INSIDE OUR SCHOOLS
Eliot Arts Science Night (Photo – Jennifer Hall Lee)
Don’t Miss Science Night on Friday, January 24, 5:00-8:00 at Eliot Arts Magnet Academy, a Pasadena Unified School District junior high school at 2184 Lake Avenue in Altadena.
By Jennifer Hall Lee
This is Eliot’s 3rd Science Night. The event is free and open to the public. Eliot Arts Principal Lori Touloumian said:
Our science night is one of the most anticipated events of the year! It is complete with over 70 STEM organizations represented, and it is spearheaded by astronomer and Eliot parent Dr. Warren Skidmore.
Dr. Skidmore is working in Pasadena on a project to build a giant telescope in collaboration with Caltech, UC, JPL and teams around the world. Asked about his goals for Science Night, he said he wanted to show children the “vast range of opportunities that are on their doorstep,” and that the presenters are “just regular people that do these projects,” In addition, Dr. Skidmore wants “to highlight the pathways that students can follow – educational and career pathways through local high schools and colleges.”
Participating groups
Participating groups include the Alf Museum of Paleontology, Carnegie Observatories Digital Planetarium, Marine Mammal Care Los Angeles, Pasadena City College, John Muir Early College Magnet Academies, Mount Wilson Observatory, Art Center College of Design, SpaceX, telescopes for stargazing, Vader’s 501st Legion–Storm Troopers and more. Eliot’s print shop will be open and there will be presentations by Eliot gardener extraordinaire, Gary Day. Not to be missed, the one and only Climate Elvis from JPL will be performing! Climate Elvis is a climate scientist from JPL who gets his message out singing like Elvis.
Eliot Garden’s Gary Day will be presenting a Tell the Truth, Save the World Eliot Garden Tour. Don’t miss this if you want to learn about composting (and want to share your ideas on how to save the world)! Dr. Skidmore had this to say about the Eliot Garden and Gary Day’s work: “We’re trying to demonstrate how every single person can make a positive impact. We’re in this problem because of the small effect we each have, the total effect of everyone is causing the global problem. We each have to do our part to improve our situation going forward.”
Major components of this zero-waste event include earth observation with JPL, environmental monitoring and management, human effects on the climate, recycling and waste management.
Eliot science night (Photo – Lupe Leyva)
Dr. Warren Skidmore
Dr. Skidmore commented on the wide range of organizations presenting at Science Night, “It’s all a big web really. Most of the work at JPL is earth observation; monitoring the environment, measuring human impact. And we have to take that information and then make decisions about how we live our lives, guiding our resource and environmental management. How we recycle. Minimize our use of resources.”
Dr. Skidmore began Science Night at Webster Elementary when his children were students there. “The genesis was just a little bit of star-gazing, but it’s grown to be something much bigger than that–really looking at technology in our lives. The environmental aspect has only come up in the last few years at Eliot.”
Eliot Science Night
Skidmore’s first Eliot Science Night in 2018 drew about 800 people with 33 participating groups. Last year about 1000 people attended with 42 participating groups. This year there will be 71 participating groups. Eliot’s Science Night provides an opportunity for students, their families and members of the community to talk directly with local scientists, naturalists, astronomers, and educators who are working on significant technological and scientific solutions for our world, particularly in this time of unprecedented climate change.
While visitors are feeding their appetites for knowledge, Eliot’s PTSA will be selling food and drinks at the Cosmic Cafe, located in the main quad. The various groups will be located in the main hallway of the school, the gymnasium, the quad, and the lower fields.
Date/Time 01/24/2020 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm Location Eliot Arts Magnet Academy
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