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Awaiting by Ernesto Pujol

2010-04-02T14:03:00.003-06:00

Blog entry by Kersten Swinyard, The Leonardo's exhibits project manager

On the evening of April 8, a few dozen white-clad walkers will approach the Utah State Capitol slowly, methodically, on their way to participation in a large-scale performance, called "Awaiting." The performers will appear throughout the city and gather on the south steps of the Capitol at sunset, then spend the night and early morning ascending and descending the Capitol's iconic stairs.

The performance piece is the work of Ernesto Pujol, an artist born in Cuba and currently in residence at the University of Utah's department of art and art history. Pujol is gathering the performers as a commentary on consciousness, landscape, architecture, meditation, and, of course, waiting.

Ernesto Pujol

The piece, also part of his residency at the University, has participation from visual arts and dance students, as well as the work of local artist Rosi Hayes, who is designing a soundtrack for the piece. Pujol did undergraduate work in humanities, visual arts, art history, philosophy and theology, and graduate work in education, art therapy, communications and media theory. He has an MFA in interdisciplinary art studio practice from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

But it's his meditative work that stands out in "Awaiting." Each performer brings his or her silent thoughts to the piece, communing with the audience, which forms a "permeable urban cloister wall, the outer circle of the performance, completing it with their own patient, silent thoughts as they witness it," Pujol said.

The performance runs overnight from 6 p.m. April 8 to 7 a.m. April 9 at the Utah State Capitol. For more information, visit the performance site.

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Jann Haworth

2010-03-23T07:33:00.002-06:00

Blog entry by Ambrea Kuhn, The Leonardo's Intern

We thought we'd toot our own horn, so please indulge us. The Leonardo is proud to have as a board member local artist Jann Haworth, who is widely known for her contribution to the 1960s pop art movement. Haworth was born in Hollywood, studied art in London, and currently resides in Sundance, Utah. From mixed media soft-sculptures of old ladies to the Grammy-winning album art of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Haworth truly exemplifies great art and graciously shares it with Salt Lake City.

Artist Snapshot: Jann Haworth from Dada Factory on Vimeo.

Her artwork started with soft sculptures that are sewn and stuffed. Many of these sculptures, like "Donut" and "Shirley Temple, W.C. Fields and Mae West" examine American culture.

Haworth helped create the legendary Sgt. Pepper's album art, and a couple of years ago she thought it could use an update. This iconic image needed a fresh look, so she expanded the faces to a more diverse and influential group.

A collection of Haworth's most popular pieces have been restored and are now currently on display until April 10 at the Wolverhampton Art Gallery in Wolverhampton, England. Be sure to check out "SLC Pepper" up close, across from the Gateway mall on 400 West between 200 and 300 South -- how many people can you identify?

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The Leo on Wheels: Sunset Ridge and South Hills

2010-03-17T16:52:00.003-06:00

Blog entry by Ian McClintick, from The Leo on Wheels staff

The Leo on Wheels recently visited Sunset Ridge Middle School and South Hills Middle School. At both visits we noticed a large gap in the nearby mountains. If you are local, you know that that gap is the site of the Bingham Canyon Mine. The science and the history of the mine are both interesting and important to Utah.

In its earlier years, the mine employed countless immigrants to Utah, shaping the current cultural heritage of the state by attracting Norwegians, Italians, Greeks, Mexicans and others to work at the mine and live in the town of Bingham (which no longer exists because the ground it stood on was cleared away in the mine's later expansion!).

Utah Copper Company mill circa 1910

(photo from Utah State History collection)

If The Leo on Wheels staff decided to visit the mine during our lunch break, we would have seen a hole about 2.75 miles across and 0.75 miles deep. If we wanted to hike to the bottom of the mine, we would have had to walk down the 500 miles of road in the mine...and probably wouldn't have made it back for the next class. The Bingham mine has produced 18.1 million tons of copper -- more than any other mine in history.

