True to their technological background, this reunion had 2007 MSc Informatics alumni attending both physically and virtually. Image Though the class of 2007 had met several times in London, this was their first reunion in Edinburgh since graduation. There had been a lot of discussion on social media to revisit the University and it was finally decided to organise a reunion. Over the four-day reunion, a total eight people that attended with alumni hailing from Europe and Asia. As previous Informatics students, they demonstrated their technological prowess by hosting a live connection to the reunion via Google Hangouts for those who couldn’t physically attend. So strange walking around – everything was so familiar, doesn’t feel like it was ten years ago that we started our degrees. Great to revisit old haunts and see the small (and big changes) Image Reminiscing in the rain The smaller group enabled the alumni to make the most of catching up with each other and experiencing Edinburgh again. This included visiting favourite old haunts on campus and around the city, as well as hearing about life in the School of Informatics today. After a coffee and a visit to Scotmid and Tesco Metro around the corner from Appleton Tower (as they often frequented there for snack supplies) they started with a dinner in the new Mosque Kitchen, which tasted and cost the same after 10 years! The next day began with a tour of the Informatics Forum, organised by the University of Edinburgh alumni team, and hosted by Dr Michael Rovatsos and Professor Douglas Armstrong from the School of Informatics. Image Following the tour, over refreshments in the Turing Room, the group discussed academic life with Dr Rovatsos and Professor Armstrong, and compared their experiences with today's students. The day was rounded off with drinks at Teviot Row House, a stroll around Potterow and braving the rain to sneak into Forrest Hill labs to reminisce about the days where they struggled with the DICE machine printing instructions. The group then headed back to their rented accommodation to enable a virtual reunion via Google hangout with fellow alumni who couldn’t make it from England, Germany, and Canada, before enjoying a stunning sunset from Calton Hill and the fiery festivities of the Beltane fire festival. The best part of the weekend was seeing everyone again after almost 10 years, even though it felt like it was only yesterday that we were all started our degrees as bright eyed and bushy tailed Informatics students. Such great heights Image Most of the class of 2007 resides in either the UK or Germany, with others taking up opportunities in the US, Canada and as far as New Zealand. Everyone has moved into informatics related research and development roles within academia, the Metropolitan Police and even the European Space Agency. They keep contact with each other through social media and can envisage the day where the advances with virtual reality headsets and augmented reality means that they can all meet up in a virtual University of Edinburgh campus! Related links The School of Informatics Reunions at Edinburgh This article was published on 2024-10-28
