Robotic Facility Kickoff

You may recall that we had an event to celebrate the opening of the first half of our lab. Now that the renovation is almost over (only missing few furnitures), we decided to have a more official kickoff. The idea was to say "Thank You" to all the people who helped us build this lab out of nothing.

The last week, Ayelet, Assaf and Avital (also known as "AAA Robotics") worked hard on setting up a demo of the capabilities of the robotic facility. The last two days, I recruited Tommy (who is still waiting for his J1 visa renewal) to help make a movie of this demo. Tommy turned out to to be a capable photographer and has the option of alternative career in the movie business. 

Yesterday afternoon, Naomi and I went to buy cheese, cherry tomatos and strawberries for the event. As usual, the selection of cheeses at our favorite fromagerie was tough, but we managed to negotiate it. This morning, Ayelet bought fresh bread from our favorite baker. We set up tables in the corridor leading to our lab, with sparkling wine, bread, cheese, and red tomatos and strawberries.

Since all the rooms are already in use, we had the event in the small meeting room/kitchen next to our lab. This meant very select company (we had space for 24 chairs). It was very emotional as it was a chance to thank so many people at once.

Moments before the 9:00am, we did a quick test of the demo, and Ayelet decided we needed another plate with YPD (media), so I rushed to do the job.

During the event I gave a short talk about the science we do, and then had a movie about the robot. 

We then moved to the corridor and had a toast. Sadly, the University President had to rush out before the toast. 

We then had real-life tours of the facility while other used the opportunity to chit-chat and catch up. Sometime even serious scientific discussions.

Photography at the event was courtesy of Roy.