Author: Sabine Joseph

Sabine Joseph is an assistant at GEOSET Studio in Dirac. Before joining FSU Libraries, she worked for FSU’s undergraduate literary magazine, The Kudzu Review, as its Social Media Manager. Sabine has a background in print and digital journalism, and received her Bachelors of Arts in Creative Writing from FSU in 2022.

NEW Media Suite at Dirac: A Creation Space for All

Tired of recording videos for class with your grainy laptop camera? Wish you had a better setup for your podcast? Good news! A new space is coming to Florida State University (FSU) that will allow you to work on videos, podcasts, and more. This space, called The Media Suite at Dirac, will have everything you need to record and edit audio and video, including a green screen and an editing computer with two large 4k monitors. The suite is located on the third floor of Dirac and is currently available for booking. 

Why Create a Media Suite?

FSU Libraries is proud to introduce The Media Suite at Dirac because it satisfies a need that all members of the FSU community share: creating outstanding digital media.

The world is becoming more digital by the day, which we saw clearly at the start of the pandemic. Suddenly, everything from classes to court cases were online, and people had to quickly learn how to communicate effectively through digital media. This shift is not going away any time soon. More and more, job interviews, team meetings, conferences, and other important events are moving online. It’s even predicted that by 2025, 36.2 million Americans will be working remotely, which is a 417% increase from the 7 million remote workers there were pre-pandemic (Flynn, 2022). Given this trend, it’s vital that we all learn how to navigate the digital landscape effectively.

The Media Suite can help FSU students, staff, and faculty practice and perfect their digital communication skills by providing them with the space and tools necessary to create any digital media projects they can imagine.

What Can I Use It For?

The Media Suite can be used for a variety of personal and professional projects. Want to make a short film for your YouTube channel? The suite has lighting, microphones, and a green screen that will bring your vision to life. When you finish filming, you can edit on two 4k monitors powered by a Mac Studio computer. You can record voice-over and edit audio using the headphones, microphones, and mixing board in the suite, which is equipped with audio absorption panels to make your audio crisp and clear. 

Not interested in making your directorial debut? No worries. There is much more you can do in the suite. For instance, you might record yourself giving a presentation or invite friends to start a podcast. The suite is equipped with everything you need to make incredible media projects. But, if you find yourself lacking something, you can check out other materials from the library, including a DSLR camera. Use the equipment search page on the library website to check which materials are available.

How Can I Get In On This?

Eager to get started on your projects? Luckily, utilizing the suite is easy. Anyone at FSU is welcome to use it completely free of charge. All you have to do is reserve the space through the Library Room Reservation System. When it’s your time to use the suite, head to the front desk at Dirac Science Library and request the key from a staff member. 

For more information on The Media Suite at Dirac, visit the suite’s page on the GEOSET website. If you have any questions, reach out to a staff member at the circulation desk or contact GEOSET Studio. 

Reference

Flynn, J. (2022, October 16). 25 trending remote work statistics [2023]: Facts, trends, and projections. Zippia. Retrieved November 16, 2022, from https://www.zippia.com/advice/remote-work-statistics/

Meet GEOSET Studio

The GEOSET Initiative at Florida State University (FSU) is the original branch of a global initiative focused on the advancement of scholarly communications in science, engineering, and technology. Located in Dirac 207, GEOSET specializes in providing media services to the entire FSU community. 

How It Started

GEOSET—which stands for Global Educational Outreach in Science, Engineering, and Technology—was founded by Sir Harold Kroto in 2006 with the assistance of Dr. Colin Byfleet and Dr. Steve Acquah. The main goal of the initiative was to pave the way for researchers all over the globe to easily create and distribute informational, scientifically accurate content.

Sir Harold Kroto and his wife, Margaret.

