Tag: Powerhouse Museum

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NAIDOC Week 2017

This year the theme for NAIDOC 2017 is ‘Our Languages Matter’ focusing on the importance, richness and resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages. Before European settlement there were over 250 unique Aboriginal Language groups with over 600 dialects. Today only around 120 of those languages are still spoken and many are at risk of being lost as Elders pass away. 

Language is more than just a means to communicate, it is a way maintaining cultural practice and passing on knowledge to future generations. Europeans could not see the value of Indigenous language and enforced the use of the English language. Aboriginal people were forbidden to speak in their languages, punished, and even removed from their families and traditional land.

Join the Australian National Maritime Museum, Australian Museum, Museum of Applied Arts and Science, NRL and Royal Botanic Gardens for a variety of video conferences for NAIDOC Week.

20 June

NAIDOC week ANMM Unlocked: Unlock Water and Indigenous people

Time: 10:00

To celebrate NAIDOC week Indigenous our Programs curator and special guest Uncle Terry will discuss this year’s NAIDOC theme – Our Languages Matter – celebrating the unique and essential role that Indigenous languages play in cultural identity, linking people to their land and water and in the communication of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, spirituality and rites, through story and song.

NAIDOC week ANMM Unlocked: Unlock Water and Indigenous people

Time: 11:30

To celebrate NAIDOC week Indigenous our Programs curator and special guest Uncle Terry will discuss this year’s NAIDOC theme – Our Languages Matter – celebrating the unique and essential role that Indigenous languages play in cultural identity, linking people to their land and water and in the communication of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, spirituality and rites, through story and song.

NAIDOC week ANMM Unlocked: Unlock Water and Indigenous people

Time: 14:00

To celebrate NAIDOC week Indigenous our Programs curator and special guest Uncle Terry will discuss this year’s NAIDOC theme – Our Languages Matter – celebrating the unique and essential role that Indigenous languages play in cultural identity, linking people to their land and water and in the communication of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, spirituality and rites, through story and song.

NAIDOC week ANMM Unlocked: Unlock Water and Indigenous people

Time: 10:00

To celebrate NAIDOC week Indigenous our Programs curator and special guest Uncle Terry will discuss this year’s NAIDOC theme – Our Languages Matter – celebrating the unique and essential role that Indigenous languages play in cultural identity, linking people to their land and water and in the communication of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, spirituality and rites, through story and song.

NAIDOC week ANMM Unlocked: Unlock Water and Indigenous people

Time: 11:30

To celebrate NAIDOC week Indigenous our Programs curator and special guest Uncle Terry will discuss this year’s NAIDOC theme – Our Languages Matter – celebrating the unique and essential role that Indigenous languages play in cultural identity, linking people to their land and water and in the communication of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, spirituality and rites, through story and song.

NAIDOC week ANMM Unlocked: Unlock Water and Indigenous people

Time: 14:00

To celebrate NAIDOC week Indigenous our Programs curator and special guest Uncle Terry will discuss this year’s NAIDOC theme – Our Languages Matter – celebrating the unique and essential role that Indigenous languages play in cultural identity, linking people to their land and water and in the communication of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, spirituality and rites, through story and song.

Pre-NAIDOC week Dreamtime astronomy Stages 2 and 3

Time: 09:00

Celebrate NAIDOC week 2017 with an astronomical experience from the Boorong clan of the Wergaia language group (Vic) and be inspired by their sky knowledge and lore. Shared stories about Warring (The Milky Way), Bunya (Gamma Crucis in the Southern Cross) and the Nurrumbunguttia (Old spirits whose campfire smoke became the Milky Way) demonstrate a deep understanding and relationship with the sky that is shared across Australia’s diverse Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

NAIDOC – Our Languages Matter

Time: 13:00

This video conference explores the impacts on the loss of Indigenous languages and the importance of language and language revitalization. Students will also learn some words in the Gadigal, Dharawal and Dharug Langauges from the local Aboriginal Peoples of the Sydney area.

Pre-NAIDOC week Dreamtime astronomy Stages 2 and 3

Time: 13:30

Celebrate NAIDOC week 2017 with an astronomical experience from the Boorong clan of the Wergaia language group (Vic) and be inspired by their sky knowledge and lore. Shared stories about Warring (The Milky Way), Bunya (Gamma Crucis in the Southern Cross) and the Nurrumbunguttia (Old spirits whose campfire smoke became the Milky Way) demonstrate a deep understanding and relationship with the sky that is shared across Australia’s diverse Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Aboriginal Language for Jarjums – NAIDOC

Time: 14:00

Your students will learn and practice Aboriginal language skills in this special video conference for NAIDOC week from the Royal Botanic Gardens. Join  Aboriginal Education Officers in an exploration of Country, as we learn Aboriginal perspectives using traditional Wiradjuri, Barkandji and Cadigal language as an interpretation to fun learning of identifying country, plants, animals, people and objects.

