Highlights from the 2020 Fall Technology Innovation Forum [Archive]

Dec 14, 2020 Deepshika Dhanasekar
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Archive - 2020 Berkeley ChangeMaker Technology Innovation Program - Fall Technology Forum Highlights

Last month a group of inspiring and diverse group of teams celebrated their groundbreaking innovations at the Fall Technology Innovation Forum. The theme of the innovation forum was “Innovation in the Time of Coronavirus.” Given this year’s tumultuous events, the forum was designed to convene people from across campus who are designing new ways of doing things so they could connect virtually and share their experiences developing teaching and environmental applications to combat the impact of Coronavirus.

Cartoon of students in a lab (BeArS@Home)

The first day featured recipients of the Berkeley Changemaker Technology Innovation grants.

Student using augmented reality via a phone at Sather Gate (Ethnic Studies Podcast/AR)

The grants, distributed earlier this year, provided financial incentives to bring together transformative ideas from across Berkeley’s decentralized campus, fostering connections and developing institutional awareness of peoples’ innovation efforts and community support for our innovators. The inspiration behind these grants came from the Berkeley Changemaker™ program which codifies an essential part of what UC Berkeley has always stood for, helping students develop a sharper sense of who they want to be and how to make that happen.

picture of a phone with notes on top of a notebook with the same notes (Lucid Learning)

We saw results from groups who were strengthening instructional resilience in the face of Coronavirus (BeArs@Home choose your own adventure chemistry labs, PEARL Project, remote control of physics lab experiments via the web and Taking Remote Learning Outside field study).

In addition, we saw demos of fantastic technologies from the new Extended Reality Community of Practice (Scaffolding Stores/Building Communities, InsightXR, Lucid Learning, VRTutor). All of these teams made amazing contributions to the Berkeley campus, and we are excited to see what they will do next!

picture of a phone displaying a virtual 3D model (InsightXR)

On the second day of the forum, the focus was on the Berkeley Connected Campus. Several groups presented their work integrating smart device technologies & facilities around campus to improve infrastructure and make processes more efficient. We viewed presentations about facilities sensors around campus, air sensors for air quality management, smart campus sewer covers, and intelligent curb management. While connected campus initiatives can immensely improve the campus experience and resilience, there are concerns around safety and privacy, especially with the increasing data collection. CITRIS Policy Director Brandie Nonnecke, Campus Privacy Officer Scott Seaborn, UC Berkeley Chief Sustainability Officer Kara Stoll discussed the promise and pitfalls of a connected campus with Berkeley CTO Bill Allison, bringing context and perspective from unique backgrounds and programs.

picture of a sewer cover with electronics attached to it (SmartCovers)

Read more about the Technology Innovation Forum here, and visit the CTO website for more information about each of the different groups who presented at the forum, as well as see a sneak peak of projects still in progress.

Campus Resources to Support Innovation

  • Extended Reality (XR) Community of Practice - this community is exploring the intersection of extended reality technologies including augmented reality and virtual reality with a spectrum of campus activities - teaching and learning, research and scholarship, and outreach and public service. In addition to supporting existing projects being conducted on campus, the community will develop and promote best practices around accessibility, curation, interoperability, and security and privacy.

  • User Experience Community of Practice - Innovation projects can increase their chances of success by incorporating usability into their process. With support from IST and People & Culture, this dynamic group provides design and usability assessments based on project team needs. Campus innovation is a great fit for these assessments. If interested, please contact group lead Rachel Hollowgrass (rhollow@berkeley.edu).

  • Digital Accessibility Program - the campus Web Access team is a great resource to help you ensure your innovations are inclusive and accessible to all.