Sir Kroto figured the best way to get videos from the scientific community out into the world was to develop a fast, cost-effective way to put science videos online in one place. Back in 2006 when GEOSET was founded, YouTube was only a year old. A student couldn’t easily find videos of scientific lectures or fun, at-home experiments as easily as we can today. But Sir Kroto knew that wouldn’t always be the case. He had a concept he called the “GooYouWiki-World,” the idea that the internet—especially websites like Google, YouTube, and Wikipedia—were going to revolutionize how the world shares information and education content.

Knowing that we were moving quickly into this GooYouWiki-World, Sir Kroto founded GEOSET. The original GEOSET website became a place where researchers could share their passion and knowledge by uploading recorded lectures and lessons through a system hosted locally at their own university. GEOSET was not only for established researchers, however. Eager undergraduate and graduate students began sharing their scientific research activities on the website, widening the range of content offered and sparking the creation of a small recording studio in the Dittmer building here at FSU.

Sir Kroto shared his passion for educational outreach worldwide, inspiring many universities and educational organizations to join the GEOSET initiative. At one point, universities and researchers all over the world were contributing content to the site, from universities in the United Kingdom to Toyo University in Japan.

Learn more about GEOSET’s history from Studio Manager Kyle Wilson in his episode of Nole Edge, the College of Arts and Sciences podcast.

How It’s Going 

GEOSET is still actively advancing scientific communications at Florida State University today. Activity is focused in the main GEOSET Studio, located in Dirac Science Library. The Studio was opened by Sir Kroto, Dr. Byfleet, and Dr. Acquah in 2012. While the library studio is not the first of its kind at FSU, the opening was an exciting moment as the new studio would be a more accessible place for people to make GEOSET-style content for free. It was such a big deal that Bill Nye came to celebrate the opening!

The Sept. 16, 2014 opening of GEOSET Studio. Pictured left to right: Assistant Director Christina Amrhein, founder Sir Harold Kroto , honored guest Bill Nye, and Director Steve Acquah.

Providing the opportunity for presenters from all levels of academia to share their expertise and enthusiasm to a global audience has always been a major part of the GEOSET initiative. The studio continues this mission by providing FSU faculty and staff with the space and tools necessary to produce educational content for a wide audience. 

GEOSET has recently expanded our team to further this purpose. With backgrounds in audio and video production, journalism, and universal design, we are fully equipped to assist in any project that helps advance academic communications, whether that be a video series, podcast, or other form of media. Our team here at FSU, along with partners throughout the world, are working to keep Sir Kroto’s vision alive.

How We Serve You

Ever wanted to start a podcast after realizing you could go on for hours about your research? Ever thought about a short video series explaining key concepts of your field? Or maybe outreach videos to include in your grant? GEOSET can help! All you need to do is visit our website and submit a project request. A team member will then reach out to schedule a consultation with you. During the consultation, we’ll get an idea of how we can help based on your time frame and preexisting skills. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or someone who’s never plugged in a microphone, we’ll help you come up with the best plan to complete your project. We can help revise your content, offer use of our professional studio and equipment, and assist with editing.

While the studio primarily serves faculty and graduate researchers, everyone at FSU is welcome and encouraged to reach out to us for help with their digital media projects. However, we also know that not everyone needs our resources to make fun educational videos or talk about their research. That’s why GEOSET is in the process of developing a space for everyone at FSU to use freely. Need a green screen for your short film or a quiet space to record your class presentation? This space is for you! The Media Suite at Dirac, coming this Spring, will allow anyone at FSU to create incredible audio and visual content with professional equipment. The best part is that you will be able to book the suite online like any other library space, giving you maximum flexibility to record and edit without having to go through the booking and consultation process required to use the main GEOSET Studio.

How You Can Keep In Touch

For updates on the upcoming Media Suite, follow FSU Libraries on this blog and other social media outlets. If you have any questions or are in need of project help, please visit FSU’s GEOSET Studio website. You may also feel free to visit us in Dirac 207, located just to the right of the circulation desk on the main floor. We’ll be glad to give you a tour or assist you any way we can!

This blog post was written by Sabine Joseph, GEOSET Studio Assistant at Dirac Science Library.