Annual Report 2015-2016 Report 2015-2016 1. a) Elected Officers August 2015 - August 2016 President:...
Transcript of Annual Report 2015-2016 Report 2015-2016 1. a) Elected Officers August 2015 - August 2016 President:...
Annual Report 2015-2016
1. a) Elected Officers August 2015 - August 2016
President: Roberto Francisco Sánchez
Email: [email protected]
SPIE ID: 3632670
Vice-President: Oscar Ulises Preciado Olvera
Email: [email protected]
SPIE ID: 3632471
Secretary: Claudia Sandoval Salinas
Email: [email protected]
SPIE ID: 3633130
Treasurer: Natalia Fernández Demarsico
Email: [email protected]
SPIE ID: 3632756
b) Elected Officers August 2016 - August 2017
President: Noelia Gabriela Alcalde
Email: [email protected]
SPIE ID: 3632647
Vice-President: Jesús Carlos Alberto Obando Aguirre
Email: [email protected]
SPIE ID: 3632685
Secretary: Antonio Francisco Ariel Soruco
Email: [email protected]
SPIE ID: 3632814
Treasurer: Roberto Francisco Sánchez
Email: [email protected]
SPIE ID: 3632670
2. Student Chapter Members
Noelia Gabriela Alcalde
Iñaki Cormenzana Méndez
Anibal Gabriel de Paúl Camacho
Natalia Fernández Demársico
Milagro Elorriaga
Jesus Carlos Alberto Obando Aguirre
Clemente Paz Filgueira
Oscar Ulises Preciado Olvera
Roberto Francisco Sánchez
Claudia Beatriz Sandoval Salinas
José Mauro Luque
Marcos Esteban Gerardo Soria
Edgardo Fabián Mamaní
Antonio Ariel Soruco
Agustín Décima
3. Chapter Activities
September 2015 - May 2016
Quality Lighting Kit – Reception, study, and adaptation of the kit to implement the
activity in schools from our province.
Last year, on the frame of the International Year of Light, our chapter was selected to
participate testing a new activity kit. It is called Quality Lighting Kit (QLK) and is centered on
the issue of lighting pollution and its effects on human health, animal’s behaviour, energy
consumption, safety, among others. In February, we received the kit and started working.
Firstly, we had a meeting to unpackage the QLK and to read the material. Then, we decided
to translate the posters and other documents since we are a Spanish-speaking country.
We divided the work in topics, so we made 6 groups. Each group was in charge of the
respective translation, the remake of the poster in spanish and the explanation to the others
of the specific activity.
In March, we started getting the permissions to assist to secondary schools to impart this
workshop.
Finally, at the beginning of May, we had a meeting where we controlled the poster
translations, their quality and, each team simulated its activity in front of the others. Once
everything was corrected and in perfect conditions, we printed the posters and other
documents. Everything were done thanks to some money that were given by SPIE’s Funding
Request, although this activity was not planned when we asked for the grant on 2015.
May 2016
Ampimpa’s Astronomical Observatory trip
Our Chapter is also member of The Optical Society (OSA) and, last year, we won the
Excellence Prize in recognition in the areas of advocacy, youth education and professional
development programming. We decided to spend the grant received from this prize, traveling
to an astronomical observatory called Ampimpa, in the middle of the desert. There, we made
observations of stars, constellations, clusters of stars and even, indirectly, sunspots. It was a
great opportunity to share a very nice activity between all members of the chapter. We spent
the night there and prepared some hamburgers at night. We really enjoyed the time and
strengthened the bonds of friendship.
May to August 2016
Hangouts of Quality Lighting Kit (QLK)
As part of the activities related with the Quality Lighting Kit (QLK) that we are testing, we
participated in several hangouts in order to discuss the way and sometimes first results and
experiences working with the QLK. The Quality Lighting Workshop is divided in six main
activities: Energy, Light Trespass, Safety, Animals, Glare and Night Sky. There were 14
hangouts and, at least one member of our chapter participated actively in most of them. It
was a very useful activity, talking and sharing experiences and recommendations in order to
be successful when using the QLK. It also helped us, as spanish native speakers, to practice
our english skills.
June 2016
Visit to “El Mojón” Secondary School – Leales
In June, we visited “El Mojón" secondary school, which is placed in Leales (Tucumán),
located about 70 km from our university. The objective was to test for the first time the
"Quality Lighting Kit" and see if it were necessary to make modifications.
In a classroom, we put posters on the walls of the different themes, we covered the windows
with black paper and started with the performance of the activities.
In this first test, we determined that it is better to perform activities in two classrooms, as
some issues need total darkness. Therefore, for future activities with the QLK, we need a lit
classroom and a dark one. Also, it is necessary to accompany the students in activities to
achieve better results in learning.
To conclude, we must mention that this experience was carried out with the work and effort
of our members, and with the financial aid provided by SPIE on 2015, and as we mentioned
above, this was not planned by us.
August 2016
Children’s Day Exhibition in “Innovation and Research Center for the Educational,
Productive and Technological Development (CIIDEPT)”
Our chapter participated in an exhibition carried out in the framework of Children's Day
celebrations on 7 and 8 August at CIIDEPT. This event was organized by the Ministry of
Education of the Province of Tucumán. To carry out this exhibition we used some money
from the SPIE grant given to transportation and to put in conditions the experiments we show
to children.
The objective was to show students of primary and secondary schools of our province, some
experiments related to light and perception. We wanted to show them that science could be
fun and also understandable for everyone.
