Between 6-8pm on Thursday, September 23, 2010, retired NASA engineer Russell Werneth will be attending our Hubble Exhibit Members Night and sharing with members his stories about working directly with the Hubble Space Telescope.

Russell L. Werneth, an aerospace engineer at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland was the ExtraVehicular Activity (EVA) Manager for the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Project. Mr. Werneth contributed to numerous programs throughout his long Federal career, but he earned the most acclamation for his many efforts during the five Hubble servicing missions. Mr. Werneth has played an important role in several projects, including designing unique tools, procedures, and training that the astronauts used during their EVAs, or spacewalks, to upgrade and repair the Hubble Space Telescope.  During his career he also served, as the lead manager for astronaut tool development at Goddard for NASA’s two critical Return-to-Flight Space Shuttle missions in 1995, when astronauts performed first-of-its-kind spacewalking demonstrations using repair tools that Goddard and Johnson Space Center teams created.  After retiring from civil service in 2007, Russ returned to serve as Educational and Public Outreach Engineer for the Hubble Space Telescope Project.

Russell Werneth

Mr. Werneth graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in mechanical engineering and also received a master’s degree in engineering administration from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C.  He previously was an Instructor and Lecturer at the University of Maryland and an Adjunct Professor at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.  He is also a long-time national officer of Tau Beta Pi, the national engineering honor society.

Mr. Werneth has been recognized with such prestigious awards as NASA’s Exceptional Achievement Medal for his work on Return-to-Flight and Hubble servicing missions and the Astronaut Silver Snoopy Award for his efforts on the EVA-intensive shuttle missions to Hubble.  The University of Maryland presented Russ with a College of Engineering Centennial Award, an honor bestowed to their top 100 engineering graduates.

2010-11 Educator's Guide

Just click on the image of the Guide to download a copy. It’s filled with valuable information about everything we have to offer, both at the science center and within your classroom. The Educator’s Guide includes information on: field trips, outreach programs (Workshops, Distance Learning, Science Festivals and STARLAB Portable Planetarium), standards alignment for both Ohio and Michigan, exhibits guide descriptions, upcoming special exhibitions, special science events ideal for classroom visits (like Chemistry Week, Little Scientists Week and Farm Fest) and so much more! Book your field trip today!

If you would like to receive a paper copy of the Educator’s Guide, please call 419.244.2674 ext. 120.

Mark your calendar

To really get a full grasp on what Imagination Station can do to help you and your students reach your classroom goals, we invite you to join us!

EDUCATOR OPEN HOUSE

Tuesday, September 21st from 4-7pm

The science center opens its doors exclusively for educators!

• Check out Hubble Space Telescope: New Views of the Universe in our flexible exhibit gallery
• Experience several of the hands-on activities in our Outreach Science Festivals
• Explore the STARLAB, our portable planetarium
• Learn about our live demonstrations
• Take home a fabulous classroom resource
• Enter to win Imagination Station programming
• Enjoy tasty refreshments!

Cal 419.244.2674 ext. 159 to reserve your space today.

Imagination Station will be installing new experiences during its annual fall cleanup, September 7-23. We will be temporarily closed to the public during this time and will re-open on Friday, September 24, with our new exhibition, Hubble Space Telescope: New Views of the Universe.

Read more…

Welcome back teachers!

It’s been a busy summer for us at Imagination Station. In addition to keeping your students and their families engaged and entertained, we’ve hosted 6 weeks of summer camp focused on exploring engineering concepts; spent countless hours giving kids a unique opportunity assisting local artists in constructing a sculpture that now hangs in the Huntington Center; welcomed Scott Sampson, renowned paleontologist and host of PBS’s Dinosaur Train; among many others. But now, with the school year just gearing up, it’s back to serious learning and Imagination Station is ready to help you reach your academic goals.

Check your school mailbox-

The 2010-11 Educator Guide from Imagination Station is on its way! It’s loaded with valuable information about everything we have to offer, both at the science center and within your classroom. The Educators Guide includes information on: field trips, outreach programs (Workshops, Distance Learning, Science Festivals and STARLAB Portable Planetarium), standards alignment for both Ohio and Michigan, exhibits guide descriptions, upcoming special exhibitions, special science events ideal for classroom visits (like Chemistry Week, Little Scientists Week and Farm Fest) and so much more! Book your field trip today!

If you have not received your guide by September 15th, call 419.244.2674 ext. 120 to request your copy.

Mark your calendar-

To really get a full grasp on what Imagination Station can do to help you and your students reach your classroom goals, we invite you to join us!

Imagination Station’s Educator
Open House

Tuesday, September 21st from 4-7pm

The science center opens its doors exclusively for educators!

• Check out Hubble Space Telescope: New Views of the Universe in our flexible exhibit gallery
• Experience several of the hands-on activities in our Outreach Science Festivals
• Explore the STARLAB, our portable planetarium
• Learn about our live demonstrations
• Take home a fabulous classroom resource
• Enter to win Imagination Station programming
• Enjoy tasty refreshments!

