2004 Students

2004 STUDENT PROGRAM REPORT

Aaron K. Owada - Chair

2004 STUDENT PROGRAM REPORT

This year's Student Program was fun filled and action packed!   While continuing on with the traditional favorites like Cosmic Constellations and Astro Bingo, we also added new activities and events for both kids and those young at heart. 

We started out our events on Thursday morning with Linda Khandro's Astro Bio Time Walk.  On a cash register tape 4.5 meters long, kids marked significant events.  Each mm represented 1 million years.  The students marked the tapes and showed examples when life first appeared, and when new life forms first appeared on Earth.   For the arts and crafts, kids made their own LED Red Lights, glow in the dark constellation mobiles, and glow in the dark lanyards.

With the tremendous assistance of Jack Day and Brad Hitzel (telescope judges extraordinaire) we added a new activity - Telescope Making.  Students put together a 6 inch Dobsonian and 3 inch refractor scope on Thursday and Friday.   Jack and Brad have graciously agreed to expand this part of the program in 2005 by putting together kits that can be purchased at registration and will be available on the mountain for students and their parents to put together.   This year, both the Dob and the refractor were given as door prizes at the Student Raffle.

Cosmic Constellations finished the afternoon events on Thursday with kids and adults dressed as Constellations.  Contestants were required to find Cygnus the Swan, Hercules, Cepheus the King, Andromeda the Chained Lady and other constellations.   Their task was to correctly identify the constellations by both  name and title.  The evening was filled with Astro Bingo, Movie Night, and a new event, "Jovian Soccer."  Fully demonstrating that unbounded energy is truly wasted on the youth, the kids ceased to amaze us by running up and down the field, kicking a giant 40 inch diameter ball.

Friday opened up with the first combined geological talk and walk with students and adults.  Geologist Linda Khandro showed geological maps of North America and presented a talk to the adults about major geological events that shaped our continent, and evidence of those events that could be observed from Table Mountain.   Meanwhile, back at the Student Tent, Girl Scout Troop 1865 provided the students with "10 Essential Survival Skills".  After the "talk" portion was completed, over 100 students and adults trekked to a site near Haney Meadows where we found numerous specimens of cristobolite, basalt, quartz and other "neat" things.   We increased our supply of hammers by bringing five new hammers, to complement the 5 G picks that we had purchased from previous years.

Friday's Art's and Crafts continued with Planispheres, Stomp Rockets and Glitter Galaxy Designs.  Galactic Team Challenge pitted teams to answer questions that involved space, science and assorted other topics.  Telescope making continued, and kids had a chance to see "First Light" that evening after Astro Bingo, Jovian Soccer, and movie night were completed.  We plan on expanding our telescope making program next year.   If all goes according to plan, we will have kits to pre-order so kids and adults can assemble  their own scope on the mountain.

Saturday continued with Face Painting, and the Nature Geological talk and walk to Haney Meadows.  Maurice, a geologist from TAS, provided excellent points to the kids, while Linda Khandro gave a repeat performance of her talk on Friday.

Saturday afternoon was fun filled with the Stomp Rocket Competition.  The competition was intense as students and adults fine tuned their designs for the ultimate bragging rights of the 2004 TMSP Stomp Rocket Competition.  Finals were held at the Adult Raffle.  Flying in excess of 200 feet, who would think that a sheet of paper, 4 paper clips, and a playing card could go so far???

The Student Raffle was again a hit with the generous gifts provided by vendors and the TMSP Association.  With a telescope from Bubba Bits, and two scopes from the Telescope Making Program (one funded in part by Sean’s Astronomy),  we gave away three telescopes this year.

Astro Bingo, Astro Jeopardy, Jovian Night Soccer and Movie Night completed the activities on Saturday night before the night skies opened and all were amazed by the famous night sky viewing at Table Mountain.  This year’s program was a tremendous success.  With 197 students registered for this year’s star party, Table Mountain continues to make the event a family event.  Friends new and old made this year’s Student Program so very special - we hope that  this year"s TMSP will create the foundation for great memories when the students look back on their summer days. 

Special thanks to Alice Few, Girl Scout Troop 1865, Linda Khandro, Jack Day, Brad Hitzel, Chris, Karen, Scott, Jim, Erin and Matt Flood, Dave Dorais, and many others who graciously helped out.  You guys were awesome!

Aaron Owada