Over Coffee® is on Thanksgiving-week hiatus. Please enjoy this reposting of one of our top episodes of 2024!
“I’ve always been just a learning-oriented person,” says educator, Alliant International University Executive Director for Continuing Education and My VR Projects Chief Visionary Dr. Tom Nickel.
As Co-Founder and member of the Board of Directors of Nairobi-based Africa VR Campus and Center, Tom continues to share new ideas and educational concepts through virtual reality.
“We feel, in VR, that we are in the same place together,” he explains, while discussing the value of virtual reality for social connection.
Currently, Tom hosts a weekly discussion, “Understanding ‘The Matter With Things'”, on the ENGAGE XR platform, every Tuesday at 2 PM, Pacific time. This is a free event, open to all, but registration is required with the ENGAGE XR platform.
Tom’s background also includes hosting both art events and an ongoing “Death Q & A” discussion in VRChat.
And he’s looking forward to seeing where virtual reality can take us, in building a better world.
Tom discussed his own background in virtual reality, offered guidelines for anyone who’d like to know more about creating and attending events in VR, and offered a look at the future which Africa VR Campus and Center is creating through immersive technology.
On this edition of Over Coffee® we cover:
- Tom’s introduction into creating virtual reality professionally;
- How he first met Waiyaki during an event in the metaverse;
- How Africa VR Campus and Center grew and evolved;
- The growth of the cohort;
- The future vision for the program;
- Tom’s role in the growth of the organization;
- What’s involved in connecting people for VR events;
- Tom’s vision for a more positive metaverse;
- How to get involved in some of the virtual communities creating positive social change;
- One obstacle he’s encountering, in sparking interest in virtual reality;
- One of Tom’s best experiences since co-founding Africa VR Campus and Center;
- The next step he anticipates, in expanding Africa VR Campus and Center’s educational outreach.