Event ID: 1264016
Event Started: 2/17/2009 6:53:38 PM ET


Please stand by for realtime captions.

This is Steve doing another audio test. One, two, three. I'm not sure what's going on with Jeff's PC but your mic was locked don't. I couldn't unlook it from here. You can hear me but I have a feeling there may be something wrong with Jeff's PC. Let me turn it over to him and see if it's working. No. We're not getting any audio out of the microphone on Jeff's PC. Not sure if there's somebody technical that can take a look at it, but it's not working. Okay. I'll tell you what to do. If you'd like, click on the file menu and click on microphone settings. Make sure that -- I'm assuming you are using a windows XP system. Make sure that the external mic is in fact selected. If there is an advanced button there, I would click on it and make sure the mic boost is okay. Then give it another shot. There's still no audio. Might you have another headset that you can try? Or can you maybe try another PC? Right. I know you can hear me, but I think there's something going on with one of the PCs at Wright state. Go ahead Jeff. Yeah. There's still no audio. What I can do is take a look remotely, I can connect to your PC. Would you like me to do that Kathrine?

Okay. Stand by and I'm going to have you do something. Keith, we have not enabled the audio for the participants so your microphone will not work. I asked that everybody stand by for just a second. Kathrine, I'm going to send you a page. Excuse me. I would like, once that page scrolls, scroll down the page to useful utilities. The user should not be doing this. You might mess up your systems. Click on ideal team viewer, okay?

No carol we're not supposed to be able to hear you using your microphones. The way to communicate this evening is to use text chat. Kathrine if you can call me by phone, I'll -- okay. Right. I did because Meg in an earlier message said that we're not supposed to enable those mics. I'll just let you take care of it, however you want to do it is fine. Kathrine if you call me on the phone, I can walk you through a remote connection. The only reason I muted the users is because I believe I read a message from Meg that all the users should be participating [ Inaudible ] [ Lost audio. ] Test. Steve. Are you able to hear me now? We're trying this out. Okay Brandon, I had a call from one of the participants. I did not hear what you said? I did not hear what you said. Paren Dan F your PC works maybe you should use that. But I'm still waiting for a call from either you or Kathrine to try to get your PC up and running or get the mic working.

Okay. Steve this. Is Jeff. How are you hearing me -- okay Steve. This is Jeff. How are you hearing me now?

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It's just going to be another couple of minutes and we will begin. Thanks very much for kicking back and relaxing and giving us another few seconds here.

No one is talking at the current time. We're waiting until we load the presentation and it looks like we're going to begin 10-12 minutes late. Our apologies for that. We're loading the presentation as soon as it gets completely downloaded, we're going to begin.

Wright state universe.s starting right. Getting ready for college in careers in science, mathematics. This program made possible by the Johnson scholarship foundation. Your future, have you thought about it. I mean seriously thought about it? Believe it or not, now is the time to start making decisions whereabout you want to be and how you're going to get there. Starting bright is a series of programs designed to raise the awareness of students with disabilities in technology and science based careers. Providing the steps to make that goal. What personal and social skills do you need to attend college and achieve career success. Clueses should you be taking to prepare yourself for college? How do you overcome stereo types and other obstacles that are in your way. Remember if you have questions or comments that you'd like to share with us, starting Wright is an interactive webcast. Feel free to be part of the discussion. The demand for science and technology. Based careers is continue rapidly. If you want to be part of that future now is the time to get started right. Here is the host wright State university of disability services Mr. Jeff Vernooy.

Good evening everybody. This is Jeff Vernooy director of the office of disability services at wright state university. We are begunking our third season of starting Wright. We've instituted a number of things tonight and as in aniuation with technology -- any situation, not is not always better. So consequently we've been having a few gremlins here in the office of disability services and we're in the process of kind of straightening those things out.

We're having trouble advancing the slides right at this second. For those who are sitting on the side with us, we're in a situation right now where we can't seem to advance the slides on the PC. We're health care on the first slide and we're a-- hung on the first slide. We're attempting to figure that out. We'll move on in just a second.