Bingham mine as it looks today

(photo from Wikipedia Commons)

The technology used to process the copper, molybdenum, gold, and silver at the rate and scale of the Bingham mine is impressive. Once mined, the material is transported by a fleet of 70 trucks that can each carry 255 tons of material. The trucks carry the material to a conveyer, which then travels through a 5-mile tunnel in the Oquirrh Mountains to the Copperton Concentrator at the southern end of the Great Salt Lake. The concentrator crushes the mined material which then goes through a floatation process that separates waste from the minerals.

So next time you take a look at the Oquirrh Mountains and see that break in the peaks, think about the Bingham Mine and the technology over the ridge. If you feel like learning more about the mine take a drive up there and take the tour, I guarantee you’ll be impressed and surprised with the science and history of the Bingham Mine.

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Cloaking

2010-03-08T16:46:00.005-07:00

Blog entry by Ambrea Kuhn, The Leonardo's Intern

Who hasn't dreamed of being invisible? It would give you the ablilty to listen to private conversation, and you would always be the one crowned hide-n-go-seek champ. Aside from those daily niceties, invisibility technology could give us the ability to hide planes, protect coasts from tsunami waves, and even protect buildings from earthquakes. All kinds of different technologies are being developed to make people and objects invisible. But how does one make something invisible?

Humans see only a small portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, and we are "see" an object when light bounces off of it into our eyes. To mimic or create invisibility, there are several ways you can can disrupt the process of "seeing" an object.

Let's start with this simplest: camouflage. Animals, soldiers, and hunters use it everyday. Wilderness settings are relatively easy to blend into, but what if you want to blend into a more complicated terrain? You could mimic artist and extreme camouflage-er, Liu Bolin, who paints himself to blend in with his surroundings.

Check out more of Bolin's art here.

But what if you need to blend in at a moment's notice? The folks over at the Tachi Laboratory at the University of Tokyo have developed an invisibility cloak of sorts. The cloak films objects behind you and projects them onto your jacket so you will blend into any background.

These are all just optical illusions, but scientists are well on the way to true invisibility. To make an object truly invisible, the waves need to pass through an object with no interference. Scientists from all over the world have been developing different ways to make objects invisible. Most of these researchers focus on meta-materials that let waves pass through with little interference.

But researchers at the University of Utah have taken a different approach to developing cloaking devices, and University of Utah mathematics professor Graeme Milton hopes to achieve the ultimate goal of true invisibility from all visible light. Milton's team has an object that generates waves to cloak an object from oncoming waves. The technology may also be used to protect buildings from earthquakes by deflecting seismic waves.

Broadband exterior cloaking from Fernando Guevara Vasquez.

Graeme Milton will be giving a lecture about cloaking at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 10, in the Aline Wilmot Skaggs Biology building. The lecture is free and open to the public, but you need to request tickets by emailing your first and last name with the number of tickets requested to office@science.utah.edu. See you there!

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From Helix to Healthcare

2010-03-04T08:40:00.001-07:00

Blog entry by Ambrea Kuhn, The Leonardo's Intern

The Leonardo After Hours: Energy Revolution event in Logan last week was a huge success with a ton of audience participation. Thanks to our presenters and our host, The Italian Place, which supplied nourishment (energy!) for the crowd. Take a look at our recap video, with interviews with all three presenters:

If you missed us in Logan, catch us next week in Salt Lake City. Leonardo After Hours: From Helix to Healthcare will look at genetic research and personal healthcare on Tuesday, March 9.

Our presenters are Jeff Botkin, the University of Utah's Associate VP for Research; Julie R. Korenberg, a USTAR professor of pediatric genetics at the University of Utah; and Jennifer Logan, the program director for personalized health care at the University of Utah's Eccles Institute of Human Genetics. The presenters will talk about how your genetic profile can help a doctor shape your health care in a hyper-personalized way, and what that means for patients, physicians and the health-care industry.

The event runs 5:30 to 7 p.m., Tuesday, March 9 at the Olive Bistro at 57 W. 200 South. RSVP to Chris Davies at 801-531-9800 or rsvp@theleonardo.org -- but hurry because only a few spots are left!

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Ignite Salt Lake

2010-03-01T08:35:00.002-07:00

Blog entry by Kersten Swinyard, The Leonardo's exhibits project manager

Are you a geek with extroverted tendencies? Do you actively seek opportunities to explain esoteric minutiae? Are you a quick draw with your power point trigger?

