MATE ROV: Marine Advanced Technology Education w/ Remotely Operated Vehicles

Because even adults can learn a thing or two! 

A Saturday workshop at the Barbey Center in Astoria. 

The Pufferfish Kit from MATE ROV 

We had some buoyancy/balance issues, but for building and constructing in under 90 minutes, we felt pretty good.  

I soldered the entire circuit board. I am very proud of myself!

If underwater marine robotics is of interest to your students or you, check out:

• Spare Parts: Your local library will likely carry both the book and movie.
• MATE ROV and their workshops
• The Hatfield Marine Science Center is hosting the underwater robotics competition on Saturday April 29th. Go check it out! 

   I like MATE ROV for a couple of reasons: one, it seems less intense than Lego (and I do like FLL Lego Robotics)!  Second, it does not start at the beginning of the school season like FLL, but starts in December which makes the start to your school year a bit less intense. Third, registration is a bit cheaper if you are in the 3 least experienced tiers. You register your team for the tier you feel they are ready for: beginner, beginner/intermediate, advanced, and expert. Fourth, students on teams must vote their team mates into positions i.e., you have to work your way into that position with intention. Fifth, the kits for underwater robotics are cheaper and teams are encouraged to do as much as possible with what they have on hand and with renewable items. Finally, the future of underwater robotics off the Oregon coast and for development is huge and interesting to many and will create great opportunities for many students. 

 Teachers: you can now sign up your class for one of these Pufferfish workshops at the Columbia Maritime Museum in Astoria.  Homeschoolers, you too, can get a group of students together and take this class.

What is required of future marine electronics in the world of energy?

1. They must generate enough energy to have their cost justifiable.

2. They must withstand extreme ocean conditions for years and years.

   Did you know that the Pacific Continental Shelf has enough wave energy to supply 1/3rd of the United State's energy needs?

OSU Wins $40 Million for Wave Technology Facility

Science. Technology. Engineering. Math.

    "Applied curiosity; an insatiable desire to know and a drive to create." ~ Mark Lewis, STEM Director, Oregon Education Investment Board
 

What is scientific literacy?

   Scientific literacy means that a person can ask, find, or determine answers to questions derived from curiosity about everyday experiences. It means that a person has the ability to describe, explain, and predict natural phenomena. Scientific literacy entails being able to read with understanding articles about science in the popular press and to engage in social conversation about the validity of the conclusions. Scientific literacy implies that a person can identify scientific issues underlying national and local decisions and express positions that are scientifically and technologically informed. A literate citizen should be able to evaluate the quality of scientific information on the basis of its source and the methods used to generate it. Scientific literacy also implies the capacity to pose and evaluate arguments based on evidence and to apply conclusions from such arguments appropriately. ~ National Academy of Sciences

   "We look at science as something very elite, which only a few people can learn. That's just not true. You just have to start early and give kids a foundation. Kids live, up or down, to expectations." ~ Mae Jemison, first African American NASA astronaut

   The item above just returned from space and the student who designed and built it goes to Linn Benton Community College in Albany, Oregon.

NASA Space Grant Symposium Take-Aways:

1.  "It is statistically easier to become an astronaut than become a major league sports player." ~ Catherine Lanier, NASA, OSU
2. You don't have to work for NASA to do NASA research. Students from all over the nation work on NASA projects at universities all over the nation.  
3. Attending these kinds of events puts new vocabulary in their brains (and yours)! They, and you, may not understand it all, but it may create an interest that leads to a passion that leads to a future filled with intelligent and creative work. 
4. The NASA leaders and professors that come to these events are passionate about what they do and are great at inspiration; they welcome younger students!
5. Science is a bunch of "what-if's" right now. We are once more in a creative, scientific, and technological revolution. Everyone in the room is learning from everyone else. There are very few experts, and if they are experts, they seem pretty humble.
6. Learning to navigate a very large college campus when you are 11 vs 18 can be a great confidence booster. The ability to navigate life with your God-given brain in a GPS world is mighty important. 
7. NASA Space-Grant Symposium food is darn good, and they are happy to share it.

   "Success must include two things: the development of an individual to his utmost potential and a contribution of some kind to one's world." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

For the Love of Learning, on Monday

 There must be a limit you put on P.G. Wodehouse.

