Statue of Liberty Nebula

2016 September 28     NGC 3576: The Statue of Liberty Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: S. Mazlin, J. Harvey, R. Gilbert, & D. Verschatse (SSRO/PROMPT/UNC)
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap160928.html

It sounds like something straight out of Ghostbusters … today’s Astronomy Picture of the Day is The Statue of Liberty Nebula.  Do you see her?

Explanation: What’s happening in the Statue of Liberty nebula? Bright stars and interesting molecules are forming and being liberated. The complex nebula resides in the star forming region called RCW 57. This image showcases dense knots of dark interstellar dust, bright stars that have formed in the past few million years, fields of glowing hydrogen gas ionized by these stars, and great loops of gas expelled by dying stars. A detailed study of NGC 3576, also known as NGC 3582 and NGC 3584, uncovered at least 33 massive stars in the end stages of formation, and the clear presence of the complex carbon molecules known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). PAHs are thought to be created in the cooling gas of star forming regions, and their development in the Sun’s formation nebula five billion years ago may have been an important step in the development of life on Earth. The featured imagewas taken at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile.

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

 

September 28, 2016 by kbennes Categories: Astronomy, Photography, Physics, STEAMTags: Astronomy Picture of the Day, Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, NASA, Statue of Liberty Nebula Leave a comment

University professor and students save lives with their inventions

2016 MacArthur Fellow, Rebecca Richards-Kortum is amazing.  The Rice University bioengineering professor has inspired her students to invent  new low cost medical technologies for the third world that are remarkable.

New medical technologies created by BTB students include an LED-based phototherapy light for treating jaundice in newborns that can be made for less than $100, and a bubble continuous positive airway pressure machine (bCPAP) for premature infants unable to breathe on their own. The bCPAP decreased mortality rates in a Malawi neonatal ward by 46 percent at a cost of nearly 38 times lower than the standard model.

Committed to improving access to quality health care for all the world’s people, Richards-Kortum is not only developing novel solutions but also training and inspiring the next generation of engineers and scientists to address our shared global challenges.

For more about the work of the good professor and her students at Rice University in Houston, see the following:

MacArthur Foundation:  https://www.macfound.org/fellows/970/

NPR Morning Edition segment:  ‘Genius Grant’ Winner Is A Genius At Inspiring Students

September 26, 2016 by kbennes Categories: Biology, Engineering, Humanity, Interdisciplinary, STEAMTags: Bioengineering, MacArthur Fellow, NPR Morning Edition, Rebecca Richards-Kortum, Rice University Leave a comment

Taylor Mac’s Wild and Beautifully Absurd, 24 Hour, History of America. Audience Participation Required.

It took a while for the magnitude of Taylor Mac’s new show to sink into my understanding all the way out here in Arizona.  There was an article in the NY Times this past weekend, but I skimmed through it and thought it odd what New Yorkers find entertaining.  Then, as oftentimes happens, I was listening to NPR in the car and caught this segment on All Things Considered.  Thanks NPR, I would have missed the significance without you.

A 24-Decade History of Popular Music will happen coincidentally, on my birthday, October 8th, at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn.  Taylor Mac will be delivering the most raucous, unusual and compelling combination of so many things, I’m sure it will be a memory of a lifetime for anyone hardy enough to stay the course of the 24 hour performance.

Read and listen yourself!

• NPR’s All Things Considered.  A Musical History of the U.S., With An Extra Dose Of Glitter
• Taylor Mac.Org
• Performance of 6 of 24 Decades at Joe’s Pub with MASS MoCA

 

 

 

September 23, 2016September 23, 2016 by kbennes Categories: Culture, Music, STEAM, TheatreTags: 24-Decade History of Popular Music, All Things Considered, Glitter, History, Musical, New York, NPR, Something Different, St. Ann's Warehouse, Taylor Mac Leave a comment

Explore the World With GeoGuessr

 

GeoGuessr is an engaging way to explore the world and test your geographic wizardry in a game designed by Anton Wallén of Sweeden.  GeoGuessr, through the wonder of Google Street View maps, plops players down in unknown locations making you guess where you are in the world by visual clues.   You can choose between global, country or city maps which is quite nice.  It’s fun and free!

Give it a go.  Or better yet, challenge a partner to play with you.  geoguessr.com

 

 

 

September 6, 2016 by kbennes Categories: Culture, Digital Culture, Geography, STEAMTags: Anton Wallen, GeoGuessr, Google Street View Leave a comment

Free Master Class in Urban Dance with Jojo Diggs this Weekend!

Come on down this weekend to Glendale Community College for this free event and opportunity to learn with professional dance and choreographer Jojo Diggs!

Jojo Diggs Flyer 2016

September 1, 2016 by kbennes Categories: STEAM Leave a comment