Audio Visual Services
Audio Visual Services' mission is to provide presentation technology support for Institute activities. Fulfillment of this goal brings the department to the heart of the Institute's educational endeavors. Departmental technical staff provide daily service to faculty, students, and staff in classrooms, lecture halls, and performance spaces, while administrative and support staff process hundreds of orders for service weekly. More than 13,100 events were supported during the 2002–2003 year. Another key area of departmental activity relates to the development, installation, and maintenance of presentation technology systems in classrooms, lecture halls, meeting rooms, and other Institute gathering spaces. Major accomplishments during the past year in these areas of service are presented below.
Event Production and Support
Support for classes and events related to the Institute's educational mission comprise approximately 65 percent of the departmental activities. Technicians were assigned on a daily basis in all the major lecture halls and many classrooms to provide equipment and technical support. This service created a collaborative environment between departmental staff, faculty, and students to meet the communication demands of the curriculum. The balance of departmental event support activity relates to meetings, conferences, and special events. Highlights from the past year include the following:
- Orientation Activities for the Freshman Class 2002
- The 50th Anniversary of the MIT Sloan School of Management in October 2002. Multiple on- and off-campus locations were used for this event, including Kresge Auditorium where keynote speaker Kofi Annan, General Secretary of the United Nations, spoke at the plenary session.
- The Exponential Occasions event, sponsored by the Office of Resource Development, celebrated during October with a gala event in Walker Memorial and featured 12 smaller sessions throughout the weekend
- Three satellite teleconferences sponsored by MIT Enterprise Forum were produced with staff from Advanced Media Production Services
- Numerous cultural events in Kresge Auditorium, including a performance by Ali Akbar Khan and a performance of the Toy Symphony produced by the Media Lab
- Numerous Industrial Liaison Program conferences
- The LINC Conference hosted by the Center for Advanced Educational Services at the University Park Hotel. Representatives from over 12 colleges and universities attended and featured multiple computer-based presentations and digital audio recording services.
- Commencement 2003 on Killian Court and other related locations
- Conferences hosted by MIT and produced by the Conference Services and Special Events Office, including the Soil and Rock America Conference and the Computational Fluids Conference
Presentation Technology Installation Projects
The area of presentation system installation continues to be a growing business for the department. These services include planning, equipment procurement, site coordination, installation management, end-user training, and service agreements to assure trouble-free operation. The following systems were completed during the past year:
- A computer-based projection system was installed in the Infinite Corridor, replacing an older 35mm slide based system. Institute customers create their PowerPoint presentations and the department manages their presentation through networking and computer sharing. This successful program will be expanded in other locations through the next year.
- Three new systems were installed for the Foreign Languages and Literatures Section in Buildings 14 and 4.
- The Registrar's Office sponsored new system installations or upgrades for the following classrooms: 56-114, 1-190, E53-220, 3-133, 14E-310, and 34-101.
- The Sloan School upgraded five classrooms to include brighter projectors and installed new equipment in E51-151 and the Diebold Lounge.
- The Department of Chemical Engineering contracted with the department to manage the installation of computer projection equipment in 66-110 and 66-380.
- The Libraries' Barker Conference Room received a new projection system, allowing the librarians to offer a meeting room that includes computer and video projection capabilities.
- Department of Facilities contracted with the department to serve as local consultant for the Next House Dining Room renovation, which included a sound system and a full presentation system in the private dining room.
- The Alpine Bagels shop in the Stratton Student Center installed a sound system for background music and a paging system for customer orders.
Department staff members were deeply involved in the Department of Facilities-managed renovation of five Building 1 classrooms and 5-216. Working with an area audio-visual systems integrator, the classrooms were renovated during the summer of 2002 in time for classes in September 2002.
Projects begun in FY2002 that will be complete in FY2003 include the complete replacement of the sound system in the Faculty Club, a computer/video presentation system in 4-270 for the Registrar's Office, installation of plasma screens in three Building 4 Music Program classrooms, the replacement of a 26-year-old projection screen in 10-250, the addition of two computer/video projectors in 10-250 for side screen projection, a presentation and sound system in the Bush Room (10-105) for the Alumni Association, a projection system for the Marlar Lounge, and a projection system in an Athena classroom for Information Systems.
Department staff members are participating in the planning and execution of presentation systems for the Stata Center and the brain and cognitive sciences project.
Service Agreements for Presentation Technology Systems
The development of service agreements for maintenance on presentation systems continues to grow as more classrooms and departmental conference rooms are equipped with systems. This program has been expanded to include the recently renovated classroom spaces managed by the Registrar's Office and many other departments. Audio Visual Services will provide agreements for any department whose installations need attention.
Staff Highlights
A high honor was bestowed on Gladys Overshown in October. She was awarded an Institute "Serving the Customer" award in recognition of her level of commitment and service to the Institute. In addition, the technician staff was awarded a Team-Based award through the Enterprise Services division in May 2003.
A new technician was added in May, filling a vacancy created in the winter. This staff member has increased capabilities and experience in the area of audio recording and engineering.
Continuing Education
An MIT ombudsman presented a communications workshop for all staff to address the wide range of communication issues facing the department. The areas covered included communicating in a multicultural environment, how to deal with challenging customers, sexual harassment issues, and tips on how to resolve interdepartmental communication challenges.
Work was completed to upgrade the department's web site, allowing easier navigation and operation for users. The site contains links to the customer survey, order form, price list, policies, and links to other MIT service providers with whom we collaborate.
More information about Audio Visual Services can be found online at http://web.mit.edu/av/.