Meet the Class of 2021: Shiven Saxena
Shiven Saxena, College of Engineering, Industrial and Systems Engineering
“Look at usual things with unusual eyes.” - Vico Magistretti
Hometown: New Delhi, India
Minor: Innovation
Fun fact about yourself:
I produce Electronic Dance Music, specifically future bass and dubstep! Check out "Flipped" on Spotify and SoundCloud!
If you participated in an internship, what company was it for and what were your job responsibilities?
I interned at RedShift Education, a start-up with an aim to integrate Virtual Reality and Project Based Learning in everyday schooling. I was tasked with designing and improving the user experience for the company’s VR learning modules as well as conducting user research and usability testing. As part of my job, I got to interact with high school students to test the modules and it was thrilling, bringing the field of education into the 21st century! My CEO, being a Hokie herself, did not hurt either! Shout out to Maria Jernigan! Whoooo!
Which faculty member has made the biggest impact in your undergraduate education and how?
Taking Introduction to Human Factors under Dr. Myounghoon "Philart" Jeon was the experience that helped me realize my love for the field of design. Currently, I am also an Undergraduate Researcher under his Mind Music Machine (Tri-M) Lab, researching and designing sounds for Robots!
Aside from your classmates, what has been the best part of being an industrial and systems engineering major at Virginia Tech?
Through my years at VT, the resources provided by the Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering have helped me define who I am. They helped me understand and accept myself better. Self growth is the best!
What club or activity excites you most at Virginia Tech and why?
I have found life long friends through the Theta Delta Chi Fraternity and the EDM Club at Virginia Tech.
Describe your biggest accomplishment in your student career so far?
Being able to give back to the Department which helped make me who I am today. As part of my Senior Design project, I am working with the Reimagining diVersiTy Research Center at Virginia Tech to develop an immersive, VR accessible platform to be used as a recruitment tool by the Department of ISE, with a goal to promote inclusivity and increase diversity in the department.
What other opportunities have you explored at Virginia Tech?
I am an Immersive Developer at the University Library's Applied Research in Immersive Environments and Simulations (ARIES) Lab under the mentorship of Dr. Todd Ogle! We build cool VR spaces for projects ranging from history to vet med. Check us out!
What was your defining moment at Virginia Tech and how has it prepared you for your future career?
Being a student at Virginia Tech has taught me to keep redefining myself, to keep accounting for the changes around me. We should always be a "work in progress", aspiring to be better. If there was a defining moment for me, it was when I realized this.
What are your plans after graduation?
I plan to either work as a User Experience Designer for a firm, or continue my research and go to graduate school.