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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 6, 2003)
SciITech New THE Ligl Contit The Battalion Page 6A • Thursday. November 63. anu.ii I An Enlightening lightning Texas A&M and Tarleton State researchers to present thunderstorm safety sh By Amelia Williamson THE BATTALION Not many people are aware of the science behind lightning and the dangers that lightning poses. For this reason, Richard Orville of the Texas A&M Department of Atmospheric Sciences, Edward Mansell, atmospheric scientist and lightning specialist of the Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies, Michael Hibbs, of the Tarleton State University Department of Physics, and Donald House, visualization specialist of the Visualization Laboratory in the College of Architecture at A&M, are teaming up to create a planetarium show for middle school children on lightning project. Lightning, thunderstorms, and safety. The Enlightening was funded by the National Science Foundation and has been in progress for about a year and a half. In the pro duction of this planetarium show, faculty and students from the fields of atmospheric sci ences, physics and visual sciences are working together to apply their research to the education of middle school stu dents. The 40-minute production will not only teach students about the science behind thunder storms and lightning, it will teach them how to stay safe during a storm. The show was made in the planetarium for mat for several reasons. Orville said a planetarium show will make the students feel like they are right in the middle of a storm and will enhance the way that they learn about science. By making the information exciting, the students will be more interested in the material that is presented and will be able to learn in an interactive way outside the normal classroom setting. “I think that (the production of the show) is important as an educational project,” House said. “We’re trying to make science accessible and understandable to young people.” The show is being produced to run as a pilot in the new Tarleton Science Planetarium at Tarleton State in Stephenville, Texas. The show will debut this summer, be evaluated, and may ^ run nationwide soon after, Orville said. There are many planetari- ums throughout Texas and the United States, so the planetarium for mat will allow a diverse group of stu dents to view the show. The producers of the show use many different visualization techniques to con vey their messages. The planetarium show uses animation, video, still pictures and simulations. ^ ^ “We decided that one of the parts of the show should be a video of a family going on a picnic and getting (stuck) in a lightning stonn, W because that would be a really W good vehicle for explaining ' especially the safety things, but also some of the simpler science things,” House said. The team asked Rebecca Miller, a former A&M student and NBC meteorol ogist in Fort Worth, to narrate the show. Miller said the production of the planetarium show is important. “(Children) might not realize how frequently lightning strikes,” Miller said. “Hopefully this program will teach them safety.” The group also decided there should be an animated cartoon figure in the show to explain some of the complex scientific processes. Luke Carnevale, an A&M architecture graduate stu dent, is the animator of the show’s electron char acter, Sparky. Carnevale said Sparky will keep the children interested in the material. MET O 979-822-2222 n* rmmns | MB flrfi ■ ■ UPS I <0 25 Years in Bryan-College Station! I fflOD 3 ■mi; naj Gory Steuuort Tickets $10 in advance at Baskin’s, Cavender’s and the Hall ($12 AT THE DOOR) Home of the $1.50 CHUGGER AND $2.50 PITCHER Live in Concert and SINGING: “Empty Glass” & “Whiskey Trip” ♦ Come see the number ONE MALE REVIEW SHOW: LA BARE ♦ Doors open 9 p.m. ♦ Show starts 10 p.m. For more information & RESERVATIONS CALL 822-2222 The Texas Hall of Fame encourages you to drink responsibly and always designate a driver. Free soft drinks to designated drivers over 21. Photo courtesy or www-vmmw noon d A family sits safely away from lightning as the cast of the Enlightening Lightning project shoots the of the production (above). Sparky the electron (left) will help warn kids about the dangers thunderstormsprese" “It takes the monotony out of some guy just narrating,” Carnevale said. House echoed Carnevale’s sentiments. “We needed something fun, a little bit of comic relief, and this guy’s electric, he’s really jumpy and hyper, and so he creates a little bit of excitement that isn’t really in the other parts (of the show),” House said. “He knows every thing about electricity, so he’s pointing at things that are happening out on the (planetari um) dome.” Another part of the show is the simulation of storms and lightning produced by the digital star projector at the planetarium. The simulations illustrate the scientific processes of the forma tion of storms and lightning and help the stu dents to visualize the material being preseniei The content of the show focuses on the to tory of lightning discoveries, the currentunds standing of lightning formation and lightnii safety. Orville said. The bits of science nialcti al that are covered in the show teach cliildrt! how science is applied to things aroundthemi the world. "(Thunderstorms and lightning are) a® mon experience that everyone’s had. bund everyone's thought about what’s really goi| on.” House said. “So (the show) will help (put pie) understand from the inside out what’s gn? on inside clouds and what lightning and fail Star imeric iaturdc Irifts tb :he lat ^ear to Astr ;ized N ts ClOS' yawed lisplay: hanks And aenings Satu be folio f or show options, etumin each. Early Career Opportunities Powerful, invigorating and with hidden depths. The sea is the natural home of Shell. Its changing nature and global coverage represent everything that makes the Shell brand what it is. And it represents your chance to diversify, specialize, develop your career internationally - even change direction completely. Whichever route you choose you will be given a real job with real responsibility. More than that you will be surrounded by experts and inspirational leaders who can take your career to the next level. 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