If you said yes to any of those three, then the March 4 Ignite Salt Lake is for you. The most lovable group of enthusiasts you'll ever meet gathers several times a year to woo and wow a local crowd with 5-minute presentations. The catch? Each of 20 slides auto-rotates after five seconds. Stay on your toes or risk embarrassment and heckling.

The beauty of Ignite events (a global franchise from O'Reilly Media) is that the topic is up to you — the only requirement is to cover something you're passionate about. Past Ignite Salt Lake presentations have covered building an internet radio station, interface design, why cats make lousy business consultants, and, of course, zombie defense for n00bs.

This Ignite's list of speakers promises to be just as entertaining and oddball as previous events. So, head over to The Stateroom on March 4 from 6 to 10 p.m. for the traditional building contest, 18 presentations, and live music for the evening.

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Building Renovations: Phase 2

2010-02-26T10:12:00.003-07:00

Blog entry by Ambrea Kuhn, The Leonardo's Intern

The building renovations, which began in early October, are progressing quickly. The construction crew has gutted the building, removed outdated light fixtures, pulled the carpeting, and nixed all asbestos. The second (and longest) phase of the renovations, seismic upgrades, started in October and is really cruising now. Phase two consists of installing reinforcement bracing throughout the building and enclosing one of the old staircases to place a strengthening beam.

Staircase removal, as seen from the main floor

Staircase removal as seen from the first basement

Remnants of the last stairway excavation.

Builders started out marking the floors of each level where the buckling restrained brace, BRBs or cross beams, will be installed. These beams are part of the seismic upgrades that strengthen the building in the event of an earthquake. The beams are installed from the floor of the sub-basement to the top of the roof, with one set of beams on each of the four building sides. Most of the beams will be visible inside the building after construction is finished.

Spray paint marks the area for the cross beams. The round hole goes from the ceiling to the basement.

After the cross beams are installed, we will move onto general renovations with light fixtures, putting the ceiling back in place and -- of course -- installing exhibits for our opening!

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Energy Revolution

2010-02-22T10:50:00.001-07:00

Blog entry by Ambrea Kuhn, The Leonardo's Intern

Leonardo After Hours has been such a great success that we decided to take it on the road to Logan, home of some of the leading experts in the energy revolution. Join us Feb. 24 as we talk about new ways to make and store energy.

Jeff Muhs, executive director at Utah State University Energy Lab, will discuss new initiatives from his lab, such as creating biofuels from algae and automated electric transportation, which will make energy mobile. Other presenters include Kevin Shurtleff, who is a member of the USTAR Technology Outreach team, and Lynsey Talbot, who is a student energy researcher at Utah State University.

Algae solutions from Muhs' lab

The event will be held at The Italian Place, Wednesday, Feb. 24, from 5:30 until 7 p.m. Space is limited and we're already filling up so RSVP by contacting Chris Davies at 801-531-9800, or email rsvp@theleonardo.org. And, as ever, thanks to USTAR for co-sponsoring this event.

(And, if you can't make it to Logan this Wednesday, put our next Leonardo After Hours event on your calendar: March 9 we'll look at how technology and advancements in genetics are changing your healthcare.)

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Mind controlled

2010-02-17T14:56:00.001-07:00

Blog entry by Ambrea Kuhn, The Leonardo's Intern

It seems as though Avatar has everyone thinking about the future of mind-controlled devices...a future that may not be so far away. Mind-controlled devices can be extremely helpful to people like Pierpaolo Petruzziello, who had his arm amputated. Researchers at the University of Rome connected a prosthetic hand to his nervous system by electrodes controlled by brain impulses that move his "muscles" to precisely control his hand and fingers.

Man Controls Robotic Hand with Mind Video

We have all at one point in our lives thought about conveying secret messages by thought. The U.S. military is funding research at University of California, Irvine, University of Maryland, and Carnegie Mellon University in hopes that soldiers will one day be able to communicate strictly telepathically without interruption or interception of messages. Research began in 2008, and since then, scientists have determined the different thought processes needed to communicate short messages. They have also began to pinpoint where in the brain different thoughts occur so it will be easier to decipher the messages. Turns out that it is relatively simple to send short messages, but researchers are still working on sending lengthier instructions such as those needed in combat conditions (or needed at home to play Modern Warfare 2).

