Global Crossroads winner completes project

Connor Tukel had the opportunity to share Detroit with the world - and thanks to the Global Crossroads Scholarship Competition, he succeeded.

Tukel is a junior pre-med student at Wayne State, majoring in global studies and minoring in public health. He said he loves learning about new technology and integrating it with medicine any way he can.

In July 2017, Tukel was researching which camera he should buy in order to film his project, "360Ëš Detroit," a 360-degree virtual reality video of some of the city's hidden and not-so-hidden gems.

Tukel faced multiple challenges when trying to complete the project.

"I had no knowledge of video production, film or cinematography when I started," said Tukel. "I had to learn about those things with a new technology."

Tukel had to film with his camera, edit his footage in one app and transfer it to another and then figure out how to put the videos together, all while on a timeline.

"I knew I needed to get something together for the presentation," said Tukel. "Having a deadline helped push me, even though I didn't get to all the places I wanted to."

Tukel always enjoys learning new things, whether it be in a classroom or teaching himself different skills, especially when it comes to new technology.

"I'm learning that skills that are not the kinds of things you learn in a classroom but are very appropriate in the real world," said Tukel. "When you don't know how to do something, you just figure it out. When something breaks in an uncontrolled environment, you just have to figure out what to do."

Tukel said his project was well received at the Global Crossroads presentation and he hopes the technology can be implemented into the classroom one day.

"The University of California, San Francisco's med school is already using virtual reality training programs," said Tukel. "I see potential. I think it would be useful if I was in med school."

In terms of showcasing Detroit in his project, Tukel is very happy with his footage from the Detroit Institute of Arts, specifically on the large-scale murals and paintings.

"When taking a picture, you can never get the full thing," said Tukel. "Doing it this way, you can get the whole picture."

Explore Detroit via Connor's video

Written by Alexandra Leroux, marketing and communications associate