My day began with Ms Dawn Smith, who showed me the platform she was creating for the website that contained all of the agreements with SAS and their clients. Using SAS and Java code, she worked to both improve the interface as well as make the information on the site more available and succinct. After learning about what she and her team were up to, I spent time with Jonathan Hairr. Mr. Hairr serves as technical support for executives only, ranging from senior vice presidents all the way up to Dr. Goodnight. I assisted him in delivering materials throughout the SAS campus to different employees, as well as getting a look at some of the unique rooms each building has. After a tour of the supply depot, Mr. Hairr took me to the executive building (C Building), where I was able to visit not only Dr. Goodnight’s office and conference room, but his rock collection as well. Holding pieces from all around the world, it gave the executive offices a personality of their own.
Come lunch time, I shared my table with Trish Hailey, in charge of security and various other jobs in the IT department. We discussed everything ranging from what brought her to SAS, as well as what the company is doing to stay innovative and secure. After lunch I went back to the supply depot to spend some time with Jonathan Smith and his team, where I saw where the broken equipment was refurbished and shipped back out into rotation. Additionally, I inspected the configuration of conference rooms, tested of of the technology they are attempting to deploy throughout the campus, and met the man who programmed/controlled BB-8 for the Last Jedi red carpet premiere. I ended the day with Will Phillips, who took me to the facilities that allow SAS to function on a day to day basis. I visited the servers, affectionately referred to as Server Farms 1 and 2. There, I was able to witness their heating and cooling system designed to get the best possible performance from their hardware. Mr. Phillips took me to the “chillers”, machines that miraculously get air to flow from cold to hot instead of the usual hot to cold. Lastly, I examined the charts of SAS’s energy efficiency, such as the RTI of their air flow and brainstormed ways to make the system more effective to make it more cost efficient and environmentally friendly.
Dr. Goodnight’s extensive Geode collection
R Building’s cafeteria
The executive conference room at C Building
The supply depot