Friday, June 30, 2006 - Pan-STARRS 1 Dedication

I found myself on the first flight out of Hilo to Maui (via Oahu - ugh) to attend the Dedication and Blessing of the Pan-STARRS 1 Prototype Telescope on the summit of Haleakala. Pan-STARRS, the Panoramic Survey Telescope And Rapid Response System is an innovative design for a wide-field imaging facility being developed by the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy. The prototype of this project is being constructed in the recently decommissioned LURE observatory on the summit of Haleakala. It was a challenge to get up in time for the ceremony, as I had to travel through Oahu to get to Maui, then arriving at the car rental behind a long line of tourists. I did manage to get myself up top before commencement of the festivities though, and was treated to a powerful pule wehe performed by Adrian Kamalaniikekai Kamali`i and Dane Uluwehiokalani Maxwell. The ceremony then got underway with a message by the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy Director Rolf Kudritzki, followed by speeches from Maui County Mayor Alan Arakawa, Pan-STARRS Principal Investigator Nick Kaiser, US Department of Defense Principal Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Christopher "Ryan" Henry, Air Force Research Laboratory Branch Chief Jim Riker, University of Hawaii Vice-Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education Gary Ostrander, and a video message from the Honorable US Senator Daniel K. Inouye. After these messages, the group moved out to the Pan-STARRS telescope facility for the blessing of the grounds, followed by tours of the observatory. In all this was a wonderful ceremony, with high hopes for installation of the science instrument within a few months. Good luck to the Pan-STARRS team and we look forward to great science from this project in the future.

Wednesday, June 28, 2006 - Crabs and Centipedes

Today, we began the Hilo Youth Robotics workshop with a demonstration of a couple of animal-inspired mechanical devices. Although not in the strictest sense of the term robots (since they carry no on-board intelligence or ability to think for themselves), the Mechamo Crab and Centipede are excellent examples of mechanical engineering, and they are both marvels to observe. The products are made by Gakken in Japan, and are remote-controlled objects powered by small DC motors linked through gears, cams and levers to propel themselves in remarkably similar fashion to those real-life animals. The kids love them because of their apparent complexity. These models are made of stamped aluminum, whose clockwork movement of gears, cams, levers and pushrods are compelling to watch. The demonstration illustrates the purpose of good design, and the use of computers to facilitate not just the design, but in many cases manufacture as well through the use of CAD/CAM (Computer Aided Design/Computer Aided Manufacture) software. The demonstration also illustrates that locomotion of an object is not just constrained to the utilization of wheels or tracks to get around.

Monday, June 26. 2006 - Hilo Youth Robotics II

We began our second robotics summer session today with 21 boys and girls ages 9-13 from around Hawaii Island. We also welcome four new teachers from public and charter schools in East Hawaii. We have two returning teachers who are taking on additional responsibilities to teach the students. Of course we miss Melissa, but Aashish and Clarynne have done a commendable job taking the lead on delivering the curricula to the students today. Also joining this session are HELCO Public Outreach officer Susan Akimseu who is auditing and Agyei Marshall who is a student at Waiakea High School and assisting instruction. Well, this session is just about the polar opposite of the last one: there is but one girl amid a sea of boys. It was a pleasure to be able to talk to a few of the parents who came to drop off and later pick up their children - most expressed an interest in our program and whether we would be offering something similar next year. I can answer most assuredly that we will be offering a robotics program again, based on what we are doing this year.

Friday, June 23, 2006 - Graduating First Session

Today marks the last day of the Hilo Youth Robotics first summer workshop for students 9-13 years old. This very special session was exclusively for girls, and we filled the session with 22 bright young ladies, most of whom had no previous experience with the Lego Mindstorms robotics invention system. Parents and guardians of our students were invited to visit the class to witness some of the activities, including a culminating project presentation by all of the teams. The girls used all the concepts they learned over the course of the workshop to design, construct and program a robotic animal. The robotics animals were quite creative, unique and on demonstration to a packed house of teachers, parents and siblings. It was quite a transformation for many of the students, who learned about design, construction techniques, computer programming, teamwork, public speaking and self-confidence along the way. We held a debriefing session with the local teachers and parents to discuss future plans and to distribute Lego Mindstorms robotics kits (many were tickled pink to receive the kits and I could tell that weekend plans may revolve around them). The first session exceeded most of my expectations, and am very proud of the RPI instructors, our local teachers and parents who trained alongside the students and our local student assistants who offered their knowledge, experience and assistance to the students. One down, two to go!