Okay. So I think we're back in order for tonight. Sorry about that delay. This is just one more reason why we need to fill the pipeline of interested and motivated students to help give us some answers to some of these problems that occur maybe before this series ends we might have somebody that can figure out our control room and get that taken care of as well. This third series we're going to be doing with the starting Wright program has a lot to do with looking at specific career fields within the STEMM environment. For new folks that are here for the programs for the first time, the definition of STEMM means science, technology E engineering and math. Sometimes we include -- talk about some of the engineering careers that are here. We're going have one of our new features which are Kathrine's tech tips that help students develop or learn about pieces of technology that will help them and support them in their educational process. We're also going to meet an engineer up close. We're going have an opportunity to interview him and have more hints from Hannah great minds and STEMM. Those types of things. Without further adieu we're going to start with our program about engineering.

Engineering. So what is it? Engineering is the practical use of science and math to create enhanced technology that help us meet the challenges of our daily lives.

So what engineers do?

Engineers in a nutshell are problem solvers. They create things for efficiently and less expensively. They are many -- where you can design and develop marvelous machine for space flying or something as simple as a better golf ball used by the game's officials. Work closely with biologists to develop sophisticated instruments that include the health an lives of hundreds of thousands. Environmental engineering. This is the engineering field for you. Environmental engineers assist in developing better water distribution systems for cycling, improved sewage treatment facilities.

Mechanical engineering. Use mechanics and energy principles to design many of the machines that we use every day. We'll use in the future. From the high powered automobiles we drive to highly sophisticated robotics.

Electrical engineering. This is the largest number of engineers the use of electricity. Engineers who work in huge power plants to those who design the high tech light and sound connections to the -- do you think you have what it takes to be an engineer? Want to learn more? Keep listening because there's much more to come on this edition of starting Wright.

Okay. As I've said before, our next feature is Kathrine's tech tips. This is an opportunity for you to learn a little bit about various pieces of adaptive technology that will assist you in completing not only your [ Inaudible ] Academic work but also could be something that would -- [ Indiscernible: Speaker/Audio faint and unclear]

Wow auto bot 9000 robot. Make our live as little easier. To the power supply and [ Portion of audio being played. ]

Make sure to make the technology that best suits your needs. Our resident technology guru Kathrine Meyers that may be just right for you. It's time for Kathrine's tech tips.

Want to become an engineer? Whether you do or not when I think of engineering the thing that comes to mind is all that math. How in the world do you handle it. Today's tech tips are ways you can use your computer to handle all that math. The first thing we're going to talk about is the calculator that's included with the of Raying system on your computer. How you access that calculator is go to accessories and click on calculator. The first calculator is a basic function calculator where you have to click on the numbers, click on the function and let it do the rest. Most people don't realize that included in the operating system is also a scientific calculator. All you have to do to get to the scientific calculator, go to calculator and go to view and click on scientific. You have several choices under scientific that will help you do any kind of higher level math. Again, you just click on your numbers, your function and the calculator will do the rest for you. If you have troubles lighting up your math problems, using a math word processing program will make a difference. The one we're using is scientific notebook. For basic math, all you have to do is put in the number, hit the enter key and it will line up everything for you. In this particular example, we have 5 plus 4 equals 9. Everything is lined up. You don't have to worry about your steps. It's all there for you. If you are talking higher level math like algebra you can use the same math program accept add more toolbars to it and solve your algebra problems. Those lining them up will be an real issue on keeping your steps straight, make sure you have everything included. You press the enter key after each step and make sure you've not missed anything. You can find scientific notebook on the internet. I've included their web address on this final slide. That's it for today's tech tips. We'll see you next week. Bye.

This is up front and close and [ Indiscernible: Speaker/Audio faint and unclear]

Okay. This is our next area of information and it's about the stem programs and we're about to do up front and up close. Tonight we have Mr. Wayne Martin who is a retired engineer and we're going get Wayne on the phone right now and begin to talk with him.

This is up front and up close in STEMM. Presented by the starting Wright webcasting company. This week careers in engineering. Now here is tonight's conversation your host for up front and up close Mr. Jeff Vernooy.

[ Indiscernible: Speaker/Audio faint and unclear]

I appreciate you asking me to. [ Indiscernible: Speaker/Audio faint and unclear] [ Unable to hear audio of Jeff. ]

Sure. My job title was engineering research psychologist and this at the time was the aerospace medical research laboratory at patter son air force base. My assignment was September of 1967. Early in my career as an engineer and research psychologist, [ Indiscernible: Speaker/Audio faint and unclear] any typical day I might do any of the following. Designing an experiment, trying to find subjects to run whether they be military or civilian personnel. Actually running the subjects in an experiment. Perhaps doing the data reduction. Doing any required transformations that had to be done on the data. Doing the statistical analysis on those data. Then of course writing up the results for a final report. Then editing medical report for publication and submitting it for publication either as a laboratory technical report, which is in-house, [ Indiscernible: Speaker/Audio faint and unclear] documents or publication in the open professional literature, such as in a professional journal or other technical publications.

