RMIT welcomes Victorian Premier to City campus
Story by Finn Devlin
The University was delighted to welcome Victorian Premier the Hon. Jacinta Allan to its City campus last week, where she visited the Virtual Experiences Lab (VXLab) and the site of the new Metro Tunnel State Library Station.
The Premier met with RMIT School of Computing Technologies students, who are enrolled in an integrated learning program partnering with Suburban Rail Loop Authority (SRLA), which is helping bring SRL East station precinct visions to life using augmented and virtual reality technologies.
The Premier was shown two demonstrator projects, ‘AR Time Machine’ – which focused on augmented, on-location and external views of station precincts using mobile devices – and ‘Style My Station’ – an interactive exploration and customisation of non-architectural aspects of station interiors.
The projects are part of a collaboration between RMIT and SRLA through the VXLab, a multi-disciplinary virtual laboratory connecting visualisation and automation facilities in RMIT and industry, and part of the STEM Hub for Digital Innovation (HuDINi).
Professor Catherine Itsiopoulos, Deputy Vice-Chancellor STEM College at RMIT University, said the visit was an opportunity to showcase the benefits of RMIT’s investment in technologies that support stimulating, high-quality, educational experiences and pathways for students to ensure they are job ready when they graduate.
“We’re proud of these projects our students have created, and they represent the best of what an RMIT education can nurture, using technology, design and enterprise to achieve outcomes that have real-world benefit,” she said.
“Our education incorporates cutting-edge education technology where and when it adds the most value.
“The VXLab is space for students and industry to access advanced technology and expertise, supporting simulated components in the cloud, virtualisation and telepresence.
“It’s an example of the way RMIT aims to utilise technology to enrich our students’ learning journey and equip graduates with the technical and human skills to deliver real value to our communities.”
RMIT bringing City North Social Innovation precinct to life
The Premier also visited the State Library Station north entrance at Franklin St to view the near-complete Metro tunnel site. with Franklin St recently re-opening to traffic after more than five years of closure.
The station is a gateway to the City North Social Innovation Precinct, which is bounded by Victoria, Swanston, Lygon and Queensberry streets.
Tom Bentley, Vice-President Strategy and Community Impact at RMIT, said the site visit was an opportunity to showcase the potential of the precinct as a world-class centre for research, ideas, skills and new technology.
“RMIT is leading the City North Social Innovation Precinct renewal in liaison with the Victorian Government and the City of Melbourne,” he said.
“It was wonderful to show the Premier how the City North precinct will be transformed by the Metro Tunnel’s State Library Station opening.
“With 26,000 people a day expected to use State Library Station, its opening is an opportunity to expand access to lifelong learning opportunities and improve the public experience of this part of the city, where thousands of students, residents, workers and visitors will interact on a daily basis, with many more joining us in the future.
“The precinct is an exemplar of how universities and industry can collaborate to support the aims of the Victorian Government’s Economic Growth Statement.”
