Design-a-thon Winners: Celebrating Innovation in VR and Imagination at UCI

UCI’s first virtual-reality sponsored event encourages students to explore the possibilities of immersive technology.

October 11, 2024
By: Antruong Thuy Nguyen

This past spring, the Office of Data and Information Technology (ODIT) partnered with the student group Design at UCI to offer a special VR track as part of their 2024 Design-a-thon competition, 'True to You.' Thanks to ODIT's sponsorship and the leadership of Jessica Sotelo, Design-a-thon Director, and Keri Albers, Digital Innovation at UCI, nine students gained access to Meta Quest headsets and the opportunity to learn how to create immersive environments. Sotelo led corporate partnerships and sponsorship efforts, structured the challenge format, and managed communication between all stakeholders. Albers, who was integral in bringing this initiative to life, noted that the idea came from her belief that creativity enhances problem-solving skills in business, and her recognition that students are eager to master VR, a key career skill. She added, "I respect UCI’s talented and curious students, especially those in the Design-at-UCI group who develop essential skills for today’s job market."

Jasmine Wu, Design-a-thon Director for Design at UCI, described the new VR offering as a great success, stating, "Our goal was to create a space where both beginners and advanced designers could learn from each other, push creative boundaries, and tackle real-world challenges. We believe that democratizing design thinking and fostering community-driven design can create meaningful change in the world." Jessica Sotelo added that one of her main objectives as the 2024 Director was to make education about technology, artificial intelligence, and design more accessible to students across the nation. She emphasized that the event was intentionally structured as a fully hybrid format, allowing U.S. college students to participate at no cost, which made it especially appealing for other colleges to join.

The theme for this year's competitiont, "True to you", challenged teams to create a virtual reality space that their childhood selves would have loved, all within the span of one weekend. This limited timeframe encouraged participants to reflect on their personal histories and interests, turning those memories and ideas into innovative VR environments under a tight deadline.

The participants split into three teams of three, with the winning project being the "In Your Hue Galactic Gallery," which was a virtual gallery celebrating individuality and diversity. Zaina Azim, Informatics '25, Khanh Tran, Business Administration '25, and Giovanna Maninell, Informatics '25, created a space filled with vibrant colors and interactive exhibits exploring different cultural and personal identities. Each exhibit reflected the team's commitment to inclusivity and creativity.

a virtual reality environment with students standing in front of life-sized message boards
In Your Hue Galactic Gallery: Goals and Ambitions for the Future

Another standout project, "Strawberry Land," was created as an ode to the team members' childhood love of Strawberry Shortcake, Sanrio, cats, nature, and sweets.

a virtual reality space with oversized strawberries, clouds, and a castle in the sky
The Imaginative Characters of Strawberry Land

The teams faced some initial challenges learning to use the VR headsets and the accompanying Engage software platform, as most team members had no prior experience with a VR headset. Ultimately, they successfully collaborated virtually, brainstorming and constructing their imaginative projects within the VR environment. Shalini Bhakta, Informatics '25, a 'Strawberry Land' team member stated, "The finished product was better than we imagined. Improvisations and trial and error were part of the learning process."

Reflecting on the event's success, the Design-a-thon 2024 Directors, Jessica Sotelo, Jasmine Wu, and Elise Alinsung, shared that the competition exceeded everyone's expectations. The team is excited to build on this success and plans to broaden the scope of future Design-a-Thons, expanding opportunities for even more students to participate and innovate.

"We feel an equally important part of the university experience is to provide spaces for students to experience technologies that will be a part of their future. Students need opportunities to innovate and explore," said Tom Andriola, Chief Digital Officer and VR track sponsor. "Watching our students create immersive environments using tools they had never been exposed to in such a short period of time is a testament to student talent and their pioneering spirit."