2009 Astronaut Ellison Onizuka Science Day

Saturday, January 24, 2009
8:00 am - 3:00 pm
at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo

 Astronaut Ellison Onizuka
Workshops
Registration Form

Schedule
8:00 a.m.-12:45 p.m. Interactive displays available for viewing (UHH Library Lanai)
7:45-9:15 a.m. Registration (UHH Theater Lanai)
9:30-10:30 a.m. Opening general assembly with keynote speaker: Astronaut Daniel Tani (UHH Theater)
10:45-11:45 a.m. Workshop Session I
11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Lunch (lunch provided for registered students by American Savings Bank)
12:45-1:45 p.m. Workshop Session II
2:00-3:00 p.m. Closing general assembly, including Fascinating Science Magic Demonstrations by Dale Olive (UHH Theater); special door prizes

Workshop Descriptions
Click here for a one-page printout of all the workshop descriptions (pdf).

Interactive Workshops to choose from for 4th-12th grade students, parents, and teachers of any grade level:

WORKSHOP 01 Up Close with the Astronaut
Be inspired by an astronaut. Bring your questions of how to live and work in space, and how to become an astronaut. (Session II only.)

WORKSHOP 02 The Incredible Pathfinder Mission
Wendell Thomas, Challenger Center /NASA RERC Hawai‘i
The Mars Pathfinder Mission provided fabulous information for NASA scientists. Construct a working rover model and explore facts about Mars. Are you ready to build your working model rover and learn more about the planet Mars?

WORKSHOP 03 Hydroponic Vegetable Growing
Dr. Bernard Kratky and Glenn Sako, Cooperative Extension Service, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, Univ. of Hawai‘i at Manoa
The basic concept of the non-circulating hydroponic method will be discussed with a PowerPoint presentation followed by a hands-on demonstration of a hydroponic growing module. Various methods of growing a single head of lettuce to a large scale operation will be presented.

WORKSHOP 04 Gases in Space Living
Kristine Takata, Hilo High School, and Ron Takata, Honolulu Community College
In order to live in space, on the Moon or on Mars, we need to maintain a healthful atmosphere. Oxygen must be produced for us to breathe, get rid of harmful gases in the air of our living quarters which include carbon dioxide. Learn the needs and problems of gases in space living.

WORKSHOP 05 Electricity Flows
Marion Buscher, St. Joseph School
What is electricity? How does it light up our houses? What is the role of the switch? Come and learn the basics of electricity - the flow of power from a battery through a light bulb and back to the battery. See how a switch can turn on or off the light.

WORKSHOP 06 Supervolcano!
Steven Lundblad, Dept. of Geology-UH-Hilo, and Sean O'Neill, Center for the Study of Active Volcanoes- Univ. of Hawai‘i at Hilo
Why do volcanoes erupt? What causes some volcanoes to erupt explosively? Do volcanoes in Hawai‘i explode? Come explore the factors that influence volcanic eruptions and watch some volcanic eruption simulations.

WORKSHOP 07 Geocaching
Waimea Middle School Team, Waimea Middle Public Conversion Charter School
Join our team in our latest mission. You will become an expert in GPS use to mark and find strategic locations vital to the mission. In this geocaching experience you will use your technology skills and decoding abilities to save the day.

WORKSHOP 08 Design an Alien: An Introduction to Astrobiology
Dr. Kumiko S. Usuda and Rie Takemoto, Subaru Telescope, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
Astronomers have found about 300 planets OUTSIDE of our Solar System, and a few of them are found to be in a habitable zone. Scientists are now thinking seriously about living things outside of Earth. Considering the designs of animals and ourselves on Earth, let's design an alien under a specific environment.

WORKSHOP 09 Motion, Flight and Gravity!
Mary Ann Chester, Alicia Hui and Sandra Hathaway
Come move and fly with Bernoulli and Newton! We will construct and test some flying gizmos with Bernoulli's Law in mind and be on the move testing some of Newton's Laws of Motion. You will learn about Bernoulli, a Swiss mathematician that liked messing around with air pressure and Isaac Newton, a British physicist who was on the move.

WORKSHOP 10 Photo Technology for Fun
Lois Sanekane, Robyn Mathews, Vincent Sanekane, Pahoa High and Intermediate School
Gifts, preserving memories, research projects and presentations for school...what do they have in common? Photography! Participants will learn basic photography techniques, go out and take their own photos with digital cameras, download their pictures, crop them and print them to take home as souvenirs all in one hour!

WORKSHOP 11 Big, Little & In-Between: Observations in Scale
Gail Loeffler and Ranjani Srinivasan, ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center
Make your own scientific observations of objects from the very small (using jeweler's loupes and microscopes), to the everyday (using rulers and yardsticks), to the very large scale (using models to help understand large distances in the solar system and beyond). Be amazed at how size changes your perspective and sparks the imagination!

WORKSHOP 12 Galileo and Refracting Telescopes
Jon Archambeau and Andolie Marten, Gemini Observatory
Starting from the contributions of Galileo to the astronomy here in Hawai‘i purportedly at the cutting edge of science, participants will be given a brief history of astronomy. Then you will each assemble a small refracting telescope and use it to observe various galactic pictures. Come see how Galileo did it.

