THE SHOWCASE STAFF TEAM
Eric Kunnen
Senior Director, IT Innovation and Research
Department: Information Technology
Phone: (616) 331-9171
Email: kunnene@gvsu.edu
Web: https://about.me/ekunnen/
Eric has a passion for, works to lead, support, and coordinate effective uses of technology in education. He is on mission to advance teaching and learning through the integration of emerging and innovative instructional technologies.
At the Showcase since: August 2013
What are some of your favorite technologies in the Showcase?
The Double Robotics was the first technology we purchased in the showcase and because of that, it's still my favorite. I also see potential with this technology as the ultimate telepresence tool. Finally, it's basically a Segway for your iPad, and what isn't cool about a Segway? I also enjoy the HTC Vive. I'm not a gamer, but I do see the potential of virtual and augmented reality in education. This technology has a lot of exciting uses in medical simulations, laboratory work, architecture, art, and so much more. Google Cardboard gets an honorable mention in the VR space also.
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Hunter Bridwell
Emerging Technologies Coordinator, IT Innovation and Research
Department: Information Technology
Phone: (616) 331-2141
Email: bridwehu@gvsu.edu
At the Showcase since: September 2021
What are some of your favorite technologies in the Showcase?
I see a ton of potential with immersive learning and simulation in XR. As the barrier to entry on developing XR becomes lower and physical hardware becomes smaller and more versatile, I think we are going to really discover what XR has to offer. I also find 3D scanning to be very interesting. I love the idea of a virtual duplicate of a physical object and the ability to share that anywhere with anyone.
THE SHOWCASE STUDENT TEAM
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Joey
Emerging Technology Specialist Team Lead
Major: Computer Engineering
Year: Senior
At the Showcase since: August 2022
What are your two favorite technologies in the showcase and why?
I really like the 3D printers because they are really engaging for people who come into our space. I also really like the DJI EP Core Robomaster we have named Jason. It is a fun educational tool that is a fun way to use and practice Python.
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Mattee
Emerging Technology Specialist Team Lead
Major: Studio Art, Emphasis in Painting
Year: Senior
At the Showcase since: August 2023
What are some of your favorite technologies in the showcase?
One of my favorite technologies in the Tech Showcase is the embroidery machine! I love the ability to customize the things I already own and love with my initials or with a custom embroidery design. Alongside this I also love using the Cricut, similarly for the customizability it adds to my life! I love to be able to make custom vinyl stickers or wrap an electronic!
Abbey
Emerging Technology Specialist
Major: Applied Computer Science
Year: Masters
At the Showcase since: August 2022
What are some of your favorite technologies in the Showcase?
I really like 3D printing because it has so much potential. For instance, you can make practical things like a desktop pen organizer or a laptop stand, but you can also make creative things like tabletop miniatures and floral wall art. I was even able to create a 3D printed version of my algorithmic art! For a similar reason, I love the Glowforge because you can make functional things as well as decorative things. One of the coolest things I've made was a stand to hold vials of fountain pen ink.
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Tai
Emerging Technology Specialist
Major: Health and Physical Education
Minor: Psychology
Year: Senior
At the Showcase since: May 2023
What are some of your favorite technologies in the Showcase?
I enjoy using the Cricut since it makes it so easy to make clean and professional looking designs quickly. I've used it to design birthday cards or even the poster for my student organization, and they turned out so good. I also like the 3D printers, and how easy it makes it to create almost anything you can think of! My favorite part is being able to design models and see them come to life.
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Chloe
Emerging Technology Specialist
Major: Biochemistry
Minor: Cell & Molecular Biology
Year: Senior
At the Showcase since: August 2023
What are some of your favorite technologies in the Showcase?
One of my favorite pieces of technology in the Showcase is the Glowforge. I like how creative you can get with the cutting and engraving of materials because you can make some cool pieces, and even carve the edges to fit them together into 3D shapes. Similarly, I enjoy the Cricut a lot because not only can you cut shapes out but you can even use the pen plotting function to precisely draw different images. This is useful for someone like me who is not very good at drawing but still wants to make cool pieces of art.
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Ivan
Emerging Technology Specialist
Major: Information Technology
Year: Senior
At the Showcase since: August 2023
What are some of your favorite technologies in the showcase?
The Valve VR headset, I really find the visual quality that is used with the Valve to be much clearer and sometimes even more realistic. Examining structures is a lot more interesting with this VR headset compared to the many others we have in the exhibition space. I also really love the Glowforge, having it be able to carve symbols, patterns, etc., is really fantastic. Creating a Christmas ornament last year was probably one of my favorite things that I did because of how crisp and smooth the edges came out, it was perfect!
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Tara
Emerging Technology Specialist
Major: Computer Science
Year: Senior
At the Showcase since: August 2023
What are some of your favorite technologies in the Showcase?
My favorite technologies in the Tech Showcase are the embroidery machine and the VR headsets, specifically the Valve Index. I like the embroidery machine because you can use Inkscape to create custom files (like downloading images from the Internet) to embroider and the VR headsets because they have educational games that can help you study!
Anderson
Emerging Technology Specialist
Major: Computer Science
Minor: Mathematics
Year: Senior
At the Showcase since: August 2024
What are some of your favorite technologies in the Showcase?
I love our robot Jason (DJI Robomaster EP Core). He's fun to show off to people dropping by, and the fact that he can be programmed in Python means I might never set him down. One of my favorite technologies in the showcase is the 3D printing. It's a technology that a lot of students don't have access to at home, and I've seen so many different and amazing builds created by the people on our campus!
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Gabby
Emerging Technology Specialist
Major: Computer Engineering
Minor: Mathematics
Year: Junior
At the Showcase since: August 2024
What are some of your favorite technologies in the Showcase?
I love the 3D printers since they can be used to print cool files you find online, or specific pieces you design in CAD software. Being able to print out these custom parts really helps with class projects! Another one of my favorites is our embroidery machine since it can be used to make patches and embroider designs onto bags, shirts, or jackets. You can make your own designs for find some online.
Jason
DJI Robomaster EP Core, Candy Distributor, Team Mascot
At the Showcase since: 01001101 01100001 01111001 00100000 00110010 00110000 00110010 00110011 (May 2023)
What are some of your favorite technologies in the Showcase?
01000101 01101101 01100010 01110010 01101111 01101001 01100100 01100101 01110010 01111001 00100000 01001101 01100001 01100011 01101000 01101001 01101110 01100101 (Embroidery Machine)