8150/Meeting at Columbia

Meeting at Columbia
Date of Scene:	07 October 2021
Location:	Morningside Heights
Synopsis:	Mairin met a potential student who just happens to be as eager to play with robots as she is. They headed into the Engineering building to talk shop.
Cast of Characters:	Mairin Moran, Susan Sullivan

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Mairin Moran has posed:
    Mairin is walking through the grounds of Columbia University, deftly dodging the undergrads as she keeps her nose in a Robotics text she can barely carry in two hands. Which is why she doesn't have her usual mug of tea. Though she looks no older than most of the students, she wears a lab coat over her plain skirt and blouse, and a faculty ID hangs around her neck. Or rather it wraps around her neck as it streams behind her because she's just too preoccupied to fix it. Priorities and all.

Susan Sullivan has posed:
    Walking around in a skull-themed gas mask, hoodie, and skinny jeans, Demona is proving quite friendly without being overbearing. However, as she's walking, she notices the woman carrying the robotics book and promptly switches direction, walking backwards alongside her. "Hello there," she says, walking backwards. She seems to have a speaker in that mask that carries her voice out clearly to those around her. "That's a neat looking robot," she says, noticing an illustration. "Are you a roboticist?"

Mairin Moran has posed:
    She seems to be fideling with some of the internals of the little guy. Little by her standards anyway. And is absorbed enough that she doesn't really notice Demona come up. Even when she talks, Mairin's attention remains laser focused.

    "Oh, he's just a work drone. One of the little ones we use in the clean rooms. But he seems to have gotten a little--" She stops both talking and walking, as she finally looks up and sees Demona. She even lets out a little muffled "Eep."

    "Goodness gracious. I'm.. I'm sorry." She recovers quickly. "What were you asking?"

Susan Sullivan has posed:
    Demona now notices the robot in the book is not an illustration, but a genuine little robot. "Oh, wow!" she says. "That's so cool!" She looks at the woman carrying it and says, "I'm Demona. I was looking into coming here and studying something relating to mechanical engineering, machining, or something similar, but you got me all distracted with that robot! I thought it was just a picture!"

Mairin Moran has posed:
        Mairin's eyes light up a bit. "Mechanical Engineering? That was my Undergrad major. What do you think you'd like to do with it? If you enjoy machining, robotics might also be right up your alley. That was my Masters." She starts walking again, but at a pace that invites Demona to walk with her.

Susan Sullivan has posed:
    "I've always enjoyed machining!" Demona says excitedly, walking with Mairin. "Mom made me take ballet and gymnastics and practice yoga, and all that stuff helped me, but when I was shirking all that, I'd be in Daddy's workshop lathing, working with the CNC, or otherwise making something. I have a lot of practical experience doing prop making, antique restoration, and stuff like that, but I want to learn more!"

Mairin Moran has posed:
    "Well this is a great school for all of that. We have an excelent metalworking shop. I can identify with what you're saying about your mom. Mine wanted me to play an instrument. By the end, she didn't even care which one. She just wanted me to play *something*. I think I went through about ten before she admitted I just wasn't any good at it." She leads Demona down a side path. "What does your father do?"

Susan Sullivan has posed:
    "I play a few, too," Demona says. "I have a bass guitar in my van I play once in a while. I like how it makes me feel, and it's really simple. Hey, could you show me around the machining labs and stuff? I'd love to see what you have to work with."

Mairin Moran has posed:
    Mairin laughs and motions to the building she just turned toward. Which is, in fact, the engineering building. "I don't do a whole lot in the machining lab anymore, but I can definitly introduce you to some people who can give you a full tour of the facilities. I spend most of my time on the other side of the building. It's actually been forever since I've built something from the ground up." From the look of her, "forever" is certainly an understatement. But she gets a farway wistful look in her eyes anyways. Remembering the "good-ol-days" no doubt.

Susan Sullivan has posed:
    Demona's eyes betray a broad smile. "I'll look at whatever you want to show me. I don't mind talking about any of this with you, either. You seem to be pretty excited about it, and I love your energy!"

Mairin Moran has posed:
    Mairin laughs. "Well a lot of people think that engineering is boring. A lot of math, a lot of theory, and a lot of 'technobable'. So it's always nice to find someone who is excited about it for more than just making a buck. There is some really amazing things going on right now in the field. And so many applications being discovered. It's really just facinating. So... I get a little excited about it."

Susan Sullivan has posed:
    "I unfortunately got caught up in some other necessities for a few years, so I'm a little out of the loop. I really want to hear about everything going on," Demona says. "What you're working on, what's happening, what the college offers in your field. I'm excited to learn!"