Pre-NAIDOC week Dreamtime astronomy Stages 2 and 3

Time: 09:00

Celebrate NAIDOC week 2017 with an astronomical experience from the Boorong clan of the Wergaia language group (Vic) and be inspired by their sky knowledge and lore. Shared stories about Warring (The Milky Way), Bunya (Gamma Crucis in the Southern Cross) and the Nurrumbunguttia (Old spirits whose campfire smoke became the Milky Way) demonstrate a deep understanding and relationship with the sky that is shared across Australia’s diverse Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

NAIDOC – Our Languages Matter 

Time: 13:00

This video conference by the Australian Museum explores the impacts on the loss of Indigenous languages and the importance of language and language revitalization. Students will also learn some words in the Gadigal, Dharawal and Dharug Langauges from the local Aboriginal Peoples of the Sydney area.

Pre-NAIDOC week Dreamtime astronomy Stages 2 and 3

Time: 13:30

Celebrate NAIDOC week 2017 with an astronomical experience from the Boorong clan of the Wergaia language group (Vic) and be inspired by their sky knowledge and lore. Shared stories about Warring (The Milky Way), Bunya (Gamma Crucis in the Southern Cross) and the Nurrumbunguttia (Old spirits whose campfire smoke became the Milky Way) demonstrate a deep understanding and relationship with the sky that is shared across Australia’s diverse Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

NAIDOC Week: Our Language Matters- NRL Learn

Time: 13:30

Join the NRL Community team as we celebrate NAIDOC Week, as the key message is Our Language Matters we will be talking about the Indigenous Culture and Meanings. As we have our Teacher who works with us Kalinda Bolt, she will be running an Indigenous session which will involve the kids to join in.

NAIDOC Week: Our Language Matters- NRL Learn

Time: 14:00

Join the NRL Community team as we celebrate NAIDOC Week, as the key message is Our Language Matters we will be talking about the Indigenous Culture and Meanings. As we have our Teacher who works with us Kalinda Bolt, she will be running an Indigenous session which will involve the kids to join in.

NAIDOC – Our Languages Matter

Time: 13:00

This video conference by the Australian Museum explores the impacts on the loss of Indigenous languages and the importance of language and language revitalization. Students will also learn some words in the Gadigal, Dharawal and Dharug Langauges from the local Aboriginal Peoples of the Sydney area.

NAIDOC – Our Languages Matter

Time: 13:00

This video conference by the Australian Museum explores the impacts on the loss of Indigenous languages and the importance of language and language revitalization. Students will also learn some words in the Gadigal, Dharawal and Dharug Langauges from the local Aboriginal Peoples of the Sydney area. 

Aboriginal Language for Jarjums – NAIDOC

Time: 14:30

Your students will learn and practice Aboriginal language skills in this special video conference for NAIDOC week from the Royal Botanic Gardens. Join  Aboriginal Education Officers in an exploration of Country, as we learn Aboriginal perspectives using traditional Wiradjuri, Barkandji and Cadigal language as an interpretation to fun learning of identifying country, plants, animals, people and objects.

 

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MARS ONE – A One Way Ticket To Mars

MarsOne

Meet Some Australian Mars One Candidates

HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT MARS ONE — the ambitious project that is under way to send the first humans to Mars? The plan is to send 4 people (2 women and 2 men) in 2024 — and it’s one way! They won’t be coming back. They will be Martians.

Some 200,000 people from all over the world applied for the chance to be one of the first humans on Mars. That number has been narrowed down to about 750, including some 25 Australians. Eventually the number ill be reduced to a total of 24. These candidates will undergo many years of extensive training and eventually 4 will be chosen by a TV audience as part of a reality style TV show to be the first to go.

So, what kind of people are these Australians? What would you ask them if you had the chance? What makes them want to go to Mars and give up life on Earth? What about their families and friends? Why do they think they should be chosen? What training will they need? How will they survive and cope in the tiny habitation modules? What if something goes wrong? What characteristics would they look for in team-mates? How is all of this affecting their daily life now?

