Most politicians try to avoid doing things that will make them look goofy in the photos that are sure to appear in newspapers and on television later in the week. Remember the infamous video of Michael Dukakis in a helmet, with his head barely poking out of a tank? That video cost him the presidential election, when the Republican Party used it in an ad for George H.W. Bush in the 1988 election.

To his credit, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe didn’t let his keen political sense dissuade him from taking a similar risk during a visit to the Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center on the Old Dominion University campus in North Suffolk this week.

Visiting Suffolk as part of a two-day “Cabinet on the Road” event at locations around Hampton Roads, McAuliffe spent time learning about the highly advanced work being done at the VMASC facility off College Drive.

VMASC develops modeling and simulation technology for practical applications that represent complex data in well-defined simulations. Faculty presented McAuliffe with cyber security, augmented reality and simulation applications they are developing at the center, with academic and commercial benefits.

The governor was equipped with an augmented reality headset to experience immersive historical sites based on archaeological findings. The same technology can be used by manufacturers and commercial shipping companies, allowing them to go into every compartment of a complete, virtual ship.

It’s very cool stuff, but nobody looks cool with virtual reality goggles strapped to his face, and even the governor’s aides were caught grinning at the sight of their boss blindly turning and gawking at sights only he could see.

But McAuliffe recognized something important about the technology he wore on his face: It has the power to revolutionize education and other applications in which it is incorporated.

“I would love to have every sixth-grader come in here and try these goggles,” he said after experiencing augmented reality with the headset and hearing how it can be used to teach people about history, archeology and more.

Furthermore, jobs in the cyber industry will represent an ever-growing piece of the economy for both Suffolk and the commonwealth. These are high-paying jobs, and they are growing more plentiful with each passing year, and Suffolk’s VMASC facility is one of the best places for people to become qualified to do them.

Kudos to McAuliffe for ignoring the optics of a situation in favor of recognizing the importance of this industry.