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 

Matthew Kosova

Co-President and Director of XR Midwest 

Matthew is a senior 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

Co-President and Graphic Designer

Beste is a senior 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

Joe is a junior 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

Director of XR Development

Jamie is a senior 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 explores the interactions of culture and technology.

Jasmine Wang

Director of Internal Relations

Jasmine is a junior 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.

Kaavya Ramachandhran

Director of XR Marketing

Kaavya Ramachandhran is a sophmore 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 sophmore 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.

Liana Lau

Co-Director of XR Events

Liana is a freshman studying Business Administration and Industrial and Operations Engineering with a focus on user interaction. Having been exposed to the applications of XR in different industries ranging from automotive to medical, she is most interested in how XR technology can be used as an educational and social platform upon which to engage and inform users on a variety of topics.

Emilee Meng

Co-Director of XR Events

Emilee is a sophomore studying Computer Science and believes XR technology further blends the world and technology as one to increase interactivity, productivity, and connections between people. Initially fascinated by the Google cardboard, she has been enamored with the compelling narrative’s XR technology produces. With a focus on application design and a strong enthusiasm for XR, she hopes to use XR to improve learning and enrich people’s lives. 

Michael Nebeling

Faculty Advisor