James Styron

Name: James Styron

Project: Venue Audio Analysis

School: Missouri State University

Major: Electronic Arts: Audio Studies

My project has been to analyze the current state of audio visual systems in venues that the Central Audio Visual Branch controls in all of the Smithsonian buildings in DC. In the past year, the Smithsonian purchased new technology for these venues. Part of my project has been to aid in the installation process. In addition to this, I have been gathering information about each venue and creating a database of all the spaces the Central AV Branch is responsible for. This database will be available on the new Smithsonian AV website and will assist clients in booking a venue that best fits the needs of their event.

In working on this project, I’ve gained an incredible amount of hands on experience and technical knowledge by working with a vast array of AV systems, ranging in age from nearly historic to state of the art. I’ve also gained a great respect for government employees, insight into just how much it takes to keep an institution like the Smithsonian up and running, and a drastically improved work ethic.

My project is going to be beneficial to the Smithsonian for many years to come. The new equipment being installed in our venues is going to dramatically improve the quality of events produced at the Smithsonian, as well as the availability of these events to people outside the Institution through live streaming and webcasting services. The catalogue of venues that I’m working to create will also greatly increase the efficiency of the event booking process, both for our department and for the client.