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DOE Award: Genesis Mission

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 I am very excited to share that UC grant proposal, “AI-Enabled Prediction of Coupled Hydrologic and Biogeochemical Processes in Heterogeneous Subsurface Systems,” has been selected for the U.S. Department of Energy’s initiative to accelerate scientific breakthroughs through artificial intelligence. 

DOE Phase 1: The Genesis Mission: Transforming Science and Energy with AI.
Award Amount: $500,000
Project Period: 09/01/2026–05/31/2027
PI: Reza Soltanian, Co-I: Ming Tang
Partner Institutions: New Mexico State University (NMSU), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), and Certerra Subsurface Imaging.

Quoted from UC News: UC selected for federal initiative to use AI to advance scientific discovery. Project will develop new workflows for energy and environmental applications

The University of Cincinnati has been selected to participate in the U.S. Department of Energy’s new national initiative designed to accelerate scientific discovery through artificial intelligence. 

Led by Reza Soltanian, professor of subsurface energy and hydrogeology in UC’s Department of Geosciences, the multidisciplinary project will develop next-generation AI-enabled scientific workflows and digital twins that integrate geological information, advanced geophysical imaging, field observations, physics-based simulations and AI surrogate models to characterize and predict complex subsurface systems.

The UC-led team brings together expertise in hydrogeology, hydrobiogeochemistry, geophysics, artificial intelligence, numerical and surrogate modeling, advanced subsurface imaging and extended reality. The collaboration includes Ming Tang, professor in UC’s School of Architecture and Interior Design and director of the Extended Reality Lab at UC Digital Futures, along with researchers from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, New Mexico State University and industry partner Certerra Subsurface Imaging.

“The Department of Energy’s selection of this project reflects the strength of UC’s growing artificial intelligence ecosystem,“ Interim Vice President for Research Frank Gerner said.

“Through investments in initiatives such as Digital Futures and the Advanced Research Computing Center, we have created an environment where researchers can combine expertise in AI, data science and domain-specific scholarship to address complex challenges. Professor Soltanian and Professor Tang’s work demonstrate how these capabilities are advancing scientific discovery in ways that can have lasting impact on our energy and environmental future.“

 

Podcast: episode of Innovation By Design

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Podcast:  Designing with Immersion: Storytelling, Training, and Spatial Understanding

In this episode of Innovation By Design, Evan Troxel and Candace Kitchen talk with architect and educator Ming Tang, director of the XR Lab at the University of Cincinnati, about extended reality and the rapidly changing tools that make immersive experiences more accessible than ever.

Ming breaks down the differences between VR, AR, and mixed reality, shares the origin story of their own journey from early CAD and 3D rendering to immersive media, and explains why embodied, interactive experiences can communicate spatial intent in ways 2D drawings and screens cannot.

The conversation also introduces the D‑I‑C‑E framework (Dangerous, Impossible, Counterproductive, Expensive) for deciding when digital simulation is the right tool. 

  • Defining XR: VR vs AR vs mixed reality, and why the boundaries often blur in practice
  • VR for egress, fire/smoke, and safety training (and how behavior can differ from the real world)
  • Creation workflows: 3D modeling → Unity/Unreal → deploy to headsets
  • Storytelling, memory, and historic reconstruction in immersive media (including generative AI support)

Audio posdcast at Innovation by Design,  a podcast that explores the ideas, people, and technologies shaping the AEC industry. Each episode features conversations with forward-thinking architects, designers, engineers, and industry leaders who are redefining how spaces are imagined, constructed, and experienced.

Thanks Eddie J. Baranek and Michelle M. Bassett at Bassett Strategic Communication and Marketing to organize the recording. Please visit their channels at

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/totaldoorsystems/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TotalDoor1

 

Fourth Year @DF

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We are grateful to be recognized in Office of Research’s Digital Futures’ fourth-year celebration newsletter and honored to have the work of the XR-Lab highlighted alongside so many outstanding researchers and collaborators. Since the opening of the Digital Futures building, XR-Lab has been proud to be part of this vibrant community, which has created countless opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration, student engagement, and impactful research that would not have been possible otherwise.

We would like to thank our industry partners—including Gensler, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Cincinnati Insurance Companies (CIC), GRO Community, P&G, Kao, and Siemens—for their support on past projects and the exciting collaborations ahead. We also sincerely appreciate the support of our colleagues, partners, and the Digital Futures leadership team. We look forward to continuing to contribute to the Digital Futures mission through innovations in XR, Digital Twins, AI, and other emerging digital technologies that help address real-world challenges.

Featured @ UC News

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Honored to be featured in University of Cincinnati News discussing how AI is shaping architecture and research innovation. Thanks Claudia Rebola for the interview.

AI as a creative partner

Exploring AI’s role in architecture and research innovation

By Claudia Rebola. 03. 2026

In architecture and design, artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming more than a tool; it’s a collaborator. University of Cincinnati architecture professor Ming Tang is exploring how AI can enhance research, teaching, and design creativity in his XRLab (Extended Reality Lab).Tang’s lab is focused on more than visualization and immersive experiences; it investigates how digital technologies and computational methods intersect with human-centered design. A significant area of research is computer vision. “AI has become powerful enough to recognize not just objects but the meaning of images,” Tang said. One long-term project, conducted with Cincinnati Insurance Companies, uses AI to assess building risk in the event of hurricanes. By annotating images and training AI models, his team can classify building components and predict vulnerabilities as a practical application that integrates architecture, computation, and real-world problem solving.Another research area involves large language models. Tang’s lab uses AI to enhance VR-based training, simulating interactions of users with the built environment. “Feeding large datasets into AI lets us communicate complex information to people who are not experts,” he said. These tools support a new level of simulation research from smart building management, digital twins, and Internet of Things applications, allowing humans to interact meaningfully with massive, previously opaque data sets.

Check out the full interview at UC News : AI as a creative partner

Credit: Rendering by Meghan Powell, Emma Cek for the “Museum of Emotions” course. Photo provided.

EVRTalk on iHeart

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Our EVRTalk project was featured at Simply Medicine | iHeart.  (time mark 9:55)

April 29, 2023. By Angenette Levy with 55KRC

  

Jai’:a Nored ( COA) , Linda Dunseath (LWC), Ming Tang (UC, XR-Lab)

SIMPLY MEDICINE is a continuing program designed to simplify the health care system and provide medical information.

Thanks for the support from COA, Live Well Collaborative, and the University of Cincinnati Urban Health Pathway grant. 

   Check more information on the EVRTalk  program.

Thanks to Suzanne Burke, Ken Wilson, Jai’La Nored, Anna Goubeaux, and many others from COA. Thanks to the Live Well EVRTalk development team (Faculty: Ming Tang, Matt Anthony; advisor: Craig Vogel, Linda Dunseath; Students and Live Well fellows: Tosha Bapat, Karly Camerer, Jay Heyne, Harper Lamb, Jordan Owens, Ruby Qji, Alejandro Robledo, Matthew Spoleti, Lauren Southwood, Ryan Tinney, Keeton Yost, Dongrui Zhu.)