By Steven Lincoln Senior Writer/Editor, College of Technology
Day one of travel is complete. The closest I came to the Solar Decathlon site was the Ronald Reagan National Airport in downtown Washington, D.C. I was unable to get a pass to get on site today, so my first view of the site will be on Wednesday. I tried hard to see the area from the airport windows, but all I could identify across the water was the Capitol building. Wednesday’s activities include a media gathering, which will include me. The Solar Decathlon team has posted about other items they are looking forward to. I still worked today. I was asked by the head of our Department of Building Construction Management (BCM) to meet with a few professionals in the D.C. area who are affiliated with the department’s distance master’s degree program. So, I traveled to Fairfax, Va., and Herndon, Va., to interview an alumna and two current students of the program. I was able to videotape each of them so that we can create recruitment testimonials for our Web site and other outlets. Each had great things to say about the program and about the reputation of Purdue’s BCM program (which is housed in the College of Technology). I would be remiss if I didn’t also tell about my experiences in navigating the city. As an employee of the College of Technology, and a person who hasn’t been to D.C. in 15 years, I thought it prudent to include a GPS as part of my car rental. However, the car rental company had run out them by the time I arrived. So I had to rely on the goodness of people, computer-generated maps, and a few missed turns before I made it to any of my three destinations during the afternoon. It was a gentle reminder how much we have come to rely on technology to guide us through daily life, and also of how much we still need human interaction as part of the mix. As I drove away from D.C., I passed the Pentagon and the same Sheraton Hotel I stayed in as a high school sophomore when I participated in the national Mock Trial Competition and Close Up. What was different was the addition of the Pentagon Memorial honoring those who died in the Sept. 11 attacks. It was my first time to be near any of the directly attacked areas. Seeing the lay of the land and the proximity of the airport and interstate, and mentally picturing what went on that day made me realize how far removed I have been from it. It was definitely a sobering reminder of 2001. More posts to come on Wednesday, including photos (I think I've convinced my D.C. friend, Heather, to provide some artistic shots of the competition site for Thursday). Thanks for reading!