Students were very interested and actively participated in the experiments asking questions,
answering some others and playing with different experiments as well.
September 2016
Visit to Aconquija School
In September, we visited Aconquija School, which is placed in Yerba Buena town
(Tucumán), at 10 km far from our university. There, we carried out the activities with the
QLK. It was our second time testing it and, we achieved for this time a better organization.
Two separated classrooms were conditioned for these activities, one with natural light
blocked (dark room) and another with natural lighting (lighting room), aiming to get a better
development of experiences. By this time, we were able to spread two surveys, the pre-
activity one, with which we determined how much students knew about light pollution and
their consequences, and the post-activity survey, whose aim was to find out how much
students have learned after the activity with the QLK.
Once rooms were separated by topics based on the lighting ambient condition needed, we
made six groups of 5 students each and then presented the activity. Each group had a guide
who helped students in developing the activity and subsequently to organize information for
the final exhibition.
The response and enthusiasm of the students was very good, they were really interested in
the issues and liked the way the activities were carried out. In the photos showed below it
can be seen how kids explained to their partners what they did and learned. Also their
teamwork and creativity to make their posters for the final exhibition.
This activity with the QLK resulted in a great feedback for students, their teachers and for us
as well. The different issues were approached in a very clear way, for example, using new
technologies to lit streets, or how to reduce the amount of lights to become more efficient,
save money, reduce pollution and take care of our health and also help animals to live
better.
We were really impressed for the way they showed us so much interest in the problems
raised, not only on their global consequences and solutions but also in creating new ways of
improving the things that exists nowadays.
As the visit to this school was a complete success, teachers and headers of the school
invited us to impart this activity again with other students, so we will go again on October
11th.
It is important to mention that the transportation and the changes in some parts of the
activities were done thanks to the money that were given by SPIE’s Funding Request.
Visit of students from “El Mojón” Secondary School to the Department of Lighting,
Light and Vision - Research Institute on Light, Visual Environment and Vision (DLLyV
- ILAV)
A teacher from the Secondary School called “El Mojón” and a group her students came to
our workplace (DLLyV - ILAV).
We conducted a visit through our laboratories and showed them the different activities we
develop in our daily work. This visit was carried out because, when we were at their school
working with the QLK, they were so enthusiastic and interested in what we do. During the
visit, the students were able to see some experiments that are currently in progress.
The students seemed very interested in the work we conduct at our department and made
us several questions about the how they could, in a future, study or work in these kind of
research areas, so we talk about the degree, specialization and postdegree careers offered
by our university and more specifically by our Department of Lighting, light and Vision.
Weekly Journal Club (October - December 2015, March - September 2016)
PhD students, Researchers, Postdoc students, and other people working in our department
participate weekly in a Journal Club, in which one member prepares a paper that has read
and would like to discuss and share with the others. The aim of this activity is to share ideas,
to know about the work of the others and think about new research areas of interest. We, as
SPIE Student Chapter, are in charge of organize this Journal Club looking for the people that
shares the paper, arranging schedule of the meeting room, preparing coffee or soft drinks,
cookies, etc. in order to have a great atmosphere between our mates.
4. Planned Activities for the Future
Universidad Nacional de Tucumán Student Chapter is a group of people that are really
compromised with our society, so we still want to do the travelling exhibition of science. We
build the experiments and devices but we had some problems with the bus, so we are asking
to authorities from the Ministry of Education from our province if they can help us with the
vehicle in order to finish with this project.
As it is an issue that really matters to us, we are planning to build a low cost prototype of “a
liter of light” (using sunlight and wind) to show kids and people in general how to bring indoor
and outdoor lighting in homes during all day in areas where electricity is absent, such as
rural or mountain zones, and urban zones for energy savings.
It is our desire to join with chapters from our region and/or societies as AIVO (which is a like
a Chapter of ARVO but from Argentina) and carry out a conference about ophthalmology
and vision, or optics since we had this year the experience with our first “Visiting Lecturer
Program” application and in the next days we are going to have the presence of Marina Bloj
from the University of Bradford as a Lecturer in the Annual National Meeting of Physics here
in Tucuman.
We have a strong commitment with society and we are going to continue visiting and giving
workshops as the QLK and exhibitions about light, optics, vision and science in general to
schools from our province. We are constantly improving our speech and devices, we love
this work and are very proud of it.
5. Financial Information
a. Beginning Balance
Funds owned from 2015 $1100
b. Funds expended
Concept Amount in USD
Meetings for the organization of the events and activities $215
Universidad Nacional de Tucuman Student Chapter T-Shirts $193
Trip to Anfama Astonomical Observatory (Transportation, food and stay) $500
Trip to “El Mojón” Secondary School (QLK activity) $85
“El Mojon” Secondary School students visit to DLLyV $15
QLKit Posters: Printing posters ($80), transparent adhesive plastic to
protect posters ($15) $95
QLkit - Animals Game: Print translated cards in special paper ($6),
dices ($0.70) $6.70
QLKit - Night Sky Projector: Electronic components to replace ($5),
Battery ($4) $9
Weekly Journal Club (October- December 2015,
March - September 2016): Coffee ($50), Cookies and snacks ($25),
refreshments ($30) $75
Total $1193.70
c. SPIE Funding Received
Student Chapter Funding Request 2016 $700
d. Other Sources
OSA grants $300
OSA Excellence Prize 2015 $500
e. Balance
Total Funds $2600
Spent Funds -$1193.70
Final Balance $1406.30