#which. has a massive garage. a fully equipped lab.

[the-faultofdaedalus]

reading 2012!avengers fics with coulson in them (or really like. any main mcu fic with coulson in it) is now always so unintentionally funny post-aos consumption because like

This Is Not The Same Man

[starscreamwastaken]

Research Partners. Ch. 1

This is kind of lame, it is three in the morning and this is what happens when I get ideas. First chapter of  fic I will post to AO3 later, but don’t feel like it right now. 

Genre: Romance, kind of. Humor, with probably a dash of drama later. (This is just the first chapter, and it’s barely edited. Stay turned for more.)

Pairings: Starscream/Skyfire

Summary: Starscream’s budding relationship with Skyfire through their time together as research partners at the Academy of Science and Technology. 

Note: This takes place waaaaay before everything, so Starscream is pretty young in this. Also, I always liked the idea of the major cities and city-states all having their own language, so anything in italics is Vosnian. 

Starscream was escorted to the lab where he would be working. The hallways were wide, and, for the most part, empty. He received stares from the occasional passerby. To those he replied with a scowl. Starscream kept his eyes forward, and his head somewhat high. He wanted to display a confidence on top of his seemingly negative attitude.

Starscream was fairly cynical, true, but he was a scientist at spark. This was what he wanted. He was curious by nature, despite his tendency to be slightly untrusting towards other sparks. It was not so severe, but Starscream had et to find anyone he trusted fully. He was a Vosnian seeker among Iacon science students. The likelihood of them accepting his kind was slim. The Academy of Science and Technology didn’t hold many transfer students, considering the hostility between the city-states. There were many reasons for the students to dislike the seeker. He was not one of them, he was from an “enemy” state, he was a flyer, he was intelligent, and he was pretty. Being pretty, though, was more likely to get him hit on. That was another thing he was not at all looking forward to.

The Academy was for learning. Starscream was there to complete his studies and do research. He was going to explore the galaxy and help solve the impending energy crisis. He was going to see new species and new planets. He wanted to study new stars and come up with a renewable source of energon. He was going to produce new energon, unlike anything anyone has ever seen.

That was his goal. That was why he worked so hard in Vos, so he could be here, the Iacon Academy of Science. The best research and education facility Cybertron had. The most prestigious school a Cybertronian could attend. It was not an easy place to get into. Starscream would not allow himself to be distracted.

The bot escorting the new student stopped in front of their destination, “This is where you’ll be working,” he said, gesturing the door. Starscream had to pay careful attention to what the other bot was saying. The Seeker was still trying to learn the language of Iacon, so he sometimes had a hard time keeping up. He was a fast learner, though, so he assumed learning the Iacon language would not take him too long. He understood it better than he could actually speak it, so he tended to stay away from conversation, “Okay,” he said, just a bit of an accent slipping through.

“Your partner should be here already. If he’s not just sit tight, when he gets back he’ll catch you up on the project,” the fellow student opened the door to let Starscream in. Starscream wasn’t sure what the students name was. It was something vehical-like, Wheel-- something or another. Whoever he was he seemed nice. A bit odd and a bit off, but harmless enough.

“If you need anything, I’ll be around. Just call for Wheeljack.”

Wheeljack, that was it. That was the guy’s name. Starscream was glad he said it.

Starscream gave a light smile, “Thank you,” he said quietly.

Wheeljack pointed to him with a finger gun, “Any time,” he said, “and good luck,” a second later he was gone, leaving Starscream alone in the lab.

Starscream looked around. He could not help but notice how large everything was. This lab was huge, by comparison to many of the other labs Starscream had seen upon his first tour of the academy. It was similar to a hangar. There were a few tables, and everything anyone would need to conduct endless experiments, but there was also a large door to the outside. The ceilings were high, and the space was well lit, but more garage like than lab.

Starscream began to wonder who his partner was.

It didn’t take long for him to find out.

