Dr. Jane Harrington is the CEO and Co-founder of Med Micro Maps, a company developing virtual reality experiences to teach microbiology and infectious disease concepts.
Key Takeaways:
- Med Micro Maps uses VR to create immersive, mission-based games for life science learners to explore viruses and bacteria.
- The company's approach combines color-coding, 3D visualization, and gamification to make learning microbiology more engaging and accessible.
- Their VR experiences are designed to cater to visual and hands-on learners, who make up over 80% of students interviewed.
- Med Micro Maps integrates AI to personalize learning experiences and adapt content to individual user levels.
- The company is expanding beyond medical education to reach broader audiences interested in understanding microbes and health.
Dr. Harrington's journey began as a bench researcher and educator, recognizing the limitations of traditional microbiology education methods. Med Micro Maps evolved from her desire to make microbiology more accessible and engaging, especially as hands-on lab experiences became less common in educational settings.
The company's innovative approach uses a color-coded compass system to help learners understand different types of microbes and their characteristics. This visual method, combined with interactive 3D models in VR, aims to make complex concepts more intuitive and memorable.
Med Micro Maps has recently completed its National Science Foundation Phase One minimal viable product and participated in the ICORP Program, conducting extensive user research. This process led to a shift in their target audience, expanding from medical students to include a broader range of learners interested in life sciences.
About Dr. Jane Harrington.
Dr. Jane Harrington is the CEO/Co-Founder of MedMicroMaps and she is leading an innovative team to create an immersive microbial metaverse. Her life mission is to apply the knowledge acquired from her training as a bacteriology bench researcher with her decades of experience as a medical school educator to make microbiology fun and engaging for students of tomorrow.
After working at colleges in 4 different countries, the pandemic revealed the need for new teaching modalities for personalized learning, especially for bilingual and neurodivergent students.
By leveraging emerging technologies of AI & XR, Dr. Jane aims to revolutionize the learning experience for medical and nursing students by transporting the user to the nanometer perspective in the human body where they can play and talk with super-sized microbes.
A "glow up" signifies a positive transformation, reflecting the journey of becoming a better, more successful version of oneself.
At The Tech Glow Up, we humanize the startup and innovation landscape by focusing on the essential aspects of the entrepreneurial journey. Groundbreaking ideas are often ahead of their time, making resilience and perseverance vital for founders and product leaders.
In our podcast, we engage with innovators to discuss their transformative ideas, the challenges they face, and how they create value for future success.
If you're a founder or product leader seeking your own glow up, or a seasoned entrepreneur with stories to share, we invite you to join our guest list via this link.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03-21-2 (00:00):
This is my dream, my life passion, my
goal, and I, I, I don't, it willprobably be in a form that is
beyond even what I can imagine,but I will never, never stop
sharing about my love ofmicrobes.
And I will never, ever, everstop going into schools.
I will be a forever an educator.
And so I am, I'm, this is apassion project.
(00:22):
So it's gonna be successful.
nathan-c---they-them-_1_0 (00:24):
There is nothing more to add to that.
Hello and welcome to the GlowUp.
I'm Nathan Seehan.
Today I am talking with Dr.
Jane Harrington of Med MicroMaps.
Jane, it is so great to see youtoday.
Thank you for joining us today.
Thanks for having me.
I really love your podcast, soit's quite an honor to be, here
as a guest.
(00:44):
thank you very much for yourhosting.
Now we have talked before and I,have a little bit of knowledge
about what you've been up to atMend Micro Maps, but, for the
audience at large, could youplease, introduce yourself and
the work you're doing with MENDMicro Maps.
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03-21- (01:02):
Yeah.
Hi, I'm Dr.
Jane.
I'm the CEO and Co-founder ofMed Micro Maps, so Medicine,
medical.
So we're talking aboutinfectious disease in humans,
micro, because it's.
Microscopic.
Our world is the world ofviruses and bacteria.
And maps because we have a wholesystem to guide you.
So it is, using virtual reality,to create a microscopic world
(01:27):
mission-based games for, lifescience learners to explore
about viruses and bacteria.
nathan-c---they-them-_1_0 (01:33):
Okay.
So an educational applicationabout viruses and bacteria that
you experience in VR.
Can can you, tell us a littlebit about how you got to this
idea of sharing your vision?
In virtual reality.
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03-21- (01:52):
Yeah, absolutely.
So I'm actually a trained benchresearcher.
I'm a scientist, so I have beenin labs for three decades and I
have spent a lot of time inmicroscopes.
I've worked with bacteriaviruses and I love them.
I've been an educator for thelast.
15 years, mostly medical school,but I've also taught nursing,
undergraduate, and I love goingto schools K through 12.
(02:15):
the problem is over periods oftime, we don't have wet labs
anymore.
They're too expensive.
Pretty much medical schools andnursing schools, we've stopped
doing hands-on.
And so when the pandemic hit, Iwas teaching about a thousand
students across the globe frommy little tiny camera.
How can you learn something whenyou can't see it?
You can't touch it.
(02:36):
The vocabulary is very, veryLatin based.
So students who are going forlife sciences, they have a lot
of exams.
So say for instance, a highschool senior, they have
advanced placement biology.
They have to learn microbiology.
Students who are pre-med, theyhave to take their MCAT to get
into medical school andabsolutely for, any licensed
(02:59):
practitioner, so physician,nurse, public health,
pharmacologists, they all haveto take these high stakes exams
and they rely on.
Rote memorization, they doflashcards.
If you can't see it, you can'ttouch it.
For those of us who are visuallearners or hands-on learners,
it's very difficult.
And so the high stakes testingbecomes this incredibly
(03:21):
stressful situation.
So when the pandemic, I said, Iwant to teach students.
I wanna teach the futuregeneration about amazing
microbes.
And how do we do that?
this is where technology comesin.
So I actually, invented a newway of learning.
And so it is actually based onneuroscience.
It's using color coding.
So this is our compass that wesee.
(03:42):
The pink right here, our e coliand salmonella are pink under
the microscope.
And so instead of justmemorizing words, you see pink
images.
And in our virtual reality app,you can touch them.
Our salmonella, we actually havea game that you can surf them.
And so whenever you can see it,interact with it, it's gigantic.
(04:02):
It's much easier for you tolearn.
And so also another part of thecompass is the body.
And so I actually woke up with asore throat this morning.
I'm getting over Covid.
And so for a physician or aparent, or even if you wake up,
the question is, do I need to goto the doctor?
Do I need to get antibiotics?
That's a universal experience.
(04:24):
So whenever we teach, so I'vebeen teaching for students,
there's a huge difference if youhave a sore throat and it's
upper body that's going to beyour north coordinate.
Well, that's probably a viralinfection and you should stay
home and just, you know, takeyour fluids, rest.
However, if there's something inthe lungs, so that's gonna be
(04:44):
our lower respiratory tract.
Now we're starting to beconcerned about pneumonia.
And so there are differentmicrobes that are sort of the
upper respiratory common, commoncold versus pneumonia, which can
be life-threatening, and thenonset is really important.
If you wake up and you felt fineyesterday, it's gonna be a virus
or a bacteria they replicatequickly.
(05:05):
So that's going to be our westto east 24 to 48 hours.
It's gonna be a bacteria, andthen our viruses are in the
northwest quadrant where if youhave a cough that's been going
on for a while, my daughter justrecently had walking pneumonia,
which is caused by, it's calledan atypical microbe.
Or if you have something that isa fungal infection, that's going
(05:26):
to be a cough that lasts for amonth.
And so that's where ourparasites are down here.
The blue would be our fungalagents such as candida.
'cause we stain them with blue.
And so the map, if we actuallyhave an ebook that is the atlas
that is consistent with this,really elaborate.
but now we have the virtualreality app, so you get to play
(05:47):
with the microbes Artificialintelligence is where I'm gonna
introduce this to the guy righthere.
So actually, It's gonna be abacteria phage.
So it's the interpretation ofthe user.
So this is actually a bacteriaphage, which is a virus that
targets bacteria.
It's harmless to us, and wemodeled after cryo
electromicroscopy.
(06:08):
So if you're seeing these littleridges on this microscope that
this microscopic images, this isactually.
Based on real proteinstructures, and that's something
that's really I'm passionateabout, about our build is for
IMSA technologies, is we havethis great opportunity to show
real science.
(06:28):
I'll give the care caveat googeyes.
That's not scientificallyaccurate, but it becomes
approachable.
That's something people areintimidated by science.
We want it to be approachable.
So our AI actually has achildlike voice, has a great
sense of humor, and we actuallymodeled it after Mohu in the,
show Mulan, in the movie Mulan,to have that like ancient
(06:50):
knowledge, but mischievous.
nathan-c---they-them-_1_03-21 (06:53):
I am so enamored, seeing.
just what you said, right?
Seeing the information aboutthese different types of
bacterias, these different typesof microbes, how and where,
right?
Like starting to have this.
Like dimensional representationof this idea and like this way
(07:16):
that I can start to organize, Iam like immediately like,
interested in this compass andis like, are those secondary
points at the 45 or are thoselike backend space and are they
going forward and backward?
so you've already got meimagining, these ideas and you
know, I'd have to say like.
If I was going to choose one ofthe reasons about like, why
(07:38):
would you put this content invirtual reality, like how else
are you going to be able to putgoogly eyes on a microscopically
accurate model of a bacteriaphage you'd need some equipment.
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03-21-202 (07:54):
An imagination.
So our AI agent is called phage.
It's our mascot.
So it's a phage, P-H-A-G-E, doeye'cause it's our trained ai.
And another thing that's veryimportant for the AI training is
the bulk of knowledge.
And so I actually have 20 yearsof my exams, I have 20 years of
(08:15):
my contents that has beencurated and is.
Accurate is accurate.
And so that's what our AI istrained on my material.
And so it's a way ofcommunicating to future
generations across the globeabout the information that is
also at levels.
So whenever the user first putson the headset, it's a basic
(08:36):
question of are you familiarwith bacteria fas?
If you are a senior in highschool or if you never taken any
micro before, you probably arenot familiar with that term.