This video conference gives students the opportunity to meet and ask questions of a number of these ordinary (or, some might say, extraordinary) Australians who have made it to the second round of the Mars One selection process.

This is a free video conference event
hosted by the Powerhouse Museum
10:30 – 11.30 am (EST) Thursday 27th Novemeber 2014
Bookings Close 24th November 2014
BOOK NOW at dartconnections.org.au
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WORLD SPACE WEEK: Meet the Mars robots

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Join the Mars Lab team at the Powerhouse Museum and meet the Mars Lab’s robotic experimental Mars rovers. See these impressive robots in action on the Museum’s re-creation of the surface of Mars and find out why robots are used in space exploration.

Then, have your students try their hand at driving the Mars Lab’s robotic rovers remotely from your classroom over the internet!

This is a free video conference event
hosted by the Powerhouse Museum
9:00 – 10.00 am (EST) Wednesday 8 October 2014
Bookings Close 8 October 2014
BOOK NOW at dartconnections.org.au
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WORLD SPACE WEEK: Mars Mission 5

mm5

TAKE YOUR STUDENTS ON A MISSION TO MARS!

In this exciting 2 PART virtual excursion workshop, your students get the unique opportunity to drive a robotic rover via a web browser from your classroom across the Mars Yard (a re-creation of the surface of Mars) located at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney.

Led by the Mars Lab team via video conference, your students will explore the various landforms and features of the Martian surface to examine Mars’ history, geological evolution and potential evidence of past habitable environments. During the excursion your students will:
– work collaboratively to plan their mission using a mapping application
– practice driving the rover using a virtual simulation
– work collaboratively to drive the rover to sites of interest on the Mars Yard
– take photographs of sites of interest using the rover’s camera

The program focuses on collaboration, planning, observation and scientific investigation.

PROGRAM OUTLINE

Part 1| Introduction to Mars exploration and the Mars Lab (45 minutes) – Oct 8 at 9:30AM
Part 2| The mission (90 minutes) – TBD (Please book PART 2 by calling 02 9217 0349)

Part 1| Introduction to Mars exploration and the Mars Lab (45 minutes)

Via video conference, the Mars Lab team in Sydney will introduce your class to Mars exploration and the Mars Mission 5 activity. They will explain how the class will prepare for their Mars Mission.

Part 2| The mission (90 minutes)

The mission is the highlight of the session where mission teams get to drive the real robot rover and to play 5 different operational roles that will contribute to the class’ successful completion of the mission. Students will use the rover to capture images of features and landforms associated with their ‘clues’ for later analysis.

*For a more detailed outline of the program, please visit the Mars Lab website at: http://www.themarslab.org/unit/mars-mission-5/

This is a free video conference event
hosted by the Powerhouse Museum
9:30 – 10.15 am (EST) Wednesday 8 October 2014
Bookings Close 3 October 2014
BOOK NOW at dartconnections.org.au
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Meet NASA’S Dr Abigail Allwood

DrAbigailAllwood

Australian NASA scientist Dr Abigail Allwood is now one of 7 principal science investigators in NASA’s next mission to the red planet … the 2020 Mars mission. Abby is the first woman and first Australian to be given the prestigious role.

Abby is a field geologist with a strong interest in the oldest record of life on Earth. Eight years ago while doing her PhD at Sydney’s Macquarie University she proved that billion-year-old stromatolites (layered rock formations made by tiny microbes) in the Pilbara region (of WA) held records of Earth’s oldest microbial life forms. Abby thinks that the patterns of microbial life in the Pilbara could also have happened on Mars. Abby designed a new technology known as PIXL (Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry) which analyses very small, grain-sized portions of rocks to look for traces of organic material. She is now the Principal Investigator for PIXL which will be mounted on the robotic arm of the next Mars Rover in 2020 to examine the rocks on Mars and look evidence of early microbial life forms like the ones found in the Pilbara.

Abby will join us live from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California to chat with young people and share her inspirational story as a young Australian who dreamt of working for NASA, the path that lead her to her incredible career and her exciting work on NASA’s upcoming Mars 2020 mission. This is a unique opportunity for your students to ask questions and discuss ideas with
a home-grown NASA scientist.

This is a free video conference event
hosted by the Powerhouse Museum
Australian leading mars 2020 mission: meet NASA’s Abby Allwood
9:30 – 10.30 am (EST) Wednesday 10 September 2014
BOOK NOW at dartconnections.org.au
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Powerhouse Museum Special Videoconferencing Event

Science Show with Ruben Meerman

Science Show with Ruben Meerman

Science Show with Ruben Meerman

Calling NSW rural and regional schools to join us for this exclusive opportunity to keep up the scientific fun even after National Science Week!  

