My group started with Cadet 3rd Class Michael Kripchak showing us some Newtonian Mechanics/Ballistics demonstrations
Kudos to the Faculty and Staff of the U S Air Force Academy for being such gracious hosts. The background photograph is of Pike's peak from the airport.
| Biologists, Chemists, Mathematicians, Physcists, and even a few Administrators gathered at the Radisson Hotel Thursday night and Friday morning. Everyone enjoyed the great view of the front range available just outside the door. |
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| Street signs can can be revealing....Rocket Pioneer Robert Goddard and Kelley Johnson, head of the "Skunk Works," developers of the U-2, SR-71, F-117, and ??? |
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| Friday Afternoon we headed out to the Academy, enjoying the wonderful view and dodging a few extra post 9/11 security checks. |
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| 1st year cadets on their way to the gymnasium. All the new cadets where excited because they where only days away from their "recognition" day when they are formally accepted after having gone through rigourous basic training |
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| PKAL cadets (ok, we only suffered with bumpy airplane rides, annoying email from back home, and poorly marked shuttle buses) pour off the bus heading for the orientation session. |
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| "Man's Flight Through Life is Sustained by the Power of His Knowledge" Brig. Gen. David Wagie introduces us to the USAFA. |
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| PKAL group discussing how various examples of classes taught at the academy enhanced Student-Student, Student-Faculty, and Time-on Task efforts. |
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| An army...or air force...runs on its stomach..so it was off to the Officers Club for some Chow! (quite tasty actually...although the prececision with which courses came and went was startling to those less familiar with the military life) | |
| And then we where off to see the classrooms and labs at the USAFA... My group started with Cadet 3rd Class Michael Kripchak showing us some Newtonian Mechanics/Ballistics demonstrations |
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| Next up we got to learn about the on-line chemistry resources and then Lt Col. Matt Morgan Demonstrated a laboratory experiment for finding equivalence points using a buret, drop counter, pH probe, and a laptop computer. |
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| The Small Satellite program gives interested Cadets the chance to design, build, test, launch(!, ok, they sneak a ride on the shuttle), and use a real operational satellite. Here is Dr. Enloe with an engineering mock-up of this years "bird." |
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| A PKAL participant takes a close look at the new base for the next satellite...actually this is the base for the final test mockup...the one that will go flying was still being built. |
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| Next we wandered out to our bus, drove about 1/2 a mile to the observatory, and tried to make it into the building in the howling 30-50 mph! wind that had developed. Despite the eerie howling of the wind inside the dome, Dr. Busazi gave us a good introduction to their large reflector scope. |
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| We heard about the LIDAR program from Dr Anderson and Cadet 1st Class Jason Mascetta. Jason was also excited because he will be graduating soon and is on his way to flight school. |
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| Then we headed off to the Library and heard about the many on-line resources available in the Center for Educational Excellence from Ms Carolyn Dull. I could not help noticing the amazing aircraft models that where all about the academy...such as this WWI biplane beauty hanging in the computer room at the CEE. |
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| Finally, we found out about the library proper and the interesting history of the newly covered great hall area. Here we are checking out a scale model of the entire academy. |
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| And then things got interesting.... seems our bus driver was an organic chemist and forgot how to count past four..we wandered out into the howling wind only to find....nobody. Col. Enger (and Gregor! and one more person I do not remember) to the Rescue! The picture shows a couple tired but happy PKAL people being driven home by Col. Enger. |
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