IMSE Assistant Professor Rick Stone is the lead researcher on a study that was featured in an article on The New York Times website. An excerpt from the article:
Speed is not the only advantage. According to a 2010 study conducted at Iowa State University, students training on a virtual welding machine were 30 to 40 percent more likely to gain professional certifications than those who trained exclusively in normal classroom and shop conditions.
“These simulators give enough fidelity that people can experiment,” explained Richard Stone, a 33-year-old professor of industrial and manufacturing systems engineering at Iowa State, and the study’s lead researcher.