Most of these mind-controlled devices work on electroencephalograms, or EEGs, which measure the brain's electrical activity. In order to develop these waves you need a lot of practice to help strengthen your mind's control. One way to practice is via Mindflex, a game where you use your concentration to to move a ball through different obstacles. In each one of these experiments you must wear a bulky EEG helmet, but Emotiv is working on slimming them down while preserving numerous measuring points for brain activity.

Neuro-headset by Emotiv

This technology has the potential to create an entirely new form of communication as common as email. But you won't catch me walking around in one of those EEG headsets until someone turns it into a Gossip Girl headband.

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Looking for Artists

2010-02-10T08:18:00.000-07:00

Where, oh where, are the artists out there? The world needs great art. Our friends over at Zer01 in San Jose, Calif., are looking for a variety of 5-minute shorts that were shot using a cell phone or other mobile devices. The theme for their biennial this fall, "Build Your Own World," focuses on innovation that can change the world. The selected shorts will receive a cash prize and will be screened at the 2010 01SJ Biennial. Enter your video here by May 15.

The Utah Transit Authority also has a call for artists to work on the airport TRAX extension in Salt Lake City. The works will be displayed at each stop along the route, which will run along North Temple. The art will be one of the first impressions visitors get of Utah, so the stakes are high! Applications for this project are due March 8, 2010.

Finally, The Leo just closed its submission period for the art installation in the main lobby of the building — three finalists will be announced by the end of March, with a winner selected by mid-June. This piece will illustrate The Leonardo's blend of science, art and technology. I can't wait to see the chosen piece inside the building when we open April 15, 2011, and I'm sure we will give all of you blog readers a sneak peak before then!

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GASLAND

2010-01-29T10:01:00.004-07:00

Blog entry by Ambrea Kuhn, The Leonardo's Intern

Every year in Sundance's documentary competition, stand-out movies feature environmental impact topics. The premiere of An Inconvenient Truth in 2006 started this tradition. Some movies show how our environment is changing (Climate Refugees, 2010), and others show us what we can do to change (No Impact Man, 2009).

This year, however, one documentary stood above the rest. GASLAND, about natural gas drilling, got its start when a company offered Director Josh Fox a substantial amount of money to lease his land in Milanville, Penn., for natural gas drilling.

Fox initially planned a 5-minute short that would show how natural gas drilling worked and what kind of impact it would have. However, that small tasked turned into a huge project after he found out that fracking, the process they use to extract natural gas, was contaminating the natural watershed. As Fox traveled around the country he found that in almost every town near drilling, drinking water had been contaminated with...well, too many chemicals to name.

CAN YOU DO THIS WITH YOUR TAP WATER? from JOSHFOX on Vimeo.

Be sure to check out GASLAND when it is released, or you can try for tickets to the last showing -- 8:30 a.m. tomorrow, Saturday, Jan. 30 at the Prospector Square Theatre. For more information on fracking (or hydraulic fracturing), and to support restrictions on this process, visit WaterUnderAttack.com

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The Leo on Wheels: Tooele Jr. High

2010-01-27T11:39:00.001-07:00

Blog entry by Analiesa Leonhardt from The Leo on Wheels staff

From January 12-15, The Leo on Wheels visited Tooele Junior High School. While driving through the Tooele Valley in the middle of the afternoon, we could barely see the shore line of the Great Salt Lake and the mountains were nearly blocked by a brownish haze. Here is a photo we took, looking directly at the sun around 3:00pm:

This was not just a typically cloudy or foggy day, but rather the effects of a thermal inversion. This naturally-occurring event happens when the atmosphere’s temperature gradient is “inverted” from its usual state. Anyone who has climbed a mountain in the summertime knows that at higher elevations the air is usually cooler. During an inversion, however, cooler and denser air is trapped at the earth’s surface beneath a high pressure layer of warmer air. The mountains bordering our valley keep this trapped cold air walled in, and because the cooler air is denser it remains in the valley, accumulating water vapor and pollutants. Here is a diagram of what is going on during an inversion.