WORKSHOP 13 Cartesian Diver Madness
Laurel Clay, Kealakehe Intermediate School
Explore making various types of cartesian divers, including a diabolical cartesian diver challenge! This is a hands-on, might-get-a-little-wet, make-it/take-it workshop. Be sure to bring your enthusiasm and thinking skills!

WORKSHOP 14 External Fish Anatomy
Yumi Yasutake and Tanya DeCambra, Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, NOAA
Learn about external fish anatomy, and make your own gyotaku (fish print) shirts. Be introduced to the scientific terms of the fish parts, as well as their function. (Participants should be prepared to work with paint that may stain clothes if not washed out immediately.)

WORKSHOP 15 Different Wavelengths of Light/Experiments in the Infrared
Kenyan Beals, University of Hawai‘i Institute for Astronomy
There is more to light than meets the eye! The visible spectrum is a very small part of the entire light spectrum. Explore the different wavelengths and learn about their energy, frequency, and how they can be observed. We will also do a few demonstrations that illustrate how we "see" the infrared spectrum using an infrared camera.

WORKSHOP 16 Me?? A Rocket Scientist??
Calvin Motoda, Boeing
Have you ever dreamed of becoming a rocket scientist? Never? What does a rocket scientist do? Not sure? Come and meet one right here from our own Big Island. Find out if this job is for you as you construct, test-fly, and get to take home a space shuttle (glider, of course). Who knows? You may be the next rocket scientist from our island!

WORKSHOP 17 Rambling Rovers
Cindy Fong, Hilo Intermediate School , and Dean McMahel, KapuRacing and Electrical Engineer Mentor, Regional MATE-BIRR Steering Committee
Build an underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to pick up colored samples from the shallow lagoon. A fun learning activity and a friendly competition.

WORKSHOP 18 Hilo Bay Animals Under the Microscope
Lisa Parr and Marine Option Program Students, UHH Marine Science Dept. and Marine Option Program
Lots of organisms make their homes in Hilo Bay -- and not just fish and urchins. Come meet the lesser known inhabitants of the bay, like tunicates, bryozoans, amphipods, nematodes...creatures you may not have even known exist! You'll be working in the UHH Marine Science wet lab, looking at live animals under microscopes. Wear closed-toed shoes (sneakers) and be prepared to get your hands muddy!

WORKSHOP 19 Newon's Laws and Bernoulli Principle
Ingrid Moreau, STARBASE Hawai‘i
Learn about Newton's three Laws of Motion, force in motion, and their real life applications and properties of air along with Bernoulli's Principle. Hands-on activities include Index Card-Penny trick, Catapult, Newton's Cradle and the floating Ping Pong Ball. (Session I only)

WORKSHOP 20 Model Rocketry (Stomp and Compressed Air)
Todd Friel, STARBASE Hawai‘i
Use stomp and compressed air model rocketry in a hands-on environment. Build and fire your own compressed air rockets, as well as a stomp rocket. Learn Newton's Laws of Motion, the Forces of Flight, and the fin and spin-stabilized ballistics. (Session II only.)

WORKSHOP 21 Alien Worlds: Real and Imagined
Inge Heyer, Joint Astronomy Center
With new and more sensitive technology it has finally become possible to search for planets around other stars. Since the age of science fiction people have imagined what other worlds might look like, now we can at least infer some of their characteristics. It won't be long until we will be able to take pictures. What are these worlds like? Can we compare them to our planets? And if there should be life on these worlds, how might it perceive the Universe? We will go on a journey, both fanciful and very real, to see what we have found in our search for alien worlds.

WORKSHOP 22 How Hot is Too Hot? Heat Shielding for our Future Spacecraft?
Pascale Pinner, Hilo Intermediate School
Each space team will develop a heat shield for their spacecraft of the future. A competition will ensue to see how long the shield holds together with a direct heat source (like re-entry into our atmosphere). May the best design win!

WORKSHOP 23 Native Species--Propagation and Protection
Virginia Aragon and Mary Brzenowski, Div. of Forestry and Wildlife - Kaulana Manu Native Bird and Plant Sanctuary
Hawaii's endangered and rare birds as well as plants are well cared for by the hard working wildlife workers and one special place in particular, Kaulana Manu Native Bird and Plant Sanctuary. Learn how we propagate or grow a huge koa tree from seed and plant a seed yourself which will later be planted in the sanctuary. View a live native Nene goose and a baby pig.

WORKSHOP 24 Make a Lunar Crater! Prelude to NASA's LCROSS Mission to the Moon
Tony Leavitt, NASA Ames Research Center
Summer 2009, NASA will intentionally crash a spacecraft into the surface of the Moon. It is called the LCROSS Mission. Learn how this will happen and what NASA hopes to discover by creating this crater. Next you will have a chance to make your own lunar crater! Projectiles will be launched into lunar soil simulant, then craters will be measured and analyzed for size, shape and the ejecta tossed out.

Site released: December 1, 2008. Updated: January 27, 2009.