My first week at IMRC Center!

By Ariana Abedi

As a student interning at the IMRC Center, the first week has been enlightening to say the least. Starting off the week with student orientation was a great way to begin understanding more about the center and its purpose. After hearing each interpretation, I’ve begun to realize how every experience is unique and what remains constant: The IMRC Center is for anyone and everyone. No matter where your interests lie, the principal focus is perceiving this facility as your own personal sketchbook, without limitations to your creativity. Beginning online training allowed me to familiarize myself with technology and equipment that I had never seen before, let alone worked with. Although everything was new to me, breaking down virtually each step of the process helped me better understand the concept of creative flow and the importance of innovative technology in making our ideas a reality. Not only does the facility offer a variety of extraordinary equipment, but the IMRC Center has been an incredible learning experience. As my mentors, Drew Hooke and Sean Taylor have advised me to never limit these possibilities. This immense amount of encouragement has been essential to my learning experience thus far, and inspiring me to face new challenges as they arise is crucial to this process. When it comes to actually utilizing these resources, it’s especially important to get yourself involved in the process of creation.

During my first hands-on experience, I faced what I’d thought was an overly-complicated tool: The Universal laser cutter (18inches by 24inches), located in the Electronics Lab. I worked with Sean Taylor in creating my own design using Adobe Illustrator. After the designing process was completed, a quick walkthrough of the steps relieved my fear of its complexities. To my surprise, the entire process was far less daunting than expected. Although I faced minor issues with my first iteration of the design, resolving these difficulties before the printing process began was easy to understand and adjust. With my continuation of this internship, I am ready to face more challenges and learn more from my experiences here at the IMRC Center.