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Nov.
11, 2002 |
CenSSIS Reaches Out to Kids at the Troy Junior
Museum
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Jodi Ackerman
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The Center for Subsurface Sensing and Imaging
Systems (CenSSIS) at Rensselaer, in conjunction with the
Junior Museum in Troy, has launched a new educational outreach
initiative geared toward students in grades
K-8.
At the museum, curious young children can try
their hands at the initiative's first interactive exhibit, "Finding
Hidden Things With Science." Using a compass, an infrared
light probe, or a metal detector to detect what's inside brightly
painted wooden doll-size houses, they discover everything from
crayons and magnets, to buttons and coins.
Using a compass, an infrared light probe,
or a metal detector to detect what's inside brightly painted
wooden doll-size houses, they discover everything from crayons
and magnets, to buttons and coins.
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One new subsurface sensing or imaging-based exhibit
is expected to be built and added each year to the museum, according
to Badri Roysam, professor of electrical, computer, and systems
engineering and CenSSIS associate director.
The initiative also is part of the 2002 CenSSIS
Scholars Program geared toward undergraduates that begins next
spring. The scholarship offers a $1,000 bookstore voucher, a CenSSIS
subsurface imaging course, and a chance to help build a children's
exhibit for the museum based on subsurface imaging engineering
principles.
"The exhibits all will emphasize interaction
and discovery. The idea of finding mysterious and hidden things
is extremely appealing to children, and therefore has the potential
to help attract children toward science and engineering at an
early age," Roysam said. "It's also a way to get undergraduates
involved in designing, building, and teaching others how to incorporate
engineering concepts."
In 2000, Rensselaer joined four other universities
to form CenSSIS under a major NSF grant that combines interdisciplinary
expertise to create new subsurface sensing system prototypes.
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