U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force sponsored
46th National Junior Science & Humanities Symposium
April 30 - May 4, 2008
Orlando, Florida
Area tours are planned for student
participants, their chaperones, and regional directors on Thursday,
May 3. Listed below are tentative tours and links to organizational
websites. Participants should indicate their tour preferences when completing
registration.
U.S.
Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, Simulation and Training
Technology Center
The RDECOM STTC is located in the heart of Central Florida and part
of Team Orlando and the Florida High Tech Corridor. The STTC is unique
in the Army for bringing together and levering people, tools and methodologies
for the purpose of researching and developing new technologies to
enhance the learning and performance of the Warfighter. It is the
STTC's goal to be recognized as the preeminent world leader in research,
development and engineering of systems of systems whose hallmark is
transitioning the right technology in the shortest time to our Soldiers.
A separate tour of UCF's IST is described below. The STTC tour differs
in that this is the military's center for simulation. In a sense,
it is a store where military people look to see what simulation tools
are available to them. Human body simulators used in training medics
and large firing ranges are examples. The large firing range (simulated,
of course) provides training for military operations in a variety
of combat situations. This is also a research center where commercial
video games are converted into training instruments.
Naval Air Warfare
Center Training Systems Division
Within the Naval Air Systems Command, the Naval Air Warfare Center Training
Systems Division (NAWCTSD) is the Navy's source for a full range of
innovative products and services that provide complete training solutions.
This includes requirements analysis, design, development and full life
cycle support. Of significance is NAWCTSD's ability to provide continuous
learning across a wide variety of applications (aviation, surface, undersea,
etc.). NAWCTSD integrates the science of learning with performance-based
training and measurement of training effectiveness focused on improving
the performance of Sailors and Marines. We continually engage the war
fighter to understand challenges, solve problems, create new capabilities
and provide essential support. NAWCTSD is also one of the cornerstones
of the National Center for Simulation.
University of Central Florida
UCF's Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy (FIEA)
offers its students an immersive and project based program in interactive
entertainment industries like gaming and film. Formed from a unique
partnership between UCF, the video game industry and the State of Florida,
students work on real-world projects to develop skills in this dynamic
field.
UCF's Institute for Simulation & Training
(IST) . It contains a number of smaller vehicle training vehicles
that students may experience hands on. It also is a center for virtual
realities where students can see how "realities" are simulated
and can get a chance (if lucky) to put on a helmet and experience a
three dimensional reality. IST is also developing immersive reality
situations where students can see the early stages of the development
of the Holodeck of Star Trek fame. (No... it doesn't work that well!)
IST also does development work for STTC. This approach has been used
to train disabled people to function in their own real world simulation
that mirrors their home environment. It has also developed simulations
to educate hearing impaired students. It is also a very interesting
place to visit.
The College of Optics and Photonics (CREOL).
Optics and photonics is commonly defined as the technology and field
of science and engineering dealing with the generation, transmission,
manipulation, detection, and utilization of radiant energy (light) whose
quantum unit is the photon. The vision of the College is to be the world's
leader in education, research, scholarship and partnership in optics
and photonics. CREOL research groups include:
Forensic
science. Forensic science is a burgeoning field of study that is
partially driven by today's explosion of television programs and media
coverage of advancements in the field. Beyond the media glamour is the
very serious endeavor of applying science to the administration of law.
The significant new challenge of countering terrorism through the forensic
analysis of evidence leading to identification of groups or individuals
responsible for terrorist acts will play a significant role in driving
the future need for highly training forensic analysts, as will the need
for new rapid and accurate DNA-based methods of identifying victims
of mass disasters.
Nanoscience
technology. Nanoscience technology is a combination of chemistry,
physics, biology and industrial engineering to discover and use the
unique characteristics of materials at the nanometer or atomic scale
to create large structures with fundamentally new molecular organization.
These properties often differ from the fundamental characteristics of
the same materials at "normal" scale, making possible an entirely
new approach to research, development and commercialization.
NASA
Kennedy Space Center has hosted millions of guests from around the
world for more than 30 years -- telling the story of how the United
States built a space program that launched men to the Moon, orbited
satellites that have improved our lives, and sent probes into distant
space to solve the mysteries of the cosmos. JSHS participants will visit
KSC's industrial areas to see NASA headquarters, the Space Shuttle launch
pads and landing facility, the Vehicle Assembly Building, and NASA's
gigantic Crawler Transporters. Available NASA astronauts will address
the group.
University of Florida's
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS)
The University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
(UF/IFAS) is a federal-state-county partnership dedicated to developing
knowledge in agriculture, human and natural resources, and the life
sciences, and enhancing and sustaining the quality of human life by
making that information accessible. While extending into every community
of the state, UF/IFAS has developed an international reputation for
its accomplishments in teaching, research and extension. Because of
this mission and the diversity of Florida 's climate and agricultural
commodities, IFAS has facilities located throughout Florida. IFAS is
the research and development center for Florida 's agricultural and
natural resources industries that have a $97.8 billion annual impact.
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