Dear 2116, this time capsule is for you
Monday, June 5 marks a day going down in history as we bury a time capsule to be opened in 100 years — Oct. 16, 2116.
The SAIT-made time capsule is full of items representing our centennial year including items from our Prime Minister, esteemed mayor, SAIT president and some predictions from you about what the world will look like in a century.
What it's like to go down in history
Cathy Downey, Centennial Director at SAIT, says the event will be full of surprises. "Look at how far SAIT has come in its 100 years, imagine what it will look like when they open this time capsule 100 years from now."
Cathy described the official presentation to be full of pomp and circumstance and invites everyone in the SAIT community and general public to watch as the time capsule is interred. SAIT alumna and Global News Anchor, Linda Olsen, will host the celebration on the south steps of Heritage Hall on Monday, June 5 from 11 to 11:30 am.
Your contributions will fly to the future
We turned to social media — a trend that very much represents this moment in time — to make predictions about what will be happening here at SAIT, in our city and beyond in 2116.
We asked what should be placed in the time capsule, and had thoughtful and funny answers ranging from cell phones to campus blueprints and DVD's that our future SAIT community may not even have the ancient technology to view.
A custom capsule for the century ahead
When building something designed to last underground for 100 years, no detail can be spared. This capsule took more than 60 hours to create and used 24 square feet of 20 gauge stainless steel on the main body of the sleeve.
The Centennial Time Capsule Committee is a collaboration between the School of Manufacturing and Automation, School of Construction, Facilities Management and the SAIT centennial project team. Together, they have been thinking through the obstacles such as if we included a cell phone, the battery would need to be stored somewhere else to avoid corroding the rest of the content.
They knew that designing it to stay bolted closed for 100 years means our future SAIT staff will need instructions on how to open it — but not without a treasure hunt, of course.
See the time capsule for yourself on display at the Reg Erhardt Library until Wednesday, May 31.
Unveilings above ground
On the same day at 1:30 pm, SAIT will finally reveal the centennial sculpture — a permanent, outdoor installation by alumnus and metal artist Michael Perks (Millwright '06) — located in the center of the 12 St. traffic circle.