Image from National Service Forecast Office

Pollutants from power plants, factories, vehicle exhaust, and wood-burning stoves that would normally rise and spread with the winds are instead concentrated right along the earth’s surface. Why is this such a concern? The fine particles of matter in the pollution enter our lungs and bloodstream when we breath. The national standard for safe air is set at 35 micrograms of pollutants per cubic meter of air. Since November, however, Salt Lake County has had more than a dozen “red alert” air quality days, meaning that the particulate matter in the air ranges from 151 to 200 micrograms per cubic meter. In this range even healthy people are adversely affected, but those with heart and/or lung disease, older adults, children, and those who are active in the outdoors are at even greater risk.

Gratefully, storm systems are moving through our valleys now, churning the air and improving (at least locally) our breathing experience. For more information about current air quality conditions along with information on how you can make a difference, visit the website of Utah Division of Air Quality.

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Human Conductivity

2010-01-19T08:43:00.004-07:00

Blog entry by Ambrea Kuhn, The Leonardo's Intern

Lately we have seen a lot of artistic endeavors involving interactions between humans and electronic circuitry. My favorite example involves using bodies to complete the circuits. Bare Conductive is a conductive paint that turns your skin into a conductive surface, allowing electricity to safely travel across your body. "Music Box" is a musical dance piece where the dancer interacts with walls to create sound as she dances.

In another instance, musical artist Calvin Harris created a human synthesizer using Bare Conductive paint. The synthesizer creates a programmed sound each time Calvin slaps the hands of the models.

The bright folks at the MIT Media Lab have created a multitude of interfaces for low-level human conductivity, and Leah Buechley created one of our favorites, "The Living Wall Project". The user controls lights and music by just touching certain sectors in the wall.

(Jump to 4:55 to see the "The Living Wall Project")

Another research group at the Media Lab has also experimented with Drawdio, which omits a tone that varies in frequency dependent on what is completing the circuit and how far the electricity is traveling.

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Sundance: New Frontier

2010-01-14T09:57:00.004-07:00

Blog entry by Ambrea Kuhn, The Leonardo's Intern

The Sundance Film Festival is almost here! At a festival famous for celebrity sightings, great parties, and (of course) film, we're pretty excited for the New Frontier program. New Frontier is a dedicated space on Park City's Main Street during the festival with work from 13 artists, an entire media lab, video presentations, digital arts, and other installations. New Frontier is open from Jan. 22-30, and the overall festival runs Jan. 21-31.

Artist Petko Dourmana is bringing in a multimedia installation "Post Global Warming Survival Kit," which puts viewers into a room where they have to use night vision devices to explore the futuristic world.

There also are a few exhibits that take social networking to another level. Joseph Gordon-Levitt will bring projects from his website, Hit Record, which takes collaboration to the internet by having producers, writers and directors create and combine content. This Hit Record collaboration shows how users came together to create the short film, "Morgan M. Morgansen's Date with Destiny."

"Cloud Mirror" by Eric Gradman combines social networking with augmented reality. The exhibit uses your personal information gathered from your Facebook or Twitter pages and projects them as thought bubbles next to your head as it is projected onto the wall for all to see. So make sure you bring your friends to this one so you can watch them get embarrassed by the strange things they post on the Internet!

The Cloud Mirror from eric gradman on Vimeo.

Artist Tracey Snelling brings multimedia art to life with "Bordertown." Snelling brings miniature buildings to life by displaying videos of real life situations. In "House of Beauty, Prayer and BBQ" a strip of buildings houses a church where clips from the movie "The Apostle" play, and scenes from "Beauty Shop" play in a salon storefront. Blending these media makes viewers feel like like they are peering in on the lives of others.

So if you find yourself in Park City next week, take a break from the cinematic excellence and check out New Frontier on the lower level of 333 Main St., which will be open starting next Friday, Jan. 22, going through Saturday, Jan. 30. (And check out the full breakdown of the installation here.)