Enjoy a science show presented by Ruben Meerman, ABC’s Surfing Scientist as a part of this year’s Ultimo Science Festival.

His awesome performance covers all kinds of science and uses the amazing effects of liquid nitrogen in combination with more ordinary materials to demonstrate scientific phenomena we experience every day. Students are always mesmerised by bubbling beakers, fizzing fluids and spooky fog … while learning real science.

Ruben’s energetic style, clear explanations and playful humour are so entertaining yet at the same time he can ignite people’s natural curiosity … while blasting outdated “scientist” stereotypes right out of the water!

The Surfing Scientist, Ruben Meerman, has been promoting science on television, radio, at public events and in schools for more than fifteen years. He has appeared on ABC television programs including Catalyst, Sleek Geeks, Studio 3, Roller Coaster, The Experimentals and as the resident scientist on Play School.

Ruben will be available to answer questions after the show so come prepared to pick his brain!

When: Wednesday September 3

Time: 10am-11am

Cost: $60 per class

Ages: Stages 2-3, Years 3-6

BOOK HERE

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Meet Jennifer Griffes Shechet

Meet Jennifer Griffes Shechet – Earth and planetary scientist on the Mars Curiosity Rover team. 

Joining California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in 2008 as a research assistant in planetary geology, Jennifer now works in operations for the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover. She was previously involved in the analysis of the potential Curiosity landing sites, as well as on the HiRISE team (High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment). HiRISE is a high-resolution camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) including characterising sedimentary layers in HiRISE images over the global Martian surface.

Since Curiosity landed in August 2012 Jennifer has been working on mission operations as a keeper of the plan “I help build the plan fragments that get sent up to the rover”, characterising the terrains the rover has driven over and “assessing the predictive capabilities of terrain we will drive over in the future, to best protect the rover wheels from future wheel damage.”

Live from the Caltech, Jennifer will talk about her studies and career as a planetary scientist, her current role with the Curiosity mission and what it’s like working in a scientific team at the frontier of human discovery..

This free virtual excursion event is presented to you by The Mars Lab

This event will be held at 9:30 – 10.00 am (EST) Friday 16 May 2014

3060611_237684_Jen_Shechet1200px
Jennifer Griffes Shechet

Click HERE to Book your virtual excursion today.

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Powerhouse Museum and Vandi Tompkins

On the morning of Thursday 27 February, the Powerhouse Museum’s Mars Lab team linked up with eight Australian high schools and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California to speak with Vandi Tompkins, driver of the Mars rover Curiosity.

There was quite a bit of excitement around this event. The Minister assisting the Premier on Western Sydney, Executive Director Public Schools for the Department of Education and Communities and the Powerhouse Museum’s director, Rose Hiscock, all gathered at Casula High School (one of the schools joining in the video conference) to watch the event unfold.

From here at the Powerhouse in the Mars Lab studio, the Mars Lab team chatted with Vandi and invited young people at the participating schools to ask her some questions. Vandi told us about the latest news on Curiosity, having recently crossed Dingo Gap, a region on Mars named after a place in Western Australia, and heading over to a steep rocky region called Kimberley (also named after an Australian region!).

Vandi spoke about her dreams as a young girl in India to one day work in a space related job, to studying robotics and finally ending up working for NASA. She shared some of the maps and planning tools they use to prepare for each drive, showed us images of Curiosity and told us about what she does in her free time – drive motorcycles and rock climb (you know, the usual!)

One of the most memorable questions came from a year ten student: “What if I want to pursue a career in science and am not smart enough”. It made us realise what an important role we play at the Powerhouse Museum in building confidence and career paths for young people, and of course anyone smart enough to want a career in science has taken the first step!
Vandi then connected to our Museum’s Mars Lab rover, Mawson, via the internet and drove Mawson around the Mars Yard. She performed a few manoeuvres as she giggled excitedly saying how much fun it was to drive a rover in Australia through a web browser. She made a few comparisons between Mawson and Curiosity, saying that many of the functionalities were very similar.

The experience was a truly inspiring and memorable one, not only for the lucky young people who participated in the video conference link up, but also for everyone all over the world who watched the event live online as well.


