Ottawa-Carleton Educational Space Simulation
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The Ottawa-Carleton Educational Space Simulation (OCESS), unofficially known as "SpaceSim", or just "Sim" is a student-run organization within the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB). The chief activities of the club are to educate youth about the sciences with relation to space.
Mission
Easily the most prominent, and prolific of SpaceSim's events is its annual 96-hour simulated space mission. This mission is conducted in a "habitat" designed and built by the organization. The current habitat was made in the year 2001, after the old one was deemed unsafe by the school board.
Along with the habitat is an array of custom-made software written by the current teacher-advisor of this organization, Dr. J. Magwood. This software handles everything from environmental conditions to the navigation and piloting of the habitat.
This past scholastic year, the OCESS Astronauts traveled to Titan, a moon of Saturn. The astronauts for this mission were: Stephen Smith (Habitat Commander), Stefan De Young (Chief Engineer), Brian Foo (Payload Specialist), Johnathan Scothorn (Pilot), Steven Mair (Pilot), Nevin Hotson (able seaman).
Education
SpaceSim also conducts several programs, aside from the mission to educate youth. The organization offers two programs: a hands-on learning experience, known as Elementary Education Programs (EEPs), and a planetarium program.
Elementary Education Program
EEPs are offered to every elementary school within the Ottawa-Carleton District school board every year. These entail transporting the class or classes of students to the OCESS's facilities and providing them with science demonstrations including Electrostatics, Classical Physics, Rocketry, and special characteristics of the planets of the solar system.
The best loved demonstration of the EEP is the Neptune demonstation, which involves freezing marshmallows in liquid nitrogen as a treat for the visiting classes.
Complete details regarding the EEP are available on the OCESS [Website].
Planetarium Program
The Planetarium Program involves transporting the OCESS's inflatable planetarium to elementary or high schools across the OCDSB and delivering a presentation involving constelations, luminosity, temperature of stars, and a discussion about light pollution. The standard presentation is designed to complement the Grade 9 Ontario Science Curriculum, but the experience is just as good for a younger audience.
Complete details regarding the Planetarium Program are available on the OCESS [Website].
Leadership
One of the most important facets of the OCESS is the leadership experience it gives to its members. The club is entirely student run by two Mission Comanders who become the Astronaut Commander and Mission Control Commander for the Mission, as well as up to two EEP Commanders and up to two Planetarium Commanders. Below these are the Directors of various activities such as Public Relations, or the Spacesim Website. On the same level as Directors are the various leaders of the Taskforces within Sim who accomplish the various projects that the OCESS undertakes every year.
Mission Commanders are chosen every June for the following year, as the Mission Commanders are usually in Grade 12, and thus graduating at the end of their term in office.
Next Year's Commanders are:
- Mission Commanders: Stefan De Young and Brian Foo
- EEP Commanders: Jonathan Scothorn and Jeffrey Gao
- Planetarium Commander: Guangye Cao
A complete list of the OCESS's leaders through the years can be found on their [Wiki].
External links
- [Ottawa-Carleton Educational Space Simulation]
- [OCESS Wiki]
- [OCESS Message Board]
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