My name is Heidi Hughes and I am a blogger for the ISAS program. I recently
transferred from a south Idaho college to Lewis Clark State College in
Lewiston, Idaho and continuing my studies in Communications with a minor in
Political Science. This is my first year with ISAS Summer Academy. I recently
completed a communication-based internship at the Idaho State Senate and am
excited to take what I learned there and use it in the blog here.
My name is Jaime Guevara; I am also a blogger for the ISAS program and am
attending Boise State for Mechanical Engineering. I am happy to continue being
one of the first bloggers for the ISAS Summer Academy and hope that parents
will be pleased, not just with the daily blogs, but with the program their
children are involved with during this key week in their lives.
The Idaho Science and Aerospace Scholars Summer Academy was formed in 2010
based off similar programs in both Texas and Virginia. It is a competitive
academy for high school juniors. Students apply for the program prior to their
second semester of their junior year. Within this process they are required to
not only obtain recommendation from a teacher, school administrator
or counselor, but also nomination from a state senator or representative.
After completing a semester of course work, the top students are chosen to join
the week long program. This week they will help create a mission to Mars, tour
NASA Ames Research Center in San Jose, California, and explore the potentials
of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers.
As this morning progressed, students from across the state showed up at
Keiser Hall on Boise State's campus. Some pulled luggage out of taxis
and buses while others hugged parents goodbye and high-fived little
siblings. However, by the time 2:00 came along, all the students were checked
in, and the group began their trek to Discovery Center Idaho.
A giant bubble splattered in one section of the Discover Center, shattering
the rainbow on the bubble's curved surface. Other students watched a whirlwind
of air and dust twist and twirl demonstrating how hurricanes work.
For approximately an hour students were allowed to experiment. They
swerved between exhibits pressing buttons to watch demonstrations and trying
out some themselves; testing their blood pressure, attempting brain
teasers, playing with vibrations and echoes.
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| Students socializing with their new teams and mentors |
After spending time throughout the center, the students congregated in
the DCI's classroom to disperse into their separate teams: Green,
Red, White and Blue. It was time to begin
the "Planetary Lander" egg drop competition. The purpose of this
activity was for the students to demonstrate their teamwork and ingenuity by
constructing a method that allowed an egg to be dropped from a cherry picker
and for it to gently float down without the egg cracking. The ingenuity aspect
came from being able to use the supplies they were given such as: rulers, foam,
and a plastic bag. After the "Planetary Lander" and team meetings,
where each group discussed the rules and decided on team leaders and
team liaisons, it was time for supper; hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad,
beans, and other tasty treats.
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| Even though it's the first day, students had already outlined their goals for the mission and presented them in front of their peers |
The final event of the night was a
project called the "Table Tennis Triathlon". This activity was
arbitrated by Woody Sobey, Education Director for the Discovery Center of
Idaho, and who was also key in setting up the triathlon. For this project, the
students had to use supplies given to them to create simple machines to perform
the functions of a catapult, cantilever, and rocket. Each of these different
machines must carry with it a table tennis ball and at the same time fulfill
certain requirements. Each event was scored and the team with greatest
overall score was declared the winner.
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| Teams were working quickly in order to rack up the points and be crowned the winners of the Table Tennis Triathlon |
Overall, the first day of the new Idaho Science and
Aerospace Scholars Summer Academy was very successful, engaging, and fun for
students and mentors alike. These blogs will be uploaded daily, and once the
students have completed their final activities every night. A more
"live" version of the days' events are uploaded onto the ISAS: Idaho Science and Aerospace Scholars' Facebook page.
The students have had the chance to meet, and greet with their peers, and are
now ready for the oncoming events of the week.
- Heidi Hughes, Jaime Guevara -
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