GVSU participated in Tech Week GR and the Confluence Festival this year with a focus on sharing with the West Michigan community, the university’s inspired innovative activities and placing them into the limelight.

This post features a few highlights from the week.

Tech Week Kick-Off featuring Malcolm Gladwell

Mon, Sep 18 | 3:00-6:30PM
GLC Live at 20 Monroe

​Kicking things off for Tech Week GR was a keynote by Malcolm Gladwell who talked about the opportunities that are present in Grand Rapids to become a Tech Hub, igniting all sorts of innovation and contributing to the economic development vitality of the area spearheaded by The Right Place. 

Tech Week Tech Showcase

Tues, Sep 19 | 9:00AM-2:00PM
Tech Hub – Grand Rapids Art Museum

​The Tech Showcase featured hands-on tech exhibits for students from local K12 schools through an interactive all-day event focused on strengthening our region’s future tech talent pipeline. Local employers diplayed exhibits designed to expose students to careers in technology. The Tech Showcase welcomed students from across the region, with a focus on students in underserved communities.

This year, GVSU’s School of Engineering participated by engaging with students with a variety of engineering-based hands-on activities.

Creative Solutions that Change Lives: The Engineering & Computing Mindset

Tues, Sep 19 | 4:00-6:00PM
GVSU Shape Corp. Innovation Design Center

​Engineering & Computing Showcase
This showcase provided an opportunity for the community to witness the fusion of experiential learning, creative innovation, industry partnerships, and cutting-edge technology. GVSU’s Shape Corp. Innovation Design Center hosted the event that included many initiatives that faculty and students are engaged in, from K-12 pipeline development to new product launch.  

The immersive, hands-on event was designed to help shed some light on how engineering and computing are woven into our daily lives. Exhibits included:

• Exploring Sterile Field simulation in an operating room using the Microsoft HoloLens 2
• Additive Manufacturing demonstrations including different types of plastic resin 3D printing and a sneak-peek at the new Metal 3D printing lab
• Laker Racing including SAE Formula 1 car and a Solar Racing Car
• Power Mobility Projects
• FIRST Robotics robot demonstrations
• Interactive demonstrations of machine learning and augmented reality to real world problems
• STEM activities for kids including Candy Aircrafts, Fidget cubes, and more

GVSU Tech Talks

Wed, Sep 20 | 12:00-2:00PM
John G. Russell Leadership Center

​Tech Expert Presentations
Grand Valley State University presented a series of informative and engaging 10-minute presentations, covering a range of topics designed to spark imagination and embrace possibility, including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and extended reality, among others. This event provided a great opportunity to learn from experts in the field, network with other tech enthusiasts, and discover the latest trends and developments in the world of technology. 

Here were the sessions presented:

Title: Al and a Brave New World

Speaker: Zach DeBruine, Assistant Professor of Computing, Padnos College of Engineering and Computing, Applied Computing Institute

Description: Artificial Intelligence technology is quickly gaining recognition for its wide-ranging impact and transformative potential as Al models become safer, better, and faster. Now is the time to explore interdisciplinary collaborations to bring state-of-the-art Al to all fields and industries. Zach will share how we are developing a collaboration with local healthcare and research partners to develop Al-powered pharmacogenomics software.

Title: Cyber Security: Current Threat Landscape & Survey of Future Threats

Speaker: Luke DeMott, Assistant Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer, Information Technology Division

Description: In this talk, Luke will try to provide a very brief survey of the current cyber threat landscape. Additionally, he will spend the final portion of this talk discussing future attacks and protections organizations should implement.

Title: Embracing Emerging Technologies & Possibilities with XR at GVSU

Speaker: Julie Goldstein, Associate Professor Visual and Media Arts

Description: In this Tech Talk, you will be introduced to the backend workflow powering a variety of GVSU inspired and sponsored projects leveraging the emerging world of extended reality.

GR in XR on the Blue Bridge

Thur, Sep 21 |  6:00-7:30PM
Blue Bridge – Downtown Grand Rapids

​Extended Reality Experience
GVSU provided a community gathering on the west end of the iconic Blue Bridge for a glimpse into what the future may hold for Grand Valley State University and the City of Grand Rapids. With the aid of extended reality technology, attendees had the opportunity to be immersed in a realm of limitless possibilities.

Session Description: Grand Rapids proudly thrives as a Tech Hub, a center of innovation spanning education, arts and culture, sports and entertainment, and health care, with distinctive river recreation opportunities.

This is a community always looking forward, always looking at what’s next. GRIN XR shows just a few ideas for how the future of our city might take shape. As co-architects of this destiny, you hold the power to ensure that this future is not only innovative but also equitable, guaranteeing that every individual can thrive in this dynamic landscape. How will you contribute to the evolution of Grand Rapids into a more inclusive and forward-focused city?

Together, we are forging a future that knows no bounds.

A key feature of the GR in XR event was a glimpse at the future of Grand Rapids through future oriented videos that included 3D renderings and animations assembled by Julie Goldstein in the Visual and Media Arts Department. In addition to 5 immersive video experiences, unique to GR in XR was a collaboration between Moonshine Labs, GVSU’s  Innovation and Research team, Visual and Media Arts, and students, surrounding a goal of fostering innovation through academic collaboration.

In this unique partnership, Moonshine Labs cutting-edge AR framework was used to provide a GPS-basedand real-time camera feed to deliver a seamless, markerless experience. Student teams from GVSU enriched the project by providing artistic flair and technical skills in 3D modeling and rendering. Their contributions brought the AR experience to life, adding layers of depth and engagement. ​

Here is a video highlight of GVSU’s future Blue Dot Lab:

See also: “GR in XR combines GVSU technology, creative learning for a futuristic view of downtown Grand Rapids” – GVNext article.

Confluence Festival

Sat, Sep 23 | 10:00AM-10:00PM
Rosa Parks Circle

​The Confluence Festival was a free festival at the intersection of art, music, science, and tech. GVSU was sponsor of the FIZ “Future Innovators Zone” this year. Representing GVSU was the following units:  

• Atomic Object Technology Showcase
• Art Gallery
• Regional Math and Science Center
• School of Engineering
• Laker Esports

Unique to this event was an engaging video game created by Ty Rizer, Emerging Technologies Developer on the IT Innovation Team. Using Unity and Google Map Tiles, the game provided a realistic flyover of the city with a futuristic rendering of the GVSU Blue Dot Lab innovation center. Here is a sample video clip: