Eric Kunnen

Senior Director, IT Innovation and Research

Department: Information Technology
Phone: (616) 331-9171
Email: [email protected]
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.

When did you start working in the showcase? August 2013

What are two of your favorite technologies in the showcase and why?

• Double Robotics: This 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?
• 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 get's an honorable mention in the VR space also.

Hunter Bridwell

Emerging Technologies Coordinator, IT Innovation and Research

Department: Information Technology
Phone: (616) 331-2141
Email: [email protected]

When did you start working in the showcase? September 2021

What are two of your favorite technologies in the showcase and why?

• XR: 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. 
• 3D Scanning: I love the idea of a virtual duplicate of a physical object and the ability to share that anywhere with anyone. 

Ari Henson

Emerging Technology Specialist Team Lead

Major/Minor: Wildlife Biology / Natural Resource Management
Year in school: Senior

When did you start working in the showcase? January 2021

What are your two favorite technologies in the showcase and why?

• 3D Printing: This is one of my favorites due to the versatility of it. There’s an unlimited number of things you can print, whether that’s artsy or practical prints.
• Virtual Reality: Is my other favorite, mainly for its applications. Besides video games, VR has so much potential applications, such as education, and I hope to see it used more in the future for those purposes.

Brooke Spradlin

Emerging Technology Specialist and Guild Member

Major/Minor: Electrical Engineering/Mathematics
Year in school: Junior

When did you start working in the showcase? January 2022

What are your two favorite technologies in the showcase and why?

• 3D printers: It’s really cool to be able to design something on a computer and then later be able to hold it in your hands and use it. 
• Valve Index: I think vr is so cool and can be used for so much, and the Valve is really good at mimicking your hand and finger movements in games.

Abbey Diller

Emerging Technology Specialist and Guild Member

Major/Minor: Computer Science/Math
Year in school: Senior

When did you start working in the showcase? August 2022

What are your two favorite technologies in the showcase and why?

• 3D Printing: 3D Printing allows for a lot of creative potential.
• Hololens:  Specifically, The Algorithmic Nature program on the Hololens is really interest to me. 

Allie Fitzgerald

Emerging Technology Specialist and Guild Member

Major/Minor: Computer Science/Math
Year in school: Junior

When did you start working in the showcase? August 2022

What are your two favorite technologies in the showcase and why?

• NVIDIA Canvas: I am not an artist but this tool allows me to create interesting and creative pieces of art. 
• 3D printing: Making this service available to students is great.

Joey Shotts

Emerging Technology Specialist and Guild Member

Major/Minor: Computer Engineering
Year in school: Freshman

When did you start working in the showcase? August 2022

What are your two favorite technologies in the showcase and why?

3D Printing: They enable rapid prototyping and are a unique technology that is fun to work with.

L3D Cube: It's cool to look at and fun to program.