Who We Are

The Alternate Reality Initiative (ARI) is a student organization at the University of Michigan centered around virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technology. After seeing a lack of a centralized community, we created ARI to provide a hub and community for students interested in XR technology.

Through weekly meetings, ARI is fostering the next generation of XR innovators by hosting development workshops, discussing industry news, and connecting students to opportunities in the greater XR ecosystem.

Founded in January 2018, ARI has received recognition and generous support from other University of Michigan organizations. In April 2018, ARI received a $5,000 optiMize project grant and was accepted into the competitive Barger Leadership Institute Capstone program. In April 2019, ARI hosted the first ever XR Midwest Conference.

Our Team 

Michael Zhang

President

Michael is a junior studying Business Administration and is an ARI co-founder. Since developing a VR foreign language app in high school, Michael has been involved in XR technology for three years. He is currently exploring the potential of social VR for communication, and he has hosted over 30+ social VR events in AltspaceVR. He also serves as President of the inter-collegiate ICXR community. Michael previously worked as a VR Product Management intern in China and an Oculus VR Brand Ambassador, and he loves discussing XR technology with others.

Matthew Kosova

Vice President and Director of XR Midwest 

Matthew is a junior studying Industrial and Operations Engineering and is an ARI co-founder. In high school, Matthew created a prototype of an AR headset and discovered an interest in XR technology. Matthew led the ARI team to host the first ever XR Midwest Conference in April 2019, helping bring together over 70+ attendees and 15+ speakers and exhibitors from across four Midwestern states. He also serves as the Vice President of ICXR Midwest. Matthew is interested in learning how AR can and will be implemented in real-world applications.

Beste Aydin

Director of XR Development and Graphic Designer

Beste is a junior studying Computer Engineering, and she currently serves as Director of XR Development. She has hosted several XR development workshops to help ARI members learn to create their own XR experiences. She enjoys  exploring the potential uses of XR, especially in art and medicine. In Jan 2019, she attended the MIT Reality Virtually Hackathon where her team's experience “CosmosVR” won the Fidelity Data Visualization Award. Beste is currently developing XR applications as a Research Assistant for the University of Michigan School of Nursing and Ross School of Business.

Joe Macek

Director of XR Project Teams and XR Content Lead

Joe is a sophomore studying Computer Science in the College of Engineering, and he helped launch the XR project teams program at ARI. Joe has also helped develop VR intro workshop content to help ARI members learn how to create VR experiences. Having previously interned at PIXO VR, Joe is interested in the development of XR software, especially the use of VR technology for enterprise training and entertainment applications. In his spare time, Joe enjoys learning about video game development. 

Jamie Hare

XR Content Lead

Jamie is a junior studying Computer Engineering, and enjoys both the hardware and software sides of XR technology. She has helped develop XR content for ARI workshops, and is most interested in AR and in exploring the potential uses in education. Jamie is also an active member of SWE: Society of Women Engineers and has previously worked as an Explorer Intern at Microsoft. In her spare time, Jamie also is exploring robotics and technology in other cultures.

Jasmine Wang

Director of Internal Relations

Jasmine is a sophomore studying Computer Science and Entrepreneurship. She is interested in the experience that XR technology can bring to people in the gaming industry, especially the powerful ideas/messages that can be incorporated into each individual game. She is also interested in mobile app development and the inclusion of AR technology in more apps. Overall, she believes there are so many applications of XR technology, and she is really excited to see where it will go in the future.

Rex Fung

Director of XR Events

Rex is a sophomore studying Neuroscience, and is interested in the gaming aspect of VR (and computer games in general). He will be helping with planning weekly sessions, as well as the upcoming XR Midwest Conference in April. Inspired by sci-fi titles like The Matrix and Sword Art Online, Rex aims to develop the next generation of immersive VR using brain-machine interface technology.

Kaavya Ramachandhran

Director of XR Marketing

Kaavya Ramachandhran is a freshman with an alarmingly long last name. Studying in the College of Engineering, she is developing interests in robotics, digital design, mechanical/electrical engineering and computer science. She has worked with Luxottica and Various Views Research on experimental AR technology, and she has participated in a variety of XR workshops. She is most intrigued by the potential applications of AR/VR in the fields of enterprise training and art.

Mitchell Kuppersmith

Director of External Relations

Mitchell is a freshman studying Computer Science with an interest in Computer Graphics and Human-Computer Interaction. Coming from a game design background, he is incredibly excited to work on software design for XR and explore the application of XR for use in entertainment and education.

Michael Nebeling

Faculty Advisor

Michael Nebeling is an Assistant Professor in the School of Information where he leads the Information Interaction Lab. His lab works in the area of human-computer interaction, investigating new techniques, tools, and technologies that enable users to interact with information in more natural and powerful ways, and also make it easier for designers to create more usable and effective interfaces. His current research focuses on empowering non-technical designers to create AR/VR experiences with little to no background in 3D animation, modeling, and programming.