Volunteering to Start Again. The Web Sites are Back Up. Space and Science News. The Imaginarium

Volunteer Open House at the Discovery Space Center

An exclusive open house and tour of the new Discovery Space Center in Pleasant Grove for the Space Center's former volunteers and their parents will be held on Tuesday, March 26 from 6:30 to 8:00 P.M.  Volunteers may attend without their parents if the parents are unable to attend.

Schedule:
6:30 P.M. to 7:00 P.M.  Tours of the Discovery Space Center
7:00 P.M. to 7:30 P.M.  Information meeting.
      A.  The administrators and staff of the Discovery Space Center will be 
            introduced
      B.  How the volunteer program will work at the DSC.
      C.  Questions and answer session.
7:30 P.M. to 8:00 P.M.  Tours continue and refreshments.  

Please wear your Space Center T-Shirt for old times sake.  Again, this is for the Space Center's former volunteers and their parent only, no siblings please.  Please RSVP if you plan on attending (spacecamputah@gmail.com)

Announcing Farpoint Institute at Renaissance Academy

Hello Troops,

The following is a press release sent out from Renaissance Academy outlining our Space EdVentures Foundation's Farpoint Institute program scheduled to start Renaissance next month.  Please attend the open house described in the press release below if you are interested in learning more.  

For more information:   farpointacademy.org  

Press Release

Renaissance Academy, Victor Williamson and the SpaceEdVentures Foundation are excited to announce their strategic partnership to create The Farpoint Institute at Renaissance Academy in Lehi, Utah. The institute will serve as a community center for the development and teaching of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (S.T.E.A.M.) curriculum and educational simulations. Mr. Williamson will be the Director of the Farpoint Institute.

 Mr. Williamson has been a nationally recognized educator for over 30 years. He is also the founder and creative force behind the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center in Pleasant Grove. With the help of many dedicated local volunteers, Mr. Williamson and his talented Space Center staff have produced an amazing journey of educational discovery for nearly 310,000 people over the last 23 years.

Mark Ursic, Executive Director of Renaissance Academy comments on the shared vision of these two organizations: "The motto of Renaissance Academy is: Curiosity translating into Contribution: Play, Wonder, Explore, Serve. Victor Williamson's educational philosophy has always incorporated these elements into innovative educational programs that challenge students in ways not possible in a traditional classroom. Our school charter includes a similar mandate--to provide an experiential and cross-curricular education for our students. We do this well and our commitment to that methodology distinguishes us in the education community. Under Victor Williamson's leadership, the Farpoint Institute will provide even greater educational opportunities for K-12 students in the area.

Victor Williamson: "I am looking forward to working with Renaissance Academy to develop programs that inspire young people to expand their horizons and provide them the skills necessary to realize their dreams. My personal motto is: Imagine, Believe, Learn and Do. This motto, like that of Renaissance, relies on inspiration as the fountainhead of learning. This shared philosophy sets the stage for the creation of exciting and dynamic educational opportunities that will take children to the next level of critical thinking by building confidence, working as a team and proving that education can be fun and engaging."

Farpoint's first initiative will be a S.T.E.A.M. based after school program open to Renaissance Academy's students and the community-at-large. Students in the after school program will have the opportunity to learn from Mr. Williamson and previous space education center volunteers in a variety of hands-on classes, including:

• Astronomy
• Space Exploration
• Aviation
• Geology
• Nuclear Science
• Web Development

A number of these classes meet Boy Scout merit badge requirements. Classes are scheduled to begin in the next few weeks and registration materials will be available at www.renacademy.org.

A presentation will be given to the community on the future of the Farpoint Institute on Wednesday April 17, 2013 at 7:00 PM at Renaissance Academy. Press is welcome to attend the event on Wednesday evening. Exclusive media interview time will be held from 6:45-7:00pm.

The Space Center Community's Web Site is Up and Running!

Yesterday, members of the Space EdVentures Foundation's board met to finialize and approve the new Space Center Community's website (spaceedventures.org).  You can link through to the new Farpoint Academy website (farpointacademy.org).

Let me say how awesome it is to have such great people on our board of directors.  Kyle Herring, Heather Groom and myself talked and gave input while Brent Anderson programmed.   Heather came to the meeting with Subway Sandwiches in hand.

A Special Add On for the Space Center's Real Old Time Staff and Volunteers

Hey, all you Space Center old timers, move your mouse of the front page logo and click for a surprise I'm sure you'll all recognize.  Thanks Brent for the extra effort to get that included and thanks Matt Ricks for reminding me of that feature I enjoyed from the old old web site.

Mr. W. 

