Close Encounters of an FAU Research Kind

More than 300 people attended FAU’s inaugural Research Encounter in mid-February. The event, held at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute on the Boca Raton campus, featured 12 hands-on exhibits highlighting research happening across the university. John Renne, Ph.D., and Amir Koleini, SURP master’s student, gave attendees the chance to look into the future. Using virtual reality goggles, visitors were able to see what Las Olas Boulevard will look like in the year 2100 based on sea-level rise forecasts. (Spoiler Alert: It’s completely under water!) Attendees also learned about Astro, a robotic dog; flew drones through hoops, saw brain waves and met Fenway, a real-life canine who provides assistance to wounded warriors.