Wednesday, June 21, 2006 - Podcasting the Light Fantastic

Today was an opportunity to participate in a podcasting workshop sponsored by the UHH College of Arts and Sciences Dean's Office and the Office of Technology and Distance Learning along with Apple Computer. I only had to hear that Apple was involved to get excited about this workshop, and off I was to the Library Media Center with great anticipation. Kepano Kekuewa and Jim Uyeda were the primary presenters, with April Komenaka and Robert Chi hosting them. The session began with an introduction to podcasting using Powerpoint, iMovie, iPhoto and Garage Band. Up to 15 UH Hilo faculty who commit to offer at least one course in the Fall 2006 or Spring 2007 using podcasting capabilities (either completely online or to supplement an on-campus course) will receive a brand new 13" Macbook with iLife and Microsoft Office and a video iPod. As long as the faculty continue developing and delivering their online lectures and courses for students, they can keep the package. The turnout for the three workshops has been full with a lot of enthusiasm, so I don't hold much hope of being able to actually receive one of those packages. But that wasn't really what motivated me to devote four hours of this morning to this workshop (much of which covered material with which I was already familiar). It was invigorating to see the enthusiasm and excitement in the professors who were in attendance, that they could see the applicability of using this vehicle to deliver their curricula. I myself have been toying with the idea of implementing some of these strategies once some free time would open up for me (huh?). The technology has matured and software and hardware solutions have streamlined and simplified the medium considerably since I first explored the possibilities over a year ago. Sigh, yeah I want to have a podcasting blog, host my own domain on my own Mac Xserve, upgrade this site to XML and ...

Monday, June 19, 2006 - Robotics Demonstrations at Camp

One of the features of our Hilo Youth Robotics summer enrichment camp are the demonstrations of practical (and not so practical) applications of robotics at the start of each day. The demonstration is meant to show the students that there is an extension to what they are learning now. On one day we may bring in a Mechamo Centipede and Crab to showcase that Computer Aided Design (CAD) can be used to design just about anything your imagination can come up with. Other days, we may bring in a Roomba vacuuming robot to show how it employs object detection and avoidance sensors and logic. Today, we brought in a pair of autonomous sumo robots and playing field to show the sensors, motors, and programming logic used to give these mechanical marvels the ability to "see" and move and think. We pitted the two robots against each other and ran a couple of rounds for the students, who got a kick out of seeing them push and shove each other around - not unlike their human counterparts. Tomorrow, we will feature our student assistants Reyn and Noa who will demonstrate some of their sophisticated Lego creations. Wednesday will feature Kiyo and the Waiakea High School W3 underwater ROV which did so well in the State Tournament last year - of course we won't get to actually demonstrate the ROV unless it rains really a lot.

Friday, June 16, 2006 - Teachers Rule at Robotics Camp

The first week of our first Hilo Youth Robotics camp session has gone by in a flash, and the students have accomplished much in the way of designing, building and programming robotics objects made Lego pieces. Right alongside the students are teachers who are also learning about robotics and how to incorporate it into their classrooms and after-school robotics clubs. It has been interesting to watch the teachers get just as excited about robotics as the kids - the synergy that is occurring here is invigorating and exciting to observe. So far, it looks as though we may be picking up at least four or five additional FIRST Lego League teams for the fall of 2006. Teachers and parents enrolled in the Hilo Youth Robotics have committed to forming a robotics club at their respective schools with a goal of entering the FIRST Lego League Tournament in the Fall of 2006. We are working on the logistics of being able to create a tournament event here on the Big Island to address the need of reducing the cost of competing for the schools, teams and families. Right now all robotics competition events are held off-island, either on Oahu or the mainland, which creates a burden on the teams to fundraise for travel expenses. By hosting a tournament on the Big Island, we eliminate much of that expense (still have to drive from your home location and gasoline isn't cheap), and the event becomes much more accessible for even the most economically challenged teams. Anyway, thats the idea. Whether that can become a reality is yet to be seen, but we will host a competition of some sort - whether it is aligned with FIRST will come from ensuing dialog with the organization.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006 - Girls Rule at Robotics Camp