So that becomes a clue for theAI to say, okay, I need to use a
certain level of language that'sappropriate, that is
interesting, that is adaptablefor that learner.
(08:59):
A user puts on the headset andsays, oh, I know what bacteria
phages are.
Then the AI is going to use adifferent set of language than
maybe a second year medicalstudent or somebody who's
familiar with biomedicalresearch.
nathan-c---they-them-_1_03- (09:12):
So, just to make sure I hear this
correctly, is AI the thing thatlets you in this like very
expansive model, build a likepersonalized experience for each
of these learners?
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03-21-2 (09:28):
yes.
I'm just of that our, for ourrelease that's coming out in the
Medi Quest store.
hopefully it may, we are having,it's the freemium model so that
everyone can use this.
There's a lot of plate elementsto it.
We have a whack of microbe.
we have a, we're gonna have ofcourse, the surf and salmonella.
So we wanna introduce thegeneral audience about microbes
(09:49):
because.
It's not taught, it's notcurrently taught aside from wash
your hands, from germs, and thatleads to a lot of distrust, a
lot of misinformation.
So we want to have the gamingfun elements.
And so for the AI dialogue, wehave it set at the sort of entry
level and that free access toanyone of all ages.
(10:10):
However, if you want theadvanced level, so say for
instance you're studyingmicrobiology, in undergrad or
you are a nursing and medical,so those are, are sort of our
key markets.
then you would have thesubscription to the AI training.
And so that's where you get theadvance information, you get the
quizzing, you get alsointegration with your content.
(10:33):
So you can take your professorlectures as a PDF, as a
PowerPoint and feed it into ourapp, and it will then create
quizzes and test and languageand vocabulary checks.
And that's where thesubscription comes in.
So we are doing business toconsumer and so for students who
are life science learners reallyat the college level.
(10:55):
And so they will have theirindividualized AI training
matching to what is going on intheir curriculum.
nathan-c---they-them-_1_ (11:02):
That's super cool.
Two of the things that youbrought up, one of the
challenges with AI is that it'soften, trust is an issue and
like, how do you know that whatthis AI is saying is accurate?
I was at a call just earliertoday where a fan of, the model
Claude was talking about how inearly iterations Claude couldn't
(11:26):
get to the internet, but knew itshould present case studies, and
so it would make up fake casestudies and even fake URLs to
link them for you.
Even Well, I did the science, Icollected it over this rigorous
career.
I've used it in my teachings,so, so I love how you're fixing
trust on that side.
(11:46):
And then the other.
Side, is like, how do you makeAI meaningful into what I'm
doing?
Do I have to download anotherapp?
Do I have to go to anotherplace?
And that if, if I can like startto bring in my coursework into
my conversations with Phagi andright start to, you know, not.
(12:08):
cheat on tests, but actuallyactivate the information that I
have to learn in a way that'sworking for me.
how do I trust that it's helpfuland like, how do I actually make
it relevant?
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03-21-2025 (12:21):
I will elaborate on this in that
we actually are taking a stepfurther, in, for our AI avatars,
we have two.
And so we are using almost likea model of Star Wars, whether
you have the Jedi master, andthen you've got R2D2, who's the
buddy.
And so in a learning experience,you're gonna have.
The expert.
And so we have Dr.
(12:42):
Jane, the avatar.
And so that avatar, and I'musing that word very
specifically, is modeled on me.
And so it looks like me.
Sounds like me, and theinformation that is coming out
of the expert is now verbatim.
And so I am having conversationsand all of my stories.
That's key point that we willhave the avatar.
(13:03):
Just repeat it and we're gonnado sound files, sound bites, and
so can you trust that professorwho is in this?
In who?
In this learning experience?
Well, I have my 25 years ofteaching and using actual
language and analogies wheneveryou learn something new, if
you've never heard of a bacteriaphage, if you look at this and
(13:23):
say it looks kind of like aspider, and using that
association, that is such avaluable tool.
So our expert avatar, Is trulytrained on myself.
And then the other one is goingto be the Phsi.
So pH is, they have a dialogue.
It's a three-way dialogue, andPhsi plays the role of the near
peer.
And so the near peer is verymuch of digesting complex
(13:47):
information and not makingthings up because the key
content is fed directly from mymaterial.
I mean, and again, I've beenteaching for a long time, and so
the AI is.
The tutor, the agent, don't evercall it an AI tutor.
They get really mad.
So like, they're like, no.
So we started using the wordagent and so then it becomes a
(14:10):
very much a three-wayconversation, dialogue, and it
becomes really individualized.
And so with the training, eventhe, ai, Agent, the bacteria
phage, will remember what workedbest for you.
And so in learning, we like tohave a lot of analogies,
similarities, stories again.
(14:31):
And so yeah, that, that becomesnow it's a collaborative process
and that is a major leap about,using AI in education.
You can't just take what open AIis.
Feeding you.
It is, it's really not thereyet.
Versus you take the coreinformation from a true, trusted
source, Dr.
Jane Harrington, myself, andthen digest it with this
(14:54):
iteration conversation,quizzing.
That's another key aspect thatwe have in there.
and I, it's going to be soincredibly helpful for that
aspect and that that's, I alwayssay the icing on the cake, it's
the interactive that we reallylove about our app.
nathan-c---they-them-_1_03-2 (15:10):
So Dr.
Jane, I have way too manyquestions.
One of the first areas that Ithink is really powerful that I
wanna call out before I jumpinto the questions right, is,
certain professions, especiallythose that are not involved in
technology directly, sometimeshave a hard time imagining,
well, like, I don't need to makevideo trailers or like, I don't
(15:35):
send automated emails, so like,why do I need.
To know about AI or like, howcan I use ai?
One of the ways that I try toencourage people to think about
their place with artificialintelligence and large language
models, is really like, what isthe data set, right?
Like, what is the informationthat you want to activate, to
(15:58):
learn about, to share, you know,to train it.
What you called out I think isreally powerful, right?
If you are a teacher, you havethis expertise, you have this
perspective on communication, onstorytelling.
You have this data about whatworks and doesn't, and like your
class plans, your approach toexplaining things, your
(16:22):
visualization approach.
Those are all data sets that areuniquely a part of you and can
be turned into, theseassistants, these guides, these
mentors, that activate andhopefully Dr.
Jane classrooms to classroom,around the world in that
one-to-one feeling.
(16:42):
I love how you're taking thisbackground, this data, this
expertise that you've amassedand have this very clear outlet
to continue using it?
It's not like you're inventing awhole new Dr.
Jane, but it's like, how do youuse AI to superpower, that Dr.
Jane?
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03-21-20 (16:58):
So, on that, I would love to just,
give a clarification since thelast time that we met.
our, men micro maps team, gotfunded by the National Science
Foundation.
we just completed our phase oneminimal viable product.
And we participated in theNational Science Foundation
ICORP Program.
that was a really intense sevenweek program.
we traveled around.
we were in, Texas, we went toCalifornia, we visited campuses
(17:22):
and we interviewed 115 people.
We had 40 students, so highereducation students across life
sciences.
So again, veterinary, health,dental, et cetera.
But we also interviewed.
Professors, we interviewedprovost presidents, and we
interviewed people who were inthe XR AI industry.
(17:42):
And so our strategies aboutusing this tool as an engaging,
valuable, fun, long lasting.
And so in our design we arefirst release is going to be
single player for, the learner.
And so we really wanna get itinto the hands so that they have
it, starting out, whichevertheir basic biology classes up
(18:03):
to their, graduate level, healthsciences.
But we are absolutely planningfor institutions.
So I've been an educator.
I've worked at eight differentuniversities.
I've worked in four countries.
And we are designing ourinfrastructure of our data.
So we're using the MicrosoftAzure, and that is now going to
be planning for theinstitutional adaptation.
(18:26):
I just had a, a meeting todaywith the director of a,
innovation, program, andthey're, they have
undergraduates, they havenursing, they have medical, they
have public health.
And our goal for whenever we doour release next year, and so
that's going to be in the springof 2026, is that we are
designing the experience forinstitutions, so then the
(18:48):
professor can have it adapted totheir Microsoft Suite files,
their PowerPoints, their Excelfiles, their, you know,
whatever.
And they can actually thenchange the avatar.
Every professor has their ownstories.
Every professor has their ownpassion, interest take on it.
And so that's what we arecreating this pipeline.
(19:09):
We're creating, again, the datainfrastructure so that when we
partner with institutions, theywill have that ability to adapt
for the courses, it's.
Very, very important that thematerial that the students are
learning grows in thatscaffolding.
So what they're learning intheir undergraduate chemistry,
you know, biochem, healthscience.
(19:31):
So again, I keep reallyiterating about how expansive
microbiology is.
Then this student be like, oh, Ilearned this.
I learned glycolysis in my yeartwo of my undergraduate.
Now I'm in nursing school.
I gotta come back to it.
But I don't have to sort throughPowerPoint files and trying to
(19:51):
figure out what did I study onthis day where our
infrastructure, and again, ourdata processing, it's all there.
Cool.
nathan-c---they-them-_1_03- (19:59):
the one of the things, you know, as
a marketer that I'm alwaysadvising.
product teams is like, be in thetools that your customers
already use, right?
Like, why are you making a newplatform?
Can you just be where theyalready are?
And, this idea that like,professors could just kind like.
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03-21-20 (20:21):
and play.
nathan-c---they-them-_1_03 (20:22):
link their files structure and, be
sharing.
And that students could, youknow, have a, you know, that FEI
almost like transforms to becomea career mentor and coach and
guide as, you know, someonemoves from student, into,
practicing.
in whatever field that they'reworking in.
I have to, Dr.
(20:43):
Jane, I have to go back andcongratulate, the 150 additional
user interviews that you'vedone, since we
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03-21-2025 (20:52):
A hundred, 115.
that was completed in December.
And actually our team won, thePeople's Choice Award for when
we presented for the NationalScience, the ICORP Program.
And that was with 19 of SBIRteam.