Space and Science News

➤ Holographic Display: http://is.gd/QpX0l9
➤ Emotional Computer: http://is.gd/EbhQ9b
➤ Age of The Universe: http://is.gd/4ItIiL
➤ New Frog Species: http://is.gd/c9bfrv
➤ Tea, Bone & Teeth Disorders: http://is.gd/ik28Zw
➤ Comet & Dinosaurs Extinction: http://is.gd/cZsVb1

Intuition is the ability to acquire knowledge without inference and/or the use of reason.  "The word 'intuition' comes from the Latin word 'intueri' which is usually translated as 'to look inside' or 'to contemplate'."  Intuition provides us with beliefs that we cannot justify in every case. For this reason, it has been the subject of study in psychology, as well as a topic of interest in the supernatural. The "right brain" is popularly associated with intuitive processes such as aesthetic abilities.  Some scientists have contended that intuition is associated with innovation in scientific discovery. 


News from the New Space Center Program in Logan, Utah.

By James Porter

Director of The Space Center, Logan Utah

Great news, we have a facility! The details are being worked out but we are very excited to be partnering with Wilson Elementary to help bring hands on science to their students and our program to the whole community. If things go well we could be moving in as soon as the second week of April. Keep spreading the word: Like Facebook.com/spacecenter for a chance to win a Kneaders gift basket and don't forget to stop by http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/spaceedcenter/space-education-center because all our little donations are going to make this program happen.

Do you Dream About the Space Center?  This Former Volunteer and Staffer Does

Jason Hills, a former Space Center volunteer and staffer, has dreams of his time at the Space Center.
He wrote the following on Facebook.

Once every few months or so I have a space center dream (yeah, it's still that often). Tonight I dreamt that I showed up for a visit just as you needed someone to play a Romulan. Needless to say, my years of bridge-taking experience made me an excellent candidate.
Thanks again for unforgettable experiences which still fuel my dreams!

Thanks Jason for Sharing.

I too have had many many dreams and many many many nightmares about the Space Center  :)

Mr. W.

Space Center Volunteer Gets Great Opportunity to Travel and Learn

An email from Space Center volunteer, Caitlynn Stone

A few months ago I received an opportunity through my school, Laurel Springs, to travel to Costa Rica for a nine day trip. The trip is based around the chance to go to a 2-3 day Earth conference on the environment, global issues, solutions to these problems, etc. Different people like Al Gore (former vice president), Óscar Arias (former Costa Rican president and nobel peace prize winner), as well as many other influential people that have a lifestyle focused on the environment like biologists. The reason I get to go is largely due to my being a member of my school, where the students are often people that need a different type of education (online) to match their lifestyle. The idea of having students as a member of the conference is that we are not only younger people with our own ideas, but also that we are going to be taking the world from the adults.

For my own personal travelling party we have plans to go out to Costa Rica six days before the actual conference. The reason for this is so we can learn more about the local rain forests and people. Costa Rica has even dealt effectively with a large amount of the global issues that we face. Different ways we are going to experience the country are by travelling down a river, visiting a few national parks, zip lining through the cloud forest, and planting a few trees. The last few days of the trip will be spent at the conference listening to different speakers and communicating directly with people for the collaboration and bringing together ideas.

Before we even go on this trip we are going to create a short video for the Local Challenge. Basically just approaching one issue and figuring out how other countries have approached our chosen problem as well as coming up with our own ideas on how to fix it. These videos will help to put our information and ideas into a more centralized form. 

Another interesting part of this trip is that I am going to be one of the few students that will also be going as a reporter. I will be writing articles on Costa Rica and all of our adventures, even interviewing some of the locals to help create my articles until eventually I can report on the actual conference. This entire experience will not only be extremely fun and a very unique experience, but also definitely aiding in my learning more about the world. It will potentially help us all fix some of the environmental issues and make others more aware of their very existence. I am honored to be chosen for this trip, and really look forward to it!

The Imaginarium.
Let your imaginations take you to distant places.  Make the ordinary, extraordinary.

A Doctor's Handwriting Guide

What I can make with origami

 The Continents Can be Arranged to look like a T-Rex breaking fire.

 

Brilliant Advertising.

The Tissue for me.

Macho Tissue, the Official Tissue of the Space Center Community

Canadian Breakdancing

You see, just because its in a book doesn't make it true or real.

This is what the sign means:

Keep Calm

and 

Carry On

London, during the Blitz of World War II

Me, when I think of retiring.

What a Table.

I Want.

This is how we Googled things during my school days.

