The year is 2076, and you’re orbiting Mars aboard a space shuttle stationed at Mission Control Headquarters on Phobos, preparing to make the short trip down to the red planet. As you look around, you take in the details of the shuttle’s interior and the breathtaking view of your destination below.

This futuristic scenario is just one of the countless ways the new McAuliffe Simulation Lab (MSL) at Framingham State University brings STEM learning to life through immersive virtual reality experiences. The MSL enhances programming at the upgraded Challenger Learning Center and refurbished digital planetarium—further establishing the McAuliffe Center as a premier STEM education hub in Massachusetts.

“Virtual reality technology today allows us to transform this space into a launch vehicle, a space-based mission control, and much more,” said Irene Porro, Director of the McAuliffe Center, during the lab’s official opening on October 22. “VR simulations allow students to experience high-risk work environments in a safe, controlled way—from exploring an offshore wind farm to piloting a space shuttle—opening up possibilities that were once unimaginable.”

The project was made possible through a $1 million federal grant secured with support from U.S. Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, as well as U.S. Representative Katherine Clark.

“This new center is a prime example of the type of project the federal government can and should support,” Senator Markey said in a statement shared at the event. “It nurtures the next generation of STEM professionals, advances scientific research and innovation, and strengthens Framingham State’s role as a keystone of our state’s higher education system.”

To engage Massachusetts’ culturally diverse communities with NASA’s unique STEM resources, the McAuliffe Center will apply cultural translation, transdisciplinary learning, and contextualization strategies to design learning experiences that draw on digital content produced by NASA’s Science Visualization Studio and Conceptual Image Laboratory.

The new simulation tools also promote collaboration among Framingham State University, industry partners, K–16 educators, and workforce and economic development organizations.

“The opportunity for participatory simulation - using role play and storytelling, for example - helps deepen student engagement and interest in STEM careers by allowing them to experience what’s possible,” said Framingham State President Nancy Niemi. “We are thrilled to share this innovative new space with the community.”