Message from CFHT Librarian, Liz Bryson:
CFHT DVD Now Available In July, 2002, Liz Bryson was attending an international astronomy librarians' meeting and attended a lecture by Peter Hingley, entitled, "The Past in the Present - Some Thoughts on the Preservation of Historical Material in Active Observatories". An urgency of saving the oral history of CFHT (Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Corporation) for posterity was emphasized by the tragic fire which destroyed most of the Mt. Stromlo Observatory in Australia in January 2003. It was then that Liz Bryson decided to record via video camera and tapes, an oral history of the observatory. Gathering the Forgotten Voices: An Oral History of CFHT's Early Years in now available. There is no charge. For a copy, email: Liz Bryson, CFHT Librarian
CFHT Community Outreach Recent Past Events End of 2006: There were various tours of our downtown and summit facilities including our Board of Directors, a few visiting Dignitaries and some good friends of the observatory. December 2006: CFHT held a canned food drive to benefit the Transitional Shelter. December 7, 2006: Summit tour for a group of students from Westview High School, Maple Ridge, BC, Canada. December 9, 2006: The First ever Robofest was held in Hilo at the University of Hawaii, Hilo New Gym. There was a Lego League Tournament, and many Exhibitors. There are many great photos of the event and lists of the competition winners. See the article further down in this issue of Hoku for site links to pictures and a synopsis from a CFHT participant. January 22-26th, 2007: This week was designated as Journey week where astronomers from all the observatories went into classrooms around the island to talk about astronomy. In Waimea people visited Kohala Elementary School, Honokaa Elementary School, HPA Lower Campus, Waikoloa Elementary School, Waimea Country School, and Waimea Middle School. Feedback from the students was excellent, we hope that we may do this again next year. There was also a workshop in Hilo for Teachers from around the Island. January 27, 2007: 7th Annual Onizuka Science Day, was help at UH, Hilo. There were many activities throughout the day, including a talk by an astronaut. There was viewing of the Sun all day, and hands on experiments in cratering and angular momentum. February 16, 2007: Several staff members attended the West Hawaii Science Fair in Kona. February 17, 2007: Several staff members attended the East Hawaii Science Fair at the Imiloa Astronomy Center. February 22, 2007: Several staff members attended the Pa'auilo Science Fair in Pa'auilo. Upcoming Events March 14, 2007: The 2007 Math & Science Conference for 7th Grade Girls will be held at the University of Hawaii, Hilo campus. A group from CFHT will be participating, giving the girls an idea of what types of jobs are available at the observatories. April 21, 2007: AstroDay will be from 10am to 5pm at the Prince Kuhio Plaza in Hilo. Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available. The next Hoku will hopefully go into more detail. AstroDay 2007 May, 2007: The Healthy Keiki Fest will be help in Waimea. We will be there to encourage the Keiki to "Exercize Their Brain". Various Tours of the summit coming up for teachers and students along with a request by Kohala School for someone to visit and give a talk.
Robofest 2006: A Look Back "Robofest is an event put on by AstroDay and HELCO. Primarily it's a competition where students from schools around the Big Island can get together and put their robots, designed for the year's challenge, up against each other. It's also a chance for educators and students from different schools to compare notes, see what each other is doing, and make contacts. Though not specifically part of the Robofest competition, the schools who are involved in the Big Island ROV Regional event brought their ROVs and demonstrated them in tanks outside the main venue. Gary Fujihara, who largely organized Robofest, also included a non-academic competition, mini-sumo. In case you haven't seen a match, it's a lot of fun. The crowd thoroughly enjoyed both competitions. But it's as much a conference as a competition. UH Hilo had a strong presence there, and showed off some of the underwater instrument packages they've developed. Representatives of "A Robot Club" went to compete, and Michelle Medeiros was there to represent Earl's Garage, each of the schools had tables, it was a fun event. Gary is in the process of organizing Robofest 2007. The challenge event has changed (it will change every year) and this year there are two separate competitions, one for students and one that's open. Both competitions use the same playing surface and the same rules. The competitions are, and will always be Hawai`i-centric. Last year the competition was a line following event called the Mana Road Challenge. There were obstacles on the course that the students' robots had to deal with. Fastest one to the end wins. The 2007 event grew out of a conversation with the folks at the Volcano Observatory, and models distribution and retrieval of scientific packages from an active volcanic area. The rules are still being discussed, so nothing's set in stone yet." The first 2 sites below are links to reviews of the 2006 event, the third is a discussion of the upcoming Robofest to be held in 2007. Check out: A Robot Club site for Pictures from Robofest 2006 A Robot Club site for Discussions for Robofest 2007 Quote From T. Benedict, a staff member. Windows to the Universe "Windows to the Universe" is a user-friendly learning system covering the Earth and Space sciences for use by the general public. "Windows to the Universe" has been in development since 1995. Our goal is to build an internet site that includes a rich array of documents, including images, movies, animations, and data sets, that explore the Earth and Space sciences and the historical and cultural ties between science, exploration, and the human experience. Our site is appropriate for use in libraries, museums, schools, homes, and the workplace. Students and teachers may find the site especially helpful in their studying (and teaching!) Earth and Space sciences. Because we have users of all ages, the site is written in three reading levels approximating elementary, middle school and high school reading levels. These levels may be chosen by using the upper button bar of each page of the main site. What Makes a Planet? Brief introduction for the layperson about the definition of what is a planet and about the 2006 controversy about whether Pluto is a planet. This site notes "there are many things that make Pluto quite different from the [other eight] planets," so that it is "very hard to classify Pluto with the rest of the major planets." From a professor in the Department of Astronomy at Cornell University. The Size of Our World A brief study in pictures of the relative sizes of some astronomical bodies. At Home Astronomy: Hands-On Science Experiments for the Whole Family Collection of illustrated instructions for science experiments related to astronomy. Topics include understanding shadows, verifying the size and location of the sun, building a model lunar settlement, demonstrating the principles of rocketry, and making an astrolabe and model of the solar system. Includes links to related sites. From the Center for Science Education, Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley. Upcoming Astronomical Events
All times listed above are HST unless otherwise indicated. The link below contains many calendars and includes a nice section on astronomical events. Check it out!
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