Well, who'da thunk it that we would be able to fill a dedicated all-girl's enrichment camp session with young ladies age 9-13. Not only did we fill the Hilo Youth Robotics first session with students, but also educators and parents from around the Hilo area interested in learning alongside the kids and developing after-school clubs at their respective schools. The dynamic methodology of training the teachers in a classroom with students reinforces the concepts the instructional team impart to the group. You can see the synergy of this interaction taking place throughout the workshop - it is very exciting to watch. I have attended and participated in a number of teacher workshops - some better than others, but all pretty much similar in having a sage on stage lecturing on how to be a better teacher. Very inert and sterile. The key ingredient is missing: the children! By having the students around for the workshops, teachers can observe how the instruction works for themselves. Another important component of our workshop was in our recruiting teachers and parents from schools where students are enrolled. It makes sense to train a teacher or parent at these schools so that the students will have a robotics program to attend when summer lets out and fall semester begins. Watching the kids focused on the instruction at hand over the course of four hours each day is remarkable. The little challenges the instructional team presents to the students each day really drives their curiosity and involvement in the program. Oh, and by the way, the robots the girls of the first session have designed, built and programmed have been creative and clever - girls rule at this first camp session!

Tuesday, June 13, 2006 - Message from the Past

I got a message from Peter Ceravolo saying he is planning a trip to Hawaii to deliver a paper at the Air Force Maui Optical & Supercomputing Site (AMOS) conference in September. For those of you who may not remember, we met Peter at the 2002 Astronomical League Convention (ALCon) in Salt Lake City, Utah when we accepted the Astronomy Day of the Year award for AstroDay. Peter was promoting his revolutionary (at the time) astronomical software "Desktop Universe" that utilized real deep sky images rather than graphical representations of stars and galaxies. Peter has since licensed his technology to Starry Night software and maintained his passion for telescope optical systems, where he designs custom applications including an aspherical catadioptric Gregorian for meter-class telescopes. Well, Peter and his wife are hoping to do some high resolution imaging from Haleakala with a prototype telescope. Peter's wife is an avid amateur astronomer and is a supernova hunter with Tim Puckett's team and has bagged two so far. She has a talk put together describing how the team does the hunting including the "blinking" of the images with Maxim DL software. Peter offered to give a talk on observing the 1999 solar eclipse off the coast of New England in a private airplane. Of course, if nothing else, it would be fun (as Peter puts it) to get together for a beer and rap about what its like to do astronomy from Hawaii. Looks like a good time to call on my buddies from the Haleakala Amateur Astronomers club on Maui and start planning some activities for Peter and his wife. Stay tuned to the AstroTalk-Maui web page for further develoments.

Monday, June 12, 2006 - A New Chapter

I just received an email from Art Kimura, Director of the Future Flight Hawaii program congratulating us on embarking on a new journey - namely the Hilo Youth Robotics summer enrichment program. Art talked about how eighteen teachers got together with a plan to bring science and technology to youngsters sixteen years ago. Many students have since benefited from the programs that Future Flight brought to the Big Island, and for that we are all very appreciative. However, that ship has sailed on to Oahu, Maui and Kauai, no longer offering their summer program on Hawaii Island. Out of that void came the impetus to create Hilo Youth Robotics this summer. Anyone who tells you that its a cakewalk to create, coordinate and implement a summer enrichment camp is lying through their teeth - it ain't easy. And although we never deluded ourselves into thinking that Hilo Youth Robotics could replace Future Flight Hawaii for our community, we have a commitment to continue in that tradition to offer meaningful hands-on, minds-on learning for our youngsters, our future. All told from concept to first day of instruction (today) was a period of seven months. Those seven months have been a labor-intensive, character-building, humbling exercise that has given me a greater appreciation for those individuals and organizations that undertake these kinds of endeavors on a full-time basis. Hey, the AstroDay Institute is just my hobby, remember? Not getting paid, no career advancement, no medical or retirement plan. But there is a greater payoff that cannot be explained or expressed if you don't understand - it just feels good.

Friday, June 9, 2006 - Hilo Youth Robotics Instructors

I met the instructional staff for our Hilo Youth Robotics summer camp today at Connections Charter School. Although these students of Renssellaer Polytechnic Institute had just arrived off an airplane this morning, they were chipper and upbeat about this summer's program. Aashish and Clarynne are the two instructors for our workshops, and Melissa and Director Les Rubenfeld rounded out the group. We were met by John Bush to begin setting up the classroom and the computers that would be used. I can't begin to tell you how nervous and concerned I am about making sure that our instructors are the right people to ensure that our students would get the best experience possible. After meeting our group I am very confident of this without reservation. I think our local youngsters will feel at ease with Aashish and Clarynne (who hails from Oahu) and learn alot from them. In addition to our instructors, we are employing two local teachers with experience in robotics to assist the instructors and three local students to facilitate. Today, we are holding a "get acquainted" meeting at the Connections Charter School to introduce the instructional staff to our local teachers and resource people. After the meeting, I am running over to Creative Arts Hawaii to pick up our custom Hilo Youth Robotics summer camp tee shirts. Ho, going be good fun this summer!

