Students from all disciplines at Virginia Tech are invited to compete for cash prizes in the “Health Care AppJam” to develop a concept, using Microsoft’s HoloLens, to improve community health and wellness.

Students can learn more at an information session on Feb. 21 from 5-6 p.m., Torgersen Hall, room 1060.

The competition itself will take place April 1, as part of the Virginia Tech Carilion Business Intelligence and Health Care Analytics Symposium at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute in Roanoke.

Prizes of $3,000, $1,500 and $1,000 will be awarded for the winning entries.

The competition is sponsored by Avanade, the Center for Business Intelligence and Analytics (CBIA) in the Pamplin College of Business, the Discovery Analytics Center, Technology-enhanced Learning and Online Strategies, and the Center for Human-Computer Interaction at Virginia Tech.

“The Health Care AppJam is an exciting effort to apply HoloLens capabilities to real-world health care needs,” said CBIA executive director Linda Oldham.

Students interested in competing will form teams that will each submit a description and a YouTube video about their proposed concept by March 6, she said. A small group of teams will be selected and loaned a Microsoft HoloLens 3-D to further develop their concepts for final selection.

Microsoft calls its HoloLens “the first self-contained, holographic computer,” enabling users to engage with digital content and interact with holograms around them.

The device can dynamically mix the digital and natural environments, enabling interaction with holograms as if they were in the same space as the user.

“Rapid developments in the use of augmented and mixed reality devices provide limitless opportunities to improve healthcare,” said Oldham. “Wider access to diagnostics, delivery, training and surgical outcomes are just some of the possibilities.”

For questions about the competition and registration, please contact Linda Oldham at cbia@vt.edu

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