Join Cool Science for Science on Tap every 2nd Monday of the month upstairs* at Jack Quinn’s Irish Pub & Restaurant in downtown Colorado Springs. Presenters begin at 6:30 pm and typically speak for 60-90 minutes including Q&A, with food and drink available beginning at 6:00 pm. A wide variety of fascinating topics are presented by local scientists for informal discussion, and the relaxed atmosphere encourages anyone and everyone to come explore the latest ideas in science and technology. From practical to theoretical, the presentations and group interactions provide a fun and interesting way to gain an understanding of the world around us.
* unfortunately there is no elevator
Join Cool Science for Science on Tap every 2nd Monday of the month upstairs* at Jack Quinn’s Irish Pub & Restaurant in downtown Colorado Springs. Presenters begin at 6:30 pm and typically speak for 60-90 minutes including Q&A, with food and drink available beginning at 6:00 pm. A wide variety of fascinating topics are presented by local scientists for informal discussion, and the relaxed atmosphere encourages anyone and everyone to come explore the latest ideas in science and technology. From practical to theoretical, the presentations and group interactions provide a fun and interesting way to gain an understanding of the world around us.
* unfortunately there is no elevator
Next up: Monday, April 13, 2026 at 6:30 pm.
The Future of AR, VR and AI
John Collins, Founder & CEO, Yogen | Meta Reality Labs
Summary: What does it actually take to build the devices meant to replace your phone — and what happens when you add AI into the mix? In this talk, John Collins shares lessons from a career spent building some of the world's most ambitious AR/VR products: Microsoft's HoloLens, Snapchat's Spectacles, and Meta's AR glasses. He'll break down the real engineering tradeoffs behind these products, explore how AI is transforming spatial computing from a hardware challenge into a software revolution, and share what he's learned from founding an AI-powered startup after years in big tech. Whether you're an engineering student figuring out your career path, a researcher exploring spatial computing, or just curious about what's next, you can expect an honest, inside look at where this industry is headed and the skills that will actually matter when you get there.
John Collins is the Founder and CEO of Yogen, an AI-powered platform reimagining how companies run structured, equitable hiring processes. He currently also works with Meta's Reality Labs division on Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality products.
John has spent nearly two decades in consumer electronics, holding engineering and leadership roles at Apple, Microsoft, and Snapchat — where he worked directly on products including the iPad, iPhone, Xbox, Microsoft HoloLens, and Snapchat Spectacles. After leading programs at Apple and Microsoft in the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle, he moved to Europe, where he served as an engineering executive at companies spanning mobility (Flixbus), sustainability (Vinted), and industrial IoT (relayr), managing organizations of hundreds of engineers.
John is a Senior Member of the IEEE and the holder of eight U.S. patents in battery and camera architecture. He is the author ofDeveloping Your Path (IEEE, 2017) and The Guide to Engineering Leadership, forthcoming from IEEE in Spring 2026. He has given 30+ conference presentations across the US and Europe and serves as a guest lecturer on AI and engineering.
He holds an Executive MBA from Quantic School of Business and Technology and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from UT-San Antonio.
John has spent nearly two decades in consumer electronics, holding engineering and leadership roles at Apple, Microsoft, and Snapchat — where he worked directly on products including the iPad, iPhone, Xbox, Microsoft HoloLens, and Snapchat Spectacles. After leading programs at Apple and Microsoft in the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle, he moved to Europe, where he served as an engineering executive at companies spanning mobility (Flixbus), sustainability (Vinted), and industrial IoT (relayr), managing organizations of hundreds of engineers.
John is a Senior Member of the IEEE and the holder of eight U.S. patents in battery and camera architecture. He is the author ofDeveloping Your Path (IEEE, 2017) and The Guide to Engineering Leadership, forthcoming from IEEE in Spring 2026. He has given 30+ conference presentations across the US and Europe and serves as a guest lecturer on AI and engineering.
He holds an Executive MBA from Quantic School of Business and Technology and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from UT-San Antonio.
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