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Videoconferencing at the Powerhouse Museum

2014 is set up to be an exciting year for videoconferencing at the Powerhouse Museum! We are launching a whole new suite of regular programs starting Friday February 14th. Book your Powerhouse Museum virtual excursion on the DART Connections website.

 

Here’s a snapshot of what the Powerhouse Museum has to offer:

 

For Good Measure: Fun with measurement and standards

MATHEMATICS: Stages 2-3

What do ‘Peter Piper’ and ‘Jack and Jill’ nursery rhymes have to do with maths and measurement?

What are gills, bushels, pecks and the smoot? Find out in this special hands-on maths video conference! JoinPowerhouseMuseum Curator Matthew Connell on this mathematic adventure which includes access to the measurement collection usually kept locked away from the public. Students interact throughout the session with fun hands-on activities in your classroom. Get your students experimenting with measurement and mathematics!

Matthew_head_shot

 

Sustainable Solutions Workshop

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY: STAGE 3

Put on your eco-designer thinking caps and take part in this hands-on workshop! 

Learn about ecological footprints, what it means to be sustainable and how to think sustainably using the 6 Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Repair, Refuse and Rethink. Get creative and get your hands dirty — students make their own creation using an eco-friendly, sustainable material.

 Dart image making bioplastic

 

Babbage & his Difference Engine

MATHEMATICS: STAGES 5-6

Celebrate International Pi Day with an exciting session on the inventor of the computer, Charles Babbage! 

Powerhouse Museum’s Principal Curator, Matthew Connell, introduces students to one of the first computing machines ever invented, the Babbage Difference Engine No. 1.

 babbage

Transport: Past & Present (Available from May 9)

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY & HISTORY: Stages ES1-2

A unique character-guided tour through Sydney’s transport history and future options. Using objects from our PowerhouseMuseum collection as well as archival images and footage, students will be transported back in time in this engaging and interactive program.

IS-5922-0026

 

Visit the PowerhouseMuseum’s page on DART Connections website to book a session and for full details of upcoming sessions.

 

If you would like to participate in a session on another time that is not listed, or have any other questions, pleaseemail video.conferencing@phm.gov.au

1.1.1 PHM Primary col cmyk

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Tandberg URI Dialing

Recently I had some fun and games with our two Tandberg Video Conference units at the Powerhouse. It had been report to me that it was not possible to dial into any VMR’s (Virtual Meeting Rooms), DARTs VMR’s included. To dial into a VMR it is necessary to use what is known as a ‘URI Dial String’, this string consists of two parts, firstly some text or a number followed by the ‘@’ symbol then an IP Address or Domain name so,  <text>@<ipaddress>, this is typically implemented by inputting the VMR as the first part of the string then the IP address as the second part.

As you would imagine not being able to dial into the DART VMR is a big problem for us, and since I am still relatively new here I am not really sure how this was achieved in the past, but I set about fixing the problem, and after much back and forth and much googling I came to the conclusion that the firmware in our Tandberg units was way too old!

As it turns out URI dialing cannot be used with Tandberg software version prior to TC4.2 unless the system is registered with a gatekeeper. We do not have a gatekeeper and you would only really need one if you had to implement inbound URI dialing. Cisco only introduced full support for H.323 Annex O (URI Dialing) in TC4.2, we had TC4.1 so could only do IP dialing. Problem is that we do not have a CISCO support contract on our VC units and getting firmware upgrades is usually done through support contract channels.

Tandberg C60 at the Powerhouse
Tandberg C60 at the Powerhouse

Thankfully, if you are in the same situation, there is a way out. You can either go to the trouble of installing gnugk a free gatekeeper application on a seperate server or you can in fact get a firmware upgrade for your unit. CISCO only require that you have a support contract to get the most recent version of the firmeware TC6.3, the older versions TC4.2 and TC5.1.8 are freely avaliable HERE.  You will need a CISCO Tac login to be able to download it, but that is free as well.

There is a step-by-step process to installing a new firmware package in the administrators guide for your system. But basically you will need to;

– Download the package.
– Upload the packaged to the unit using the web interface that your unit provides.
– Wait about 10 minutes for the upgrade to finish and the system to reboot.
– Login to the CISCO Tac and obtain a Release Key from HERE.
– Login back into the web interface and apply the ‘Release Key’ from the maintenance menu.

Be warned though, a firmware upgrade like this is not for the faint hearted, things can go wrong, and if something breaks you will need advanced knowledge to recover from the situation!

So, if you’re brave, go forth, upgrade and enjoy all the new features that you never thought your VC Codec could do!