An audio technology degree paired with a second major in parks, recreation and tourism management connected Rob Martin’s dual passions for environmental interpretation and music in the Clemson Virtual Reality Nature Lab.
At Clemson, a dedication to innovating health care and fostering wellness means more than just training the next generation of doctors and nurses. For Class of 2025 student Rob Martin, it has meant curating meaningful moments for members of his community.
Rob came to Clemson as a self-proclaimed “band kid,” to pursue an audio technology degree, but his time outdoors on and around campus inspired him to take on a second major studying parks, recreation and tourism management (PRTM). He’s connected his passion for environmental interpretation and his expertise in audio technology through a research opportunity with Clemson’s Virtual Reality Nature Lab.
He joined the Tandem VR™ team, a concept invented by Olivia McAnirlin, Virtual Reality and Nature Lab co-director at Clemson, which helps people connect to past experiences and complete “bucket lists” with their loved ones. As part of this project, local hospice care patients were asked what they would want the chance to experience one more time before they pass. When the overwhelming response from patients was a Clemson football game, a research team of undergraduate and graduate students, practitioners and faculty got to work.
Rob’s role was developing the soundscape for the VR Clemson football game. “I ended up getting to be on the football field,” he says of the production. “That was an incredible experience.”
A year later, with the project nearing completion, the VR team members are dedicated to ensuring that what they deliver to patients is the best quality production possible. “(This VR Clemson football game) could be one of the last things they get to truly experience before their health continues to decline,” Rob says. “So we want to make it good for them.”
For Rob, getting to work on this project was his way of embodying Clemson’s message of giving back to the community. In his life post-graduation, he intends to continue giving back. “That’s really the part that matters,” he says, “connecting people back with whatever they enjoy. For me, it’s nature, but for other people, it’s getting to experience a football game one more time… so it’s really rewarding.”