[Friday May 9, 2008] Implementation of the LIMSAT-Cradle partnership to add science and technology to aviation advanced by another milestone today when we publicly unveiled the Weather Radar Exhibit as an advanced prototype in one of the two main aviation hangars.
The project began when LIMSAT member and Hofstra Professor David Weissman approached LIMSAT's Executive Director Benjamin Parris with a draft proposal, a vision for partnership, and a request for tutoring sessions in what makes for a successful science center exhibit.  Recognizing Weissman's drive to see the project through, and the potential of the partnership, Parris agreed to those sessions and a series of planning meetings that culminated in introducing Weissman to his counterparts at Cradle and to Fred Blumlein of Blumlein Associates.  Blumlein, who is also a Professor teaching industrial design at Pratt University, quickly saw the opportunity to adopt his second Museum Row class project whereby his students actually gain real-world design and building experience.  Weissman and Blumlein took it from there, drawing in high powered help in Fox 5's meteorologist Craig Allen, and others.  The result was a highly professional interactive exhibit that shed light on how the size of raindrops corresponds to the power of a storm.  A user-directed radar dish lights in color-coded response to its raindrop targets while a cartoon character delivers the educational content.

In charge of envisioning science add-ons to Cradle's aviation magnificence, Mr. Parris took the first step by bringing in a six-month traveling exhibit called R!SK, which challenged perceptions of risk and examined the role of science, math, and technology in risk assessment.  [Last day, May 11, 2008]  Educational lectures explained risk in aviation and firefighting.

LIMSAT Marks Fifth Anniversary of Founding Space Week at Museum Row
[Monday April 2 - Sunday April 8, 2007]  What began as a LIMSAT outreach to the Amateur Observers Society, and a peek at their wish list in 2002, turned into the most often-cited record breaking success of the Cradle of Aviation Museum, a national award-winning event, and the symbol of cooperation that binds Museum Row together today.  In 2002, LIMSAT had just wound up its successful Kings Park educational test bed, and was down to a single employee, executive director Ben Parris, and a dozen active volunteers.  That crew was in the midst of a year-long project that would win the fledgling organization the national Unisys Prize in Online Science Education.  When Mr. Parris approached the Cradle management in place at the time with a detailed proposal to form a broad-based partnership for our own Astronomy and Space Week, he faced strong opposition to the idea and the first two year's of activities.   With the perseverance of one employee on the Cradle side, education coordinator Juliann Muller, the two slowly built awareness for the event's potential.  A breakthrough came when Mr. Parris incorporated his NASA road show on space-based firefighting equipment into the many activities our visitors enjoyed (courtesy of The Nassau County Firefighters Museum and Education Center) that Museum Row's Space Day won Best New Idea, and Best Astronomy and Space Day awards from Sky & Telescope Magazine.  Each year since, with the help of improved marketing and solid support, the event has attracted greater crowds.  This year, our official space day of April 5, and the entire week surrounding it, broke attendance records for the third time, making it once again the healthiest financial period of Cradle's year.  LIMSAT has not charged fees but does ask contributions.

LIMSAT would like to thank all of those Cradle of Aviation and Long Island Children's Museum employees and volunteers who did a fantastic job this year, and made 2007 all that it could be.
 

LIMSAT at Tech Fest  Friday, Saturday and Sunday, August 19, 20, and 21, 2005.  3,200 visitors played or watched Mindball, the game that pits brainwaves of two or more players against each other to push a ball into the endzone.


[June 29, 2005] LIMSAT awards achievement plaque at Northrop Grumman Corporation to Phil Teel, whose promotion takes him back to the Mid-West:

Activity Description for LIMSAT:  What’s so hard about programming a robot?  Plenty.  Robots have a hard time doing the things humans do every day.  Play the robot programming game.  Be the robot, be the programmer, be the program!  Anyone can do it.  Educational and hilarious.  Location: Reckson Center Atrium- Hangar 2 on 1^st floor. 1:00 PM, 2:00 PM & 3:00 PM. 

[June 2004] Held Second Annual LIMSAT Young Scientists Awards
 

We were honored to have Dr. James D. Watson as our Keynote Speaker, Philip A. Teel of Northrop Grumman, LIMSAT Chairman Morton L. Certilman of Certilman Balin, and LIFT President C. Kenneth Morrelly in his role as the Chairman of the Hall of Fame Steering Committee.  Rich Kruse of Kruse Public Relations, and also a LIMSAT Board Member, did an outstanding job of emceeing the event.

All are welcome to come see the inductee display wall on the Third Floor of the Reckson Visitor Center on Charles Lindbergh Blvd. just North and West of the Nassau Coliseum.              

[June 26, 2003] We are proud to announce that our Museums at Mitchel Astronomy and Space Day activities of May 10, 2003 won Honorable Mention in the Sky and Telescope Awards.

[June 23, 2003]  The final report on LIMSAT's project for International Public Science Day 2003 is now available.

[June 6, 2003] Scroll down a bit on the online version of Long Island Business News and you will see the first reference to LIMSAT's new capital campaign to build LIMSAT Phase II at the Museums at Mitchel.

[June 5, 2003] LIMSAT held its First Annual LIMSAT Young Scientists Awards, at which 133 high school students from all over Long Island were honored for excellence in science and engineering challenges from Intel, Westinghouse, and the Long Island Science & Engineering Fair.  Raymond Damadian, inventor of the MRI and founder of Fonar, Inc., gave an inspiring Keynote Speech.  Bob Klein of Northrup Grumman and Joseph Battaglia of Telephonics distributed gifts while Melanie Krieger, President of the Long Island Science & Engineering Fair, read off the names and schools and congratulated each winner in person.  We invite all winners who could not appear in person and missed the group photo to send in smaller group or individual photos that we can post on our website.

[May 10, 2003] Established First Annual Museums at Mitchel Astronomy and Space Day.  LIMSAT Director Benjamin Parris and former CEO of Grumman Data Systems, Gerald Sandler, presented Planet Quest: NASA's Search for Another Earth.

See Archives... for more.