This past Wednesday, ACM chapter members were invited to the Cesium headquarters in Philadelphia. Cesium treated the club to snacks, a tour, and several presentations on what it looked like working in the company. 

Cesium is a software company based in Philadelphia. They’ve designed an open source uniform file type– the 3D Tile– to make 3D models that can be used across a large variety of software. 3D data in nearly any file type can be converted to their file type, where it then can be used in game engines, virtual reality, and other types of simulations. Corporations around the world use Cesium’s technology, with frequent collaborations with the likes of Google Earth and Unity. More specifically, Cesium works with Japanese construction company EARTHBRAIN, with a recent showcase at Asia’s largest construction expo, CSPI. 

ACM arrived at Cesium headquarters around 9:30 am, where they were treated first to snacks, and then an office tour, led by operations member and Rowan alumni Brad Shilling. Several areas of intrigue included a gym, a green room with real plants, pod casting booth,demo area and a retro gaming area. 

Students were then treated to several presentations by Cesium members, including presentations on how Cesium GS with game development engines, how working with their Cesium ION interface was like, and how they worked with 3D Tiles in a VR setting. Presenters also covered what it was like working with outside companies like Google Earth and EARTHBRAIN, and the field trip was rounded off with a presentation on tech writing and marketing for the company.

Students got to talk one on one with several of the employees at Cesium, and the floor was always open for questions. 

“It was a huge success, I was pretty thrilled,” says ACM president Anthony Marinelli. “It was exciting. The trip’s something I’ve been trying to get going for about a month now, so it was good to get there and go like, ‘Wow it all worked.’”

“The trip was awesome. It gave the students the experience to see what it’s like at a Silicon Valley-like company,” says Professor Richard Rabbitz, one of the advisors at ACM. “Their environment is unique in which they put the employee first, with all types of amenities to help work life balance.”

The trip was a massive success. The members of ACM express their sincere thanks towards Cesium for inviting them to visit. The ACM e-board hopes to plan similar trips in the future. 

Written by Kiley Parker | Posted 10.06.23