2015 GA Participants in GASSSS Program
These participants have submitted a final GASSSS application.
If your name is not on this list and you have participated in the GASSSS program, please contact Larry Woolf at Lawrence.Woolf@ga-asi.com
| GA GASSSS Participant | Company | School | Materials Purchased | Activity |
| Lisa Petrillo | GA-Energy and Advanced Concepts | Black Mountain Middle School, Poway, CA | Materials for CSI component of Science Olympiad - Microscope and related. | Assist in coaching a Science Olympiad event, Crime Busters, to Black Mountain Middle School students. This is my 3rd year as Assistant Coach for the event. We lead the students through the science of forensics including analyzing fingerprints, DNA, fluids, powders. I help lead the program and provide the official parent oversight. |
| William Capinski | GA-ASI/MS | Sherman Elementary School, San Diego, CA | Purchased Sphero robots for Sherman Elementary School’s Technology classroom. This represented partial payment for 16 robots. | I gave a presentation to a classroom about programming and discussed the relevance of this skill to STEM careers. I then assisted the children in trying out the Sphero robots. |
| Darrell Nakawaki | GA-ASI/AS | Heritage K-8 Charter School, Escondido, CA | The tool supply center contains microscopes and slides with sample specimens, thermometers, graduated cylinders, magnets, compasses, and measures. | The employee assisted in demonstrating microscope usage and adjustment. Measurement cylinders were also used to demonstrate fluid density differences. The students observed different specimens and wrote up their experience and observations in a journal. |
| Darrell Nakawaki | GA-ASI/AS | Heritage K-8 Charter School, Escondido, CA | Students go on an awe-inspiring tour of the solar system, explore fascinating facts about the human body, and learn all about the life cycles of plants, insects & animals—with our engaging science readers! Each set includes 6 copies of 6 different titles.You get all 3 sets, each with 36 books (for a total of 108 books) | The employee participated in a group reading session and helped go over lessons regarding space, life cycles and the human body. Students took turns reading passages from each section, discussed and asked questions and summarized the following in their reading journals: 1. solar system and planets, 2. life cycles of the human body and animals and plant |
| Paul Levy | GA-EMS | Highland Ranch Elementary, San Diego, CA | Elenco Snap Circuit kits and teacher and student guides and batteries | There were approximately 30 students, paired 2 students per kit. I introduced myself, provided some general information about the kits. The students completed numerous projects. I left the 11 Snap Circuit Kits purchased with their funds with the school. The feedback was very positive by both the students and the principal. |
| Dave Fisher | GA-ITS | Meadowbrook Middle School, Poway, CA | Purchase parts for robots for use in the Science Olympiad Robo-Cross Competition | Coaching Science Olympiad Robotics event “Robo Cross”, once weekly |
| John Matze | GA-ASI/AS | Poway High School, Poway CA | Team Spyder robotics was able to purchase VEX robotics parts required by the JV students. The remaining balance went to helping pay off of the T-Shirts which were purchased for the team. The Poway High School robotics team requires about $50,000.00 a year in order to teach students and build a competition ready robot. Without donors like GA, this would not be possible | During JV season I would guide students through the process of building and programming VEX robots. During the VEX competitions I would volunteer as a referee to oversee the matches. In the 2015 FIRST season, I would teach the robotics students about web programming. With my help the robotics students have been able to maintain and create websites in order to showcase their robot and safety procedures to the community. (http://www.teamspyder.org/) |
| Christoph Hiemcke | GA-ASI/AS | Poway High School, Poway CA | The team purchased 200 T-shirts that serve as the “uniform” during the competitions. We also purchased a number of parts from Vex for our 2015 robot, including gearboxes, bearings, pulleys, sprockets, and belts. | I took a very active part all season, starting with planning the season in the summer, and delivering training at the beginning of the fall semester. During the season, my main contribution was to help with the analysis of the robot. We used hand calculations (spreadsheets) and Creo Mechanisms to look at the dynamics of the robot. Also, we used both hand methods and Creo Simulate (finite element method) to design the structure and prevent failures. |
