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Varjo VAR Summit 2023

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The Varjo VAR Summit was a blast! They truly know how to put together events that provide valuable insights, opportunities to network, and lots of fun.

I was thrilled to meet the team in person, participate in the webinar, and demo Galea with Conor. It was great to learn about the latest advancements in XR and how companies like Lenovo, Channel XR, RAVE Computer, and others are bringing them to consumers all around the world. The event also gave me a chance to explore the beautiful city of Helsinki and get a taste of the local culture—sauna and ice plunge included!

A big thank you to Urho, Jussi, Tristan, Brandon, Annaleena, and the rest of the crew for making us feel right at home.

Eva’s Marathon For Heart Arrhythmia

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This post is a little different than my usual ones about tech…

Last year, I got diagnosed with a heart arrhythmia. This diagnosis was challenging for me, both physically and mentally. For the first couple of months, I was terrified of ‘dropping dead’ for lack of a better expression. I had to stop exercising and became fearful of anything that increased my heart rate. 

Fortunately, after multiple tests, my cardiologist found my heart was strong and reassured me that I could get back to a moderate exercise routine. Once I pushed through the initial fear, I realized that running helps me to manage my symptoms, and I started to run longer distances. Earlier this year, I ran my first ever half marathon. It was amazing!

My goal for 2022 is to complete a full marathon. My cardiologist said she doesn’t recommend that I run several but greenlighted me for one, so I signed up for the 2022 Philadelphia Marathon on November 20th. 

I want to make the most out of my opportunity to run this race by using it as a chance to contribute to the development of treatments against arrhythmia and other cardiac conditions. For that, I want to raise $2k for the American Heart Association. Any amount, no matter how little, will help to fund their research and improve the lives of millions of people worldwide.  

The full story and link to donate can be found on my GoFundMe page below.

https://www.gofundme.com/evas-marathon-for-heart-arrhythmia

Two Years at OpenBCI!

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Two years ago I dipped my toes into brain-computer interface (BCI) technology by hacking a $30 Star Wars toy to read EEG data and make a cardboard wheel spin by concentrating on it. My team and I first showcased the prototype at the 2019 Cornell Tech Open Studio event. Although I understood the science behind it, putting the device on users’ heads and watching the wheel spin felt like magic!

Fast forward to today and my code is running on Galea, a $25K high-end platform that merges next-generation BCI systems with head-mounted displays. This work anniversary I’d like to reflect on how far I’ve come since I joined the OpenBCI team as an intern on July 1st, 2020. During my time with them, I have not only contributed to the whole technology stack—hardware, firmware, software, data processing, cloud—but I’ve acquired a solid foundation of knowledge in neuroscience and learnt key aspects of running a hardware business.

Most importantly, I’ve found my people. The OpenBCI team dreams big and works hard to build products that push the boundaries of what’s possible today. Together, we are shaping the future of human-computer interaction. I can’t wait to see what year three brings for us—let’s keep changing the world one BCI at a time!

Unipeers Launch

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One of the most challenging aspects of studying abroad is understanding how the other country’s educational system works well enough to apply to your top school, get admitted, and get a scholarship or funding.

As an international student in both the UK and the US I experienced how overwhelming this process can be. Having had a mentor or a reference person to ask at my dream university would have saved me countless hours of frustration. To help others who find themselves in this situation, I’ve joined forces with Katie Donahoe to create Unipeers.

Unipeers is a non-profit initiative to bring together the largest community of graduate alumni, students, and prospective students from top US universities. Whether you’re looking to learn more about applying to graduate school or landing your first job, Unipeers will help you connect with people just like you who’ve done it before!

Learn more about how to join as a member or volunteer on our website: https://unipeers.org/.

Why I’m Working on Unipeers.org

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Living in Spain made applying to study in the UK and later in the US challenging for me. Not having anyone to ask at my dream schools or the cities I wanted to move to made me feel lost, overwhelmed and discouraged.

I’m grateful for persevering and getting through the process, but also aware there were times when I almost returned home. In an effort to prevent this from happening to others, Katie Donahoe and I are creating Unipeers.

What’s Unipeers? Learn all about it in my Medium article!

Image Source: Vectorpocket.

Star Quest Website is Up!

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The Star Quest website is up now! Sign up to learn more about this awesome gamified goal tracker for kids, and send us an email if you have any questions or suggestions for the product!

Click here to visit the Star Quest website, and follows us on Instagram and Twitter at @starquestapp!