Wednesday, June 7, 2006 - New Student Intern

Okay, so we got over the 6-6-6 foolishness and can move on with our lives (who comes up with this stuff anyway?). With the CfAO Akamai Short Course students up on the summit of Mauna Kea today, I am somewhat green with envy as it has been a beautifully clear day. Instead I am down in Hilo, preparing for my second student intern who will be working on video production, editing the footage my previous intern shot for me at our last AstroDay in May. The intern just graduated from Keaau High School and is participating in the University of Hawaii-Hilo Upward Bound program. The duties of my summer intern will be to take the footage of AstroDay and produce a promotional video for next year's event. We are hoping to feature it on Living in Paradise or Na Leo, and also create a DVD for his portfolio. I believe it is important to provide a project-based assignment with an end-product that the intern can be proud of, and can use to further his academic and professional careers. So although it will take a lot of my time to tutor this student and guide him through this project, the payoff at the end will be worth it (as it has been over the past three years with five other students). Yes, my time will be disproportionately spent on one person - not really efficient with regard to compiling "impacted individuals" on an outreach report, but hey, it has never been about quantity in our office, but rather quality.

Monday, June 5, 2006 - CfAO Akamai Short Course

Today marks the first day of a week-long Center for Adaptive Optics (CfAO) Akamai Observatory Short Course for undergraduate students from the mainland and Hawaii. The workshops will be held in Hilo at the IfA on Monday and Tuesday, with a field trip up to the summit of Mauna Kea on Tuesday afternoon, followed by star gazing at the Visitor Information Station that night. Thursday and Friday will have the students in Waimea at the Keck Headquarters. This is the fourth year for the program on the Big Island, which has grown since its humble beginnings in 2003. This year, the program brings Sarah Anderson and Cathy Ishida back as coordinators of the inquiry based workshop. The focus will be on otics, with several hands-on stations with concave and convex mirrors and lenses, optical rails, camera obscura and ray boxes for students to experiment with. All-in-all, a very good experience for students that will lead into internship positions at several participating observatories over the summer break. The program concludes with a symposium for the students to deliver presentations on the research they participated in and what they have accomplished through placement in this program.

Friday, June 2, 2006 - Double-Header

Today, I am working on the island of Oahu, in the lush, tropically misted Manoa Valley, where our main offices are located. After meetings with some IfA faculty and staff, I head back to Hilo for our Robotics seminar this afternoon and AstroTalk public astronomy lecture this evening. Well, I landed in Hilo with just enough time to pick up my material from my office and head out to the venue where folks were already waiting. The seminar attracted several new faces to the robotics scene and a few familiar ones as well. Art Kimura of Future Flight was on hand to talk about robotics in Hawaii, and brought a DVD with video of Botball robotics at the National and Hawaii State level. Dale Olive and Eric Hagiwara of Waiakea High School came with some great visual aids: their robots, which made quite an entrance. I believe Dale and Eric were able to communicate the efficacy of their robotics programs to the audience very well, and went a long way toward demystifying the subject of robotics. Deanna Marshall finished the program up with a presentation on different types of professional and hobby robotics available today, followed by a demonstration of a couple of bipedal robots: Robonova and RoboSapien. These guys were the real show stoppers with people leaving their seats to get a better view of these guys. If the energy that was in the room was any indication, we should have a great robotics season in the fall.

Thursday, June 1, 2006 - Whirlwind Week

Whew, where does the time go? It seems we just stepped foot off Hokule`a over the weekend and now the next week is almost over. Since then, we've been working on getting flyers of tomorrow's Robotics 101 seminar out to schools in Hilo and Puna and to talk to Principals and/or science coordinators. The message we are giving is that the seminar on Friday at the UHH UCB 100 at 5:00 pm will disseminate information about the various robotics programs available to schools and community centers. We are also emphasizing the fact that it is open to the public, as we are hoping to interest school staff, PTA members, parents, and committed community members to learn more about how they can support a school's effort to establish a robotics after-school program on campus. Hopefully after learning about these programs, some attendees may register to participate in our Hilo Youth Robotics summer enrichment program training. More later, I'm about to board a plane for a business trip ...