Look in the Lab — May 2020 Newsletter
Classes have ended, final exams have been graded, UNC seniors have graduated, and summer has arrived! May was a month filled with both reflection and anticipation. Here in the Lab, we’re reflecting on the work we’ve managed to execute this semester while away from campus — it even attracted national media attention! We’re also anticipating several projects to unfold this summer. Be sure to follow our social media (@ReeseInnovate) to stay updated!
Like the rest of the world, we are watching, listening to, and learning from the news surrounding George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and the other victims of violence. We are heartbroken by these stories and we’re committed to supporting this community. Here is a message from Steven King:
“The Reese Innovation Lab is united with those who want justice, equality, education and opportunity for all and we grieve with those who have experienced loss in this quest.”
In addition, the University announced its roadmap for the summer and fall. The Lab is complying with the University’s re-opening guidelines and we will make adjustments accordingly. The safety of our students, faculty, staff, and visitors is our priority. We will communicate our re-opening plans soon.
The Latest
May was a busy month, from a special feature on ABC News to celebrating our graduating Fellows!
Steven King’s VR Classroom on ABC News/GMA
It’s a story you’ve been reading about for a few weeks…Steven King’s class in virtual reality was shared by numerous media outlets. Producers at Good Morning Americaalso heard about this experiment and wanted to learn more.
On Wednesday, May 20th, Steven King and his virtual classroom were featured on Good Morning America’s third-hour called “Pandemic: What You Need to Know,” hosted by Amy Robach and Dr. Jen Ashton. Steven showed off his classroom in AltSpaceVR. Students Alex Baumeier, Hannah Cousins, and Jake Harrison shared a little bit about their experience in this segment! In case you missed it (or want to watch it again!), click here.
The media buzz about gathering in VR hasn’t stopped! Focus Carolina interviewed Steven King about his virtual classroom and what it could mean for the future. How can the insights from this experiment apply to businesses and remote work in the near future? Listen to this interview to find out.
Data Visualization in Augmented Reality
It’s no secret that data visualization and augmented reality are new ways of storytelling. So, what are the best practices to this new form of reporting? That’s the question Lab Fellow and now UNC alumnus, Peter Andringa, wanted to answer with his Senior Honor’s Thesis. Peter writes about his research and provides design guidelines in this article.
A Day in the Life: RIL Works From Home
From Chapel Hill, NC to Chicago, IL, our Lab is working hard to stay connected, creative, and innovative during these weeks of social distancing. So, we’ve been doing something fun on our Instagram @ReeseInnovate. Each week, someone from the Lab takes over our Instagram Story giving you a “behind the scenes” look at their day working from home. How do Luna and Jax help Alexis throughout her day? What does Steven King’s workspace look like? What’s Lily Lou’s morning routine? Max is building a volumetric capture studio in his living room? Find out more by tuning into our Instagram!
Zoom from the Lab
Missing our space on Franklin Street? We are too. So we created a few Zoom backgrounds featuring our Lab. Download them for your next virtual meeting: The Lab & Creative Thinking Space.
Reese Teaches: YouTube Tutorial Videos
We recently launched a new YouTube series called “Reese Teaches.” In this series, Lab Fellows are sharing their skills to teach you a variety of subjects, from coding your own portfolio to using the software Blender (coming soon!). Check out Lily Lou’s coding tutorial below.
Senior Spotlights
Cue the “Pomp and Circumstance” theme because we’re celebrating six Lab Fellows who are a part of the Class of 2020! Cheers to Peter Andringa, Lily Lou, Betsy Mann, Gabri Mannino, Husam Shaik, and Madelyn Welch! Hear from our graduates below.
Peter Andringa: Working with the Lab over the last few years has taught me so much about creativity, technology, and combining the two — in ways far beyond what’s possible in the classroom. I’ve come to believe that the best way to learn is by experimenting, which is exactly what the lab does day in and day out. The staff and my fellow lab fellows have encouraged and helped me in so many ways, and their passion, energy, and creativity always inspire me. The Lab has also meant so much more than just a chance to learn and work on fun projects — I’m thankful to count the staff and other students involved throughout the years as good friends. I also want to particularly thank Steven for his leadership in the Lab as well as his mentorship and guidance throughout my college career. I have no doubt that everyone involved with the Lab is going on to do great things in the world of media and technology innovation, so I can’t wait to see the impact they have in the future!
Lily Lou: My favorite thing about the Lab, though, is definitely the people. Every Tuesday, I looked forward to my meetings with Alexis, the Reese Innovation Lab’s creative content producer, and meetings with the Creative Team, where we plan out content for the Lab, from social media posts and newsletters (like this one!) to YouTube videos showing off the projects we’ve worked on. Working at the Lab, you’re never bored. The Lab is constantly juggling different projects and experimenting with the latest technologies. During our weekly Friday meetings, we’re able to see the things other fellows and staff in the Lab have accomplished. I’m constantly in awe at the work being done here, and I’m super excited about the things the Lab will continue to work on in the future.
Betsy Mann: It’s a challenge to capture all that I’ve learned from working in the Lab just in a few sentences — and it’s even more challenging to capture how grateful I am for being part of such an incredible community filled with brilliant, creative, and determined people. I learned about emerging technology and how it can solve some problems in our community and beyond. I learned about volumetric capture, AR, VR, robotic journalists, and more. I learned about the creative process from the amazing and talented Creative Team. Most importantly, I’ve learned about leadership from Steven, Alexis, the Creative Team, and every Fellow who is dedicated to the Lab. These two years at UNC have been some of the best years, and that’s all because of the Reese Innovation Lab.
Gabri Mannino: Being a fellow at the Reese Innovation Lab has been one of the best experiences of my Carolina career, hands down. I was given the opportunity to produce work for a local newspaper, present to a regional media company, co-lead a design thinking session, help storyboard and film a trailer, work on the lab’s social media presence and learn about emerging tech from a group of the most talented people I know. Looking back, my favorite thing about the lab is the creative and open environment. Even though my title was “market researcher” I was given the freedom to ask questions and be a part of all kinds of discussions and projects. I’m grateful for the experiences that I’ve gained and all the people I’ve met through the Lab.
Husam Shaik: Working as an Innovation Fellow at the Reese Innovation lab has been one of my best experiences at UNC. Being given the opportunity and freedom to use emerging technology in creative and applicable ways has been an amazing learning experience. Throughout my stay at the lab, I have gotten to work on various AR application, learn about how to make websites, make raspberry-pi powered tools and much more. Currently, I am working on discovering how to make data visualizations interactive in AR so in the future people will be able to manipulate data points using their hands and come up with new and interesting conclusions. I am grateful for being able to contribute to the future of technology through the lab and look forward to what lies ahead.
Madelyn Welch: As my time as an Innovation Fellow at UNC’s Reese Innovation Lab comes to a close, I’ve been reflecting on the experience and everything I’ve gained from it. Thanks to Steven, I have seen first-hand what it takes to be a great leader. The greatest lesson I’ve learned from him is to never let the fear of failure stop you from trying something. I’m also extremely grateful for the things I have learned from working with Alexis. With this being a student position, there were tons of things that I didn’t know. She has an incredible amount of patience during the learning process with not just me, but dozens of other students. I’ve also gotten to work on projects on both a global and local scale. From the Lenovo project to GEAR UP NC, the Lab has allowed me to gain an incredible amount of experience in just one year. You know a place and it’s people have made an impact on you when you are sad to be leaving, and I think thats all anyone could hope for when they go into an internship.
