Danielle Server
Staff Writer
Today, the University of Wyoming’s Coe Student Innovation Center will be hosting an event called PokeBot V2.01. The event is open to the public to see the different innovations of technology from the state of Wyoming.
People who come to the event will have a chance to network with the presenters, see demonstrations of the technology and use the time and space to collaborate with others interested in using technology for the advancement of their field.
“The PokeBot is an innovation or technology series, so it highlights people doing strange things with technology,” said Jane Crayton, the Coe Makerspace coordinator. “It is kind of a riff of DorkBot, which is a global organization of makers, hackers, innovators. I ran it for six years, so when I came to the University of Wyoming, I saw the opportunity to rekindle and start that event here.”
The event will take place in the Student Innovation Center located in the Coe Robertson library. The center is the technology hub for UW where it is open for all students, faculty/staff and the community of Laramie to come and work with modern technology tools such as 3D printers and electronic workbenches.
The PokeBot will feature three presenters from the University of Wyoming who will give 20 to 30 minute presentations on their technological innovations. They will present technology advancements from using an ultrasound for speech therapy to Vinyl printed t-shirt designs.
Breanna Krueger, an assistant professor in the Division of Communication Disorders Ultrasound Visual Biofeedback for Changing Speech at UW, is presenting her work with ultrasound and speech therapy. She will be bringing the ultrasound with her to demonstrate the technology for those who are interested.
“I work with children who have difficulty learning the R sound. We show them an ultrasound of what their tongue is actually doing in their mouth, so they can have a visual guide to help them with their tongue,” said Kreuger.
Devin Gearhart is an undergraduate student working with the technology tools the Student Innovation Center has to offer. He will be presenting his t-shirt designs he made from the vinyl cutter located in the center.
The third and final presenter of the night is Kyle Summerfield, a VR game developer at the Shell 3D Visualization Center. He will be presenting on Game Jams and the Power of Experimentation.
The event will be from 6 to 8 p.m. There will be snacks and refreshments provided by the Center of Design Thinking. Instead of a live DJ this year, the center will be providing live games for those who attend to interact with. Next door will be a retro technology petting zoo, a collaboration between the center and the library staff that provides technology from the 1930s to the early 2000s.
