Have you ever wanted to step into the shoes of a Disney Imagineer to explore how they use science and technology to bring stories to life at Disney Parks?
One of the many workshops offered through Disney Imagination Campus teaches the Physics of Disney Parks, where Guest Talent Coordinators like Conner get to take student groups behind the scenes of iconic attractions at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Conner helps students to uncover how science, physics and technology come together to make storytelling even better and forever memorable for our guests around the world.
Using physics concepts taught in the classroom, Conner shows students how Disney Imagineers use gravity, friction, inertia and Newton’s Laws of Motion to create sensations of weightlessness on The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and the launching and braking technology on Slinky Dog Dash.
Conner’s story with Disney Imagination Campus began when he was still a student in high school. Coming from Waldron, Indiana, he traveled with his school choir and band to perform at Walt Disney World Resort. By the end of his trip, he found himself saying, “This would be such a cool place to work. Someone has to work here, why can’t it be me?”
“My trips to Walt Disney World Resort in high school had a significant impact on me. I was fascinated by the scope of the place. Cast members show up every day to make all of this happen and I had to be a part of that,” Conner said.
Today, in Conner’s role as a guest talent coordinator, he works with students from all over the world to inspire the next generation of storytellers. He not only teaches the Physics of Disney Parks workshop, but he also gets the full-circle moment of hosting other high school choirs and bands who come to perform at Walt Disney World Resort as part of Disney Imagination Campus.
“The greatest part about actually teaching and hosting the classes is knowing there may be a student like me there. You never know who you are going to inspire. My life and career are proof that what we do matters and makes a difference,” Conner said.
Teachers and student groups can step into the Physics of Disney Parks workshop, discover how Disney Imagineers innovate using physics and the latest technology to tell immersive stories – and can transform Walt Disney World Resort into your classroom!
Interested in learning more about Disney Imagination Campus? Check out all of our workshops to see how we inspire imagination-powered learning.