[ Inaudible ]

Assigned personally developed areas of research. Helping them do all the things I had done earlier in my career. Toward the end of my career in a higher management, the technical transfer office for the laboratory. Responsible for technology transfer between the research and development levels within our laboratory and other laboratories that were doing similar -- performing similar efforts as we were within the air force and also within the army and Navy. They having similar activities as we had. [ Indiscernible: Speaker/Audio faint and unclear] technology transfer from our laboratory to the engineering development community. Namely the aircraft industry and all the supporting technology areas. Also, I was responsible for documentation for congressional review of all research programs in the directory rat that I was in. This includes identifying the objectives, the approach, progress and funding, expenditures for each program within the per view of the directorate.

[ Inaudible ] [ Unable to hear Jeff's audio.

Well, primarily at the high school level, of course all the math and chemistry and physics that was offered. At that time, everybody -- if they wanted to persue the math area, geometry, trigonometry and algebra was the limit. There was no calculus or precall collusion at least in the high school I went to. Certainly, I took Latin and that helped understand the English language a little more than I might have otherwise. Engineers are famous for having very poor [ Indiscernible: Speaker/Audio faint and unclear] so certainly understanding our language and being able to use it productively is a tremendous bonus to any preus in engineering.

[ Inaudible ]

My areas especially of education were visual and auditory perception, human information processing, decision-making, artificial intelligence in expert systems as they relate to the design of information that the pilot sees in the cockpit. As well as systems design for maintainabilities. I had early experience in the air National Guard as an instrument repairman and worked on in the early days B51 and F86, 102s. Had lots of interaction with those systems and saw what the early rendition of advanced technology by way of [ Indiscernible: Speaker/Audio faint and unclear] electronics, what effect that really had on the maintainability of the systems as well as the operability of them by the pilots.

[ Unable to hear audio by Jeff. ]

If you were going to give some advice to students who were looking at the field of engineering, what kind of things would you offer to them?

Certainly, going to the library, read professional journals in your area of interest. In my area it was certainly in the human factors journal. The journal of perception and facics. Then of source citations in those journals will lead you to others. You can follow your own particular areas of interest. You might try to contact laboratory personnel in the aerowhy of your interest, share your special interests with them. If possible at the college level or the high school level, if you are able to find them, any sort of work study program or co-op program in your area of interest would certainly help you out immensely. Might also be a really handy avenue to your first employers. My best advice is persue your passion if you don't have one, find one. If you have interested in human factors and human engineering, look at new technology. Imagine what human factors research might have had to be done in order for that device to be a winner in the marketplace. I always enjoy trying to identify devices that have failed in the marketplace due to inadequate consideration of the users. The most recent catastrophe that we all witnessed right now is that when FCC considered changing all of the video transmission from analog to digital, they assumed that everyone had a 30-foot antenna on the top of the TV tower -- on top of the roof when indeed there are many, many people who receive their TV signal on rabbit ears. Since there are still many people who do use rabbit ears, the digital-signal that they receive is not strong enough for satisfactory reception with the digital conversion boxes that have been offered to them. So rather than having a data -- 17 February for the date for implementation of the digital video, we will now see that date pushed back to some time next summer while FCC considered their system designs.

[ Indiscernible: Speaker/Audio faint and unclear] talk with us tonight. We really appreciate you spending some time with us. Unfortunately we're out of time and we'll be talking with you again some time in the future. Thank you.

[ Audio low. ]

Starting Wright presents great minds in STEMM. The sound you're listening to is that of ahydrofoil a water craft that's slightly above the water. Thus increasing the speed across the water. Inventor Alexander Graham Bell was instrumental in the hydrofoil technology which would letter lead to the hydro plane would land on water. Belle is best known for pat ening the way we communicate. The telephone. Think about how different live would be if there was no such thing as the telephone. Experimentation of developing the phone stemmed from his design sire to help with the hearing loss. What motivates your creativity? How do you go about solving it? Concentrate all your thoughts on the work at hand. Another great mind in STEMM. You're listening to starting Wright.

