Rock Out in VR

From proposals to protests, explore the story of the rocks on Northwestern's campus.
Knight Lab ™

Final Project

Ironically, the Rock was originally a drinking fountain. After the water pipes broke, vandalism of the Rock gradually increased. With the first painting of the rock in the 1940s, it became a canvas for student art, opinions, advertising, messages, and jokes. Stationed on the courtyard between Northwestern University’s Harris Hall and University Hall, it is now one of the University’s best known landmarks. Tradition holds that if a student or a student group want to paint something on the Rock, he or she must guard it for 24 hours before painting it.

Earlier this quarter, we took a 360 photo with the GoPro Omni 360 camera. On this interactive Virtual Reality photo, you can explore the rock and buildings around it on your browser or on your phone with a Google Cardboard. By clicking on the button on each person, you can learn a piece of the Rock’s history, hear about a love story on the Lakefill, or look at past pictures of the Rock.

Experience VR

S.M.A.R.T Goals to Final Project

Our Journey

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About The Creators

Katie is currently finishing up her MS in Computer Science. She began the MS last year as part of the BS/MS program after getting an undergraduate degree in Psychology. She will graduate in 2017 and is interested in pursuing user experience research and design. She is interested in virtual reality and how to design experiences in new ways.

Holly a href is a third-year broadcast journalism student at Medill. Complex and nuanced stories motivate her to be a creative storyteller, and she hopes to inspire change and empathy with interactive journalism, VR, documentaries and podcasts. (I realize that's a lot of things but they are equally great lol)

Jordan is a third-year journalism student in Medill at Northwestern University. The endless possibilities at the intersection of journalism and technology motivate her to explore different ways to tell stories. She hopes to continue developing her skills in interactive journalism, coding, and Virtual Reality.

Rebecca is a developer at Knight Lab, with previous experience at Kickstarter and in professional theater. She was a member of TimeWave Festival’s Virtual Reality Lab and has spoken at technical conferences both in the US and internationally. Rebecca cares deeply about Open Source, mentorship and leveraging technology to encourage people to engage with information more actively.