The Perfect April's Fools Day Joke

 

 

Space Center Installs New Light Channels. China is Engineering Super Humans. A New High Tech Charter School. Sad News for Dr. Who Fans

Hello Troops,
Several pieces of interesting news for tonight's post.

 

Discovery Installs Light Channels

The Discovery Space Center in Pleasant Grove recently opened and are already in the process of upgrading their 4 starship simulators in their effort to provide an awesome Space Center experience to the Space Center's many fans.

Pictured above is is Ryan and Randy Bott installing the Atlantis simulator's multilight channel with help of the Atlantis simulator's staff.  The light channels look fantastic and really give the simulators a unique look and futuristic feel.  

  

New Utah Charter High School

The Troubadour is happy to highlight a new charter school that may be of interest to our many readers.

Come spend an evening getting to know the Wasatch Institute of Technology! We will be meeting at 7:00 pm on Thursday, March 28, 2013 in the Herriman library's main meeting room (5380 W Main Street, Herriman, Utah). The purpose of this meeting is to help you better understand the WIT philosophy, our approach, the meaning of Next Generation Education, our new facility, and what it takes to work at at WIT. 

If you have any questions, please contact the School Director David Moss, david.moss@wasatchinstitute.net.

Picture: All Science, all the time

NASA Hit by Budget Cuts

“effective immediately, all education and public outreach activities should be suspended, pending further review.”

I don't have the words to adequately describe the level of frustration I feel right now. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! If this doesn't piss you off I don't know what will. Because the grownups stopped dreaming our children should too?

Well, it looks like it’s finally happened: the U.S. sequ...ester – a “series of across-the-board cuts to government agencies totaling $1.2 trillion over 10 years” (CNN) — has finally hit NASA… right where it hurts, too: in public outreach and STEM programs.

In an internal memo issued on the evening of Friday, March 22, the Administration notes that “effective immediately, all education and public outreach activities should be suspended, pending further review. In terms of scope, this includes all public engagement and outreach events, programs, activities, and products developed and implemented by Headquarters, Mission Directorates, and Centers across the Agency, including all education and public outreach efforts conducted by programs and projects.”
Read More

The Universe is Older than We Thought

PARIS — A new examination of what is essentially the universe’s birth certificate allows astronomers to tweak the age, girth and speed of the cosmos, more secure in their knowledge of how it evolved, what it’s made of and its ultimate fate. Read More

The Fading Grandeur of the Abandoned Soviet Space Facilities

The Soviet Union launched Sputnik and gave the United States a run for its money in the Space Race. But after the U.S.S.R. went under, all of its brilliant Space Age facilities were left to crumble. Looking at the ruins is like gazing at a fallen space empire.  Read More

China is Engineering Genius Babies

At BGI Shenzhen, scientists have collected DNA samples from 2,000 of the world’s smartest people and are sequencing their entire genomes in an attempt to identify the alleles which determine human intelligence. Apparently they’re not far from finding them, and when they do, embryo screening will allow parents to pick their brightest zygote and potentially bump up every generation's intelligence by five to 15 IQ points.

And over the course of several generations you’re able to exponentially multiply the population’s intelligence.  Even if it only boosts the average kid by five IQ points, that’s a huge difference in terms of economic productivity, the competitiveness of the country, how many patents they get, how their businesses are run, and how innovative their economy is.

This process can be repeated with other characteristics, like physical appearance.  In fact, almost any trait other than intelligence would be easier to do. We know that intelligence depends on lots of genes while physical traits—like hair or eye color—only depend on a few genes. Things like body shape would be easier to do, physical attractiveness would be pretty complicated, personality traits might be a little simpler than intelligence—how hard working somebody is, how impulsive, how politically liberal or conservative they are would be easier. How religious you are—that’s definitely influenced by genes to some degree.

What else is China doing that America isn't?  China is investing a huge amount of money in education, they’re creating new systems of universities that emphasise more creative approaches to learning, and they’re sending hundreds of thousands of college students to America and Europe to see how our education systems operate so they can bring their own systems up to our standards and above.

DOCTOR Who bosses are lining up Matt Smith’s exit for Christmas — when he will regenerate into the 12th Time Lord.

Insiders say the festive special will be Matt’s last outing as The Doctor, after a triumphant four years in the role.
The actor has made no bones about his ambition to crack Hollywood and has filmed new movie How To Catch A Monster with Ryan Gosling, which is released next year.
Sources say bosses already have an idea of who they want to replace him, with work on the special due to get under way later in the year.
Matt’s contract is understood to expire in November but we understand he doesn’t want it renewed.

