Interior Design assistant professor, Dr. Yeji Yi, has been granted funding through OU’s Faculty Investment Program (FIP). This funding supports her project “Development of Interactive Virtual Reality Multi-Sensory Environments: Participatory Research.”
The project seeks to integrate Virtual Reality (VR) technology to analyze stakeholders’ needs and develop interactive VR Multi-Sensory Environments (VR MSEs). These environments are specifically designed to be usable for neurodivergent individuals. The project aims to enhance the sensory processing outcomes for these individuals, helping them manage non-preferred behaviors and ultimately improve their quality of life.
The Research Council and the Office of the Vice President for Research and Partnerships at OU reviewed Yi’s proposal and awarded her a $15,000 grant to support the research. This funding is part of the university’s ongoing efforts to support faculty in developing their research programs and encouraging further studies that could lead to external funding opportunities.
Yi’s project will conduct a detailed stakeholder needs analysis through a participatory design approach, ensuring that the developed VR MSEs are tailored to the specific requirements and challenges faced by neurodivergent individuals. This approach not only aims at immediate application but also at long-term benefits by enhancing the quality of life through tailored environmental designs.
Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture professor and Institute for Quality Communities Director Dr. Amber N. Wiley’s book, Model Schools in the Model City: Race, Planning, and Education in the Nation’s Capital, has received two major honors from the Urban History Association.
Research initiated by Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture alumna Naila Hasan during her master’s studies at the University of Oklahoma has continued through faculty collaboration and resulted in a peer-reviewed publication in HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal.
Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce Esther Thorp, Tyler Boydstun and Chukwuma Nwokoye as the winners of the 2026 Construction Innovation Translation Hub (CIThub) Student Ideas Competition.
