I think that the event was different from what I was expecting. It certainly didn’t start off great, it never feels good to have to travel across New York City when its raining (and no food provided .-.). However when I got there, it wasn’t that bad. The first thing I noticed when the groups started presenting to each other, was how different this project was between different classes. Some of the groups were more of a historical research presentation where they discussed existing projects and issues with it, rather than proposing a new one. While other groups were more similar to ours where they were proposing new ideas.
Ultimately I was happy with the outcome of the event and our presentation. One, I got to learn about some cool things that NYC is already doing, and new technology to look forward to. Two, our presentation went pretty well. Other than the fact that our presentation ended at 10 minutes on the dot, our project also initiated a big response from our audience. And it made us realize that our project is something that greatly effects many New Yorkers and is something we need to be considering. The questions weren’t trying to find holes in our proposal, but a few students brought up really interesting arguments that we had not considered before. Overall it was a cool experience and felt more like a conversation within a classroom rather than a conference.
Nice observation. Happy you found it valuable.