One of several judges sits through a virtual hike of Yosemite National Park's "4 Mile Trail" demonstrated by Miranda Taylor, the developer and creator of Adventures VR, the first place winner for the virtual reality (VR) section of the VARJAM competition. Photo by David J. Hawkins.
Students, faculty and staff across California State University, Northridge are taking part in a host of trailblazing programs, initiatives and competitions. From cutting-edge research labs to technology integrated across the curriculum, innovation permeates the campus, and CSUN officials are expanding and enhancing those initiatives to further infuse innovation throughout the university in 2018 and beyond.
In recent years, competitions such as the annual CSUN Bull Ring and Fast Pitch New Venture Competitions have taken root, giving CSUN student entrepreneurs the opportunity to receive feedback from established professionals and mentors.
CSUN President Dianne F. Harrison has praised pioneering students including those who have developed applications to improve accessibility and quality of life for people with disabilities, as part of technology and entrepreneurship competitions. In the university’s second annual Fast Pitch competition, undergraduates Edgar Limon, Arvin Flores and Jasmine Beeman developed “smart script” internet code to help people with visual impairments better navigate websites. The university also hosts annual student “Jam” competitions where undergraduate and graduate students compete to create the best mobile app (AppJam), produce virtual and augmented reality projects (VARJAM), and manipulate, analyze and visualize data (DataJam).
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