Emerging Technologies Service
The University Libraries participate in service projects through the Upward Bound program, high school and elementary school visitors, Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum and HS-MACA Hackathon. View more detailed information about these programs below.
Upward Bound
The University Libraries participate in the Upward Bound program. Students in this program must qualify for acceptance and are the first in their families to attend college. Over a five-week, four-days per week term, these students take a variety of courses that include both core subjects and electives. The University Libraries’ elective course was entitled “Innovative IT.” Students in the course were selected by the Upward Bound program staff based on their interest in STEM/STEAM education.
Previous course have covered the following topics:
- “Hologram” projectors to view 3D videos
- Virtual reality experiences
- Creation of an augmented reality project about a well-known person in science or technology
- 360-degree photospheres of areas around campus
- Initial design thinking activity
- Real-world design thinking activity
- Development of personalized skills for Amazon Alexa Dot
- Drone flight and programming using Scratch
In addition, students were able to listen to presentations by Creighton staff members.
Students are provided with the materials for the projects which they keep, take home, and continue their exploration. During previous years students have also built small robotic vehicles and Raspberry Pi computers.
The University Libraries also offered a drone aviation course for students. In this program, students received a pro-consumer drone, were taught the FAA rules and regulations, learned how to fly drones, and took the FAA remote pilot exam to become professional drone pilots.
University Libraries student interns assisted with all the classes, and we look forward to future opportunities to work with Upward Bound.
Upward Bound Photo Gallery
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High School and Elementary School Visitors
The University Libraries have hosted a number of high school and elementary school students. During their visits we provide experiences appropriate for the age group. This has included virtual and augmented reality experiences, exposure to Sansar, the 3D virtual social platform, opportunity to fly mini drones, and XBox 360 games with Kinect Sensor displayed on a giant screen from a Canon projector. The purpose of these activities is to promote interest in technology fields for these students.
Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum
University Libraries had the privilege of collaborating with the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum on several occasions. This has included two years with the Drone Expo where University Libraries hosted tables and sponsored mini drone flights for children. In addition, University Libraries has participated in a summer camp for children where library staff presented and assisted.
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HS-MACA Hackathon
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Health Sciences Multicultural and Community Affairs (HS-MACA) and the Center for Promoting Health and Health Equity (CPHHE) sponsored their second hackathon. Teams of three students developed proposals on how technology could be used to address public health problems related to mental health disparities. These groups submitted abstracts that were used to select qualified applicants for the hackathon. The selected groups consisted of college students at the undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels as well as one high school group.
With the pandemic, the two-day hackathon was conducted virtually through Zoom. Participants collaborated with each other and consulted with mentors in breakout rooms, and presented their proposals to the judges, mentors, and other participants.
Judging also transpired through Zoom as well as the presentation of awards. A rubric was used to judge the ideas from each group with scoring guidelines of 40% on public health impact, 20% on business potential, 20% on innovation and ambition,10% on quality including user interface, and 10% on presentation.
The University Libraries was asked to assist again with this Hackathon. In addition to attending meetings and providing support, two of the five mentors were library staff as well as a former intern, currently working in Creighton's IT. Shelley Schafer, Strategic IT Communications Lead for the Division of Information Technology, served as one of the judges.
The University Libraries took part in the 2021 Virtual Hackathon and will continue its support for the 2022 Virtual Hackathon.
