2016-2017 FIA Innovation Spark Grant Competition
Using Virtual and Augmented Reality to Address Real-World Challenges
Overview
The past year has seen rising interest in emerging technologies for immersive experience and storytelling – 360-degree video, virtual reality and augmented reality. While these tools can provide new ways of exploring our world, their potential for research, problem solving and real-world application remains largely untapped. How can this challenge become an opportunity? When you compete as part of a team to win a $10,000 Innovation Spark Grant from the Future of Information Alliance.
Each winning project will tackle a compelling issue with an energetic team of students, a faculty mentor, and an engaged outside Future of Information Alliance collaborator, such as the Newseum, the National Park Service, the Smithsonian, or Google.
Up to four teams of students and their faculty mentors are chosen to receive up to $10,000 per team to carry out a project during the spring semester.
Congratulations to the winning teams!
The 4 winning teams include 21 students and faculty mentors from 8 UMD colleges and schools. Videos about their projects and of their final presentations can be found here.
Each winning project will tackle a compelling issue with an energetic team of students, a faculty mentor, and an engaged outside Future of Information Alliance collaborator, such as the Newseum, the National Park Service, the Smithsonian, or Google.
Up to four teams of students and their faculty mentors are chosen to receive up to $10,000 per team to carry out a project during the spring semester.
What?
The FIA Innovation Spark Grant Competition is designed to encourage teams of students to engage in projects that research and devise innovative solutions for real-world issues using cutting-edge tools.
The focus of this year’s competition is on emerging possibilities for virtual and augmented reality – “VR” and “AR” – and how they can be used to tackle significant challenges. For example, can VR help address issues of trust between police officers and citizens? Does 360-degree video hold the potential for new forms of more powerful journalism? Can VR contribute to the teaching of history in ways that engage students? Can AR help artists connect with audiences in new ways? The outcomes might be VR or AR projects, new tools, novel concepts or prototypes, or research findings that could lead to practical applications and adoption and have the potential to change lives.
Who?
Interdisciplinary student teams (undergraduate through graduate levels) of up to four members + a faculty mentor + FIA partners or other outside collaborators. Students must come from at least two different colleges on the College Park campus. Each student team member will receive a $1,500 stipend. The faculty mentor stipend is $2,500 per team (to be split if there is more than one mentor per team). And each team is allowed up to $1,500 for expenses.
When?
| October 10 | Kickoff Informational Meeting Room 3202, Knight Hall 12:30-2pm |
| October 20 | Consultation Session Room 3200, Knight Hall 12:30-5pm Email fia@cs.umd.edu to make an appointment and get help refining your ideas! |
| November 14 | Proposals Due (by 5pm) See the Spark Grants FAQ for what to include and how to submit. |
| November 21 | Semi-Finalists Announced |
| December 9 | Semi-Finalist Presentations and Winners Announced Room 1208 (Eaton Theater), Knight Hall 9-11am |
| December-May | Winning Teams Work on Projects |
| May 5 | Final Presentations by Winning Teams Room 1208 (Eaton Theater), Knight Hall 10-11am |
Why?
- Meet thought leaders from renowned organizations.
- Be part of a collaborative research and problem-solving experience.
- Up to four student teams will win grants of up to $10,000.
- Winners will be designated FIA Student Innovation Fellows and Faculty Innovation Fellows.
The FIA will help students connect with each other, faculty mentors, FIA founding partners or other outside collaborators, including Google. The 10 FIA founding partners are: the Newseum, the Smithsonian, the U.S. National Park Service, the National Geographic Society, the Library of Congress, the National Archives, Sesame Workshop, the Barrie School, NPR-affiliate station WAMU 88.5, and the Office of the Governor of Maryland.
For a look at cutting edge developments in VR / AR, have a look at this FIA program from April 2016:
This FIA program is a successor to the previous FIA-Deutsch Seed Grant Competition. You can see the work of winning teams from that program:
