On Thursday, January 15th, 2026, Dr. Guangyang Fang (CISESS) took five virtual reality (VR) headsets on the road for an educational outreach event in Alexandria, VA. The Teen Science Café was held from 3:30-6:00 pm and hosted by the non-profit Chrysalis Development Group, which aims to advance educational equity through hands-on STEAM learning experiences for youth in underserved communities. Most of the students were from local high schools and walked or took a city bus to the Chinquapin Rec Center, where they received free smoothies, pizza, and drinks upon their arrival. Dr. Fang was the leader of the overall event, which also included a Zoom appearance by Damian Figueroa (currently living in Seattle, WA), who shared his journey from CISESS intern to VR developer, as well as a career talk by NOAA scientist Dr. Hendrik Tolman. Dr. Fang gave a presentation on Terrality, a weather visualization application that allows scientists to analyze weather datasets in VR. Then, the ~20 students did rotations with various educational modules and games. Kate Cooney and her son volunteered their support, leading a lightning safety game and organizing giveaways for the students. It was a wonderful opportunity to spark curiosity and empower young minds to explore geoscience in VR/XR and beyond.