So this was a lead of elite,very proud of that.
however, since, the last.
three months.
we've had our app, we've hadour, 50 people in headsets.
(21:14):
So 115 were done for customerdiscovery and we couldn't really
talk about our product, but nowwe're touring campuses and going
to conferences.
And so yeah, we are spreadingthe message.
and it's global.
we just launched our, website.
that was at the end of February,and as to date, we have actually
had 28 countries sign into ourwebsite.
(21:34):
yeah, we've been on the news.
we actually have an invitationto, the, NextMed Health we're
going to Coronado Island in SanDiego next week.
everyone who's tried ourheadset, the first question they
ask is, when can I get this?
nathan-c---they-them-_ (21:47):
Amazing.
you'll have to say hi to DanielKraft and my friend Caitlin
Kraus when you're there, withNext Med, I'm curious, after
talking to over 150, students,teachers, users, et cetera, is
there something that you learnedfrom all of that, research that.
Changed your mind about, yourproduct or how you need to go
(22:11):
about things.
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03-21- (22:13):
Well, one key, I don't wanna say the
word pivot, it's adaptation whenwe started, I've been in second
year medical school, you know,teaching second year medical
school for the last 15 years.
And so when we originally weredesigning the app, we were only
really using the language thatis for, students who are board
ready.
So they're taking their boards.
(22:34):
and in the discovery, you know,it's a small population and a
lot of them don't have VRheadsets.
what we did discover is when westarted talking to the younger
population and so, you know,high school seniors, and then
also non-science media arts.
So we were at Ringling Collegeof Art and Design.
We were at the Cougar Lab atUniversity of Houston.
(22:55):
And what that actually was, itwas just mind blowing for me the
curiosity about the lifesciences.
A lot of, the technology.
There's a high portion ofA-D-H-D-A-D-H-D and they say, I
was really curious aboutscience.
Usually in elementary schoolwhen you're doing hands-on, but
by the time you get to highschool, it's all multiple choice
(23:18):
tech space.
Yeah.
I was interested.
I couldn't do the math.
I, you know, I, there was thesebarriers and so when we opened
up our ideas, our language andsay, Hey, you wanna learn about
viruses and bacteria, you wannaplay, you wanna explore?
That opened up a whole newavenue for, really getting
people interested in science.
(23:39):
So it became less about studyfor your boards, which is what
the initial goal was versus.
Wow.
You wanna learn about what'sgoing on inside of your body and
have fun and do it in a waythat's engaging.
That just absolutely has been,groundbreaking for me to really
spread my message.
(23:59):
And you don't have to be an MDor PhD to learn the science.
It's just a matter of having,fun and creativity.
in the interviews, we actuallydid coding.
So we, we did Airtable.
and we partnered with, a datascientist at Montana State
University, and we coded anyonewho said, and again, anyone,
(24:20):
students, again, the whole, thewhole gamut of sort of a ed
tech.
About, do you have a learningdisability, A DHD, autism,
anxiety, in English, secondlanguage.
We asked a lot of questionsabout how people studied.
The data told us that over 80%of US students that we
interviewed even graduatedstudents, identified as being a
(24:42):
visual or hands-on learner.
that is amazing.
Our current education systemwith bullet points and multiple
choice questions is only reallyapplicable to 20% of the
population.
having the data, not just fromthe students, but also from the
professors, the XR developers,and what immersive technologies,
(25:04):
having the microbes in yourhand, it's so phenomenal.
To be able to have the microbesand make them big, make them
small to have one microbe.
You can actually take SarsCOVID2 that causes covid and
take an antibody, and we havethem sized accurately so that
you can get a real sense in athree-dimensional space about
(25:26):
what these biological agentsare.
the curiosity was reallypervasive.
I thought nobody cared aboutmicrobiology, but what it was is
people say, I used say I'm amicrobiologist, and then they
go, oh, that's so complicated.
I can't learn that.
My response is, can you learnthe planets?
We learn the planets inelementary school with models,
(25:49):
it's the same scale, the logscale, so very, big for the
planets.
How do we learn the relativesizes and the names and the
identity and characteristicswith models?
And so my thing is, anyone canlearn microbiology.
You provide them the tools.
If you provide them languagethat's, you know, that is gonna
(26:11):
be adaptable for your level.
And you can play with them, youcan look inside of them.
that really has just been, soit, it's been very, very
exciting and validating, forrealizing how curious people are
about these little microbes.
nathan-c---they-them-_1_03-2 (26:25):
So I have to commend you just on
the amount of research?
Like being in a science andmedical related profession?
it would be expected, but formost, working in innovative
technology, Consumer researchthat gets coded, that gets
studied, that gets analyzed by,a professional is often above
(26:48):
and beyond what the status quois.
And I personally love that whenI hear you saying they were
interested to learn aboutmicrobes, what that says to me
is the technology was not abarrier.
And in fact, the technology wasso appealing that it made
(27:12):
something like microbiology feellike something that they could
play with.
And so I, I would take that notjust as confirmation that there
is interest in the subjectmatter.
Right.
And that there may be theseother blockers that you so
clearly identified, but thatyour model.
The way that you've built itinto VR, using, you know,
(27:35):
additional technologies isactually one that is accessible
enough for people to have fun.
Like if somebody can start toexplore, that had often been
like a barrier for adoption inimmersive technology.
I don't even know how to getstarted.
And so if people are sayinglike, this is great, give me
more.
That's like kudos to the designand the interaction and like the
(27:58):
work to, to make that modelrelatable and consumable.
'cause like people don't dive inif it's hard.
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03-21- (28:06):
Yeah, I would like.
to really highlight about, and Ijoke about the band words.
I try not to use accessible eyeroll.
Eye roll.
We are appealing to all learningtypes.
However, if you get intotechnology and education for
immersive technologies, and weaddressed about the key points
(28:27):
about, using generative ai, butI'm focusing on using, VR, AR,
you know, a virtual reality,which is a hundred percent
virtual.
Augmented reality is like onyour phone, which we have a
virtual reality or Augmentedreality app.
And then the mixed reality thatactually is more accessible
across different ages.
But we are designing forlearners with autism, and that
(28:51):
is actually on our team.
we have neurodiverse developersand so again, different
learning.
our visual learners, I use it asa blanket if you design it's
intuitive and easy and engagingfor an 8-year-old with autism.
So actually one of our users wasmy friend's kid, a DHD, eight
(29:11):
years old.
we observe, we do recordings, wewatch about how, if they get
stuck or something.
And that's what the mostinteractive room is the map.
it's like a planetarium formicrobes.
It's very advanced science.
But learners, when they go inthere, they love to touch, they
love to play.
(29:31):
It's actually now we'redesigning four.
One type of population.
However, if you have adaptivelearning, it makes it easier for
all the rest of us.
So if you're neurotypical andyou don't have a learning
disability, This is great.
If you do have English secondlanguage, we're gonna change so
(29:51):
that it is in your nativelanguage.
The user can change also in offfor sound, on sound, off volume
of the background, music, lightson, lights off.
And we're even working ongetting shaders so that the
individual can sort of take themicrobes and if they have visual
disabilities, they can have itadaptive.
And so our team.
(30:12):
Is got a, we have a variety ofexperiences and perspectives and
that creates a great product.
And I also wanna point outyounger generation I.
We're designing for the youngergeneration, and so especially
going to high schools andundergraduates and saying.
What do you want?
We are learner centered andwe're not, designing for, my
(30:35):
husband's baby boomer.
I'm Gen X.
We really are creating newtechnologies for the learners of
tomorrow, our kids.
And that is something else thatis a major value.
And I think about why some VR isnot being adopted is because
it's designed for a 45-year-old.
nathan-c---they-them-_1_ (30:55):
you're saying that my kids don't want
to set up like a, a differentworkstation in every room on
their Apple Vision Pro.
They don't.
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03- (31:05):
Whatever is the best learning environment
for them, we will adapt for it.
nathan-c---they-them-_ (31:09):
Amazing.
Dr.
Jane I am just thrilled about,the last few months that you've
had, as you've learned aboutyour audience, grown your
product, gotten your weeks awayfrom this next major milestone.
I'm curious, how are youthinking today about the impact
(31:29):
of your work and how you'llmeasure that, as you move
forward through the rest of theyear?
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03-21-20 (31:35):
for the strategy for the product
development we're releasing analpha, and so it's most likely
gonna be.
Free, and getting a lot offeedback.
But whenever you're talkingabout any kind of technology
that will be for an institution,the enterprise, you have to have
data.
You have to have data foractually evaluating about
learning gains, and that's wherewe're partnering with
(31:57):
institutions.
So again, Montana StateBillings, Montana.
State Bozeman, LindenwoodUniversity is our core, Dr.
James Hudson is ourco-investigator.
we actually are in conversationswith, University of Texas
Medical Branch.
I just recently met with,Oklahoma State University.
we'll be traveling to San Diegostate, university.
and even community colleges, Ithink you're gonna play a big
(32:19):
role.
So we are doing a multi-campuseducational research study for
the before and after pretestpost-test and doing a
self-assessment about knowledgeof the microbes.
So we have got the categoriesfor microbes and we're asking
about, microbes to viruses thatare in the app, to viruses that
are not in the app, and what wewould anticipate.
(32:41):
Is in the 20 minute gameplay isthat the knowledge of the
microbes that are in the appwill increase.
And we're also doing thistesting not just with, life
science learners, but we're alsointeracting with, digital media.
And so we're assessing about,one is your knowledge of the
contents and two.
Your VR experience because wedon't just wanna have an
(33:04):
increase in science knowledge.
We wanna see an increase incomfortability with the tech
itself.
And so, that study is going tobe done across, in April and
May.
And so going to differentcampuses for that.
yes, we absolutely have to haveevidence of the learning.
And then something else thatwe're, incorporating in our
backend is.
(33:24):
The user engagement in the app.
And so we're partnering with YetAnalytics and that's where you
have the headset on.
And we don't need anythingpersonal for you, but we record
sessions.
And so how long are you spendingon these assets?
