Sunday June 22
JASON is finally here and I can't wait to get started. I met everyone on the team and we were introduced to what we would be doing for JASON. We got an introduction to filming and an overview of the energy problem when we visited the Einstein Memorial. It is amazing to be here with all the other Argonauts and teachers and I am ready to work my hardest during the week.
Monday June 23, 2008
We went to the Department of Energy, which was a lot of fun. Mr. Rogers talked about the problems and solutions that our nation is exploring in energy. For example, he showed us examples of LED lighting and explained how the Department of Energy is working to replace other forms of lighting like florescent and incandescent with the more energy efficient LEDs. He also showed us examples of grasses and other waste agricultural products that could be turned into bio-fuels. I got to ask him several questions.
Next we went to the Air and Space Museum and saw an IMAX movie about the sun where they used a series of satellites to map the surface of the sun in 3D.
We then met up with Ranger Kelley and toured the Mall from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial. He was very serious about his job and explaining everything in great detail. He knew anything you could ever want to know about every single blade of grass on that Mall. I learned that over the years the fixtures that light the monuments have changed and improved to become more energy efficient and economical.
He taught us so many interesting facts that I would never know otherwise. The monuments generally never change but the Lincoln Memorial has been changed twice, once to add the state names of Alaska and Hawaii, and again when a plaque was added at the spot of the "I Have a Dream Speech" by Dr. Martin Luther King. He also showed us a "Kilroy was Here" carving left by the stone workers at the new WWII Monument that no one would ever find by themselves. It was so fun.
Tuesday June 24, 2008
My day was already brilliant when it was announced that I had asked the best question of the day yesterday and I won a JASON hat for Play of the Day. It was really gratifying to know that everyone liked the questions I had asked Mr. Rogers. The day just got better because we got to study physics and energy from the seat of many roller coasters. My favorite coaster was Superman, not only because it was the highest but also because something funny and interesting happened there. Teacher Argo Bryan had a pen in his pocket, and during one of the hills, the pen flew out of his pocket and suspended in front of him like there was no gravity. The pen then fell to the ground. We got off, laughing and talking about the pen when Bryan found his it on the pathway leading out of the ride. We called it the magic pen. The whole day was fun because I got to understand to how regular things in life like roller coasters all had scientific principles that applied to them.
Wednesday June 25, 2008
This was a long day. It started with a trip to the Washington Nationals baseball stadium. We got to tour it while learning about how this was the first major sports stadium to use green techniques and materials. The ABC News affiliate from Charlotte, NC sent a news team to cover my JASON experience that morning. I got to be interviewed for the evening news. It was fun and also nerve-wracking because I knew that my friends and family would see this and I didn't want to mess it up. It wasn't as hard as I thought and by just staying calm I think I did a good job.
After the tour we all got into cabs and went to Capitol Hill to meet with Congressman Mollohan of West Virginia about energy policy, particularly the usage of coal, in the United States. He had actually submitted a bill that was being debated on the House floor while we were there and we met with him on the steps of the Capitol so he could quickly return to the session. I thought it was really important for JASON to explore the energy problem from the political side and not just from the scientific side.
The day continued with a trip to the Nuclear Energy Institute where we learned how a nuclear reactor works and how the lessons learned from past nuclear accidents make similar problems much less likely. Very cool. Not done yet, we now went on to the Nationals' baseball game and got to experience the stadium in action. The hotdog from Ben's Chili Bowl was a real highlight for me. Amazingly, the day was still not done because we had to board a bus and drive to West Virginia after the Nationals won the game. A long but fun day.
Thursday June 26, 2008
After very little sleep we were off to the National Energy Technologies Lab (NETL) in West Virginia. Dr. Geo gave a good presentation about the current energy problem. He talked about how the country could not rely on only one source and how energy needs to come from many areas. The experiment that sparked my interest the most at NETL was when the scientist placed a glass tube around a flame, and when the flame reached a certain height an eerie sound was emitted. This showed that the heat energy of the flame was converted into sound energy in the tube.
The coolest part of the day was when we got to go to the Fort Martin Power Plant. They explained how they convert coal into energy. It is a lot more complicated than I would have ever thought. The coal is crushed into a fine powdery consistency and then thrown into the furnace at a continuous rate so that it is burned up within milliseconds. The scariest part was when we went to the top of the furnace but the view was amazing. I had no idea that this much went into lighting and heating my house. We also got to see a scrubber, which helps to remove pollution from the air that is released by the plant. I had just learned about scrubbers in school but I had never imagined them to be so big. This is one of the things JASON does so well. It brought the concept to life.
Friday June 27, 2008
Today we went whitewater rafting. It was a lot of fun because we were doing it just for fun and by this time we were all really good friends. The rapids themselves were kind of wimpy. The river was not very full so our guide said the rapids were smaller than normal. The best part was when we stopped and we all got to jump off a big rock into the river. We then drove back to Washington D.C. It is hard to believe the week is almost over.
Saturday June 28, 2008
Today we found out about our mission assignments. I get to go to Houston, TX, with Hannah and Madhu to learn about the future of energy. How cool! How many people can say they spent a week at NASA? I have learned so much this week and made friends I will always have. JASON is beastly!