   Wow, it's really been a Monday. If only it would pour patience. In a home filled with book nuts, it's not easy to put down pleasure books on Monday and hit the text books intentionally. Yet hit the books we must, as we skipped school last Friday, venturing to Seattle to see a doctor. So very thankful for good reports and continued healing. We came home bearing goodies and Mee Sum Pastry for the boys.

Reading for Pleasure

The Secret of the Key, & all the Sixty Eight Rooms Adventure books.
Sixty Eight Rooms is based upon the Thorne Rooms.

Elizabeth Blackwell, First Woman Doctor

Sis has really enjoyed the Great Tales of English History series.

Jeeves and the Wedding Bells, an Homage to P.G. Wodehouse

Keepers of the School series

Life in Motion, Misty Copeland

 Learning, Loving, Living
AIA Portland

Finding David Douglass, Starker Lecture Series

Biology Lecture by Kelly Benoit-Bird, an OSU scientist. She discussed the use of sound/sonar/acoustics to study species abundance in the ocean based upon prey density vs. prey abundance.

Paddington

Indoor winter soccer

Ceili dancing 

Archery, when we don't have to skip because of homework. 

Science Saturdays at the University

 Pondering These Great Articles/Sites

Judy Woodruff: Care About Your World 

Teacher Expectations Influence Student Performance (NPR),
True for parents too, whether we home school or not.

How Teacher Bias Can Discourage Girls from Math and Science

   This NY Times article is really important for our girls. While, we don't feel sis has been limited in any way by her teachers (except me some days :-), we are already seeing how hard it is to help girls grow in their love of science, technology, and math. STEM is often a lonely world, lacking females. I don't know the root of it, but sis is already learning that if she wants to get involved with technology, math, or science, she'll be in the minority. Boys and men still dominate, especially in engineering. Every opportunity she's offered to work with other women and girls in STEM is so appreciated. She's learning how to forge ahead with a forehead like flint (with the boys), while yet exhibiting manners. What a dichotomy! Programs such as Discovering the Scientist Within are truly important for our girls.

To My Daughter, At Halftime (HuffPost)

The Adaptors

How to Talk to Boys

Why It's Hard to Get to Mars

 The heavens declare the glory of God; 

the skies proclaim the work of His hands.

Psalm 19:1

Did the stars align or was God having a whole lot of fun tonight? I think both. He knows what He's doing with the stars and us, and He sure knows how to have a good time.

We had a Mars adventure tonight and here's how it began: Last week, brother had the privilege of author Liz Rusch coming to talk at his school. We had the option of buying her books ahead of time through pre-order, but you know us, we'd already read many of them by the time she arrived, thanks to our local library. So we passed on purchasing and simply enjoyed her visit and an after-school writing class she offered.

Saturday arrived and we made a trip to OSU. While on campus, I saw a flyer for a campus visit by Dr. Stan Love of STS 122. We just had to go! I talked to the kids and they were game. And then I started wishing we had a Mighty Mars Rover book for Dr. Love to sign. Ack! All the local sellers in the area were out of copies. Liz was awesome about making two books available, and we went and made a memory.

His one hour presentation about the difficulty of getting "men" to Mars was fascinating. Great slides and a good sense of humor made the information accessible. Especially, for those of us with earth bound bums lacking boosters beneath our britches. 

His figures about fuel, Mars, mph, and transit orbits were staggering. Further, I might actually be able to dialogue about it next week! Or, maybe even in 8.2 months, which is how long it would take to get a team of astronauts to Mars, then there's the return home. Psychologists are convinced six astronauts might be able to handle a 32 month Mars mission without killing each other. Two didn't fair so welling in testing, but they did make it out alive. I can't imagine 32 months in mini-van sized Mars messenger machine. (The moon takes 3 days with a rocket under you rear :-)

One of many funny points: The kids loved learning about recycling on the ISS. As Dr Love shared, "Today's coffee is being recycled to become tomorrow's coffee on the ISS." (Don't think to hard about that or you might never drink coffee again.)

 

Liz was also sweet to sign our books. She wrote in brother's, "Follow your dreams-you never know how far they will take you!"

Coming home the night sky was crystal clear. Tomorrow may be rain and clouds, but tonight was clear and cool, very cool.

I'll head back to my quiet place now :-)