Every year, summer winds down and the CNE marks the imminent start of the new school year. Since 2002, the THRILL Lab has spent time during the CNE construction week observing and learning. Some years, we have one or more studies on the go, other times, we are collecting ideas for future studies or designs. We meet new people and reconnect with people we know who have been so generous sharing their expertise. Increasingly, the CNE construction week has been an extracurricular “course” in amusement design and technology. This year, 11 students will participate in parts of the week.
Continue reading “Happy New Year”Author: Kathryn Woodcock
Dr. Kathryn Woodcock is Professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, teaching, researching, and consulting in the area of human factors engineering / ergonomics particularly applied to amusement rides and attractions (https://thrilllab.blog.torontomu.ca), and to broader occupational and public safety issues of performance, error, investigation and inspection, and to disability and accessibility.
2014 May Visit with Rob
During a little post-exams strategic retreat this Spring, I had the chance to visit and catch a few mid-day rides at Universal Islands of Adventure with alumnus Rob Kipping. Rob is a 2013 Ryerson Computer Engineering grad (participant in THRILL Lab CNE field trip 2012) now working as a ride integration engineer, designing and developing industrial electronics used in major theme park attractions, both as a subcontractor for major theme parks and supplier of turnkey attractions for smaller parks. After a busy year based in Orlando, he’s headed for Asia for his next project.
Coming attractions: CNE 2014
The Lab and the Club are looking forward to putting on our hard hats, safety shoes and high-visibility vests and heading to the construction zone at Exhibition Place for the THRILL Lab’s annual experiential learning highlight behind the scenes at the Canadian National Exhibition. During the construction of the fair, students meet operators of the show, North American Midway Entertainment, the CNE, many widely respected consultants, and certified amusement device inspectors from the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA), a not-for-profit organization that regulates technology relevant to public safety, including amusement devices, throughout Ontario, and the Electrical Safety Authority, their electrical inspection and regulation counterparts.
Continue reading “Coming attractions: CNE 2014”Industry week, 2014
Reading Week, Winter 2014, Ryerson Thrill Club members followed up the ASTM Committee F24 meetings in Ft. Lauderdale with a road trip to Orlando. Generous industry supporters arranged valuable behind-the-scenes tours and career-relevant tips. We’re so grateful for the commitment to the next generation!
[Photo thanks to John Riggleman.]
Thank you, NSERC
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) administers a highly coveted Discovery Grant program to provide basic funding to successful researchers. We’re thrilled to receive funding for 2014-2019 to keep the THRILL fires burning. Full operation of the lab requires supplementary and complementary funding through scholarships directly to students, industry contracts, subsidies, gifts in kind, and internal university sources, but without NSERC’s valuable support, it would be difficult to maintain the lab. Thank you, NSERC!
Welcome to the THRILL Lab
The lab activities and collaborations between the THRILL Lab and the Ryerson Thrill Club will be profiled in these pages. Come back to see us again!