A small ruckus came from the hallways, drawing Starscream from his thoughts. A calm voice apologized to someone from behind the door. A few seconds later the door opened, revealing only about three fourths of a figure. The bot leaned down and maneuvered himself through the doorway, careful not to drop whatever it was he was holding. The massive figure struggled to get through the door, but he did eventually make it.

Starscream found himself wide eyed at the enormous shuttle frame that now stood before him. Starscream was so distracted by the mere size of the bot, he nearly forgot that this  person was most likely his partner.

The red and white bot passed right by the seeker to place the things in his arms on the table. As soon as they were down he turned to the newcomer, “You must be Starscream!” he said happily, approaching the red bot. He put out his hand, which Starscream took.

“I’m Skyfire,” the larger introduced himself, “Welcome to my lab.”

Starscream was almost surprised to see such a genuine smile emerge from the bot before him. Starscream was generally met with smirks and suggestive gazes. To have someone greet him so pleasantly almost felt strange.

“Starscream,” Starscream greeted, “But---” he had a hard time finding the right words in Iaconian, “You seem to, this-- know this already.”

Skyfire seemed to pause for a second. His eyes widened just slightly with thought, “I’m sorry, I forgot you were from Vos. If you ever need  any assistance with you Iaconian, I would be happy to help.”

Starscream was taken aback for a moment. Since when did anyone from Iacon take the time to learn Vosnian? To say it was surprising would be almost an understatement.

“Thank you,” started Starscream, feeling slightly more comfortable using his own language, “I may take you up on that.”

Skyfire smiled again, “we can speak Vosnian in the lab, if you prefer. If you feel more comfortable. I understand that being thrown in such a drastically different place can take a bit  of adjusting. This is your first day, am I correct?”

Starscream gave a slight nod, now finding himself in a smile, “My first day in the lab, yes. Speaking of which, I am still wondering what it is you’re researching.”

“Oh, of course,” Skyfire started, leading Starscream to the equipment. The shuttle began to explain what it was they would be doing.

Throughout the explanation Starscream kept his guard up, like he always did. Something about the setting made him feel just the slightest bit more relaxed, however. His research partner seemed trustworthy enough for now.

Thought Starscream did not like trying to predict the future, he could not help but think that this would be a beautiful partnership.

[alissaselezneva]

Innovative Design Tech High School Opens Its Home on Oracle Campus

Three years, one hallway, and two makeshift buildings later, the students, faculty, and staff of Design Tech High School, or d.tech, now have a permanent home. And what a home: a purpose-built facility on the Oracle headquarters campus in Redwood Shores, California, designed and outfitted to foster the school’s innovative approach to learning and exploration.

Nestled between Oracle’s iconic blue towers and an inlet of San Francisco Bay, the new, 64,000-square-foot d.tech facility officially opened on January 9 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony led by Oracle CEO Safra Catz, who, as chair of the board of directors of the Oracle Education Foundation, championed the new building.

“I cannot tell you how proud I am right now,” an emotional Catz told the assembled crowd, an eclectic gathering of students, parents, and Oracle employees.

“This is a massive and important collaboration,” Catz said, nodding at the gleaming $43 million facility, which would open moments later to 550 students and 40 staff embarking on a new semester.

Related: These Tech-Savvy Students Are Teaching Silicon Valley a Few Things

The state-of-the-art, LEED-certified building opens midway through the school’s fourth year of itinerant existence. School seniors have journeyed from a single hallway in the local Mills High School to a San Mateo County Office of Education building that was once an auto body shop. The school’s impressive new home, Catz said, “is a testament to the resources, the ideas, the willingness, the excitement that we all bring to this amazing endeavor.”

Ken Montgomery, d.tech’s executive director, agreed: “It’s thanks to the relentless work of so many…that we’re ready to unwrap this amazing gift.”

Built For Design Thinking…and Doing

The building itself is a reflection of the charter school’s curriculum, which embraces design thinking and project-oriented teamwork.

