Newsgroups: bit.listserv.seds-l
Date:         Sat, 21 Nov 1992 12:59:58 EST
From:         Bill Blum <blumb@SAGE.CC.PURDUE.EDU>

William Blum
1246 Fowler Courts Room 1
West Lafayette, IN  47906
blumb@sage.cc.purdue.edu
(317)4959401

        When night sets across the nation, most people just look at the
sky as something to take for granted.  Then, there are the individuals who
look up and see the stars as something to reach for, to go towards, to
understand more fully.  SEDS is an organization designed to bring together
those individuals who have a desire to play a part in the exploration and
development of space.  SEDS is a growing organization, with unique projects
such as SEDSAT.  Quite literally, there's nowhere to go but -up- for SEDS.

        In the next five years, SEDS needs to focus on educating the
general public about the benefits of space exploration, along with
motivating young minds to study engineering, sciences, and math.  Once we
can get the public to comprehend WHY we are always looking skyward...maybe
some of them will join us, and support us.

        Whether it be through sponsoring science fairs, performing science
demonstrations at local schools, or having an essay contest, SEDS needs to
make a STRONG impact on the minds of youth.  It's not uncommon to find
youths who don't want to study the sciences because "only nerds do."  We
need to keep in mind that even if we can't get them interested in
participating in space-related activities...we should dispel the images
that some children have about the sciences.

        SEDS won't be able to effectively accomplish its goals without
strong communication and cooperation bewteen all of the chapters.  On major
projects such as the satellite, subassemblies could be assigned to
different chapters for construction, with final assembly and checkout to
take place at a central location.  Other projects, such as construction of
high-power model rockets with electronic payloads, could be coordinated
between two or three chapters located close together.  The broader the
base, the more stable the effort.

        I've been interested in space for as long as I can remember.  I
still remember the strange looks on the faces of the local librarians when
my second grade class went in for a field trip---everybody else in the
class went immeadiately for the place where they kept the Judy Blume and
Beverly Cleary books...I went immeadiately to the card catalog, under N for
National Aeronautics ... well, hopefully you get the idea.

        I believe that being a part of the SEDS National board would let me
bring in some new ideas on how best to motivate elementary and high school
students to study science and related fields.  If you look at the rosters
of past space missions...you'll find a high number of Purdue alumni.  I
think that the perspective on life that I have as a result of being a
Purdue student is worth sharing with SEDS.  As a board member, I would give
every effort to helping promote and provide for the goals of SEDS.


--
Bill Blum                       * And you tamed this land by enterprise...
Purdue University               * And by the power of your dreams.........
School of Nuclear Engineering   ** Delphi Mail- TURK182 ** Yellnet: BILL!!
blumb@sage.cc.purdue.edu        * FIAWOL   Ad Astra Per Ardua!!
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