Ever feel like your school work is sneaking up on you? Do you get caught off guard by test questions or forget assignment deadlines? At all levels [ Recording playing. ] Pop quiz. Did you know some of the basic principles in engineering can help you in other areas. This week's helpful hints from Miss Hannah.

You get in fights in school because -- as a child you tore apart your teddy bear, you actually use every single function on your graphing calculator. You bring a computer manual as vacation reading. When you were asked to play the star of Bethlehem -- but everybody if you don't want to be a future engineer, you can improve your performance in all academics. Engineers use their knowledge of science mathematics and appropriate experience to find solutions to a problem. Creating appropriate mathematical model of a problem allows them to analyze it and to test solutions. Usually multiple reasonable solutions exist so engineers must evaluate the different design choices on their her its and choose a solution that fast meeting their requirements. They use designs tests and sim places to assure it is performed as expected. When writing about a topic, you should always start by brainstorming what you want to talk about. During this process I always tell my students to think outside the box. By thinking of many varied and unusual things to include. At this stage in essay writing you shouldn't be too worried about what will or will not work. You want to get your possible ideas onto paper. You evaluate what you have dolted down and how the applied to the topic. Sometimes I tell visual learners to write individual pieces of information on note cards so they can design the essay and move to where it works best. After this you start writing your drafts. These drafts should be tested out on a variety of people. Have others read and evaluate your work. Don't be afraid to accept constructive criticism. Make sure you don't turn something in that you have not had time to reread at least ten hours after you wrote it. Often in a hurry we tend to make obvious mistakes. That you can be proud of to engineer an essay. Later.

Well, that was Miss Hannah. That's been a nice addition to our program to talk about some of the things that you can do as a student to improve the quality of your work to prepare you to move into the next area that you are going to go into after Junior high or high school so that you are ready for those kinds of things. We spend a lot of time on working on the developing a program for you that gives you information and other things that will be useful and helpful to you, but we also try each week to bring you a list of resources. Things that you can do or things that you could look at to be able to expand your knowledge. We're really here to provide you with the first steps. The things to begin to think about. The ideas that might get you interested in pursuing things further. The resources are designed to provide you with that other area additional information, area that will lead you down your own personal trail as you begin to persue the ideas and information about a career that's really one that's for you. One that you'll be interested in. So I would encourage people to come back to the ash kiers as they need to to jot down these addresses and things like that. They're a beginning that you can move onto so you can help with those kinds of things.

That now brings us to homework. That's always an interesting topic here on starting Wright because we do give students the opportunity or ask them to participate in doing some homework an then sending it to us as starting Wright.G mail.com. This show, the information -- the homework is due on Sunday February 22nd. We have basically three assignmentses. The first is to name and describe one engineering specialization that was not mentioned during this webcast. The second one is to choose one of the resource links and design what you learn -- describe to us what you learned or found from it. Then the third one is we really would like to hear from those of you who are tuning into this program and like to be able to answer the individual questions that you have related to starting Wright or going to college or other things. So send us a question that kind of stump the team kind of program or question that might help us to look at some other areas we should be talking about.

Send us your answers email them to starting Wright G mail.com with your homework answers by Sunday the 22nd, 2009. If you do that, you will receive from us a Wright state university land yard something you can put your keys on, a picture of your favorite friend, other kinds -- your iPod, something along that line. Then finally, congratulations to Jacob Salzi. He was one of our members that recruited a friend to come to tonight's program on starting bright. For doing that Jacob is getting a Wright state T-shirt. We continue that throughout the entire time we're on the air. If you know other kids with disabilities that should be listening to starting wright, if you bring them to the program, have them mention your name, you'll get a Wright state T-shirt as well.

Next week we have we're going to focus on biology. What do biologists do. Biology careers. Have an up front and close meeting with a biologist and we'll have a special interview about STEMM careers with students with disabilities and the national science foundation with our Dean of science and math Dr. Michele wheatly. So next week, Tuesday February 24th, at 7:00 p.m. to see this program again, you can go to the online archive of it and a request of the copy of the program, please contact starting Wright at G mail.com. This is Jeff Vernooy saying good evening.

You've been listening to starting Wright getting ready for college and careers in science ennearing and mathematics. Additional support provided by the ideal group and Wright choice incorporated. Starting wright is a production of Wright state university.

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