INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Ann DeMarle, Program Director
computer-generated being who represents the game player. During this activity groups of five or six students, with RAs and faculty included, created an avatar for the year 2056. The avatar had to have a purpose, strengths and weaknesses, a tag line/mission statement, and a history. Costumes were created from recycled computer parts, glue, paper, masks, and old clothes. Creating an environment and a story line is essential to game design. At the Institute Betsey Pennebaker designed a special murder mystery dinner where the participant played out their characters as the story unfolded. The event broke down social barriers and cemented the group in a unique way. A field trip to Ascension Technology, a leader in 3D, introduced students to field of IT motion. This technology is used in the film, medical, and game design industries to capture data about movement and then ascribe it to 3D characters and even medical procedures. Mid-week the students were split into teams to complete a challenge to produce a “Weekbook” that included a web site, a video, and a promotional poster of their experience to date. The final two days were devoted to completion of a team challenge. This final challenge was created along the lines of the “Odyssey for the Mind” competitions. An evening and a day were reserved for accomplishing this challenge. Results were presented on the closing day to parents and friends. The Institute this year built a strong community of enthusiastic students and experienced RAs and faculty. Some of our new faculty went the extra mile -- getting up at 6:00 am to take students running or staying up past midnight to help with student emergencies. The students put on incredible presentations of their work at the end. They were highly organized, creative, and full of stories that the audience could easily appreciate. This year’s Institute was the most successful to date for all involved. We are most grateful for the strong support the Turrell Fund provided. It could not have been the success it was without that support, and we are convinced the program will have a major and lifelong effect on the lives of the students who attended. Information Technology: Ann DeMarle: Program Director for three years, Masters of Fine Arts degree from Rochester Institute of Technology, works in the field of computer graphics and design since 1985, has taught computer and web design at the University of VT, multimedia and web production at Middlebury College and currently directs Champlain College’s Multimedia & Graphic Design degree program.
Avatar creations made from recycled computer parts, glue, paper, masks, and old clothes. The avatar had to have a purpose, strengths and weaknesses, a tag line/mission statement, and a history.
n our third year, the mission for the Information Technology 2004 Institute was essentially to give students the confidence and technical knowledge to use information technology tools flexibly, critically and creatively and to envision how IT will affect their future and that of society. Thirty-eight students attended this year’s Institute, 7 more than last year. The students represented a wide range of backgrounds and knowledge in the fields of information technology, web programming, and computer graphics experience. This group of students had a broader base of knowledge than past students, but only a few had some IT experience. The range of IT subjects, from creative to technical to business-based, surprised many students. Our expanded curriculum this year allowed them to experience more breadth and learn of more potential applications and careers. And the faculty was well prepared for what the GIIT student/teacher relationship requires. The program focused on two areas -- “Envisioning the Future” and “Electronic Game Design.” The session opened with an avatar creation exercise that helped students, staff, resident assistants (RAs), and faculty began to know each other. It also provided an opportunity to stretch creative muscles and begin to envision the future. In the game world, an avatar is a
I
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
ummer 2004 was another invigorating exercise in understanding natural landscapes. Teams of 12 students and up to four staff worked on three separate sites at Shelburne Farms in Shelburne, Vermont. The sites were Lone Tree Hill, Elm Swamp, and Church Woods. Students were encouraged to develop a plan of study, exploration, and experimentation at their own sites after the faculty introduced various field methods and the use of field equipment. Each working group studied multiple natural science landscape components and created interdisciplinary interpretive materials. Maja Smith of MajaDesign helped us design these public information pieces for the sites. In addition to signboards, students made PowerPoint presentations, web sites, and digital movies, and gave guided tours to our Shelburne Farms hosts. Our Science Careers Evening hosted an exciting group of guest scientists this year. Our students enjoyed informal discussions with some engaging professionals, among them were Pam Berenbaum, an epidemiologist at the State Department of Health, Ann Hazelrigg, a plant pathologist at UVM Extension, and James Iatridis, an assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering at UVM. These sessions offer students an intimate setting where they can talk to professionals and get a feel for a field that they might consider going into. We want to acknowledge and thank our many supporters. Crea and Phil Lintilhac not only provided the use of their beach and lawn for an evening swim, but through their generous support allowed us to update our website (http://www.uvm, edu.gov). Shelburne Farms was a gracious host to students and staff. Megan Camp and Peter Bullock of the Education Department, archivist Julie Edwards, facilities coordinator Hilary Sunderland, and woodlands manager Marshall Webb all deserve special recognition. In addition, we are grateful to UVM for their contributions that help to make the Institute a success.
Christine Massey: Program Director since 1995, M.S. in Geology, faculty, UVM Dept. of Geology and Education.
S
Christine Massey, Program Director
PHOTOS, FROM THE TOP: 1) Students taking a break at the Elm Swamp site at Shelburne Farms. 2) Left: What’s in the Water? Right: Student working in the lab. 3) Bill demonstrates a tree corer. 4) Church Woods team discusses the site with Kara Lenorowitz and Paul Bierman.