So we have 20 microbial assetsand the storyline guides you,
(33:46):
you have to learn or interactbare minimum with eight of them.
12 of them are optional.
You don't have to interact withthem, but we wanna know if
somebody is in this headset.
Are they choosing to interact?
And then also, I really waspointing about the levels of the
information.
So we have got our curious levelthat is for general audience.
(34:10):
We had the learner level thatwould be an undergraduate or a
first year medical or dental,nursing.
And then we have the expertlevel where you would be board
ready.
And so we are gonna be trackingfor the individual user do you
wanna learn more?
What an incredible metric ofuser engagement of this.
Hey, you have to learn thisbasic information so that you
(34:32):
can pass this level and then getyour antibiotic Super Soaker and
kill off the strep biogenesethat's what's causing the sore
throat in our storyline.
But if you have usersvoluntarily learning more
voluntarily interacting withthese optional assets, that to
me, is a home run.
That to me is absolutely,evidence that this is not just
(34:54):
engaging.
So fun is our first thing for edtech, but it's educational value
that people are choosing tolearn.
nathan-c---they-them-_1_03-21 (35:02):
I am very curious to see your data
on this.
Anecdotally, as somebody who'sbeen in XR for a while, if the
app is usable and all of thecontent is something that I can
find if I'm enjoying myself.
(35:23):
I will probably try to find andsee every bit of content to
understand the parts that I likethe best.
I have some personal hypothesesand like, I'm also very curious
about like, well, what if it,what if that doesn't happen,
Nathan?
And like what does that sayabout, goals or interest or
(35:44):
focus?
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03-21-2 (35:46):
That then if something's not being
touched, we as developers needto adapt to the learner.
If we have an asset that's gotsome value and no one is
interacting with it, it's nowour responsibility to change it
up, to guide, to assist, toreally have, the information.
So learning's not tedious.
Learning is a natural curiositythat is going to, confer a
(36:10):
benefit.
Absolutely.
We're gonna have rewards, we'regonna have leaderboards.
in that when you, master amicrobe, you're gonna get
badges.
And actually right now we have3D printed key chains.
And so that's part of the gamingaspect.
we have 20 microbes.
For our first storyline, we willhave 250.
So to master the map, that'swhat our micro map.
(36:31):
System is we're having a planfor, engagement that when you
pass a level and then there'sgonna be competitive
leaderboards multiplayer, wewill send you a 3D printed,
little key chain so that you geta physical collection, like a
Pokemon Go, what have you.
You have a physical collectionof these microbes as a, as a
(36:52):
trophy.
And so we we're the benefit ofespecially our assets.
Is that, we're not just gonna behousing them in the virtual
world, but we're gonna be doingall sorts of swag.
we wanna have stuffed animals.
nathan-c---they-them-_1_03 (37:04):
it's something.
Thing I say about 3D all thetime, right?
Like if you create, digitalspaces that are in 3D, right?
Almost by nature there's camerasinside of those worlds.
So you can create video, onceyou have a world, there's almost
endless content that you canmake within it.
I would certainly hope at somepoint, that Phagie gets brought
(37:27):
into the conversation.
how
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03-21-2 (37:30):
that that's, I,
nathan-c---they-them-_1_0 (37:31):
their learners.
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03-21-20 (37:32):
Our assets, we are designing, you
know, the GLB file, inpartnering with other ed tech
and partnering with other gamingand say, hey.
You can use our assets, and I amimagining not that far off, that
the AI is like the, the AIassist are gonna be talking to
each other.
And so we're gonna have presencein med micro maps in, in the,
(37:53):
you know, engage in VR chat andHorizons and whatever is.
Tomorrow, whatever the next oneis.
And so we are really,envisioning having Phagie as
being the micro representativeacross all these digital
platforms and, and, andrecognized and say like, oh, I
wanna learn about blah, blah,blah.
(38:14):
And of course the classic is Ihave a rash.
medical students, they're like,I have a rash.
I'm like, I don't wanna see yourrash.
nathan-c---they-them-_1_03-21 (38:21):
I mean, the common knowledge is
like, don't search an illness onthe internet because you know,
everything leads in a horribleanswer.
And you should probably just goto the emergency room.
I like the idea that like, maybeyou should search in VR because
you'll get clinically provenlike exp expert.
Good advice.
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03-21- (38:39):
Yeah, We don't give medical advice.
we are an education app, and wehave our AI trained that if
somebody is asking aboutindividual, it shuts down the
conversation.
I'm a PhD, go seek a licensedpractitioner.
But what we provide isknowledge.
And so if somebody has a sorethroat, we say, these are all
the things.
(39:00):
That cause sore throat.
Oh, you're in a certaingeographic area.
You have a cough for, a month.
these are the ones that arepresent in this area if you're
traveling.
So we have a lot of geographicsort of gating for the
information.
We do not diagnose That isabsolutely not our purview.
doing is we're just showing you.
sharing with you, and absolutelytouching what different types of
(39:25):
microbes that are associatedwith these infections.
nathan-c---they-them-_1_03 (39:28):
Yes, Dr.
Jane, it seems like you have somany visions and, such a
fantastic, view of, the roadmapfor where you're going.
I'm curious.
what's the glow up or thenotable transformation, that
you're looking to make in thenext year or
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03-21-20 (39:46):
For technology, you know,
technology, education, you haveto be forward thinking.
We've been working on this for,approximately five years.
And so we were planning for notthe headsets that are today, not
the technologies that's today,but what's tomorrow, what is in
the future, and that is really,my experience of going from
(40:09):
being an academic, It's what istoday like that, that is what
I'm teaching versus being aforward thinking entrepreneur.
We are planning our app, ourtech, our really our vision, our
assets for what is in a year andanother year from now.
And one thing that we have inour short term, it is the phone
(40:30):
integration in that, we are, thegoal is to have an Augmented
reality app on your phone withthe Phagie AI tutor and the
ability to spawn about the, our,assets, our 3D assets that is
partnered with.
Your Quest app, and we areapplied.
We applied for the NationalScience Foundation, phase two.
(40:52):
Yay.
So we actually, I'm, I feelvery, very con confident about
the competitiveness of ourapplication.
If we get that grant, we alreadyhave a team of people ready to
go, and then we would have, theconversion of our Unity- based,
game, for.
WebEx xr, and so WebEx XR isfor, you know, the virtual
(41:14):
reality, Augmented reality,mixed reality, but for any AR
device and so smart glasses, aswell as if we're going for
institutions, we need to haveour app available on the PICO
headsets, the HTC vibe watchingwhat's going on for with the
Android, the Google.
A year ago, even last when Italked to you, I did not have
(41:35):
that vision where really gettingoutta the building, talking with
people and say what we are doingis not only cutting edge.
For today, but our major releaseis gonna happen.
So we're gonna aim for the phonerelease in, in September, and
then having the enterprise thatis going to be WebEx R that's
going to be in spring of nextyear.
that is really, that's future.
(41:56):
That is future.
But we have got the plans for
nathan-c---they-them-_1_03 (41:59):
It's almost like a new platform every
six months.
I love it.
and the right, like the approachall bundles nicely under, right,
like great content whereverpeople are and like, wouldn't it
be great if men micro maps couldalso like be in like the seat
back information on yourairplane trip.
(42:20):
So like, there's somethingactually interesting to do while
you're traveling, across theworld.
amazing.
in this ambitious vision andthis, bold year that you have
ahead, is there something thatyou're looking for or, do you
have a call to action, to theaudience abroad
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03-21- (42:38):
right now, we are, in between the
phase one, phase two funding.
We got supportive, funding fromour state as well.
So we are kind of on a skeletoncrew.
we have, two, students who aregraduating in May and they
really wanna work on our projectand we really want them on our
project.
and so we are fundraising rightnow.
And so we are looking at apre-seed round.
(43:00):
And so, networking for,interested investors for the
pre-seed round, especially for.
Woman owned because theincredible statistic is less
than 2% of VC funding goestowards, female founders.
And so we really want to findnot just money, like we don't
want just a check, but we reallywanna find a partner who is
(43:23):
going to be, realizing thepotential of our vision, the
potential for the impact on aglobal scale.
That our app is going to be theonly way.
To learn microscopic lifesciences.
And that, again, is a boldvision.
But if you put our headset on assoon as you see it, it's mind
blowing.
(43:43):
It is absolutely mind blowing.
so in our call to action, askingfor introductions, we are not
like absolutely scrambling.
We're forward thinking.
we really wanna get, those twostudents who are graduating
with, undergraduate master'sdegree in game design, unity
developer.
And so I have very, veryspecifics about, where that
funding will go.
nathan-c---they-them-_1_03 (44:03):
Heck yes.
amazing.
Right?
Let's employ this futuregeneration of inspired creators
who are trying to do something.
Absolutely love it.
Dr.
Jane.
what's the best way that, peoplecan follow up or, follow your
work
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03-21-20 (44:18):
Med micro maps and so MED, med as a
medical micro, M-I-C-R-O,microscopic, and then maps
because we guide you.
So med micro maps.
I'm all over social media and soI'm starting my series, meet a
Microbe Mondays.
And so each week I'll be doing,it'll be on YouTube, but we're
also going to parse it down forTikTok because we're going for
(44:40):
the younger generation and haveour assets and say, Hey, let's
just learn about this microbe.
medmicromaps.com, if you go toour website, LinkedIn,
Instagram, et cetera.
come and check us out.
what my next initiative is, isreally getting this information
out there about the microbes ina language that is appropriate
for our general audience and ouryounger generation.
(45:02):
I don't need to be teaching to,PhDs and MDs.
They already have the coreinformation versus learning
about micro.
Microbes.
Learning about vaccines,learning about antibiotics,
learning about in, infections.
That is something that we verymuch need in our society today.
I'm gonna be countering themisinformation on social media
(45:23):
with fun.
I absolutely love talking aboutmy microbes, but I like to make
them just silly and fun.
nathan-c---they-them-_1_03- (45:29):
Dr.
Jane, I could talk to you forliterally Hours and hours.
but you have so much to do.
I have to thank you so much forthis wonderful chat.
