Back to School

This week was the first week of school and here're some of my classes:

Physics: Electricity and Magnetism
Math: Multivariable Calculus
Computer Science: Into to Object Oriented Programming
Biology: Intro
Freshmen English
Intermediate Weight Training

It's nice being back in the fray. Along with schooling, I'm taking a position in the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society as VP of Scholarship and helping out there. I have to begin the scholarship process over again and I'm setting my sights on the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation scholarship this year. Applications to universities are going to be started as well. CalTech Astronomy... I have my sights on you.

The San Mateo Community Colleges Foundation

An important supporter of the SMART Project this summer was the San Mateo Community Colleges Foundation. I personally thank them for all of their support; it was tremendous and instrumental in the success of our budget this field season. Their mission statement includes promoting student success and program innovation, both of which they actively did for SMART, and because of their support, I and the SMART Project were successful this summer at the Haughton-Mars Project on Devon Island, High Arctic.

http://www.smcccfoundation.org/

This information is directly from their site:

About San Mateo County Community Colleges Foundation

The mission of San Mateo County Community Colleges Foundation is to promote student success and program innovation by providing special financial support for Cañada College in Redwood City, College of San Mateo and Skyline College in San Bruno.

It is due to the ongoing generosity of donors since the Foundation’s inception in 1966 as a tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, that thousands of students have attended college and realized a better life than they ever imagined.

A Great Ending

Sea Ice south of Resolute

The white structures at the background are CSM buildings

Thanks to everyone who supported me during this trip! Again, it was a superlative experience.


I wanted to spread the word about the SMART project and how it's essentially funded through donor support, so if you want to make a donation, please go to this website:


Donate to SMART here

Images from throughout the HMP 2011 Field Season

Taken by Sean Dougherty, these are some images worth posting from the HMP 2011 Field Season.

First day in Edmonton, AB, Canada

Walking into camp after arriving on Devon Island

 The enormity of the crater from View Hill

Ben (Left) and Me (Right)

During a traverse

Sean and Me after a hard day's work

Telescopic Pursuits

College of San Mateo student, San Mateo County Astronomical Society member, and Mars Institute intern Luis Alvarez (right) with Dr. Pascal Lee, planetary scientist at the Mars Institute and the SETI Institute, and director of the Haughton-Mars Project (HMP) holding the SMART (San Mateo Arctic Research Telescope) Project's banner in front of the HMP's Moon-1 Humvee Rover on Devon Island, High Arctic. The Moon-1 recently completed the Northwest Passage Drive Expedition, and reached the HMP Research Station via Resolute Bay, Cornwallis Island, where the SMART will be established. (Photo MarsInstitute/Haughton-Mars Project/H. Bortman)

Placing the Banner in the Mess Hall

SMART Project Info and Update on Previous Post: Below

Forward Unto Dawn, Pt. 2

It's been several days since an update but there have been many changes. First off, we left the HMP Camp. Things to note: the ability to access the internet on Devon Island came to a close on the Fourth, we left Devon Island on the Fifth for Resolute Bay, overnighted in Resolute Bay and left the Sixth for Yellowknife, NT. I'm currently in Yellowknife and am awaiting a flight to Edmonton in the evening and will have a flight from Edmonton to San Francisco tomorrow morning. 

It's been amazing, and no amount of words can truly describe the tremendous experience. It's been fantastic overall and though there were struggles, they were not without their rewards. I experienced life in the Arctic Circle on Devon Island with the Haughton-Mars Project in the attempt to mirror life on Mars, experienced what it means to work side by side and learn from top engineers and scientists in their respective fields, and experienced personal development that has allowed me set a greater focus on my academic and career goals; all in the attempt to establish something that will further Astronomy and her interests around the world: The SMART Project.

The SMART project goals of this field season consisted primarily of observational site evaluations. I scouted five sights of interest, though to be brief; Resolute Bay seems to be the ideal site for a remote telescope considering the necessity of human intervention if functional issues arise during its’ operation, its’ relative isolation for light pollution purposes, an intact power grid for operational purposes, and community interactions that will foster a great relationship with the partners and the Resolute Bay Inuit community. Ongoing discussions with the community will be needed before we make the absolute claim, but a visit to leaders of the Resolute Bay community endowed us with a sense of success and allowed us to leave Resolute Bay the next morning with quite a feeling of accomplishment. We still have much work to do!

Here are some last day pictures.

Inukshuk overlooking the Haughton Impact Crater

The Haughton Impact Crater behind me

Just before we head off

Robotic Pursuits

Throughout my stay here at the Haughton-Mars Project, I've been helping out with Robotic Arm Testing and Sampling. Sean Dougherty of MDA Information Systems took me under his wing, allowed me to assist him in his efforts, and I've learned a great deal of information because of it. Sean and Pascal Lee ,Director of the Haughton-Mars Project and Chairman of The Mars Institute, have given me advice, instructed me on how to approach data and have guided me through the entire process; I am immensely grateful.

College of San Mateo student and Mars Institute intern Luis Alvarez (left) with MDA Information Systems, Inc. lead engineer Sean Dougherty with the Haughton-Mars Project (HMP)'s Moon-1 and Mars-1 Humvee Rovers and the MDA robotic arm mounted on the Moon-1. Luis participated in a field experiment led by planetary scientist Dr. Pascal Lee, Director of HMP, to investigate the future use of robotic arms by astronauts for sampling asteroids, the Moon, and Mars frompressurized exploration vehicles. (Photo Mars Institute/NASA/Haughton-Mars Project/P. Lee).