A few days ago, I ran into a banner about a kick-off meeting from a group of students called the ‘Space Society’. They had just recently got together to share their enthusiasm for the science of the cosmos and the technologies needed to explore it. Since it was going to be an open, informal gathering, I thought I should go and check it out because I’ve always thought space is pretty cool.
During the event, I heard the current members speaking about the projects they had in mind. They were encouraging other students to team up with them in Space Hackathons or help them build satellites. They also extended the invitation to anyone interested in watching Sci-Fi movies every once in a while and stick around for a beer or two.
Judging by the considerable amount of cheerful listeners, I figured this new society was on the right path towards becoming a vibrant hub of passionate discussions about Mars colonization, jokes about flat-earthers, inspiring teamwork, and more. It made me consider how simple it is for people on campus to convene around a common interest and have fun together.
It’s not even essential to have an ambitious engineering goal, whatever hobby you have in common with somebody else is enough of an excuse to start an association. There’s plenty of people who’d be willing, for instance, to play Dungeons and Dragons with you, or dance together like folks used to do it in the 1920s. You’ve got the martial arts aficionados, the peaceful Yogis, or my personal favorite, the one where we allow ourselves to philosophize for multiple hours about whichever topic crosses our minds. There seems to be a plethora of welcoming circles you can join to nerd about your favorite subject.
Perhaps because the campus is crowded by curious people with enough time on their hands, you don’t really have to walk extensive lengths to find someone willing to engage in a project or activity with you. It might go unnoticed most of the time, but it’s not everywhere that you have such great chances to find like-minded people ready to jump off their seats and try stuff out.
I’m wondering whether that explains the sort of ‘doers vibe’ permeating Campus, a vibe so invigorating it makes me want to create something. I sure tend to romanticize my observations, but go ahead, try walking around the labs during busy hours without feeling that vibrancy.
