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  News and Notes from the April 17, 2008 SPS meeting


The Student Organizations Website meeting was cancelled, they are
supposed to send out the information they wanted us to get.


Zone Meeting Report.  General consensus was that it was a good time. 
James volunteered to write up a first draft of our report to send in to
National to get another $250 towards cost.  Now we just need to get our
pictures rounded up.  We aren't sure exactly how much this is going to
cost us because all the food bills aren't in yet.  We're also not sure if
we're going to get any Single Event Funding from Student Senate.  Laurie
Carrillo provided us with LOTS of NASA links and opportunities.  Dr. B
will try to get them organized on our website.  Dr. Hardtke has copies of
all the links as well, to use in PHYS 279.  And when should we play our
other Physics Jeopardy game?  We only used one version at the Zone
meeting.


Bowl for Kids Sake.  They reached their goal and brought Laurie Carrillo
along with to have fun for the night.  Bridget gave her the team captain
t-shirt and they got other fun toys as well.


Design for Medical Devices Conference.  We know that Aaron and Kate went.
 Word has it that Aaron had a good time and is possibly linking up with
someone who is doing similar research.  Very exciting!


Pre-engineering.  Bridge contest will be held next week!  Also, there is
a sign-up in CSH 113 for a pond pick up night with food.


Big Brothers Big Sisters.  Yesterday's show was a success, and today our
second show will run from 3-4.  Although, last night we learned why it is
important to make sure the trigger chain on the trebuchet is not twisted. 
Had it not been for a dive, Dr. B would have had an unfortunate meeting
with a 300lb counterweight :(


Physics Banquet (Sigma Pi Sigma induction).  This will be held NEXT
FRIDAY!  Sign up by Monday, April 25th if you plan on attending.  As of
this morning 57 people were signed up to attend with the morning's mail not
opened.  Guest speaker Dr. Jan Yarrison-Rice from Miami University of Ohio
will be speaking on nanowires.


Also next week, the spring play "Look Back in Anger" will be opening.  Go
see Matt B with a waxed mustache and a British accent!


Keep in mind that our spring picnic will be May 7th.


Officer nominations and elections!  We would like to start nominating
this week so elections can be held next week.  Look for a clipboard!


"Mars 3D" and "Sun 3D" will be shown (in 2D) and discussed by the
producer on April 28, probably starting at 2pm in the Kinnic theater,
although the times have been changing a bit.  ALSO, there will be a
special 3D showing at the St. Paul Science Museum on Wednesday, April 23
at 6:30pm.


Demo.  We were going to play with diamagnetic levitation and the gauss
gun, but we were chased out of the building by a natural-gas smelling
compound from upstairs: it wasn't gas, but it smelt bad, and strong!  Dr. B
showed a sample of official "Lunar Soil Simulant" from Johnson Space Center.
It has all the same properties as the lunar surface dust.  Plus Marguerite
Blodgett gave us a paper model of the proposed Orion transport system that
Laurie Carrillo briefly talked about.


Notes taken by Jen


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