I honestly think that, whileteaching the world about
microbes is the thing thatinspires you, to do this work.
(45:51):
some of the things that you're,working to achieve and build, I
think are also going to do a lotto teach people about the data
sets and the knowledge that theyhave and how to use.
Some of these new tools, thesenew models, visual right,
education, a AI agents.
(46:14):
So I think if you're successfulwith this app, you're also gonna
teach a lot of people aboutlearning.
About communicating with newtechnology, right?
And even how technology reallyshouldn't be like a single touch
point, but like the assistantand the, the guidance and the
help that you need where youare.
it's so exciting to hear aboutall of this research driven,
(46:36):
user-focused learnings that aregoing in to this robust and
ambitious plan for the year.
Thank you so much for sharing
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03-21-2 (46:44):
Just a correction.
You said, if we're successful,when we're successful, this is
my dream, my LA life passion, mygoal, and I, I, I don't, it will
probably be in a form that isbeyond even what I can imagine,
but I will never, never stopsharing about my love of
microbes.
And I will never, ever, everstop going into schools.
(47:06):
I will be a forever an educator.
And so I am, I'm, this is apassion project.
So it's gonna be successful.
nathan-c---they-them-_1_0 (47:13):
There is nothing more to add to that.
Love it.
now.
This is my dream, my life passion, my
goal, and I, I, I don't, it willprobably be in a form that is
beyond even what I can imagine,but I will never, never stop
sharing about my love ofmicrobes.
And I will never, ever, everstop going into schools.
I will be a forever an educator.
And so I am, I'm, this is apassion project.
(00:22):
So it's gonna be successful.
nathan-c---they-them-_1_0 (00:24):
There is nothing more to add to that.
Hello and welcome to the GlowUp.
I'm Nathan Seehan.
Today I am talking with Dr.
Jane Harrington of Med MicroMaps.
Jane, it is so great to see youtoday.
Thank you for joining us today.
Thanks for having me.
I really love your podcast, soit's quite an honor to be, here
as a guest.
(00:44):
thank you very much for yourhosting.
Now we have talked before and I,have a little bit of knowledge
about what you've been up to atMend Micro Maps, but, for the
audience at large, could youplease, introduce yourself and
the work you're doing with MENDMicro Maps.
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03-21- (01:02):
Yeah.
Hi, I'm Dr.
Jane.
I'm the CEO and Co-founder ofMed Micro Maps, so Medicine,
medical.
So we're talking aboutinfectious disease in humans,
micro, because it's.
Microscopic.
Our world is the world ofviruses and bacteria.
And maps because we have a wholesystem to guide you.
So it is, using virtual reality,to create a microscopic world
(01:27):
mission-based games for, lifescience learners to explore
about viruses and bacteria.
nathan-c---they-them-_1_0 (01:33):
Okay.
So an educational applicationabout viruses and bacteria that
you experience in VR.
Can can you, tell us a littlebit about how you got to this
idea of sharing your vision?
In virtual reality.
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03-21- (01:52):
Yeah, absolutely.
So I'm actually a trained benchresearcher.
I'm a scientist, so I have beenin labs for three decades and I
have spent a lot of time inmicroscopes.
I've worked with bacteriaviruses and I love them.
I've been an educator for thelast.
15 years, mostly medical school,but I've also taught nursing,
undergraduate, and I love goingto schools K through 12.
(02:15):
the problem is over periods oftime, we don't have wet labs
anymore.
They're too expensive.
Pretty much medical schools andnursing schools, we've stopped
doing hands-on.
And so when the pandemic hit, Iwas teaching about a thousand
students across the globe frommy little tiny camera.
How can you learn something whenyou can't see it?
You can't touch it.
(02:36):
The vocabulary is very, veryLatin based.
So students who are going forlife sciences, they have a lot
of exams.
So say for instance, a highschool senior, they have
advanced placement biology.
They have to learn microbiology.
Students who are pre-med, theyhave to take their MCAT to get
into medical school andabsolutely for, any licensed
(02:59):
practitioner, so physician,nurse, public health,
pharmacologists, they all haveto take these high stakes exams
and they rely on.
Rote memorization, they doflashcards.
If you can't see it, you can'ttouch it.
For those of us who are visuallearners or hands-on learners,
it's very difficult.
And so the high stakes testingbecomes this incredibly
(03:21):
stressful situation.
So when the pandemic, I said, Iwant to teach students.
I wanna teach the futuregeneration about amazing
microbes.
And how do we do that?
this is where technology comesin.
So I actually, invented a newway of learning.
And so it is actually based onneuroscience.
It's using color coding.
So this is our compass that wesee.
(03:42):
The pink right here, our e coliand salmonella are pink under
the microscope.
And so instead of justmemorizing words, you see pink
images.
And in our virtual reality app,you can touch them.
Our salmonella, we actually havea game that you can surf them.
And so whenever you can see it,interact with it, it's gigantic.
(04:02):
It's much easier for you tolearn.
And so also another part of thecompass is the body.
And so I actually woke up with asore throat this morning.
I'm getting over Covid.
And so for a physician or aparent, or even if you wake up,
the question is, do I need to goto the doctor?
Do I need to get antibiotics?
That's a universal experience.
(04:24):
So whenever we teach, so I'vebeen teaching for students,
there's a huge difference if youhave a sore throat and it's
upper body that's going to beyour north coordinate.
Well, that's probably a viralinfection and you should stay
home and just, you know, takeyour fluids, rest.
However, if there's something inthe lungs, so that's gonna be
(04:44):
our lower respiratory tract.
Now we're starting to beconcerned about pneumonia.
And so there are differentmicrobes that are sort of the
upper respiratory common, commoncold versus pneumonia, which can
be life-threatening, and thenonset is really important.
If you wake up and you felt fineyesterday, it's gonna be a virus
or a bacteria they replicatequickly.
(05:05):
So that's going to be our westto east 24 to 48 hours.
It's gonna be a bacteria, andthen our viruses are in the
northwest quadrant where if youhave a cough that's been going
on for a while, my daughter justrecently had walking pneumonia,
which is caused by, it's calledan atypical microbe.
Or if you have something that isa fungal infection, that's going
(05:26):
to be a cough that lasts for amonth.
And so that's where ourparasites are down here.
The blue would be our fungalagents such as candida.
'cause we stain them with blue.
And so the map, if we actuallyhave an ebook that is the atlas
that is consistent with this,really elaborate.
but now we have the virtualreality app, so you get to play
(05:47):
with the microbes Artificialintelligence is where I'm gonna
introduce this to the guy righthere.
So actually, It's gonna be abacteria phage.
So it's the interpretation ofthe user.
So this is actually a bacteriaphage, which is a virus that
targets bacteria.
It's harmless to us, and wemodeled after cryo
electromicroscopy.
(06:08):
So if you're seeing these littleridges on this microscope that
this microscopic images, this isactually.
Based on real proteinstructures, and that's something
that's really I'm passionateabout, about our build is for
IMSA technologies, is we havethis great opportunity to show
real science.
(06:28):
I'll give the care caveat googeyes.
That's not scientificallyaccurate, but it becomes
approachable.
That's something people areintimidated by science.
We want it to be approachable.
So our AI actually has achildlike voice, has a great
sense of humor, and we actuallymodeled it after Mohu in the,
show Mulan, in the movie Mulan,to have that like ancient
(06:50):
knowledge, but mischievous.
nathan-c---they-them-_1_03-21 (06:53):
I am so enamored, seeing.
just what you said, right?
Seeing the information aboutthese different types of
bacterias, these different typesof microbes, how and where,
right?
Like starting to have this.
Like dimensional representationof this idea and like this way
(07:16):
that I can start to organize, Iam like immediately like,
interested in this compass andis like, are those secondary
points at the 45 or are thoselike backend space and are they
going forward and backward?
so you've already got meimagining, these ideas and you
know, I'd have to say like.
If I was going to choose one ofthe reasons about like, why
(07:38):
would you put this content invirtual reality, like how else
are you going to be able to putgoogly eyes on a microscopically
accurate model of a bacteriaphage you'd need some equipment.
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03-21-202 (07:54):
An imagination.
So our AI agent is called phage.
It's our mascot.
So it's a phage, P-H-A-G-E, doeye'cause it's our trained ai.
And another thing that's veryimportant for the AI training is
the bulk of knowledge.
And so I actually have 20 yearsof my exams, I have 20 years of
(08:15):
my contents that has beencurated and is.
Accurate is accurate.
And so that's what our AI istrained on my material.
And so it's a way ofcommunicating to future
generations across the globeabout the information that is
also at levels.
So whenever the user first putson the headset, it's a basic
(08:36):
question of are you familiarwith bacteria fas?
If you are a senior in highschool or if you never taken any
micro before, you probably arenot familiar with that term.
So that becomes a clue for theAI to say, okay, I need to use a
certain level of language that'sappropriate, that is
interesting, that is adaptablefor that learner.
(08:59):
A user puts on the headset andsays, oh, I know what bacteria
phages are.
Then the AI is going to use adifferent set of language than
maybe a second year medicalstudent or somebody who's
familiar with biomedicalresearch.
nathan-c---they-them-_1_03- (09:12):
So, just to make sure I hear this
correctly, is AI the thing thatlets you in this like very
expansive model, build a likepersonalized experience for each
of these learners?
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03-21-2 (09:28):
yes.
I'm just of that our, for ourrelease that's coming out in the
Medi Quest store.
hopefully it may, we are having,it's the freemium model so that
everyone can use this.
There's a lot of plate elementsto it.
We have a whack of microbe.
we have a, we're gonna have ofcourse, the surf and salmonella.
So we wanna introduce thegeneral audience about microbes
(09:49):
because.
It's not taught, it's notcurrently taught aside from wash
your hands, from germs, and thatleads to a lot of distrust, a
lot of misinformation.
So we want to have the gamingfun elements.
And so for the AI dialogue, wehave it set at the sort of entry
level and that free access toanyone of all ages.
