Ruscella Explains Why Project-based Internships Provide Valuable Access To Real-World Learning Experiences

AccessVR Executive Vice President, Chief Immersive Officer, and Founder J.J. Ruscella recently participated in a student-focused roundtable discussion, Sept. 28-29, at the 2022 COVA CCI National Cybersecurity Education & Research Conference held at the William and Mary Professional Development Center in Williamsburg, Virginia. During the panel discussion, he encouraged students to consider hands-on internships that give them the opportunities and the autonomy to succeed, fail, and figure things out. 

“We’re not talking about internships where interns get coffee. We’re talking about experiences where students work on real projects with real clients, and where they are expected to complete their work on time and with limited supervision.”

— J.J. Ruscella, AccessVR Chief Immersive Officer

Ruscella emphasized that college students can gain technical skills and commercialized experiences with direct access to the resources offered by the organizations in which they are interning. “Internships provide a unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that is not easily available later on,” he said.

Twenty-five percent of the intern salaries at the AccessVR Lab at GCubed are supported by a grant from the Commonwealth STEM Industry Internship Program (CSIIP), a paid internship program founded by the Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC) in response to the increasing demand for skilled workers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) sectors throughout Virginia. 

“We see this as a great partnership that will continue into the future, as it potentially has the ability to greatly impact immersive technology careers in this new thing called the ‘metaverse,’” said Ruscella.

Join A Growing Network of Labs

AccessVR’s growing network of immersive learning labs provides citizens, schools, colleges, and businesses with access to shared knowledge, resources, training, and partnering opportunities, developing the talent and innovations that will fuel the immersive economy of tomorrow. The AccessVR Lab at GCubed, which opened on March 28, 2022, is the first lab established within this growing network.

Want to learn more about creating or upgrading your existing lab or bringing your XR project dreams to life?

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