Nathan King Becomes the Center Director of the Telos Discovery Space Center. Dr. Ryan Anderson Retires to Relocate. Imaginarium Theater

 

Nathan King Receives the Hyperion's Microphone from Ryan Anderson

     

     Dr. Ryan Anderson is retiring as director of the Telos Discovery Space Center at Telos Academy in Orem.  Honoring a long tradition in the Space EdVentures diaspora, he made the retirement official by performing the "Changing of the Microphone" ceremony where he passed the Hyperion's microphone to Nathan King, his chosen successor.  

     Dr. Anderson will be leaving Telos to take a new position outside of Utah.  As a community of space education centers, we wish Ryan the very best as he and his family embark on a new adventure. 

     Ryan leaves behind a space center he founded and put his heart and soul into, the Telos Discovery Space Center. The Telos center was unique in the fact that Ryan and his team pioneered the use of simulator based education to provide clinical treatment to the students of Telos U.  Telos U helps boys dealing with depression, anxiety, substance abuse, addictions, social problems, and learning differences. The staff use clinical therapies coupled with the power of healing relationships to promote deep lasting change. The school's aim is to help teens lead principled-centered lives characterized by insightful choices.  

     Ryan wrote the following to describe his Center's unique approach,

Since we tend to work mostly with young adults in our LDM program, we have been continuing to find ways to add a variety of layers to our missions to help keep everyone meaningfully engaged, rather than just busy. As a part of that, we have really been expanding our use of auxiliary timelines which allows us to have specific side stories running that are coordinated with the main mission but which proceed at their own pace.

With that, we have created a fairly large number of detailed second stories for Engineering, Security, Science, Medical, and Counterintelligence that go beyond the old favorites of "there's a bomb on the ship" or "a fight broke out in the mess hall," although we still enjoy using those, as well. 

This has allowed us to focus on helping our participants have experiences with a variety of skills such as management, public health measures, auditing (it's more fun than it sounds like!), human resources, and more realistic cyber security issues.

 

Ryan and Rebecca 

      Very few people have a true understanding of how experiential education can change lives.  Dr. Ryan Anderson is one of those. His enthusiasm was contagious.  I very much enjoyed our weekly planning meetings when the Hyperion opened because I'd walk away recharge just for being around him.  You knew the love he had for Telos and his students. You knew of his commitment to them and his desire to find ways to make their lives better and more meaningful through his simulations in the Hyperion.  

     And standing right next to Ryan during the founding of the Telos Center was his wife Rebecca.  Her talents of visualizing situations and imagineering solutions was amazing. There wouldn't have been a Hyperion without Rebecca. They make one of those powerhouse couples and they will be missed by    the many many people whose lives they've touched and made the better for. 

Who is Nathan King You Wonder?  Read On...  

     Dr. Anderson picked the right man for the job as the new Center director.  Nathan King is one of the few people on the planet who has the background, experience, and education to take on the responsibilities of a Center Director. 

     I've known Nathan for years - ever since he was a young volunteer at the Christa McAuliffe Space Education before the remodeling of 2012 - 2013.  He goal was to become a flight director. After the Center closed for remodeling, Nathan turned his attention to the newly created Discovery Space Center at Stone Gate in Pleasant Grove where he quickly became a flight director on the USS Columbia.  When I asked him how he was doing, Nathan replied, "I've never ceased to amaze all those who've flown with me!"  Modesty is a trait never in short supply when it comes to Nathan :)

Nathan on his first day as a Columbia Flight Director, December 2014.

     From that day on, Nathan moved from success to success and rapidly conquered more starship simulators. 

Atlantis Set Director 2015

In 2015 he became the Set Director of the USS Atlantis at the Discovery Space Center at Stone Gate.  He continued with the Discovery Center when it changed locations from Stone Gate to the Canyon Grove Academy in Pleasant Grove. In 2017 he became a new flight director of the Everest Simulator.

Nathan Getting his Everest Flight Director Pass from Maeson Busk at the Discovery Space Center at Canyon Grove Academy.  2017.

Nathan with his wife Parriss and Daniel Kirkpatrick on the Leo in 2018

Around this time the space center at Lakeview Academy was getting ready to open two new starships, the Apollo and the Artemis.  Lakeview opened its first ship, the Leo, in December 2013 under the director of Casey Voeks, Skyer Carr, and Brandon Wright.  Nathan moved to Lakeview to begin working on their ships as a flight director.  He became the center's director when Brandon Wright retired.

Nathan and Brandon in the Leo's Control Room

      Nathan's association with Dr. Anderson at Telos goes back to the beginning of their program.  

Ryan, Nathan and I working on mission ideas for the Hyperion

     That relationship included Parriss King, Nathan's wife.  She worked as a member of the Telos DSC's staff and of course that kept Nathan involved to some degree despite his full time work as Center Director at Lakeview.  

Parriss King (far right) in the Hyperion's Control Room

     In the end, the King's left the world of spaceship simulators to pursue other interests. Nathan turned command of Lakeview's Lion's Gate Center to Daniel Kirkpatrick.  

     I lost touch with Nathan and Parriss until a few weeks ago when Dr. Anderson informed me of his departure and told me that Nathan would be taking over as the new Center Director. His email contained both sad and happy news. The sad news was that Ryan was leaving. The happy news is that the Telos DSC would be in the talented hands of Nathan King. 

     Speaking of talent, let me share with you a few animations done by Nathan in 2018.  Watch these and you'll be amazed at what Nathan can do.  

 

     Now you see what I mean. Ryan has left Telos in very capable hands. 

     Once again, as a Space EdVentures community, we bid farewell to Ryan Anderson and thank him for his many contributions to our mission of pioneering new methods of using simulator based experiential education to the mainstream.  We also congratulate Nathan on his new position as Director of the Telos Discovery Space Center and hope to see many many successes in the future.  

Ad Astra!

Victor

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