The End of Another CIMS Summer
As August ends and another fall term at Carleton University begins, Carleton Immersive Media Studio (CIMS) concludes another great Summer term. With some students returning to their studies, others moving on to new adventures, a few returning from research abroad, and many staying on as full and part-time employees, CIMS transitions from the bustle of the summer to a less hectic, but still busy fall.
CIMS has come along way from the handful of researchers that it consisted of in its early years more than a decade ago. This summer saw 61 employees pass through CIMS. Among them 13 new researchers and five visiting fellows. Also, 21 researchers were sent locally or abroad through the NSERC CREATE Heritage Engineering and SSRHC New Paradigms and New Tools for Architectural Heritage in Canada intern programs.
You might think that with the increased number of workers, the atmosphere of CIMS would change to a more formal office feel. Although the employees work hard, this is far from correct. Thanks to the CIMS Social Committee, CIMS has remained a community for learning, working, and playing. This summer saw the successful implementation of the CIMS Lunch and Play and CIMS Lunch and Learn programs. Once a month, CIMS researchers could choose to enjoy their lunch breaks playing in planned activities - such as outdoor sports, music sessions, and video game playing. Other lunch activities included workshops teaching researchers new skills such as laser scanning and photogrammetry. The social committee was also responsible for more social events such as a monthly evening get-together for current and former CIMS employees, several themed lunchtime potlucks (the Geometry themed potluck was a hit!), unique birthday celebrations (birthday icecream sundaes anyone?), and a fun term wrap up softball game!
CIMS success is due to the community of multi-disciplinary researchers that help develop the projects under development. Each researcher, with their diverse background, has one trait in common – their desire to learn. As CIMS continues to grow and take on new research ventures, this community tackles each new research problem, bringing their multi-disciplinary knowledge to the team.
The summer may be over, but CIMS looks forward to its continued growth throughout the fall and winter. Stay tuned to see what new adventures we have in store!