To that end, the school’s interior and furnishings are designed to let students and educators rearrange classrooms for the activity at hand. The building also features acoustically differentiated spaces, some where students can have absolute quiet, others where they’re encouraged to speak up.

The heart of the school, a model for developing the creative and technical talent of the future, is a two-story maker space and fabrication lab. Called the Design Realization Garage (DRG), it’s an homage to the many Silicon Valley companies started in garages and to the industrial space that d.tech has occupied since 2015.

The DRG includes a ground floor of classic shop equipment, including workbenches, vices, band saws, sewing machines, and laser cutters, and a second floor for digital prototyping, including computers, 3D printers, and electronics. A large elevator connects the two, so that projects can move freely between phases of production.

The school’s goal is for every student to make use of the DRG for his or her own creative purposes. For example, one student used laser cutters to create geometric visual aids to help answer a complex question in geometry class. Another made a quilt with panels representing historical events.

A Break for Intersession

Any high school-age student who lives in California can apply to d.tech, which adheres to the same set of curriculum standards as every other public high school in the state.

In addition to its core classes, d.tech’s calendar is built around four “intersessions,” during which “students hit pause on their regular coursework for two weeks to explore subjects about which they are curious or passionate,” explained Colleen Cassity, executive director of the Oracle Education Foundation and the Oracle Giving and Oracle Volunteers programs.

During intersessions, students explore a wide range of subjects taught by nonprofits, large and small businesses, and other local professionals. “That’s one of the coolest things about d.tech: it invites the local community into students’ educational experiences,” Cassity says. “Students learn technology from Oracle employees, financial literacy from employees at major financial services firms, and culinary skills from the likes of The Boneyard and Bon Appétit Management Co.”

For example, Oracle Education Foundation staffers and the Oracle Volunteers who coach Education Foundation classes, help students design, build, code, and test prototypes of wearable technologies, IoT solutions, 3D designs, games, and more. “These classes immerse students in design thinking,” Cassity says. “That’s one of the main things that brought the Oracle Education Foundation and d.tech together in the first place—we’re all design thinkers.”

So far, she said, 132 volunteers at Oracle have donated more than 6,400 hours of their time to the school.

Aside from providing facilities and volunteer opportunities for its employees, Oracle has no say in the school’s curriculum or staffing.

Oracle employees recently received emails detailing how parking, student pick-up and drop-off, and shared facilities will work. School staff will have access to Oracle cafes and the Oracle gym, just as Oracle employees do, meaning these public school teachers will enjoy the same amenities as technology professionals, which is bound to help d.tech attract and retain top talent. Students will be allowed to visit cafes only when escorted by d.tech staff or Oracle employees. Only the basketball court at the Oracle gym will be available to students for d.tech basketball teams’ practices and home games. Oracle employees will be allowed to visit the d.tech building only for approved activities, such as volunteering.

A Long Road

Two d.tech students also spoke at the ceremony.

Senior Nick Hom discussed how the intersession program has changed his perspective on what students can accomplish, “I’m not talking about your typical science fair project volcano,” he said, “I’m talking about fully functional, fully tested projects that are ready for a final prototype, one of which is even undergoing a patent process.”  

Added senior Jadene Auerbach: “We’ve come so far from our home in that hallway at Mills…and then to an auto body shop on Rollins Road,” she said. “I don’t regret a moment of it.”

Montgomery, the d.tech executive director, looked to the road ahead: “We have this amazing opportunity because of Safra’s vision and her philosophy of doing the good that’s in front of you. I want people who enter this building to do the good that is in front of them. This is going to be a place where people accomplish things that seem beyond their reach. This building is physical proof and a daily reminder of that possibility and that reality.”

Jeff Erickson is editor-at-large for Oracle.

https://blogs.oracle.com/innovative-design-tech-high-school-opens-its-home-on-oracle-campus

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