Rick Rieder is a big deal in the investment industry. As Blackrock's Managing Director, he is responsible for roughly $2.4 trillion in assets. So when Master of Business Administration students at Emory University heard he would be a guest speaker in their classroom, they were excited. 

Through the wonder of hologram-like technology, Rieder, an Emory alumnus, was beamed into the Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., classroom from his home in Florida. The students were not disappointed. 

“They kept asking, ‘Are you sure he’s not really here?’” recalls Jaclyn Conner, Associate Dean, Executive MBA, at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. “It’s right out of Star Trek. The first time we experienced the technology, we all wanted to reach out and touch the person. You see clothing detail, hair sticking up, shoelaces; it’s amazing.” The technology provides a three-dimensional image sized to the individual’s height and width. On the speaker’s end is a video monitor, through which they can see the students and interact with them in real time. 

The high-level holopresence technology was made possible by a transformational gift to the school. The gift also provided three global classrooms, two fully remote and one hybrid, that allow for interaction between in-person students and remote students. The classrooms feature multiple camera angles and a wall of 20 to 40 screens providing each student a live presence in the classroom. The gift funds the additional staff needed to operate the technology. It’s especially important to have experienced staff on site at both locations to oversee the live hologram technology.