OAKLEDGE PARK UPDATE
History Being Written
n 2003, through funding from the Henderson Foundation, 13 students and 4 staff members from the Science and Technology Institute set out to understand and interpret the natural and human history of Oakledge Park. This busy waterfront site encompasses several dozen acres of open fields and woods and lies just at the southern end of Burlington with stunning views over Lake Champlain towards the Adirondacks. Starting with almost 70 years of aerial photographs, the group traced the evolution of this parcel from wide-open agricultural land in 1937 to the urban and suburban sprawl that dominates it in 2003. In the bowels of the UVM archives the students found, among other things, maps of Burlington from the late 1700s. Scanning everything they could find that traced the history of the site, the students rapidly compiled a fascinating electronic archive of the park’s history. The students thought that this rich history should be shared. They developed a website (www.geology.uvm.edu/oakledge), and several members of the group made a presentation to the Burlington City Council in July. In August GIV hosted History Day at the Park for the public. Over 150 people came to see the students’ work and hear their stories of the artifacts of Oakledge. Faculty members Paul Bierman and Eric Butler are now working with the students, graphic designer Maja Smith, and the Lake Champlain Basin Program to create seven signboards for permanent installation in Oakledge. These signboards will trace the site’s history from the ice age through to the Victorian mansions that graced its shores to today’s use as a recreational area. Design and fabrication will be completed in the Fall with installation in the Park during Spring 2005.
I
PHOTOS, LEFT COLUMN, FROM TOP: 1) The future site of volleyball courts, 1885. 2) Winter view of the Manor House, 1936. 3) Manor House site in 2004, now a picnic pavilion. RIGHT COLUMN, FROM TOP: 1) The “Octagon” cabin, a very unique structure whose foundation can still be found on the wooded hill over the cliffs. 2) The George Washington Bungalow, one of many small cabins erected in the woods for resort guests. Only the chimney remains.
W
ANNUAL GIVING
e thank, once again, the many businesses, individuals, foundations, school districts, and local organizations that made generous contributions to support students. Our budget for 2004 was $567,045. Where does the money come from? Student tuition (31%), restricted program grants (18%), legislative appropriation (35%), annual fund (11%), and fees paid by local schools (5%). Our partners, that’s each of you, make this extraordinary educational experience possible. Thank you. Vermont Student Assistance Corp. Windham Foundation BENEFACTORS - $251-500 Linda Addante Anne Slade Frey Charitable Trust Rob Apple Charter One Bank David Ellenbogen Judy Geer & Richard Dreissigacker Senator & Mrs. Robert Gannett Tracy Hewat* Edie Miller Cathy & Scott McGee William Newman Peggy Peloquin* Stettenheim Foundation Kathy White SPONSORS - $101-250 Anonymous* S. Carol Bam Didi Brush & Don Marsh Casella Waste Systems Inc. Marshall Clark Violet Coffin Nick Defriez Karen & Edward Gartner Mary & David Gibson Christine Graham Chris Hadsel & Bill Mares Brian Harwood Susan B. Hasazi Philip Hoff Irene Horbar David Larsen* Jean Miller Gregory Morgan Claire Oglesby Susan Ritz Gabrielle Root Nicky Roth Anne & John Steel Union Mutual Fire Insurance Co. Dana Walrath & Peter Bingham Karen White Woodbury College FRIENDS – $51-100 Drs. Leslie Abramson & Fred Rossman Marcie Andres & Larry Mandell Anonymous Katharine Archer & Co. Michael Belenky Lisa Brooks Jacqueline Bump Julie Burden Mary Callahan & Wayne Trickle Jean & Tom Commito Jeanne Maltese Deuso* Prudence Doherty Viraj & Rolfe Eastman Sandra & Allen Gartner Leslie Goldman & Matthew Peake Lelia Greenewalt Brian Harwood Judy Hayward Martha Heath Kalow Technologies June & Roger Kellogg Jane Lendway Denise & David MacMartin Garet & Wallace Malley Carol Ode Meg Ostrum Anne Peyton Ramona Putnam Janet Ressler* Carolyn & Peter Ruschp Barbara & Richard Saunders
GOVERNOR’S CIRCLE $501 & UP Annie’s Naturals Anonymous David Binch & Willa Harris Ruth & William Botzow Rev. & Mrs. Frederick Buechner Maureen O’Connor Burgess Walter Cerf Fund Community National Bank Concept II Mary Crowley Ann Dixon Eagleridge Fund Entergy Nuclear Northeast David Gamper Suzanne Gauthier General Dynamics & Armament & Technology Products Jeffry Glassberg Green Mountain Fund Hills & Hollows Fund IDX Systems Corporation Kelsey Trust Madeleine C. Kinzel Foundation Lamson Howell Foundation Lintilhac Foundation Allen & Bonnie Reid Martin National Life of Vermont Noyle W. Johnson, Inc. Permanent Fund Signal Advertising Stowe Kitchen Bath & Linens Turrell Fund Verizon Foundation Vermont Arts Council Vermont EPSCoR Vermont Mutual Insurance Co. Vermont-NEA Inc. Vt. Council of Teachers of English/Language Arts *