Connect
Use technology to help people get outside
The app should help someone choose a place and then make room for the actual experience of being there.
Our story
Student-built in ColoradoThe story behind Alcove
Alcove started as a student project about how technology could help more people get outside without taking over the experience.
How the idea began
How the project grew
The project has grown in stages rather than from a single finished plan. Each stage added a different piece: the human need, the app, the research method, and the possible field hardware.
- Summer 2024 / REDI LabInitial planning and brainstorming took place during the REDI Lab Summer Program through Colorado Academy. REDI Lab centers research, entrepreneurship, design, inquiry, and self-directed project work.[1][2] Early exploration focused on how sound, access, distance, and the way a place feels could become useful outdoor-planning information.
- Science Research / Denver EastLater work in a Science Research class at Denver East High School, taught by David Scalisi, developed the technical direction that became the GeoSonic system.[3] The concept moved toward small field devices that analyze sound locally and report aggregate patterns without building an archive of outdoor audio.
- 2024 to today / AlcoveWork has continued on and off since the project's REDI Lab beginnings. It now includes the Alcove mobile app, a growing nationwide location catalog with deeper Colorado review, privacy and source standards, and a staged plan for testing GeoSonic hardware.
- College / continued developmentMechanical engineering study at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo adds new context for the project's next stage.[4] Mechanical design, sensing, fabrication, and field reliability are becoming increasingly important as GeoSonic moves from concept toward a responsible prototype.
About Owen
Meet Owen O'Connor
I'm Owen O'Connor, a freshman studying mechanical engineering at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. I'm also a semi-professional photographer whose work includes landscapes, portraits, and events.
I grew up backpacking, camping, hiking, skiing, and finding many other ways to spend time outside. My background in programming—and time spent teaching programming classes—gave me a way to begin turning that experience into a working product.
I believe technology should help people notice, understand, and connect with nature. It should reduce barriers to getting outside, not replace firsthand experience or make the outdoors feel more distant.
What carries forward
What still guides the project
Understand
Treat sound as part of the landscape
Natural sound, human activity, time, weather, and access can shape a visit as much as mileage or elevation.
Respect
Build in privacy and clear sourcing from the start
Sources, uncertainty, permission, aggregate measurement, and clear limits matter before a project grows.
Sources and acknowledgments
Programs and schools connected to the project
1. Colorado Academy / REDI Lab
Official overview of REDI Lab's student-directed model and its summer sessions for Denver-area high school students.
2. Colorado Academy / REDI Lab history
Colorado Academy's description of REDI Lab as Research, Entrepreneurship, Design, and Inquiry, including the program's summer academy and emphasis on personalized projects.
Ribbon Cutting Marks Ambitious Expansion of REDI Lab Program
3. Denver East High School
Official school website. The Science Research course and David Scalisi attribution are part of the project's recorded history.
4. Cal Poly / Mechanical Engineering
Official overview of the hands-on mechanical engineering program at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
Independent project acknowledgment
Colorado Academy, REDI Lab, Denver East High School, David Scalisi, and Cal Poly are credited for educational settings and guidance connected to the project's development. Their inclusion does not imply that they sponsor, endorse, own, or operate Alcove or GeoSonic.
The work continues
Alcove is still in development
Thoughtful feedback from outdoor users, researchers, educators, land managers, photographers, engineers, and community partners is welcome.