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The Leo on Wheels: Treasure Mountain International School

2010-01-12T08:13:00.016-07:00

Blog entry by Ian McClintick, from The Leo on Wheels staff

The Leo on Wheels recently visited Treasure Mountain Internat ional School in Park City, Utah. Park City is a small town in the mountains east of Salt Lake City, and it's home to world-famous ski resorts Deer Valley, Park City Mountain Resort and The Canyons. People from all over the world visit Utah's ski resorts for the beautiful scenery and the greatest snow in the world.

So what's so great about Utah's snow? The answer begins in the north Pacific Ocean where storms are created when cold Arctic winds collide with warmer Pacific water. The storms then travel to the Wasatch Mountain Range where they hit higher elevations and lower temperatures, which lead to an increase in condensation and precipitation. This process is called orographic precipitation, and it occurs at all major mountain ranges -- so what makes Utah's snow different from other regions?

A common stellar plate snowflake

Utah is the second driest state in the country. The dry climate helps to create a light crystalline snowflake called a dendrite, masses of which are affectionately known to skiers as powder, after the light texture that lets you "float" through a fresh fall.

A fern dendrite — light, airy and perfect for ripping down a mountainside

According to the Utah Center for Climate and Weather, Utah's ski resorts receive around 300 inches of snow a year, providing plenty of dendrites for people from all over the world to enjoy!

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The Leo on Wheels: new year, new look

2010-01-07T08:56:00.000-07:00

Blog entry by Ian McClintick from The Leo on Wheels staff

The Leo on Wheels officially has a completely new look complete with a new trailer, T-shirts and exhibit displays. The Mona Lisa trailer wrap has been retired after almost five years of service and tens of thousands of miles on the road.

One side of the wrap features the new Leo on Wheels logo along with molecular structures shaded in various colors or filled with a picture, such as icebergs and spring foliage. The gears on the flip side are filled with images of leaf veins and water ripples.

T-shirts and exhibit displays also have the new logo. The science displays are newly rejuvenated with bright green logos on the front. We also have filmed all of our exhibits to give you a preview of The Leo on Wheels. Be sure to keep an eye open for us at a school near you, or check our calendar for the latest schedule!

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STEM Works and Kasey Schuster

2009-12-29T10:07:00.001-07:00

The Leonardo is launching its STEM Works program with a public appearance at the swanky award ceremony for the Governor's Medal for Science and Technology on Jan. 5. This collection of interactive, hands-on exhibits gives young people and adults a glimpse into the world of biotechnology. As part of the STEM Works initiatives, The Leonardo is producing several short bios of biotech industry folks. Kasey Schuster is the first of these, so here's your sneak preview at one part of STEM Works!

As Utah’s biotechnology resource coordinator, Kasey works with students and teachers at high schools with biotech programs to provide them with the equipment and information they need. Kasey traces his interest in the field to middle school when he decided to take honors science so he could learn dissection. As a member of Utah Valley University's first graduating class of biotechnology students, Kasey balanced school work with lab jobs at Salt Lake Community College and the Jordan Applied Technology Center. Since then, he has helped open two labs at Itineris Early College High School and five others at SLCC.

But he's not all lab work. Kasey has a black belt from the United Studios of Self Defense and a Gold Palm Eagle from the Boy Scouts of America. Outside of work Kasey enjoys camping, riding ATVs, international traveling, scuba diving, and volunteering for Habitat for Humanity.

We hope you enjoyed meeting Kasey, and stay tuned for more information about our STEM Works programs. You can also email Mary Anter for information about free, public events near you soon. (Hint: we already have some of them posted on our online calendar!)

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EVE

2009-12-18T09:16:00.003-07:00

Blog entry by Ambrea Kuhn, The Leonardo's Intern

Salt Lake City has grown too big to have only one night to celebrate the new year. The city's new year's celebration First Night will be replaced with EVE, a three-day party with ambitions to include "Everyone, Everywhere, and Everything." Events at multiple venues (including Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, The Gateway, Pierpont Avenue, Temple Square and The Gallivan Center) really do have something for everyone -- arts, sports, great local music, dance, and kids stuff.

