How did you get into photography? What do you love most about the medium?
I first got into photography during my undergraduate studies at the Rhode Island School of Design. It changed the way I saw the world. I discovered I had a 鈥減hotographer鈥檚 eye鈥 and loved how the camera let me turn ordinary scenes into something compelling. It gave me the ability to shape reality through the camera鈥檚 lens.
Tell us about your game . What was your inspiration, and do you have a favorite creature in the game?
Isle of Pan is a photography exploration game set on a Nordic island where players take photos of mythical creatures. As you progress, you unlock portals to surreal and otherworldly realms. I was inspired by the joy of wandering and taking pictures, and I wanted to use virtual reality to transport players to places they couldn't otherwise visit. And of course, include my favorite creatures from mythology and folklore. My favorite creature in the game is the Mothman, a flying humanoid with red eyes, based on eyewitness accounts from West Virginia in 1967.
Do you have any other projects like this in the pipeline?
Yes, I鈥檓 working on a new multiplayer photography game. It is still in the early stages, and since I only get about one day a week to work on it, development is slow. But it is a project I鈥檓 excited to keep building.
Now supporting the NASA mission using your knowledge and passion for VR, what does your role as a Senior VR Developer for Human Spaceflight involve?
I work at the Center for Design and Space Architecture at NASA鈥檚 Johnson Space Center in Houston. We focus on the design phase of spacecraft development, helping assess usability and livability before missions are launched. Our work supports a range of NASA projects, including the Pressurized Rover and the Lunar Gateway space station, as part of the effort to return to the Moon and eventually travel to Mars.
Since our team is small, I鈥檓 involved in every part of the process, from planning and programming to testing and running demos. One of the most important parts of my job is maintaining the plugin that serves as the foundation for all our VR projects. I build interactive multiplayer systems such as tools for stowage relocation, camera setup, hatch operation, and cable routing, which help engineers and astronauts evaluate how things will work in practice. For Gateway, we bring in astronauts with spaceflight experience to run through tasks like moving stowage between modules. They give us feedback on what works well and what could be improved. Using VR helps speed up the design process and saves time and money.
What were some highlights during your time at UC?
Traveling around the South Island and working on sheep farms during my research on sheep dogs was a major highlight. The landscapes were incredible, and I met a lot of kind and hard-working people. I appreciated the delicious, locally grown food at the end of a long day of hard work. My favorite place was a farm a couple of hours north of Collingwood on the northern coast. There was something about that part of New 成人大片that really resonated with me, and I hope to return someday.聽
Working with the earthquake response dogs in Christchurch, the police dogs in Inverness and Wellington, and the mobility dogs in Auckland were also unique and humbling experiences.
What advice would you offer to a graduate hoping to work in the VR and technology industry?
Develop your own project and release it. Keep the scope small, but go through the full process from design to release. Even if you want to specialize in one aspect of development, having that complete development experience will give you a strong foundation and help set you apart.
Any additional comments or remarks?
I taught myself VR development using YouTube tutorials and Unreal Engine. If you're curious about VR, don't wait for permission to start building. Explore, experiment, and see where it takes you. It's an incredible medium, and I believe it will play an important role in many industries in the years ahead.
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