| Michael Roberts | GA-ASI/AS | Poway High School, Poway CA | High School Robotics team material for developing a robot for competitions and public relations materials such as T-Shirts for the team. | Parent advisory board participation, transportation of team members and robotics material. |
| Matthew Culley | GA-ASI/AS | Poway High School, Poway CA | The team purchased 200 T-shirts that serve as the “uniform” during the competitions. We also purchased a number of parts from Vex for our 2015 robot, including gearboxes, bearings, pulleys, sprockets, and belts. | I mentored the Mechanical sub-team of Team Spyder. My roles included teaching the students about good engineering design processes, along with how to machine parts and build electrical sub-systems. The students learned that first article designs do not always work the first time they are put into practice and that troubleshooting, fine tuning the design or perhaps re-design may be required. The more experienced students could also be found teaching the junior students how to safely use and work the various pieces of mechanical machinery. As a mentor often our role was there to encourage the team, assure them of their capabilities, guide them on technical design and continually ask “what’s next” so that the schedule could be met. We’d offer advice from best practices implemented in previous robotic years. |
| Christopher Hulick | GA-EMS | Painted Rock Elementary, Poway, CA | Mass and density sets (spheres, cylinders, cubes), electronic scales, wood supplies for ramps, and UV pens to support a mass and density demonstration. | • Part 1: hands-on activity with spheres, cylinders, cubes, and scales. I gave a short presentation on the difference between weight, mass, and volume. The students document the largest, heaviest, and lightest objects using cubes and cylinders as analogues for asteroids, and scales as analogues for mass spectrometers. • Part 2: hands-on activity with golf balls, test spheres, plastic cups, and ramps. • Part 3: the presentation concluded with a Nasa video on the real asteroid missions. |
| Lois Yu | GA-ASI | Poway Unified School District, Poway, CA | This funding will support the cost of hosting a High School Engineering day to high potential high school girls. The purpose of the event is to present engineering to in an appealing and tangible way to encourage the girls to consider engineering careers. | Tour of GA-ASI manufacturing facilities (2 tour guides, 8 chaperones – all GA-ASI employees) Panel discussion (5 panel members, 1 moderator, 1 mic girl – all female GA-ASI engineers) Networking Lunch (17 female GA-ASI engineers, 2 GA-ASI department specialists) Engineering Activity (6 female GA-ASI engineers) |
| Lane Carlson | GA/IFT | San Diego Science Olympiad | Supplies for an annual science competition among teams from middle and high schools in San Diego. | I will be the event captain administering one event at this competition. This involves planning and logistics beforehand and then working with 5-10 volunteers on the day of the competition to proctor the competition and judge the designs, knowledge, and skills of the students from ~80-100 teams. |
| Kate Van Dellen | GA-ASI | Exploring Technology; Society of Women Engineers; San Diego | To support hands-on learning activities, Agilent Kits will need to be purchased. This year we are using the Solar Energy kits that teach kids renewable energy sources. | Participants will learn about the engineering and science of space flight. Girls will interact with local engineers while learning about how objects traverse the Solar System and beyond. GA employee Kate Van Dellen is a volunteer at the event where she leads a team of kids around to the various stations. |
| Paul Levy | GA-EMS | Stone Ranch Elementary, San Diego, CA | Elenco Snap Circuit kits and batteries | The 4th grade students at Stone Ranch Elementary had been studying basic circuits and electromagnetism. I did another presentation and allowed the students to work with the kits. |
| Brandon Crowley | GA-DIIID | Bernardo Heights Middle School, San Diego, CA | To purchase materials for and resources necessary for participation in Science Olympiad and Robotics challenge competition. | In addition to helping regularly with the Science Olympiad and robotics club I will prepare and deliver a classroom presentation on Robotics and Nuclear fusion. |