Highlights include a battle of the tribute bands, with echoes of The Beatles, Nirvana, and KISS. And "eBay It Forward" allows folks to re-gift items to charity. The gifts, along with the story of why the item was important to you, will be collected at the Gateway, and proceeds will be donated to Family Promise, a program that assists homeless families.

EVE organizers have mapped out alternate transportation to the festival, spots to stay the night, and multiple ways to buy tickets. And Salt Lake City will still ring in 2010 the old-fashioned way -- with a giant fireworks display at Gallivan Center. See you there!

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Cashing in on Green (Energy)!

2009-12-10T10:38:00.001-07:00

Blog entry by Ambrea Kuhn, The Leonardo's Fall 2009 Intern

On Dec. 8 the first Leonardo After Hours audience discussed "Cashing in on Green (Energy)!" Three green experts highlighted new technologies and the economic gains that Utah could see if the state were to invest in and develop these technologies.

Bob Barson, executive director at the Center for Active Sensing and Imaging at Utah State University, showed us how CASI uses new technologies to improve wind energies, including pinpointing the best spots for new wind turbines. Nathan Furr, from the business management department at Brigham Young University, discussed the importance of an entrepreneurial spirit in energy innovation. Kent Udell from the University of Utah talked about using heat banking to store our currently bitter cold weather to air condition buildings on hot summer days (and storing heat from those 105-degree days to comfort us in this 9-degree weather!).

A 10-minute presentation from each speaker sprinkled with questions from the audience and some friendly moderation from the Salt Lake Tribune's Kirsten Stewart made for a successful and lively evening where audience members got to participate in the discussion about what will make Utah a better innovation center in green energy. Stay tuned for details about our next Leonardo After Hours, which will be March 9.

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American Fork Junior High

2009-12-07T12:49:00.006-07:00

Blog entry by Ian McClintick from The Leo on Wheels staff

On November 16-20, 2009 the Leo on Wheels visited American Fork Junior High School, home of the Cavemen. During the visit to American Fork we were surrounded by students with cavemen shirts, which got us thinking: what's behind American Fork Junior High's unique mascot? As it turns out, American Fork is home to Hansen Cave, Middle Cave, and Timpanogos Cave- and thus the mascot's name.

Martin Hansen discovered Hansen Cave in 1887 as he was tracking a cougar up Timpanogos Mountain. In the fall of 1921, George Heber Hansen and Wayne E. Hansen were hunting deer when they spotted a hole in the ground. The two returned a few days later with their grandfather, Martin Hansen. Martin Hansen, who's credited with actually discovering Timpanogos Cave, was also the first person to enter Middle Cave.

When Middle Cave and Timpanogos Cave were discovered government protection was in place, which has helped keep them in fairly good condition. Hansen Cave, however, is not a protected site and has been a target of vandalism over the years. Like the vast majority of caves, the caves in American Fork formed in Carbonate (i.e. Limestone, Dolomite). Over millions of years, carbonic acid, a weak acid, formed by water and carbon dioxide reacting with each other, slowly dissolves the carbonate, creating the caves.

A. ǝuoʇsʍolɟ B. sǝʇıʇɔılǝɥ C. uoɔɐq-ǝʌɐɔ

The carbonate dissolves in water. As the water flows through the cave the carbonate precipitates, or condenses back into a solid. The carbonate deposits form the unique structures we see in caves. Among the structures in the American Fork Caves are cave bacon, helictites, and flowstone. The pictures seen above are not from the American Fork cave but they are still very similar. See if you can name the structures correctly just by their pictures.

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Building Renovations: Phase 1

2009-12-01T13:39:00.010-07:00

Blog entry by Ambrea Kuhn, The Leonardo's Fall 2009 Intern

The Leonardo building renovations are well underway! Last week I was able to check out the progress that has already been made. The renovations started in October with asbestos removal.

Worker exiting sectioned off area.

Loading the huge truck with bags of asbestos.

All of the lighting will be replaced to help us get a Silver LEED certification.

Our favorite part of the renovations is the bright orange carpet is gone!

Here's a short video detailing what will be upgraded .

