Irene Loriga

Name: Irene Loriga, BA (Hons)

Position: MSc Researcher

Supervisor:  Dr Aaron Lim, Dr Therese Kenna, Dr Ed Jarvis, Dr Larissa Macedo Cruz de Oliveira, Dr Mohit Tunwal

Office: Research Office, Ground Floor, Department of Geography

Email: irene.loriga@umail.ucc.ie 

Biography

Irene graduated from University College Cork with a BA (Hons) in Geographical and Archaeological Sciences in 2023. Throughout the three years as an undergraduate student, she developed an interest in Geospatial data, Marine Geoscience, and Environmental Archaeology. As part of her degree, she was involved in Geoarchaeological Fieldwork organized by the college. Her final year dissertation focused on the study of pollen diagrams to assess vegetation change and land management at Céide Fields (Co. Mayo) during Prehistory. She is now complting an MSc by Research funded by The Geological Survey, Ireland under the supervision of Dr Aaron Lim.                                                                                                                                                                                  

Research Project

Irene’s MSc research project titled “The development and impact of VR fieldtrips on Geoscience Curricula”, will focus on developing a set of VR fieldtrips designed for students’ learning and Irish geoscience curricula whilst exploring the effectiveness and limitations of such approach. Irene will use advanced UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) to acquire high-resolution data that will be processed using a Structure from Motion photogrammetry workflow. This method will allow the production of detailed 3D models of field sites relevant to geoscience students. These models will be imported to Unity, a cross-platform game engine, that will enable the integration of interactive content and tools within the VR fieldtrip. The resulting VR fieldtrips will be implemented to students' classes to assess their performance and experience. The results will offer valuable insights into the role of VR as an educational tool, assessing its efficacy in fostering inclusivity and enhancing students' learning in the Geosciences.

Honours and Awards