New technology at UC Merced is taking visitors on a trip around the world

MERCED, Calif. (KFSN) -- The pyramids in Egypt, or the coast of Greece, these exciting places many want to visit-- including some we can't even get to, like Mars-- but thanks to new technology at UC Merced you can travel to them all with just a click of a button.

"One of the first things when you show someone to it is wow," said Fisher Dietz, UC Merced junior.

The Wide Area Visualization Environment lab, or WAVE, sits in one of UC Merced's newer buildings. It is made up of 20 4k screens with 3D technology, 10 rendering computers, and high end gamer graphics cards, all run by a network 10,000 times faster than the average person's home internet.

"This is a real draw, and it is a gem in the crown of the University of California system," said Jeffrey Weekley, UC Merced cyberinfrastructure director.

Weekley said this lab is expected to spark collaboration between departments, allowing computer scientists, archeologists, and architects to work together. He also said the lab has the potential to help in other fields.

"If a brain scientist comes in here and wants to see all the brain scans of a functional MRI at once, with super high resolution, we can do that for him."

Researchers said this technology allows for a new way of learning students can't get from a book.

"It allows me to visualize my data in front of my students, discuss the data with students, and involve the community now to each project," said Nicola Lercari, World Heritage Assistant Professor.

Researchers said they are also collaborating with students from the Mariposa Unified School District for future projects.