After the asbestos removal is finished seismic upgrades will begin. Next, they'll upgrade some of the building's systems and other general improvements. After that, The Leonardo will move in to install our exhibits. All of that will wrap up just in time for opening day-- April, 15 2011, which also happens to be Leonardo da Vinci's 557th birthday.

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Educate to Innovate

2009-11-24T16:38:00.007-07:00

Blog entry by Ambrea Kuhn, The Leonardo's Fall 2009 Intern

On Nov. 23 President Obama launched a new education campaign that will help to increase interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Educate to Innovate enlists the help of multiple corporations and non-profits to help promote science and technology outside of the classroom. (Sidenote: Utah has a similarly minded program in USTAR, which promotes the research and development of new technologies as job-creation and economic-growth engines.)

Educate to Innovate hopes to pique interest in STEM learning in young children. For instance, Sesame Street will focus two years of its programing on helping children become science and math literate. And an annual science fair will be held at the White House for top science fair winners from across the country. (One more local plug: check out the Salt Lake Valley Science and Engineering Fair on your way to the top.)

The MacArthur Foundation is helping to develop the Digital Media and Learning Competition, a national contest to recognize changes in the ways children learn. The open competition, which starts Dec. 14, is searching for digital media ideas that will help children develop their math and science skills. The competition has all sorts of partners we've tweeted our love for in the past, including National Lab Day and HASTAC (Humanities, Arts, Science and Technology Advanced Collaboratory). So, genuises, get those proposals ready.

"It's about expanding opportunity for all Americans in a world where an education is the key to success," President Obama said. "It's about an informed citizenry in an era where many of the problems we face as a nation are, at root, scientific problems."

In short: let's get going, America!

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WHAT IF...

2009-11-12T16:00:00.008-07:00

Blog entry by Ambrea Kuhn, The Leonardo's Fall 2009 Intern

We have all thought "What if..." at some point in our life. Asking this question allows us to get outside our boxes, and in the process, imagine and even achieve the impossible. The Science Gallery in Ireland turned that question into a new exhibit. "WHAT IF..." probes the space between reality and the impossible, where designers meet scientists to explore the future. The exhibit addresses many different questions like, "What if robots were designed from an emotional point of view?" and "What if insects could help us diagnose illness?"

"What if human tissue could be used to make objects?" explores the bioscience of reconstructive surgery, and then goes a step further to show how these same technologies used in operations are also used to make biojewellery. The exhibit shows how one couple used their bone tissue to create rings for each other.

The Science Gallery has created video summaries for each of the exhibits. There are so many more fantastic "WHAT IF..." exhibits so be sure to check them out! "WHAT IF..." runs until Dec. 13.

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Victoria & Albert Museum

2009-11-04T17:27:00.002-07:00

Blog entry by Ambrea Kuhn, The Leonardo's Fall 2009 Intern

We love seeing an influx of technology combining with art in multiple museums. With help from onedotzero, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London is making use of the technology and art fusion by opening a new exhibit, "Decode: Digital Design Sensations." The exhibit is a huge collaboration between artists and designers from around the world. It will feature the latest advances in digital and interactive designs. The exhibit covers so much that it is divided into three themes: "The Network," "Code As A Raw Material," and "Interactivity."

Digital plant from Daniel Brown's series, "Flowers."

"The Network," dissects traces of information we leave behind after using social networks. Programers developed a section that visualizes information, such as how bloggers are feeling based upon what they say in their blogs. "Code," looks at the digital coding we use to program. Artist Daniel Brown uses mathematics to generate a fluid growth of digital images that mimics plants found in nature. Much like "Ghost Interruptions," the "Interactivity" exhibit allows visitors to interact with different works. One of the featured exhibits is the Opto-Isolator, developed by Golan Levin, which is a robotic eye that follows the viewer's eye motions.

Opto-Isolator (2007), Interactive Eye Robot from Golan Levin.

"Digital Designs Sensations" is an exhibit that goes alongside "Decode." It features early computer-generated designs, plotter drawings, screen prints and Ink Jet prints of art. You can also find art pieces scattered outside of the museum. The exhibition opens Dec. 8 and runs until April 11. If you can't catch a plane to London anytime soon the V&A will feature some of the exhibits online for you to check out!

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