GSP-09: Student’s Perspective, By Justyna Zander
(SU’s 2009 Graduate Studies Program)

Humanity’s Crisis and Disaster Response Team

5:30 am: Dismissed the tone of my cell-phone alarm. I cannot do it anymore. Sleepless University is reaching its boundaries.

6:00 am: Coffee… So pleasant. Piece and quiet. And the Music – my first inspiration.

Finally woke up to check and answer some emails from/to my colleagues from the German office. I am working there for Fraunhofer Institute. Here is the group. So nice to see them again. ;)

6:30 am: Oh, we got some chapter proposals for our new book. Check it out soon in CRC Press.

7:15 am: Time to get up.

7:49 am: Ready to go.

Stumbled over some packets. Oh, there are some mails from the German office. Great, I have been waiting for some documents to sign. Milestones to finalize the D-MINT project.

A few steps outside. Oh, the laundry is back. It is awesome that they care of that here. Not sure, whether I would have time for that, otherwise.

7:59 am: I met Christian; we are walking to Building 3.

Our rapid disaster response team is being driven to NASA D.A.R.T. today. The target is to produce a movie simulating the first response during an earthquake using two products from Xidar Systems under the motto Humanity’s Crisis and Disaster Response.

8:10 am: Building 3. We met with Michael from NASA DART. He is an interesting person, the first emergency responder who worked in Oklahoma City Earthquake, Hurricane Katrina, or World Trade Center Disaster, to name a few.

Matt is joining us. He is operating the camera today.

8:30 am: We arrived at NASA DART. Let us start shooting the movie. Our team is very well organized. It seems that we adapt to each other and self-organize pretty well after 1-2 weeks. It is a pleasure to work with them.

Starting from the left: Simon, myself, Yitzhack, Michael (from DART), Zubin, Dirk (from DART), Alex, Shawna, Tim, and Laurence.

10:30 am: The rescue team and two victims, right before acting.

10:49 am: Acting.Preparation to Scene 3.

11:48 pm: Last shoot with the DART team.

12:00 pm: We are watching a professional documentary about DART taken a couple of years ago. Impressive, brave people!

12:30 pm: Back from the field.

Last scene in the convertible car. We called it ‘sunny California’ which happens ‘before the earthquake’.

I sort of did not want to leave this car right after the shooting. J

1:00 pm: Tuna and green tea for lunch.

1:10 pm: Answering e-mails, writing e-mails.

1:46 pm: Phone call with GlobalImagination. We are preparing a demonstration for the final presentation. Let me make sure that the simulation of our sequence of scenes is running well and smooth on the Globe.

2:05 pm: Working on the IP value for Xidar Systems. Actually listening to my colleagues, some of whom seem to have 10-25 years experience in running their business.

Now, the R&D strategy for the affiliated foundation.

Planning, organizing, writing up. Busy, busy days.

3:00 pm: Discussion with Ben Silverman, former CEO of NBC Universal. Fascinating stories.

4:20 pm: Let us have some carrots, juice, and crispy cracker.

5:00 pm: Checking and editing the video shoots.

7:00 pm: It seems that work is a never-ending story and it is getting dark. I am going for a run on the NASA campus.

9:00 pm: It took me a while. I guess, I skipped the dinner. Where is everybody…

9:10 pm: Talking to my family from Poland, Elblag.

I finally committed to an apartment in Boston for next year. Hope, it is a good choice.

10:14 pm: Sitting at NASA Lodge. Fading.

Checking the daily news.

Exchanging ideas on future plans with Ross and VJ.

11:07 pm: Now there is a bunch of people here and my laptop is running out of the battery. John Smart, one of the faculty members, joined us. Subjects range from medicine, through diet supplements, to non-profit organization structures.

Was not it Albert Einstein who said that ‘It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.’?

11:50 am: Music… and a few wonderful memories.

Oh well, we created a few new memories today.

I think, William Gibson noticed that ‘time moves in one direction, memory in another.’

11:53 am: Even if socializing is a useful tool regarding an internal growth, I am fading now.

11:54 am: One Kiss of Happiness to every person on the Earth. I was six as I shared this perspective with my twin sister. It has never changed over the years.

Simple things from the childhood have lots of value in life.

11:57 am: To summarize the day, acting is not that easy. One has to practice a lot.

And by the way, it was Julia Roberts, the actress who said: ‘You know it’s love when all you want is that person to be happy, even if you’re not part of their happiness.’

Having said that, I grew up to be an engineer, so let me pass out assisted by the thoughts on editing today’s shoots. It will visualize some of my dreams. ;)