(10:10):
However, if you want theadvanced level, so say for
instance you're studyingmicrobiology, in undergrad or
you are a nursing and medical,so those are, are sort of our
key markets.
then you would have thesubscription to the AI training.
And so that's where you get theadvance information, you get the
quizzing, you get alsointegration with your content.
(10:33):
So you can take your professorlectures as a PDF, as a
PowerPoint and feed it into ourapp, and it will then create
quizzes and test and languageand vocabulary checks.
And that's where thesubscription comes in.
So we are doing business toconsumer and so for students who
are life science learners reallyat the college level.
(10:55):
And so they will have theirindividualized AI training
matching to what is going on intheir curriculum.
nathan-c---they-them-_1_ (11:02):
That's super cool.
Two of the things that youbrought up, one of the
challenges with AI is that it'soften, trust is an issue and
like, how do you know that whatthis AI is saying is accurate?
I was at a call just earliertoday where a fan of, the model
Claude was talking about how inearly iterations Claude couldn't
(11:26):
get to the internet, but knew itshould present case studies, and
so it would make up fake casestudies and even fake URLs to
link them for you.
Even Well, I did the science, Icollected it over this rigorous
career.
I've used it in my teachings,so, so I love how you're fixing
trust on that side.
(11:46):
And then the other.
Side, is like, how do you makeAI meaningful into what I'm
doing?
Do I have to download anotherapp?
Do I have to go to anotherplace?
And that if, if I can like startto bring in my coursework into
my conversations with Phagi andright start to, you know, not.
(12:08):
cheat on tests, but actuallyactivate the information that I
have to learn in a way that'sworking for me.
how do I trust that it's helpfuland like, how do I actually make
it relevant?
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03-21-2025 (12:21):
I will elaborate on this in that
we actually are taking a stepfurther, in, for our AI avatars,
we have two.
And so we are using almost likea model of Star Wars, whether
you have the Jedi master, andthen you've got R2D2, who's the
buddy.
And so in a learning experience,you're gonna have.
The expert.
And so we have Dr.
(12:42):
Jane, the avatar.
And so that avatar, and I'musing that word very
specifically, is modeled on me.
And so it looks like me.
Sounds like me, and theinformation that is coming out
of the expert is now verbatim.
And so I am having conversationsand all of my stories.
That's key point that we willhave the avatar.
(13:03):
Just repeat it and we're gonnado sound files, sound bites, and
so can you trust that professorwho is in this?
In who?
In this learning experience?
Well, I have my 25 years ofteaching and using actual
language and analogies wheneveryou learn something new, if
you've never heard of a bacteriaphage, if you look at this and
(13:23):
say it looks kind of like aspider, and using that
association, that is such avaluable tool.
So our expert avatar, Is trulytrained on myself.
And then the other one is goingto be the Phsi.
So pH is, they have a dialogue.
It's a three-way dialogue, andPhsi plays the role of the near
peer.
And so the near peer is verymuch of digesting complex
(13:47):
information and not makingthings up because the key
content is fed directly from mymaterial.
I mean, and again, I've beenteaching for a long time, and so
the AI is.
The tutor, the agent, don't evercall it an AI tutor.
They get really mad.
So like, they're like, no.
So we started using the wordagent and so then it becomes a
(14:10):
very much a three-wayconversation, dialogue, and it
becomes really individualized.
And so with the training, eventhe, ai, Agent, the bacteria
phage, will remember what workedbest for you.
And so in learning, we like tohave a lot of analogies,
similarities, stories again.
(14:31):
And so yeah, that, that becomesnow it's a collaborative process
and that is a major leap about,using AI in education.
You can't just take what open AIis.
Feeding you.
It is, it's really not thereyet.
Versus you take the coreinformation from a true, trusted
source, Dr.
Jane Harrington, myself, andthen digest it with this
(14:54):
iteration conversation,quizzing.
That's another key aspect thatwe have in there.
and I, it's going to be soincredibly helpful for that
aspect and that that's, I alwayssay the icing on the cake, it's
the interactive that we reallylove about our app.
nathan-c---they-them-_1_03-2 (15:10):
So Dr.
Jane, I have way too manyquestions.
One of the first areas that Ithink is really powerful that I
wanna call out before I jumpinto the questions right, is,
certain professions, especiallythose that are not involved in
technology directly, sometimeshave a hard time imagining,
well, like, I don't need to makevideo trailers or like, I don't
(15:35):
send automated emails, so like,why do I need.
To know about AI or like, howcan I use ai?
One of the ways that I try toencourage people to think about
their place with artificialintelligence and large language
models, is really like, what isthe data set, right?
Like, what is the informationthat you want to activate, to
(15:58):
learn about, to share, you know,to train it.
What you called out I think isreally powerful, right?
If you are a teacher, you havethis expertise, you have this
perspective on communication, onstorytelling.
You have this data about whatworks and doesn't, and like your
class plans, your approach toexplaining things, your
(16:22):
visualization approach.
Those are all data sets that areuniquely a part of you and can
be turned into, theseassistants, these guides, these
mentors, that activate andhopefully Dr.
Jane classrooms to classroom,around the world in that
one-to-one feeling.
(16:42):
I love how you're taking thisbackground, this data, this
expertise that you've amassedand have this very clear outlet
to continue using it?
It's not like you're inventing awhole new Dr.
Jane, but it's like, how do youuse AI to superpower, that Dr.
Jane?
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03-21-20 (16:58):
So, on that, I would love to just,
give a clarification since thelast time that we met.
our, men micro maps team, gotfunded by the National Science
Foundation.
we just completed our phase oneminimal viable product.
And we participated in theNational Science Foundation
ICORP Program.
that was a really intense sevenweek program.
we traveled around.
we were in, Texas, we went toCalifornia, we visited campuses
(17:22):
and we interviewed 115 people.
We had 40 students, so highereducation students across life
sciences.
So again, veterinary, health,dental, et cetera.
But we also interviewed.
Professors, we interviewedprovost presidents, and we
interviewed people who were inthe XR AI industry.
(17:42):
And so our strategies aboutusing this tool as an engaging,
valuable, fun, long lasting.
And so in our design we arefirst release is going to be
single player for, the learner.
And so we really wanna get itinto the hands so that they have
it, starting out, whichevertheir basic biology classes up
(18:03):
to their, graduate level, healthsciences.
But we are absolutely planningfor institutions.
So I've been an educator.
I've worked at eight differentuniversities.
I've worked in four countries.
And we are designing ourinfrastructure of our data.
So we're using the MicrosoftAzure, and that is now going to
be planning for theinstitutional adaptation.
(18:26):
I just had a, a meeting todaywith the director of a,
innovation, program, andthey're, they have
undergraduates, they havenursing, they have medical, they
have public health.
And our goal for whenever we doour release next year, and so
that's going to be in the springof 2026, is that we are
designing the experience forinstitutions, so then the
(18:48):
professor can have it adapted totheir Microsoft Suite files,
their PowerPoints, their Excelfiles, their, you know,
whatever.
And they can actually thenchange the avatar.
Every professor has their ownstories.
Every professor has their ownpassion, interest take on it.
And so that's what we arecreating this pipeline.
(19:09):
We're creating, again, the datainfrastructure so that when we
partner with institutions, theywill have that ability to adapt
for the courses, it's.
Very, very important that thematerial that the students are
learning grows in thatscaffolding.
So what they're learning intheir undergraduate chemistry,
you know, biochem, healthscience.
(19:31):
So again, I keep reallyiterating about how expansive
microbiology is.
Then this student be like, oh, Ilearned this.
I learned glycolysis in my yeartwo of my undergraduate.
Now I'm in nursing school.
I gotta come back to it.
But I don't have to sort throughPowerPoint files and trying to
(19:51):
figure out what did I study onthis day where our
infrastructure, and again, ourdata processing, it's all there.
Cool.
nathan-c---they-them-_1_03- (19:59):
the one of the things, you know, as
a marketer that I'm alwaysadvising.
product teams is like, be in thetools that your customers
already use, right?
Like, why are you making a newplatform?
Can you just be where theyalready are?
And, this idea that like,professors could just kind like.
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03-21-20 (20:21):
and play.
nathan-c---they-them-_1_03 (20:22):
link their files structure and, be
sharing.
And that students could, youknow, have a, you know, that FEI
almost like transforms to becomea career mentor and coach and
guide as, you know, someonemoves from student, into,
practicing.
in whatever field that they'reworking in.
I have to, Dr.
(20:43):
Jane, I have to go back andcongratulate, the 150 additional
user interviews that you'vedone, since we
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03-21-2025 (20:52):
A hundred, 115.
that was completed in December.
And actually our team won, thePeople's Choice Award for when
we presented for the NationalScience, the ICORP Program.
And that was with 19 of SBIRteam.
So this was a lead of elite,very proud of that.
however, since, the last.
three months.
we've had our app, we've hadour, 50 people in headsets.
(21:14):
So 115 were done for customerdiscovery and we couldn't really
talk about our product, but nowwe're touring campuses and going
to conferences.
And so yeah, we are spreadingthe message.
and it's global.
we just launched our, website.
that was at the end of February,and as to date, we have actually
had 28 countries sign into ourwebsite.
(21:34):
yeah, we've been on the news.
we actually have an invitationto, the, NextMed Health we're
going to Coronado Island in SanDiego next week.
everyone who's tried ourheadset, the first question they
ask is, when can I get this?
nathan-c---they-them-_ (21:47):
Amazing.
you'll have to say hi to DanielKraft and my friend Caitlin
Kraus when you're there, withNext Med, I'm curious, after
talking to over 150, students,teachers, users, et cetera, is
there something that you learnedfrom all of that, research that.
Changed your mind about, yourproduct or how you need to go
(22:11):
about things.
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03-21- (22:13):
Well, one key, I don't wanna say the
word pivot, it's adaptation whenwe started, I've been in second
year medical school, you know,teaching second year medical
school for the last 15 years.
And so when we originally weredesigning the app, we were only
really using the language thatis for, students who are board
ready.
So they're taking their boards.
