On Aug. 25, 2023, the VR/AR Association (VRARA) Central Florida (CFL) chapter sponsored the first VRARA Alabama conference at the Auburn University Huntsville Research Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
 
During the meeting, UAB Department of Neurosurgery Assistant Professor Jakub Godzik, M.D., MS, spoke on a panel titled, “Perspectives on XR Adoption in Medicine and Higher Education,” where he discussed the use of virtual reality in medicine. 
 
Godzik described the meeting, which was hosted by Integration Innovation, Inc., as a “meeting of the minds.”
 
“I am very excited for what the future can hold for UAB. I think we are really uniquely positioned to be a leader in this field,” said Godzik.
 
VRARA CFL Chapter President John Cunningham said, “I believe that XR technology has finally reached the point of mass adoption and will become an integrated component of most training solutions and beyond.” 
 
Like the VRARA CFL chapter, the Huntsville satellite chapter will focus on modeling and simulation and model-based systems engineering for the surrounding community.