Cal 419.244.2674 ext. 159 to reserve your space today.

Vote For Kids!

Pepsi Refresh Project: Inspire a love of science in Boys & Girls Clubs of Toledo kids

Each month, The Pepsi Refresh program accepts 1,000 ideas that benefit the community and posts them on its website. The projects that receive the most votes win. Our project was chosen and is entered under the “Education” category. We will receive $5,000 to carry it out if we are one of the Top 10 Projects. But before we can help the Boys & Girls Clubs of Toledo kids, we need your help.

You can help by voting for our project!

We are currently ranked in 31st place.  Only the top 10 vote getters receive funding.

You can vote 3 ways:

1.  Click on the Vote Now button below that will take you straight to the Pepsi Refresh page.

2.  Text 101137 to PEPSI (73774) - Regular text messaging rates apply.
3. Log in through your facebook account and vote that way.

Help us spread the word!

Tell your family and friends to log onto http://www.refresheverything.com and vote for our project. Don’t forget to vote every day through August 31, 2010.  For more information about the Imagination Station Pepsi Refresh project, please visit imaginationstationtoledo.org.

June 28, 1010

Imagination Station’s Summer Day Camp kicks off

Campers invent, build and explore!

Toledo, Ohio – Imagination Station’s Summer Day Camp program is officially underway. Campers arrived before 9:00am this morning, eager to start an exciting, new experience.  Catapults, Coasters and Cars!, the theme of this year’s summer camp, will give these kids an opportunity to explore the world of engineering through a series of hands-on investigations, design challenges and building activities, including building rockets and catapults, zip-lines and bridges and even paddlewheel boats. All week long, campers will be preparing for a “design show” to take place on the last day so that visitors to Imagination Station can view their creations on site.

“Engineering is a versatile topic that offers people a wide variety of career opportunities, which is why we chose it as our focus for the day camp,” said Jamie Pafford, Outreach Manager for Imagination Station. “By getting kids excited about what they can make and do at such a young age, we have an opportunity to really impact their career choices, all while they are having fun.”

Camps run weekly through August 6, 2010. Space is still available, so if your child is interested in participating in this exciting summer camp, please call 419.244.2674 for more information. Imagination Station Summer Camps are sponsored by Kroger.

The Imagination Station, located on the downtown Toledo riverfront, is a science center dedicated to delivering science and technology based programming to youth and their families throughout Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan.

WHAT: Imagination Station Summer Camp

WHERE: Imagination Station

One Discovery Way

Toledo, OH 43604

COST: $165.00 per child (Imagination Station Members)

$195.00 per child (Non-Member)

Teacher of the Month

Mrs. Julie McCaughey

Wauseon Primary School

Wauseon, Ohio

Nominated by Joey Shadbolt

Mrs. McCaughey should win the teacher of the month because she is awesome!!  My daughter Katelyn is in her 2nd grade classroom at Wauseon Primary School in Wauseon.  Mrs. McCaughey has a heart of gold.  She truly loves each of her 25 students and I think she considers them her own kids.  One little boy in my daughter’s class is sick again with cancer.  She explained the little boys illness with the children in such a way that it didn’t scare them.  She takes time out of her busy schedule to go visit this little boy when he is in the hospital.  She even went to visit him on a day when school had been cancelled due to fog!!  It really brightened up his day.  She had the class make cards for him.  Mrs. McCaughey also made up an Easter Box for him filled with all sorts of goodies from his classmates and delivered the big box in person to him in the hospital.  Mrs. McCaughey is a very caring person and teacher and brings out the best in all of her students.  She works very hard.  I think being named the teacher of the month would be a great way to honor all of Mrs. McCaughey’s hard work and dedication to her students.  It would also be a way to for us to give back to her and her family for all she does for our kids and show our appreciation for what a GREAT teacher she is!!

Congratulations Mrs. McCaughey!

Teacher of the Month

Mrs. Deborah Cordell

Ottawa River Elementary School

Toledo, Ohio

Nominated by Tammy Rikard

She goes well above and beyond for the students at Ottawa River Elementary.  She is a 6th grade teacher of Math.  She tutors the 6th grade students who want/need tutoring every Monday.  (On her own time).  Now she is tutoring the 5th grade students who need help so they are better prepared for 6th grade Math.  (Again, using her own time).  In this time of budget cuts/cut backs it is refreshing to know there are great people left in this world.  I salute Mrs. Cordell and the great TEACHER she is.

Congratulations Mrs. Cordell!

Imagination Station is designed with a 3-part funding model.

• Corporate, Grants, Annual Fund & Memberships
• Admission, Outreach & Retail
• Public Funding – (95% of all science centers receive public funding.)

Imagination Station is a 501(c)(3) organization and relies on donations as a source of support. Your donation to Project Revolution will help us to insiire the next generation of educators, scientists, artists, technologists, engineers, mathematicians, and so much more.

Thank you in advance for your support!

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Energy Factory Coming Soon!