(22:34):
and in the discovery, you know,it's a small population and a
lot of them don't have VRheadsets.
what we did discover is when westarted talking to the younger
population and so, you know,high school seniors, and then
also non-science media arts.
So we were at Ringling Collegeof Art and Design.
We were at the Cougar Lab atUniversity of Houston.
(22:55):
And what that actually was, itwas just mind blowing for me the
curiosity about the lifesciences.
A lot of, the technology.
There's a high portion ofA-D-H-D-A-D-H-D and they say, I
was really curious aboutscience.
Usually in elementary schoolwhen you're doing hands-on, but
by the time you get to highschool, it's all multiple choice
(23:18):
tech space.
Yeah.
I was interested.
I couldn't do the math.
I, you know, I, there was thesebarriers and so when we opened
up our ideas, our language andsay, Hey, you wanna learn about
viruses and bacteria, you wannaplay, you wanna explore?
That opened up a whole newavenue for, really getting
people interested in science.
(23:39):
So it became less about studyfor your boards, which is what
the initial goal was versus.
Wow.
You wanna learn about what'sgoing on inside of your body and
have fun and do it in a waythat's engaging.
That just absolutely has been,groundbreaking for me to really
spread my message.
(23:59):
And you don't have to be an MDor PhD to learn the science.
It's just a matter of having,fun and creativity.
in the interviews, we actuallydid coding.
So we, we did Airtable.
and we partnered with, a datascientist at Montana State
University, and we coded anyonewho said, and again, anyone,
(24:20):
students, again, the whole, thewhole gamut of sort of a ed
tech.
About, do you have a learningdisability, A DHD, autism,
anxiety, in English, secondlanguage.
We asked a lot of questionsabout how people studied.
The data told us that over 80%of US students that we
interviewed even graduatedstudents, identified as being a
(24:42):
visual or hands-on learner.
that is amazing.
Our current education systemwith bullet points and multiple
choice questions is only reallyapplicable to 20% of the
population.
having the data, not just fromthe students, but also from the
professors, the XR developers,and what immersive technologies,
(25:04):
having the microbes in yourhand, it's so phenomenal.
To be able to have the microbesand make them big, make them
small to have one microbe.
You can actually take SarsCOVID2 that causes covid and
take an antibody, and we havethem sized accurately so that
you can get a real sense in athree-dimensional space about
(25:26):
what these biological agentsare.
the curiosity was reallypervasive.
I thought nobody cared aboutmicrobiology, but what it was is
people say, I used say I'm amicrobiologist, and then they
go, oh, that's so complicated.
I can't learn that.
My response is, can you learnthe planets?
We learn the planets inelementary school with models,
(25:49):
it's the same scale, the logscale, so very, big for the
planets.
How do we learn the relativesizes and the names and the
identity and characteristicswith models?
And so my thing is, anyone canlearn microbiology.
You provide them the tools.
If you provide them languagethat's, you know, that is gonna
(26:11):
be adaptable for your level.
And you can play with them, youcan look inside of them.
that really has just been, soit, it's been very, very
exciting and validating, forrealizing how curious people are
about these little microbes.
nathan-c---they-them-_1_03-2 (26:25):
So I have to commend you just on
the amount of research?
Like being in a science andmedical related profession?
it would be expected, but formost, working in innovative
technology, Consumer researchthat gets coded, that gets
studied, that gets analyzed by,a professional is often above
(26:48):
and beyond what the status quois.
And I personally love that whenI hear you saying they were
interested to learn aboutmicrobes, what that says to me
is the technology was not abarrier.
And in fact, the technology wasso appealing that it made
(27:12):
something like microbiology feellike something that they could
play with.
And so I, I would take that notjust as confirmation that there
is interest in the subjectmatter.
Right.
And that there may be theseother blockers that you so
clearly identified, but thatyour model.
The way that you've built itinto VR, using, you know,
(27:35):
additional technologies isactually one that is accessible
enough for people to have fun.
Like if somebody can start toexplore, that had often been
like a barrier for adoption inimmersive technology.
I don't even know how to getstarted.
And so if people are sayinglike, this is great, give me
more.
That's like kudos to the designand the interaction and like the
(27:58):
work to, to make that modelrelatable and consumable.
'cause like people don't dive inif it's hard.
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03-21- (28:06):
Yeah, I would like.
to really highlight about, and Ijoke about the band words.
I try not to use accessible eyeroll.
Eye roll.
We are appealing to all learningtypes.
However, if you get intotechnology and education for
immersive technologies, and weaddressed about the key points
(28:27):
about, using generative ai, butI'm focusing on using, VR, AR,
you know, a virtual reality,which is a hundred percent
virtual.
Augmented reality is like onyour phone, which we have a
virtual reality or Augmentedreality app.
And then the mixed reality thatactually is more accessible
across different ages.
But we are designing forlearners with autism, and that
(28:51):
is actually on our team.
we have neurodiverse developersand so again, different
learning.
our visual learners, I use it asa blanket if you design it's
intuitive and easy and engagingfor an 8-year-old with autism.
So actually one of our users wasmy friend's kid, a DHD, eight
(29:11):
years old.
we observe, we do recordings, wewatch about how, if they get
stuck or something.
And that's what the mostinteractive room is the map.
it's like a planetarium formicrobes.
It's very advanced science.
But learners, when they go inthere, they love to touch, they
love to play.
(29:31):
It's actually now we'redesigning four.
One type of population.
However, if you have adaptivelearning, it makes it easier for
all the rest of us.
So if you're neurotypical andyou don't have a learning
disability, This is great.
If you do have English secondlanguage, we're gonna change so
(29:51):
that it is in your nativelanguage.
The user can change also in offfor sound, on sound, off volume
of the background, music, lightson, lights off.
And we're even working ongetting shaders so that the
individual can sort of take themicrobes and if they have visual
disabilities, they can have itadaptive.
And so our team.
(30:12):
Is got a, we have a variety ofexperiences and perspectives and
that creates a great product.
And I also wanna point outyounger generation I.
We're designing for the youngergeneration, and so especially
going to high schools andundergraduates and saying.
What do you want?
We are learner centered andwe're not, designing for, my
(30:35):
husband's baby boomer.
I'm Gen X.
We really are creating newtechnologies for the learners of
tomorrow, our kids.
And that is something else thatis a major value.
And I think about why some VR isnot being adopted is because
it's designed for a 45-year-old.
nathan-c---they-them-_1_ (30:55):
you're saying that my kids don't want
to set up like a, a differentworkstation in every room on
their Apple Vision Pro.
They don't.
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03- (31:05):
Whatever is the best learning environment
for them, we will adapt for it.
nathan-c---they-them-_ (31:09):
Amazing.
Dr.
Jane I am just thrilled about,the last few months that you've
had, as you've learned aboutyour audience, grown your
product, gotten your weeks awayfrom this next major milestone.
I'm curious, how are youthinking today about the impact
(31:29):
of your work and how you'llmeasure that, as you move
forward through the rest of theyear?
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03-21-20 (31:35):
for the strategy for the product
development we're releasing analpha, and so it's most likely
gonna be.
Free, and getting a lot offeedback.
But whenever you're talkingabout any kind of technology
that will be for an institution,the enterprise, you have to have
data.
You have to have data foractually evaluating about
learning gains, and that's wherewe're partnering with
(31:57):
institutions.
So again, Montana StateBillings, Montana.
State Bozeman, LindenwoodUniversity is our core, Dr.
James Hudson is ourco-investigator.
we actually are in conversationswith, University of Texas
Medical Branch.
I just recently met with,Oklahoma State University.
we'll be traveling to San Diegostate, university.
and even community colleges, Ithink you're gonna play a big
(32:19):
role.
So we are doing a multi-campuseducational research study for
the before and after pretestpost-test and doing a
self-assessment about knowledgeof the microbes.
So we have got the categoriesfor microbes and we're asking
about, microbes to viruses thatare in the app, to viruses that
are not in the app, and what wewould anticipate.
(32:41):
Is in the 20 minute gameplay isthat the knowledge of the
microbes that are in the appwill increase.
And we're also doing thistesting not just with, life
science learners, but we're alsointeracting with, digital media.
And so we're assessing about,one is your knowledge of the
contents and two.
Your VR experience because wedon't just wanna have an
(33:04):
increase in science knowledge.
We wanna see an increase incomfortability with the tech
itself.
And so, that study is going tobe done across, in April and
May.
And so going to differentcampuses for that.
yes, we absolutely have to haveevidence of the learning.
And then something else thatwe're, incorporating in our
backend is.
(33:24):
The user engagement in the app.
And so we're partnering with YetAnalytics and that's where you
have the headset on.
And we don't need anythingpersonal for you, but we record
sessions.
And so how long are you spendingon these assets?
So we have 20 microbial assetsand the storyline guides you,
(33:46):
you have to learn or interactbare minimum with eight of them.
12 of them are optional.
You don't have to interact withthem, but we wanna know if
somebody is in this headset.
Are they choosing to interact?
And then also, I really waspointing about the levels of the
information.
So we have got our curious levelthat is for general audience.
(34:10):
We had the learner level thatwould be an undergraduate or a
first year medical or dental,nursing.
And then we have the expertlevel where you would be board
ready.
And so we are gonna be trackingfor the individual user do you
wanna learn more?
What an incredible metric ofuser engagement of this.
Hey, you have to learn thisbasic information so that you
(34:32):
can pass this level and then getyour antibiotic Super Soaker and
kill off the strep biogenesethat's what's causing the sore
throat in our storyline.
But if you have usersvoluntarily learning more
voluntarily interacting withthese optional assets, that to
me, is a home run.
That to me is absolutely,evidence that this is not just
(34:54):
engaging.
So fun is our first thing for edtech, but it's educational value
that people are choosing tolearn.
nathan-c---they-them-_1_03-21 (35:02):
I am very curious to see your data
on this.
Anecdotally, as somebody who'sbeen in XR for a while, if the
app is usable and all of thecontent is something that I can
find if I'm enjoying myself.
(35:23):
I will probably try to find andsee every bit of content to
understand the parts that I likethe best.
