Next Lab Featured at XR Southern Summit

ASU Next Lab Co-founder and Director, Dr. Bea Rodriguez-Fransen, was recently invited as a plenary speaker at XR Southern Summit on February 26-27, 2025. Her talk explored how ASU Next Lab anticipates change, empowering the next generation of innovators with future skills and emerging technologies. Hosted by Southern Utah University, the Summit is a national conference that brings together presenters and educators to showcase how they have been using XR within universities, in industry fields, and in student involvement.

Rodriguez-Fransen underscored the power of student-led innovation in shaping the futures of education and economic development. By leveraging spatial computing, AI and game technology, Next Lab co-creates prototypes that address real-world challenges. Her presentation showcased tangible applications, from creating digital twins of cities to designing immersive learning environments that redefine traditional education models.

A central theme of her talk was the importance of collaboration between academia, industry, government and students. This cross-sector partnership is essential for fostering a new era of problem-solving—one where learners are not just consumers of knowledge but active participants in shaping futures.

Interested in learning more about Next Lab? Invite our team to speak at your event, or get in touch to explore how we might collaborate.