Tag Archives: Le Moyne

TACNY Junior Cafe Scientifique: “Engineer Your Life: Redux”

Posted on June 10, 2014 3:06 pm - - 1 Comment

Saturday – June 21, 9:30-11:00am

Milton J Rubenstein Museum of Science & Technology – Syracuse, NY


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Join us for our last talk of the season as TACNY President Emeritus Howard R. (Howie) Hollander will introduce and explore tips for preparing inside and outside of school for careers in STEM fields.

People interested in learning more about careers in STEM fields are invited to attend the free Junior Cafe presentation on Saturday, June 21, from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology (MOST) in Syracuse’s Armory Square. Walk-ins are welcome, but we ask that people RSVP by emailing jrcafe@tacny.org by June 18, 2014.

Presenters

2014june10_howie_tysonHowie Hollander (shown at right with some guy from last year) retired following 37 years in the aerospace and defense industry as a systems and software engineer/manager and program manager. He is currently enjoying an “encore career” as a program manager at SUNY-ESF. Howie earned a BE in electrical engineering from New York University, and an MS in engineering management (computer and information systems major) from Northeastern University. Howie’s CNY community activities include: President Emeritus, TACNY; Trustee, Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology; Vice President, Central NY Jazz Arts Foundation; and member of the LeMoyne College Information Systems Program Advisory Board, CNY STEM Hub, and Partners in Education and Business’ Technology Sector. Additionally, he serves on the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Information Technology and Web Sciences Industry Advisory Board. He is a graduate of Leadership Greater Syracuse and the FOCUS Citizens Academy. Howie enjoys skiing, and is an instructor of skiers with disabilities. He is married and has two adult children.

TACNY Junior Cafe Scientifique

TACNY Junior Cafe Scientifique, a program for middle-school students founded in 2005, features discussions about topics in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics in an informal atmosphere and seeks to encourage students to consider careers in these areas. Students must be accompanied by an adult and can explore the MOST at no cost after the event.

Technology Alliance of Central New York

Founded in 1903 as the Technology Club of Syracuse, the nonprofit Technology Alliance of Central New York’s mission is to facilitate community awareness, appreciation, and education of technology; and to collaborate with like-minded organizations across Central New York.

For more information about TACNY, visit www.tacny.org.

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Ying-TRSEF Mini Maker Faire – Adventures And Discoveries For The Young And Old – 18 January 2014, 1 – 4 p.m.

Posted on January 10, 2014 7:57 pm - - 1 Comment

Greetings fellow astrophiles!

We are now one week away from a Mini Maker Faire being hosted by Le Moyne College and featuring, among many other great activities for young and old alike, CNYO members Ryan Goodson and myself in our new capacities as NASA Solar System Ambassadors (in our case, running a booth on the Solar System – quite appropriate!). The event, organized by the always-energetic Mary Eileen Wood, Director of STEM Initiatives at OCC (if you’ve ever judged at a local science fair, chances are you know who I’m talking about), and sponsored by YING-TRSEF, NASA, The Gifford Foundation, TACNY, and several other local institutions and companies, is an afternoon-long event of science demos, hands-on projects, engineering studies, even astronaut training – all free and open to the public (although those under 18 MUST be accompanied by an adult!).

Information about the event can be found at its website: www.yingtrsef.org/MFaire/.

The official announcement is attached, with some of the event info summarized below:

What? Maker Faires are about hands-on experiences, supported by people who really love science, engineering and the arts.
Who? Children of all ages, kindergarten through retirement, PLUS volunteers from OCC and other organizations and campuses in the area
When? Saturday, Jan 18, 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Where? Le Moyne College Recreation Center
And … It’s free to everyone! 
Pre-registered youth and volunteers even get FREE NASA t-shirts!

Would YOU like to:
* attend with your friends/family? Here’s a LINK to family registration
* host or help at one of our stations? Here’s a LINK to options
* pass along the flyer to all the CNY people on your mailing list so they can attend? HERE’s the flyer
* invite your children or students to join us as volunteers? Here’s a LINK to volunteer registration

2014jan10_MFaire_GeneralPoster

There will be a few space-centric booths at this Faire, with our Solar System booth getting a little extra tweaking in the form of multimedia and a few (very small) Mars and Moon rocks in attendance. We are looking forward to an afternoon of teaching and getting our hands dirty with some of the other demos running near our booth. If you’re interested in attending, please consider registering early. If you’ve interest in helping with the CNYO Solar system demo booth, just let me know!

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Center for Sustainable Shale Development (CSSD) Soliciting Comments – Request For Light Pollution Comments And Consideration Of IDA Recommendations

Posted on March 26, 2013 1:05 am - - Leave a Comment

Greetings fellow astrophiles,

The following post to the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) Outdoor Lighting Forum from Gary Honis (astrophotographer extraordinaire) was sent along to me by John McMahon (local amateur astronomer and responsible-lighting proponent extraordinaire). John had also forwarded the youtube video from Gary concerning drilling-related light pollution made at Cherry Springs Dark Sky Park, home of the Cherry Springs Star Party (Ryan Goodson and I are currently registered for the event this year) late last fall (see the image above, taken from Gary Honis’ Skyglow from Marcellus Gas Well Drilling Site page).

Gary is requesting that concerned amateur astronomers comment on the Center for Sustainable Shale Development (CSSD) website immediately as this new organization establishes standards for shale drilling. Of note is the request for the CSSD to consider the IDA lighting fixture recommendations. Of drilling-specific note is the recommendation that flaring times be limited. Gary’s post, including links to the CSSD page and several relevant articles, is provided below.

A new organization (CSSD) was formed this week comprised of the gas drilling industry and environmental groups that have reached agreement to create a system to set standards for reducing the effects of shale drilling. The article is here:

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/03/both_sides_agree_on_tough_new.html

According to the article, multiple states will be covered but it does not mention any outdoor lighting or flaring controls.

The CSSD has a comment page set up for receiving comments. If you are so inclined, please consider requesting that they include exterior lighting and flaring standards to address the problem of light pollution. The CSSD comment page is here:

http://037186e.netsolhost.com/site/contact/

If they don’t receive comments from the astronomical community, I doubt lighting issues will be addressed. Below are the comments I provided:

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

My recommendation is the CSSD should include flaring and lighting requirements in its standards to avoid the problems of light pollution such as glare, light trespass, energy waste and skyglow. The International Dark Sky Association (IDA) maintains a list of IDA approved shielded light fixtures and also has developed lighting codes jointly with the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA). See

http://www.darksky.org/outdoorlighting

Utilizing the IDA approved light fixtures and CSSD adoption of the IDA/IESNA lighting codes would address lighting problems for adjacent land owners. It would also avoid the light pollution as documented in
the 2012 NASA Earth Observatory images showing wasted light and skyglow in North Dakota and Pennsylvania from gas drilling operations. See:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/NPP/news/earth-at-night.html

Having standards that limit flaring operations to daytime or during New Moon periods, as is being done in sensitive areas of PA, would help preserve our disappearing night sky resource.

Thanks for your consideration of this request.

Gary Honis, P.E.
GHAAS

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I have one YouTube video of the effect on Cherry Springs Dark Sky Park from flaring and associated unshielded lighting at gas drill rigs posted here:

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