The Leo on Wheels: Green River High School
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Blog entry by Ian McClintick from The Leo on Wheels staff
To most people Green River is just a pit stop on a journey elsewhere but just passing through Green River is a mistake. Green River is home to the John Wesley Powell River History Museum and the Vetere family, who have been growing melons in Green River for almost 100 years. The Veteres grow a variety of melons, including Casaba, Israeli, Crenshaw, Canary, orange and green honeydew, and, of course, watermelon.
Why, of all places, would a century-old, 100-acre melon farm be in Green River, Utah? The answer is climate and soil. The combination of cold nights and hot days increases the sugar content of the melons, creating that sweet product we all love. Melons also prefer to grow in sandy- to light-textured soils. The soil in Green River, which is in a desert and next to a large water supply, is perfect for growing a good melon. So next time you are on the road to Moab, stop by Green River pick up a melon at a Vetere melon stand, grab a half-pound burger from Ray’s Tavern, and enjoy the great company.
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Labels: education, locals, museum, The Leo on Wheels
Marriott Library
Friday, October 23, 2009
Blog entry by Ambrea Kuhn, The Leonardo's Fall 2009 Intern
The University of Utah's Marriott Library was constructed and opened in 1968. For the past 4 years the library has undergone an intense renovation. The restoration included the addition of the ARC, which is a robotic management tool for the library's collection. Seismic and other safety upgrades were also made, much like The Leonardo's building is currently undergoing.
Installing "Poems of Rainbow"
Laura W. Bush will be the keynote speaker for the rededication ceremony. Mrs. Bush has served as a public school librarian and developed the first National Book Festival. The ceremony will be held Oct. 26 at 10:30 a.m. in the library atrium. Following the ceremony guided tours will be given from 12:20 p.m. until 3 p.m.
Labels: art, locals, university
Countdown to The Leonardo
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Blog entry by Ambrea Kuhn, The Leonardo's Fall 2009 Intern
Countdown to The Leonardo event recap.
One of the highlight of the event was the soap-film wall prototype. Our exhibits team worked hard this past month to make the wall. Viewers learned the science behind the bubble -- light refraction, wave patterns and surface tension -- and stuck their hands in it and blew bubbles. All in all, it was a delightful evening for the 150-or-so attendees!
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Exhibits designers Ben and Christopher building the soap-film wall prototype.
You can check out more about the event and view pictures here. Be sure to check out all of the great media coverage we have been getting lately!
Ghost Interruptions
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Blog entry by Ambrea Kuhn, The Leonardo's Fall 2009 Intern
We are always looking out for cool modern dance pieces and this is one of the best yet. "Ghost Interruptions," an interactive dance piece that combines art, science and technology, is the work of three professors from the University of Utah: Lien Fan Shen, an assistant professor for the division of film studies; Satu Hummasti, associate professor in the modern dance department; and H. James de St. Germain, an assistant professor in the school of computing.
Lien and Satu previously choreographed "Thaw" where dancers moved in time with projections on the floor. But this seemed limiting to them -- they wanted a way for dancers to interact with the animations. So they brought in a computer programer, James, to work with them. James developed animations that move in real-time with and against the dancer, I-Fen.
The dance piece was performed earlier this spring but the piece is continuing to develop. In future performances audience members will be incorporated into the animated images and will have the power to interrupt the dancer. The group hopes to perform a longer version within the year -- so keep your eyes out for upcoming performances.
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Labels: dance, locals, university
The Leo on Wheels: Fossil Ridge
Friday, October 9, 2009
Blog entry by Ian McClintick from The Leo on Wheels staff
St. George looked a little different 195 million years ago -- at one point there was water approximately 10-15 feet deep. Geologists know this because they have found one of the most abundant occurrences of swim tracks in the world. A swim track is a mark made by the claws of dinosaurs on the bottom of a body of water -- as the dinosaur swims its claws scrape the bottom, leaving what we saw in St. George.
Illustration from Live Science
There is also a period of fossils that show more complete footprints, bug tracks, rare plant fossils, a print of a dinosaur sitting down, and even a baby dinosaur slipping in the mud. Community night had a great turn out with more than 200 people. We can't wait to visit Fossil Ridge again!
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Labels: education, The Leo on Wheels
National Chemistry Week
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Blog entry by Mary Anter from The Leonardo staff
The Leonardo is celebrating National Chemistry Week on Oct. 10. Our free event, "Chemistry—It’s Elemental!”, will be held in the Urban Room and on the Plaza of the Salt Lake City Public Library. (The elements are highlighted at this year’s event because 2009 is the 140th anniversary of Mendeleev's Periodic Table of Elements.)
Families will have an opportunity to learn about different elements on the periodic table by participating in hands-on art and science projects: investigate the size of the different elements with bubbles, learn about the elemental composition of minerals through a treasure hunt, find out about properties of elements by using magnets, and discover reaction properties of oxygen. There will be 33 different activities to engage children and family members of all ages. The Leonardo also will be introducing our "Radiation and You" exhibit with facilitated activities and discussions on radioisotopes, elements, and radiation.
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The Leo on Wheels: Butler Middle School
Monday, October 5, 2009
Blog entry by Analiesa Leonhardt from The Leo on Wheels staff
When The Leo on Wheels comes to town, sometimes we get celebrity visits. At our recent visit to Butler Middle School, the Salt Lake County Mayor came to do hands-on science with us! Mayor Peter Corroon, accompanied by Ann Ober, the Director of Community Relations and Diversity Affairs, stopped in and spent an hour testing out our exhibits with the 8th graders. Here’s a peak of the fun he had:
Mayor Peter Corroon checks out our Velocity Tracks exhibit.
Thanks for stopping by, Mayor Corroon!
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Labels: education, The Leo on Wheels
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