Hurray, Winter is Gone. A Miracle at the Discovery Space Center. Space News and Views

 Hello Troops,

We start this evening's post with a celebration.  It is time to say goodbye to winter and HELLO to spring.  The winter of 2012/13 is gone forever.  I for one am happy to see the backside of last winter.  It was bitter cold and the air was down right fowl for much of it.

It's that time of year again: the first day of spring.  On this special date, the length of the day and night are about the same for most of the planet. The amount of solar energy delivered to the Northern and Southern Hemisphere is also equal.

The photograph below was taken at the exact moment the Earth reached the spring equinox for the northern hemisphere and the autumn equinox for our friends living in the southern hemisphere by the NOAA's GOES-13 satellite today (March 20, 2013) at 7:45 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

 

Today's spring equinox as seen from space.

A Miracle at the Discovery Space Center

DSC Director Casey Voeks is shown above, still in a state of shock, several hours after the Discovery's four starship simulators suddenly, and without a known reason, decided to talk to each other.  The week long nightmare of not having a computer network is finally over.

"We've been essentially running with no network since we opened," Casey Voeks confessed to me, on condition I wouldn't share this tantalizing bit of gossip with the readers of The Troubadour.  I promised not to type a word (promised with my fingers crossed behind my back).

"How did you pull that one off?" I asked.  I already knew the answer.  It is a trick we've been using at the Space Center for years.  You send a few of your staff and volunteers to the bridge, they stand at strategic locations where they can see the computers screens, and then you have then narrate the action in such a way not to make the crew suspicious.  They say things like, "Timmy, you did such a good job pushing that WARP SPEED 3 BUTTON."  and "Betty, are you sure you connected that phone call to MAIN ENGINEERING?"
I think you get the picture.

"The staff called out what they were doing," Casey answered.  "You know the trick.  You taught it to us."

What Fortuna gives, Fortuna can take away.  If for some reason Fortuna, the Goddess of Luck and Fortune, has seen fit to bless our good friends at Discovery, they had better keep in mind that for some unknown reason, the network may suddenly stop working.  Best to mind our manners and never, never, ever take anything for granted.  Keep Fortuna on your good side by saying nice things about the luck you've been given and by being grateful for small favors.  It wouldn't hurt to burn a stick of incense in the simulators in her honor, and for heaven's sake,  stop paying homage to the Gods of Perikoi (an inside staff and volunteer joke).


Please do not Disturb the Programmer 

Matt Ricks is the Discovery Space Center's computer programmer.  Many DSC employees blamed the network problems mentioned above on his new controls, an accusation he vehemently denied.  Matt kicked the blame to the network engineer who, instead of kicking the dog as he should have done, kick the can back to Matt saying it had to be the controls.  Matt threatened that if the slander directed at his controls didn't stop, he would tell someone, who would make them sorry.

Tempers have calmed since the network problems disappeared and Matt is a back in his natural habitat.  We ask that you DO NOT DISTURB.  The DO NOT FEED THE PROGRAMMER sign was taken down by Center Director Casey Voeks.

"We're letting people feed our programmer again. Its the least we can do to reward him for the work he's been doing," Casey said.   

Photos of Discovery Zoo's programmer courtesy of Nicole VanDeboss

Space News and Views

Planning a little space travel to see some friends on Kepler 22b? Thinking of trying out your newly-installed FTL3000 Alcubierre Warp Drive to get you there in no time? Better not make it a surprise visit — your arrival may end up disintegrating anyone there when you show up  Read more:

The NASA Biocapsule—made of carbon nanotubes—will be able to "diagnose" and instantly treat an astronaut without him or her even knowing there's something amiss. It would be like having your own personal Dr. McCoy—implanted under your skin. It represents one of the most significant breakthroughs in the history of medicine, and yes, it'll work on Earth, too.  Read More

How well are we prepared to deflect city-obliterating space rocks hurtling toward Earth? Well, NASA head Charles Bolden told Congress yesterday, "if it's coming in three weeks, pray."

Bolden's spiritual guidance came as part of a House Science, Space and Technology Committee hearing on U.S. efforts to prevent asteroid and meteor-related catastrophe, one that involved quite a bit of finger-pointing at lawmakers who expect NASA to be able to find a needle in the deep-space haystack before it comes crashing into one of our cities -- on a tight budget.  Read More

We’ve all asked this question at some point: How long would it take to travel to the stars? And could I do it in my lifetime? There are many answers to this possibility, some very simple, others in the realms of science fiction. To make this easier to answer, we’ll address how long it would take to travel to the nearest star to the solar system, Proxima Centauri. Unfortunately, any route you take to the stars will be slow, even if you are powered by the most powerful nuclear propulsion technology…

Read more