| Donna Mirabella | GA-ASI | Ellen Browning Scripps Elementary School, San Diego, CA | Registration fee for Fleet Science Center “Science To Go: Insect Inspectors” Program. Registration fee for Fleet Science Center “Science To Go: Body Works” Program | Talking about career in Engineering, participating in the classroom learning activity. |
| Michael T. Parker | GA-ASI | Francis Parker School – First Robotics Team 2485 | The funding was used to purchase robotics hardware consisting of two voltage regulator modules, three pneumatic control modules, and five pneumatic fittings. | I served as a mentor during the 2015 First Robotics build season at Francis Parker, which included multiple evening and weekend sessions. I assisted the students with strategic design decisions for their robot, explained and demonstrated how pulse with modulation is used to control motor speeds, taught wiring and soldering techniques and how do identify and proper voltages and polarity for electronics, helped identify methods for using pneumatics. |
| Gideon Prior | GA-EMS | Flora Vista Elementary School, Encinitas, CA | Electronics kits used to teach Ohms law, including breadboards, LEDs, resistors, cabling, alligator clips, batteries, battery clips, small DC motors. | I will provide parental support in the classrooms helping students use the iPads for math and science enrichment programs so that new math and science skills can be learned. IPads will be available to all students (K – 6). |
| Aubry Harris | GA-ASI/AS | |||
| Rick Wilkinson | GA-ASI | Innovations Academy, San Diego, CA | Building an interactive sandbox such as this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki8UXSJmrJE. Purchased a modern Video Card, DVD ROMs for data installation, an acrylic sheet for camera calibration, and hardware, adapters and cables to connect the system. |
Guided 6th grade students during the design the sandbox table, installed the Linux operating system and Sandbox software, and guided student assembly of the table. After completion, all of the funded equipment will remain at Innovations Academy, and will be implemented during the 2015-16 school year and beyond. Basic topography, geography, and fluid dynamics could be explained and discovered using this tool. I will create a pictorial training procedure, including a BOM and assembly instructions, so that the project can be replicated and built by others. |
| Michael Deshler | GA-ASI | Ada Harris Elementary School; Cardiff, CA | Lego EV3 Mindstorm Robot Kit with software from Lego Educational and Raspberry Pi 2 Kit from Amazon for and delivered them to Ada Harris Elementary School for use by technology teacher, Ms. Deb Heyer. | Presented and demonstrated technology to 3rd and 6th graders using robot cleaning platforms with mounted camera. Gave demonstrations of programming with Python, talked about Safe and Secure Online practices and talked about engineering and cyber hacking. |
| Jay Zhang | GA-EMS | Solana Ranch Elementary, San Diego, CA | Purchase programmable robot and materials to build robot to compete in First Lego League competition. (2015 EV3 Robot Set ) | • Recruited 5 students from 4th and 5th grade and had two team meeting • Camp up with the team name and logo • Had one team building activity • Arranged weekly meeting in the summer to learn programming and presentation skill • Preparing for the tournament in Nov. 2015 |
| Victoria Wilson | GA-ASI | Painted Rock Elementary, Poway, CA | 1. 2 Heavy Duty School Microscopes 2. 3 Electricity Discover Kit 3. 6 Rainbow Fraction Tiles |
I gave the students an introduction to Microscopes using a worksheet. The prepared microscope slides were used to show the students various organic and man-made objects. I used the Circuit worksheet and taught them a basic lesson on circuits using a simple circuit diagram. |
| J. Rauch | GA | A set of magnets and magnetic experiment supplies, an OHAUS triple-beam balance, a hand-held Van-de-Graaf generator (“fun fly stick”), a separable Leyden jar, a few good stopwatches, the classic ball-and-ring thermal expansion demo, some Nylon ripstop fabric for triboelectric experiments, a frying pan for thermodynamics demonstrations, and some rubber stoppers for flasks. | Physics demonstrations: electromagnetic spectrum, emisssion and absorption spectra, 4 states of matter, sound and pressure, waves, tesla coils and lightning, cryogenics and water vapor (clouds), temperature/pressure and their effects on matter state changes, audible range of sound for humans, visible range of light for humans. | |
