Blue Dot to propel GVSU, Grand Rapids as tech hub

A showcase of cutting-edge tech, computing and engineering projects by faculty and students headlined GVSU’s Tech Week GR event, “The Blue Dot Experience,” on September 19.

GVSU leadership, along with Grand Rapids tech and business executives, explored the diverse innovations presented by faculty and students at the Eberhard Center, the future home of Blue Dot. 

President Philomena V. Mantella, or rather a digital 3D representation of her, opened her remarks by stressing the goal of Blue Dot. “Our goal is for our region to become the tech hub of the new Midwest,” Mantella’s avatar said on the screen. “But in order to attract the employers and the work, it's vital to have more tech literate graduates and more employees with the digital literacy skills required in all professions.”

Elevating digital literacy skills for all GVSU students is a central pillar for Blue Dot, said Mantella, who serves as co-chair of Tech Week GR’s Advisory Board. 

“It’s about an ecosystem where we're constantly learning, we’re constantly innovating, we’re constantly applying it into our education and our training,” Mantella said. 

A common theme among the event’s speakers was Grand Valley’s long-standing commitment to addressing the needs of the Grand Rapids community and economy. Nearly 65 years ago, the university was founded in response to business leaders recognizing the need for a highly skilled workforce.

So, too, will the Blue Dot Ecosystem create the next generation of tech workers for Grand Rapids’ burgeoning tech industry, said College of Computing Dean Marouane Kessentini. 

“Blue Dot symbolizes our commitment to fostering education and preparing the next generation of leaders in the digital age,” Kessentini said. “So this college will bridge the gap between computing and other fields like health care, engineering, arts and so on because we need it. 

“We will bridge the gap between academia and industry to get business leaders the right balance that they need to innovate through our research and to commercialize our research.”

Randy Thelen, president and CEO of The Right Place, emphasized the relationship between Grand Valley and the local tech community with Blue Dot at the center of an expanding network of collaboration. 

“Blue Dot is to the tech economy, what the Medical Mile is to the health sciences economy,” Thelen said. “This is going to be the hub and the spokes will extend throughout the region, bringing tech opportunities to students and adult learners, and also to the business community helping elevate our economy.”