I have some personal hypothesesand like, I'm also very curious
about like, well, what if it,what if that doesn't happen,
Nathan?
And like what does that sayabout, goals or interest or
(35:44):
focus?
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03-21-2 (35:46):
That then if something's not being
touched, we as developers needto adapt to the learner.
If we have an asset that's gotsome value and no one is
interacting with it, it's nowour responsibility to change it
up, to guide, to assist, toreally have, the information.
So learning's not tedious.
Learning is a natural curiositythat is going to, confer a
(36:10):
benefit.
Absolutely.
We're gonna have rewards, we'regonna have leaderboards.
in that when you, master amicrobe, you're gonna get
badges.
And actually right now we have3D printed key chains.
And so that's part of the gamingaspect.
we have 20 microbes.
For our first storyline, we willhave 250.
So to master the map, that'swhat our micro map.
(36:31):
System is we're having a planfor, engagement that when you
pass a level and then there'sgonna be competitive
leaderboards multiplayer, wewill send you a 3D printed,
little key chain so that you geta physical collection, like a
Pokemon Go, what have you.
You have a physical collectionof these microbes as a, as a
(36:52):
trophy.
And so we we're the benefit ofespecially our assets.
Is that, we're not just gonna behousing them in the virtual
world, but we're gonna be doingall sorts of swag.
we wanna have stuffed animals.
nathan-c---they-them-_1_03 (37:04):
it's something.
Thing I say about 3D all thetime, right?
Like if you create, digitalspaces that are in 3D, right?
Almost by nature there's camerasinside of those worlds.
So you can create video, onceyou have a world, there's almost
endless content that you canmake within it.
I would certainly hope at somepoint, that Phagie gets brought
(37:27):
into the conversation.
how
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03-21-2 (37:30):
that that's, I,
nathan-c---they-them-_1_0 (37:31):
their learners.
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03-21-20 (37:32):
Our assets, we are designing, you
know, the GLB file, inpartnering with other ed tech
and partnering with other gamingand say, hey.
You can use our assets, and I amimagining not that far off, that
the AI is like the, the AIassist are gonna be talking to
each other.
And so we're gonna have presencein med micro maps in, in the,
(37:53):
you know, engage in VR chat andHorizons and whatever is.
Tomorrow, whatever the next oneis.
And so we are really,envisioning having Phagie as
being the micro representativeacross all these digital
platforms and, and, andrecognized and say like, oh, I
wanna learn about blah, blah,blah.
(38:14):
And of course the classic is Ihave a rash.
medical students, they're like,I have a rash.
I'm like, I don't wanna see yourrash.
nathan-c---they-them-_1_03-21 (38:21):
I mean, the common knowledge is
like, don't search an illness onthe internet because you know,
everything leads in a horribleanswer.
And you should probably just goto the emergency room.
I like the idea that like, maybeyou should search in VR because
you'll get clinically provenlike exp expert.
Good advice.
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03-21- (38:39):
Yeah, We don't give medical advice.
we are an education app, and wehave our AI trained that if
somebody is asking aboutindividual, it shuts down the
conversation.
I'm a PhD, go seek a licensedpractitioner.
But what we provide isknowledge.
And so if somebody has a sorethroat, we say, these are all
the things.
(39:00):
That cause sore throat.
Oh, you're in a certaingeographic area.
You have a cough for, a month.
these are the ones that arepresent in this area if you're
traveling.
So we have a lot of geographicsort of gating for the
information.
We do not diagnose That isabsolutely not our purview.
doing is we're just showing you.
sharing with you, and absolutelytouching what different types of
(39:25):
microbes that are associatedwith these infections.
nathan-c---they-them-_1_03 (39:28):
Yes, Dr.
Jane, it seems like you have somany visions and, such a
fantastic, view of, the roadmapfor where you're going.
I'm curious.
what's the glow up or thenotable transformation, that
you're looking to make in thenext year or
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03-21-20 (39:46):
For technology, you know,
technology, education, you haveto be forward thinking.
We've been working on this for,approximately five years.
And so we were planning for notthe headsets that are today, not
the technologies that's today,but what's tomorrow, what is in
the future, and that is really,my experience of going from
(40:09):
being an academic, It's what istoday like that, that is what
I'm teaching versus being aforward thinking entrepreneur.
We are planning our app, ourtech, our really our vision, our
assets for what is in a year andanother year from now.
And one thing that we have inour short term, it is the phone
(40:30):
integration in that, we are, thegoal is to have an Augmented
reality app on your phone withthe Phagie AI tutor and the
ability to spawn about the, our,assets, our 3D assets that is
partnered with.
Your Quest app, and we areapplied.
We applied for the NationalScience Foundation, phase two.
(40:52):
Yay.
So we actually, I'm, I feelvery, very con confident about
the competitiveness of ourapplication.
If we get that grant, we alreadyhave a team of people ready to
go, and then we would have, theconversion of our Unity- based,
game, for.
WebEx xr, and so WebEx XR isfor, you know, the virtual
(41:14):
reality, Augmented reality,mixed reality, but for any AR
device and so smart glasses, aswell as if we're going for
institutions, we need to haveour app available on the PICO
headsets, the HTC vibe watchingwhat's going on for with the
Android, the Google.
A year ago, even last when Italked to you, I did not have
(41:35):
that vision where really gettingoutta the building, talking with
people and say what we are doingis not only cutting edge.
For today, but our major releaseis gonna happen.
So we're gonna aim for the phonerelease in, in September, and
then having the enterprise thatis going to be WebEx R that's
going to be in spring of nextyear.
that is really, that's future.
(41:56):
That is future.
But we have got the plans for
nathan-c---they-them-_1_03 (41:59):
It's almost like a new platform every
six months.
I love it.
and the right, like the approachall bundles nicely under, right,
like great content whereverpeople are and like, wouldn't it
be great if men micro maps couldalso like be in like the seat
back information on yourairplane trip.
(42:20):
So like, there's somethingactually interesting to do while
you're traveling, across theworld.
amazing.
in this ambitious vision andthis, bold year that you have
ahead, is there something thatyou're looking for or, do you
have a call to action, to theaudience abroad
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03-21- (42:38):
right now, we are, in between the
phase one, phase two funding.
We got supportive, funding fromour state as well.
So we are kind of on a skeletoncrew.
we have, two, students who aregraduating in May and they
really wanna work on our projectand we really want them on our
project.
and so we are fundraising rightnow.
And so we are looking at apre-seed round.
(43:00):
And so, networking for,interested investors for the
pre-seed round, especially for.
Woman owned because theincredible statistic is less
than 2% of VC funding goestowards, female founders.
And so we really want to findnot just money, like we don't
want just a check, but we reallywanna find a partner who is
(43:23):
going to be, realizing thepotential of our vision, the
potential for the impact on aglobal scale.
That our app is going to be theonly way.
To learn microscopic lifesciences.
And that, again, is a boldvision.
But if you put our headset on assoon as you see it, it's mind
blowing.
(43:43):
It is absolutely mind blowing.
so in our call to action, askingfor introductions, we are not
like absolutely scrambling.
We're forward thinking.
we really wanna get, those twostudents who are graduating
with, undergraduate master'sdegree in game design, unity
developer.
And so I have very, veryspecifics about, where that
funding will go.
nathan-c---they-them-_1_03 (44:03):
Heck yes.
amazing.
Right?
Let's employ this futuregeneration of inspired creators
who are trying to do something.
Absolutely love it.
Dr.
Jane.
what's the best way that, peoplecan follow up or, follow your
work
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03-21-20 (44:18):
Med micro maps and so MED, med as a
medical micro, M-I-C-R-O,microscopic, and then maps
because we guide you.
So med micro maps.
I'm all over social media and soI'm starting my series, meet a
Microbe Mondays.
And so each week I'll be doing,it'll be on YouTube, but we're
also going to parse it down forTikTok because we're going for
(44:40):
the younger generation and haveour assets and say, Hey, let's
just learn about this microbe.
medmicromaps.com, if you go toour website, LinkedIn,
Instagram, et cetera.
come and check us out.
what my next initiative is, isreally getting this information
out there about the microbes ina language that is appropriate
for our general audience and ouryounger generation.
(45:02):
I don't need to be teaching to,PhDs and MDs.
They already have the coreinformation versus learning
about micro.
Microbes.
Learning about vaccines,learning about antibiotics,
learning about in, infections.
That is something that we verymuch need in our society today.
I'm gonna be countering themisinformation on social media
(45:23):
with fun.
I absolutely love talking aboutmy microbes, but I like to make
them just silly and fun.
nathan-c---they-them-_1_03- (45:29):
Dr.
Jane, I could talk to you forliterally Hours and hours.
but you have so much to do.
I have to thank you so much forthis wonderful chat.
I honestly think that, whileteaching the world about
microbes is the thing thatinspires you, to do this work.
(45:51):
some of the things that you're,working to achieve and build, I
think are also going to do a lotto teach people about the data
sets and the knowledge that theyhave and how to use.
Some of these new tools, thesenew models, visual right,
education, a AI agents.
(46:14):
So I think if you're successfulwith this app, you're also gonna
teach a lot of people aboutlearning.
About communicating with newtechnology, right?
And even how technology reallyshouldn't be like a single touch
point, but like the assistantand the, the guidance and the
help that you need where youare.
it's so exciting to hear aboutall of this research driven,
(46:36):
user-focused learnings that aregoing in to this robust and
ambitious plan for the year.
Thank you so much for sharing
squadcaster-gdd9_1_03-21-2 (46:44):
Just a correction.
You said, if we're successful,when we're successful, this is
my dream, my LA life passion, mygoal, and I, I, I don't, it will
probably be in a form that isbeyond even what I can imagine,
but I will never, never stopsharing about my love of
microbes.
And I will never, ever, everstop going into schools.
(47:06):
I will be a forever an educator.
And so I am, I'm, this is apassion project.
So it's gonna be successful.
nathan-c---they-them-_1_0 (47:13):
There is nothing more to add to that.
Love it.
now.
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