change in their behavior such as agitation, irritability, and social isolation. They will experience psychological symptoms as well such as flashbacks, severe anxiety, mistrust and unwanted thoughts. These will be accompanied by physical symptoms such as heart palpitations, night terrors, insomnia, and emotional distress. Each demo will vary in symptoms and psychological effects according to which mental illness is chosen. This device is something that psychologists, doctors, family members, significant others, and medical students will all be able to use and benefit from. Whether it be for a wife trying to understand what her veteran husband is experiencing since being diagnosed with PTSD, or a sibling wanting to feel how her sister feels while struggling with bulimia. This will be extremely beneficial in the medical field for students as well as physicians to expand their knowledge for their patients. It has potential to result in new medications and therapies for sufferers. Not only will this be highly educational but it will allow these people to experience a whole new level of empathy for their loved ones or patients after truly being put in their shoes.

Sources:

www.who.int/whr/2001/media_centre/press_release/en/

Virtual Language Experience

Language is a subject most schools try to incorporate in one way or another.Reading Textbook scenarios about students in other countries are the traditional ways of teaching students other languages. In high school, to learn Spanish, my teacher had us use a textbook and Rosetta Stone. Rosetta Stone required us to answer questions based on pictures and what we heard, basically the equivalent to reading textbooks with the added effect of audio and an interactive based answer choice. Whether it be French, Spanish, Japanese, or English, for students who are not English speakers, or are not even in America. I truly believe adding the visual effects and imitation virtual experience gives the viewer the opportunity to learn a new language and experience a new culture. Virtual Reality gives the user the power to explore new worlds, whether made to mimic an existing world or place or a digitally imagined world.
A book that incorporates Virtual Reality as an educational tool and is executed in a more or less realistic way is Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline.In the book, the character Wade goes to school with a virtual reality set to a world called the Oasis. In the Oasis, there are digital boundaries already set, however experiencing anywhere in the world is an idea that I am infatuated with. Wade and his peers were able to pretty much go anywhere they wanted for free in school. This would be a breakthrough for education if it became reality because we depend on images and text to give us the perspective we need to learn, alternatively we could have real stories,culture, audio, and we could even have the option for text.
Breaking the language barrier is something I believe we need to do in order to grow as people, because when we can’t identify with someone through language, we cannot identify them through culture. We sometimes see other traditions as odd and are naive to thoughts about what other cultures realities are. Using a Virtual Language software schools will not only broaden the minds of students to a global degree, but also connect them to the outside world (ironic) through an experience only bested by its real life counterpart.

VR on Catalina Island

Kyle Penn
Professor Licastro
English 151
24 April 2017

 

In class Pitch on Virtual Reality:

Hello and welcome aboard the Catalina Express. Through this Virtual Reality episode, you will discover a beautiful island that is located between the California’s Channel. The island lies southwest of Los Angeles and is known for its beautiful wildlife, dive sites, and Mt. Orizaba, if you can get to its highest peak. On a clear day, you can see this beautiful island from the Dana Point Harbor, Newport Harbor, and beaches all throughout San Clemente. This island is home to two Harbors that lies to the north of the Island. To the south of the island, lies the city of Avalon, where there are palm trees and cabanas that line the Descanso Beach. Avalon’s circular harbor is home to the famous art deco Catalina Casino, (which is a cultural center, with a movie theater, ballroom, and museum). Through the VR, you will experience the Catalina island zip line eco tour, Island spa experience, island skyline drive, Descanso famous rocky beach, scuba diving/snorkeling, and dolphin/whale watching trips.

Island Zip-line eco tour:
It propels you down 5 separate zip lines, dropping 600 feet above sea level. One line runs 1,100 lineal feet along the coast all on its own.

Island Spa Catalina:
First ever destination resort spa. Reflecting Catalina’s rich history and relaxed seaside vibe it offers. They offer a variety of thoughtfully selected treatments and rejuvenating therapies.

 

Island Skyline Drive:
The exciting drive brings you along in a 1950’s Flxible Bus. WOW! That’s amazing. Takes you ten miles into Catalina’s island protected wilderness area. A beautiful sight.

Descanso Famous Rocky Beach:
A great place to see clear blue water and fish around you.

Scuba Diving/Snorkeling:
Home of great diving spot! Professionals from all around the world go here to scuba dive because of how clear the water is. Hang on tight because you will be traveling 50 feet underwater.

Dolphin/Whale watching:
You get onboard a beautiful 36 foot boat filled with our people and only travel 100 yards out to see some dolphins diving and gigantic whales!! These dolphins and whales are really well known and everyone comes to see them.