Imagination Station’s newest Learning World, Energy Factory, is opening this Spring! Energy Factory is a partnership between Imagination Station, BP Husky and First Solar to make the exploration of energy both fun and engaging!

Students will explore energy in many different forms.

The Ball Refinery

BP Husky Exhibits include:

• Ball Refinery- In this exhibit, students have the chance to sort balls into various distillates. This hands-on exploration helps younger audiences understand the process of oil refining.
• Voice of the Visitor- Let your students sound off! This exhibit empowers students to add their voice on an energy-related topic. It challenges students to think for themselves and listen to the responses of their peers.
• Energy Quiz- What’s your energy IQ? Students will take a quiz and learn about many energy-related misconceptions.
• Story Wall- Learn about the refining process, from extraction to processing and distribution in this fun and animated timeline.

First Solar Exhibits:

• Photovoltaic Wall- Students are encouraged to be clouds and block out the sun. This exhibit, which fosters group involvement, demonstrates how reducing photovoltaic input affects energy output.
• Solar Shooting Gallery- Students can challenge their classmates to an arcade-style shoot out while exploring the properties of solar energy.
• Experimentation Station includes:
  • Program a Robot- This exhibit will lead to a better understanding of how solar panels are produced. Students will understand what a high-tech job entails and learn that robots do work faster, more accurately and more cheaply.
  • Follow the Sun- Students will manipulate a solar panel to understand that panels create the most electricity when they are positioned to directly face the sun.

In addition the one-of-a-kind exhibits funded by our sponsors, Imagination Station is also introducing some great exhibits that explore the properties of energy in a broader capacity, including:

Magnetic Cloud

• Magnetic Cloud- Enable students to ‘see’ the shape of an electromagnetic field.
• Energy vs. Power- Students can store a fixed amount of energy than release it in a low-power, a medium-power or a high-power light.
• Among many others!

Energy Factory is sponsored by:

Extend Your Experience:

Visit Imagination Station’s newest exhibit, Energy Factory, and then book a Global Warming and Alternative Energy Workshop on Wheels to reinforce what students learned at the science center! This workshop includes a hands-on exploration of solar and wind power.

Additionally, an Imagination Station team member will create a cloud in a bottle to highlight the effects of air pollution on our atmosphere. Students will also model the design process as they explore the difference between polystyrene and cornstarch packing peanuts and the environmental implications of each choice. Lastly, students will construct their own alternative energy vehicles and race to determine the best design.

Additionally, there are still a few spaces available for our Walking With Dinosaurs, Teacher Professional Development, on April 15 from 4-6pm.

Call 419.244.2674 ext. 107 for more information, to book your workshop or reserve your seat at the TPD on April 15!

Try This in Your Classroom!

Heatin’ Up

Objective: To explore how energy from the sun can be collected and stored in different ways

Materials:

• 2 plastic bottles: one painted black, one painted white
• 2 balloons

Procedure:

1. Place the open end of one balloon on the mouth of the white pop bottle and do the same for the black pop bottle
2. Place both bottles in the sun.  What do you think might happen?  Touch the 2 bottles, do they feel the same?  Why?  What do you think is causing this?

Why:

The black bottle will absorb the sun’s energy much better than the white bottle. As the sun’s energy is absorbed by the black bottle, the air inside of it heats up.  As the air heats up it expands to fill the balloon.

The sun is about 4.5 billion years old!  Every second about 4 million tons of the sun’s matter turns into energy and only 1-billionth of the sun’s light every strikes the Earth! With all this solar energy, almost every house in the world could operate independently from gas, oil, or coal.  What things do you think we could operate by solar energy?  Could we reduce the amount of pollution in the world?  How?

Unfortunately turning solar energy into electricity is not very efficient; however we can collect and store the sun’s energy in the form of heat.  Can you name any uses for this?

Imagination Station is excited to announce our Rubber Band Car Challenge. As we speak, thousands of packets have been mailed to schools in the region.  We are challenging classrooms to create cars that can travel the furthest distance and look cool doing it.

Don’t Forget….

The Rubber Band Car Challenge

Download the Rubber Band Car Challenge

There’s still time for your class to enter their submissions for the Rubber Band Car Challenge!

The Rubber Band Car Challenge is designed to help build excitement in the classroom about energy. In addition to the Rubber Band Car Challenge, we are including many different activities designed to appeal to students of all ages, abilities and interests.  These are easily adaptable across the curriculum from kindergarten to high school.  Some investigations can be performed individually, while others foster cooperative team skills.  The time and the length of the investigations may vary from 15 minutes to an entire week of fun – it is completely up to you!

All entries must be received by May 11, 2010. The top five distances will be invited to the Imagination Station for an official race-off. The car with the greatest distance will win. Please only one entry per class.

The top cars will be displayed for all visitors to see at Imagination Station. The winning entry will receive an Extreme Science Demonstration for their entire school!

If your classroom does not receive a Rubber Band Car kit in the mail, all activities and challenge details are available on-line at www.imaginationstationtoledo.org.