The Visualization students from Texas A&M University recently returned from our first trip abroad to the Netherlands. The group spent a day and a half in Amsterdam, where we soaked in as much of the city as possible in such a short time. Our explorations started off with a boat cruise through the historic canals, followed by an unforgettable visit to the Anne Frank House. The group then enjoyed a traditional homestyle Dutch ricedish dinner at the delightfully cozy Moeder’s restaurant.
The next morning, students visited Lemonade Animation, a Dutch animation studio. Avinash and Daniel, both 3D artists, gave us a tour of the studio’s fun facilities (complete with toy collection and pool table). They showed some of their impressive work and spent time answering questions about working in the industry. Thanks for yourvaluable advice, guys! Next, students got up close and personal with the rich history of the Dutch art masters at both the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum.
Before we knew it, it was time to get back on the bus to depart for Noordwijk. This small Dutch seaside town was the site of our first studio workshop with professor Markus Pasing. The students’ assignment was to construct a “Beachrunner” machine that would move across the beach with the power of the wind. We arrived to our hostel in the evening and trekked out to the beach after dinner. To some dismay there was very little breeze, but the stars were quite beautiful! We walked back to the hostel and the students spent the evening finishing up construction on their projects.
The next morning, after enjoying our Dutch breakfast complete with chocolate sprinkles for our toast, students made final tweaks to their machines and we hiked out to the beach once more. The sun shone brightly, and to everyone’s relief the wind had picked up considerably. The group lined up and released their Beachrunner machines one-by-one. Students chose a variety of propulsion designs for their machines, from pinwheels to large wings to balloons. Most of the Beachrunners were quite effective; more than one student was sent sprinting down the beach to catch their machine as it sped off! The workshop was deemed a huge success, and Markus awarded prizes to the best of the machines. We ended our day at the beach with dinner at a restaurant specializing in pfannkuchen, enormous Dutch pancakes. It was a delicious end to a great trip abroad!
