Hello from Rochester! My name is Solomon Thompson, and I am currently interning at Mayo’s Biomedical Imaging Resource Core. The focus of my internship is developing software for the Core’s main biomedical imaging software called Analyze. It was a bit of a slow process in the beginning, but now with a few weeks under my belt, I have plenty to do and plenty to learn.
One of the things that I knew I needed to figure out when starting the semester was finding my way to work. I knew ROTH (the apartment building all Rochester Semester students live in) was about 20 minutes walking distance from the lab, but that meant I would have to walk through heavy rain or freezing cold some days. Luckily, I was introduced to Mayo’s tunnel system on the first day of the internship.
Underneath Mayo’s main campus, there are tunnels that connect that run through all the buildings on campus. It has come in handy during those days when the weather is less enjoyable. The tunnels aren’t all just straight hallways with bright linoleum lights and glossy tile floors, throughout the system there is a lot of art hanging up to look at as you’re passing through as well as advertisements for various businesses around Rochester. Right outside of Mayo’s campus, there are also many shops and restaurants like Caribou Coffee and Quiznos.
To get down to Mayo’s tunnels is many blocks from ROTH, but is still accessible by skyway. The nearest skyway to ROTH is in the civic center, which is about three blocks away. The skyways can be accessed by anyone, and like the tunnels underground they provide access to many restaurants and shops along the way, as well as creative art to look at. Another benefit to taking the skyways is the nice views of the downtown. The skyways lead directly to the tunnel system via the escalator, which is always fun to ride up and down (as long as it’s not broken).
Overall, these systems are very useful in Rochester and will definitely be helpful for avoiding rain and cold weather. While walking in the skyways and tunnels, you see a lot of people from various ages and backgrounds coming to and from Mayo. It’s so interesting to see the energy that drives and surrounds the city from all the people, and it reminds me that I’m very lucky to be a part of an organization that does so much good for so many people.