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TOPS 2001 Status
- Teachers - We have finally recruited our full complement of
teachers for TOPS 2001. Creighton Wilson had to drop out - we will
miss him! Please welcome the following new recruits to the program:
| Teacher |
Subject |
Grade |
School |
| Carla Brooks |
Physical Sci |
9 |
Roosevelt HS |
| Donna Governor |
Astron/Earth Sci |
7-9, teachers |
FL-Brown-Barge MS |
| Silas Hare |
Phys/Chem |
11-12 |
TX-Tarkington HS |
| Pebble Richwine |
Science |
9-12 |
Joplin HS, MO |
| Cheryl Shintani |
Space |
Elem, teachers |
Kauai-Koloa El |
| Eugene Tamow |
Math/Comp |
11-12 |
Yap-Yap HS |
| Iros Waguk |
Math/Sci |
middle |
CNMI-Rota MS |
- Schedule 2001 - This has been completed and will be available
online after Easter weekend.
- Summer Assistants - Please welcome back our summer assistants
Lauren Lippiello (TOPS Asst. 1999, 2000), Erika Offerdahl (TOPS Asst. 2000)
and Chad Kishimoto (TOPS 1999)
- April 7, 2001 Preworkshop - Our second pre-workshop was held
from 6:00-9:30pm at the Bishop Museum. Teachers present were: Steven
Ching, Kathy Chock, Tom Chun, Scot Ewen, Sophia Hu, Alyce Ikeoka,
Victor Kim, Clyde Kobashigawa, Brett Yockey, and Cheryl Shintani.
After a fun presentation by Sam Rhoads in the planetarium followed by a
light meal, our new TOPS volunteer, Jim Bedient assisted Forrest Luke
with a refresher session on telescope set up, and observing (through
off and on clouds). TOPS graduate volunteers Gerbs Bauer and Michael
Connelly (TOPS '95) helped conduct the meeting along with Mary Kadooka,
Bev Lynn-Wilson and Karen Meech. If you attended, please drop Sam, Jim
and Forrest an email thank you! (click on their names)
TOPS Alumnae Corner
We love hearing from you, and want to keep up to date on what is
going on, so please send us information about TOPS-related activities!
We also maintain an
Alumnae Section on the TOPS web page.
- Janelle Trusty '99 - We received this letter from Janelle's mother:
My daughter, Janelle Trusty, attended the 1999 session. At that point in
her life she was good in math and science and had started an interest in
space. She met Kristina Malakie at TOPS and they both decided they wanted
to go to the Naval Academy and be astronauts. Janelle and Kristina have
kept in contact and visited when possible. While Kristina is a volunteer at
the Onizuka Center, Janelle took on the same kind of commitment here on
Oahu. After TOPS Janelle joined the Hawaiian Astronomical Society and
bought a 10" Meade. She has served as an officer for the club since fall of
1999. For her senior project she volunteered to take her telescope to school
star parties, participating in over 20 during the school year 1999-2000.
The summer of 2000 she was hired to bring her telescope for star parties
sponsored by JTB for Japanese tourists three nights a week for six weeks.
She will graduate from La Pietra on May 30 and has completed Calc I & II,
Physics (calc based) and Astronomy at U.H. She has been accepted to the
schools of engineering at both Purdue and U.S.C. along with a full four year
Navy ROTC scholarship for either school. Although she recieved a nomination
from both Senators Akaka and Inouye, she has yet to gain an appointment to
the Naval Academy. Kristina already recieved her appointment and we hope
the two of them will find themselves at Annapolis this summer starting their
journey toward their dreams.
Aloha, Chris Trusty
- Derek Minakami '00 - Derek
and his wife gave birth to a new daughter, Zoe on April 3, 2001.
Please wish them congratulations! (alternate
email)
- Mary Heaton '00 - Samuel Ethan and Ryan James were
born on Saturday 7 April. Sam weighed in at 1.9kg (4lb 2oz) and Ryan at
2.4kg (5lb 4oz). It was an exciting early morning ride in the air
ambulance from Hilo to Honolulu. As they were a bit early, both are in
the intensive care unit in Honolulu. Sam is doing OK, just very skinny.
Ryan is on a respirator at the moment. We hope to be able to take them
home in a couple of weeks. Please wish
Mary and Phil congratulations.
Cape Kumukahi Site Visit
During spring break, on March 26 and 27, we took a field trip to Cape
Kumukahi on the big island to do some archaeoastronomy surveying in
preparation for TOPS 2001. Archaeoastronomer Clive Ruggles was visiting
from England, and he lead the expedition along with K. Meech. Elaine
Mahoney brought 8 students from Mililani High School, along with their
chaperones, and they did all the fieldwork. Prior to the expedition,
we had a meeting to review surveying techniques at Mililani High School
on March 17, 2001. Copies of the viewgraphs shown and photos from the
meeting are available.
A report of our visit to the site may be found at:
http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/tops/kumukahi301.html.
News & Opportunities
- HASTA Spring Conference - We have been offered the
opportunity to have a booth at the HASTA Spring conference to be held
at McKinley high school on Saturday May 5. We are looking for
volunteers to man the booth (open 7:30-8:25am, during morning break and
lunch). This is an opportunity to share TOPS information, and recruit
teachers for next year! We are looking for volunteers since both
Beverly and I may be out of town.
- Iolani Opportunity - Iolani school is looking for a teacher
for the coming school year. They are hoping to find someone
for a permanent position split between 8th grade physical science and
concept physics. They would like someone with a physics background. For
further information contact Sara
Finnemore (sarafinn@iolani.org) or contact the office directly for
an application.
- Bishop Museum Star Parties - $ - Here is an excellent
opportunity for TOPS teachers / students to keep up to date with their
expert astronomy skills - and get paid at the same time! The Bishop
museum is starting a major program of astronomy outreach -- evening
night viewing programs aimed at Japanese tourists. They will need at
least one person per night every day (at least until mid September,
possibly longer) to operate telescopes and show people the night sky,
give sky talks and assist in the planetarium. They will provide
telescopes (12.5" Schmidt-Cassegrain in the observatory, and the 8"
Meade reflector). Shifts are available seven days a week; shift is
approximately 6:30 - 9:30 PM. This is a casual/hourly position, up to
19 hours per week. They need at least 1 person per night, but if the
crowds get very large, they may want 2-3 people per night. They can
take several folks, so if you are interested in doing this part time
for extra money, that is possible. Qualifications: experience with
telescopes; knowledge of astronomy; comfortable speaking to large
groups. While a real plus, Japanese speaking ability is not required
(they will have an interpreter/translator). Questions? Contact Mike Shanahan, Planetarium
Manager, (808) 847-8235. You can send a resume or apply in person:
Bishop Museum, Human Resources Department
1525 Bernice Street
Honolulu, HI 96817
Web Resources
- Hoku -
an online astronomy newsletter for educators and parents from the Canada
France Hawaii Telescope on the big island.
- Southern Stars
a site about aborignal astronomy in Australia.
- A few useful sites for students thinking about careers in astronomy:
Contact Information
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