| Jeff Warren | GA-ASI/AS | San Pasqual High School, Escondido, CA | Purchase of miscellaneous robotics parts for San Pasqual High School competing in FIRST Robotics competitions. | I served as assistant coach for the SPHS FIRST Robotics team. I mentored the students on the team in all aspects of the competition. Assisted students in making upgrades/repairs to 2 robots for Battle of the Border event. |
| Shaun Williams | GA-ASI/AS | Los Altos Elementary, San Diego, CA | Snap electrical circuit kits; Electronics kits; Magnetism kits | Giving science presentations and facilitating group activities throughout the school year on electrical circuits, Snap Circuits, and magnetism. |
| Tony Kwan | GA/EMS/AAG | Black Mountain Middle School, San Diego, CA | The funds will be used to register 4 BMMS teams for the San Diego Regional Science Olympiad Competition. | Guide and assist the Science Olympiad students in building the Rube Goldberg(R) like devices for the ‘Mission Possible’ event. |
| Yangyang Yu | GA-ASI | Stone Ranch Elementary School, San Diego, CA | An Osmo Genius Kit and a used Ipad 2 for the classroom. | Demonstrated how to use Osmo Numbers in the classroom. |
| Rick Wilkinson | GA-ASI | Innovations Academy, San Diego, CA | Purchased a modern Video Card, DVD ROMs for data installation, an acrylic sheet for camera calibration, and hardware, adapters and cables to connect the system. | Guided 6th grade students during the design the interactive sandbox, installed the Linux operating system and Sandbox software, and guided student assembly of the table. After completion, all of the funded equipment will remain at Innovations Academy, and will be implemented during the 2015-16 school year and beyond. |
| Shaun Williams | GA-ASI/AS | Los Altos Elementary, San Diego, CA | Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100 Electronics Discovery Kit; Thames & Kosmos Magnetic Science Kits | In-class competitions with Snap-Circuits: Students formed groups and used basic electrical circuit principles to achieve certain tasks with their circuits. Magnetism: Taught students the principles of magnetism, and used magnetic science kits to discover magnetic characteristics of different materials. |
| Michael Allwein | GA-ASI | Pacheco Elementary School, San Luis Obispo, CA | Purchase of Chrome Books to be used as a valuable tool for school STEM lessons and activities | I will participate in a science activity in which students build a marble track around the classroom to see the effects of gravity, potential and kinetic energy. |
| Khanh (Kayla) Phan | GA-HR | Black Mountain Middle School, San Diego, CA | To help purchase materials & supplies needed for use in Black Mountain Middle School Science Olympiad events such as Mission Possible, Crime Buster, Bottle Rocket, etc. | As part of the Science Olympiad SO Committee, duties and responsibilities will include providing volunteer hours and parent supervisory as needed to support students and event coaches with various events and ordering T-Shirts and/or materials/supplies to be used for Mission Possible event for SO students/participants. |
| Don Czechowicz | GA-IF | 2nd Annual Girl Tech Conference & Expo | Purchase of equipment for LN2 Ice Cream Demonstration (Cauldron, Paddle, Whisk); Ice Cream ingredients, cups, spoons for up to 200-300 attendees. | Demonstration of “Science and Something Good” LN2 Ice Cream Making; explanation of use of thought out procedure, safety, science going on. Exhibit with Plasma Ball, Magnetism examples, Posters for Students, Hand-held Microscopes |
| Chau Nguyen | GA-EMS | Harriet Tubman Village Charter School. San Diego, CA | The fund will be used to buy 3 of Magformers Rainbow 30 Piece Set, 3 of Magformers Inspire 30 piece set, 1 Learning Resources Gears! Gears! Gears!, and Magformers Wow Set 16 pcs. | I was involved in explaining the basic principles of how magnets and gears work. I was able to use everyday examples to show the students that gears and magnets are part of our everyday lives. Using the Magformer kits, students were able to build simple structures and expanded to building operational carts. Additionally, the students connected the gears to see how each gear is related to others. Students will continue to use the Magformers and gears in class to develop new skills for building and appreciation for everyday science. |