Page 8 LZ The Lion’s Eye February 27, 2001 By BRENT FOOTE Staff Writer When President George Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act a decade ago, he probably had no idea what he sparked in Delaware County. A small non-profit organization, named Barrier Awareness of Delaware County, was born and steadily grew. As the group’s name implies, Barrier Awareness was started to break down the physical and attitudi- nal barriers surrounding people with disabilities. Headed by founder Lorraine McGlinn, the organization strives to educate people with and without dis- abilities through various community programs in an effort to help dispel some of the myths about living with a disability. This year, Barrier Awareness is proud to present the 11" Annual Wheelchair Basketball Game fundrais- er scheduled for Friday, March 23. To be held in Interboro High School’s Gymnasium, this marks: the second consecutive year that Barrier Awareness and Interboro High School have joined forces in honor of the bas- ketball game. As one of Barrier Awareness’ com- munity programs the basketball game is designed to teach young people that nothing can keep them from reaching their goals, not even a disability. The game serves as a fundraiser as well. All proceeds go to maintaining Barrier Awareness’ education pro- grams. Incorporated as an Interboro Student Community Service Project, a group of seniors will take part in the organization and running of the event as part of a graduation requirement. Barrier Awareness hopes the partici- pating students will gain insight into the difficulties people with disabilities face in their daily lives and how they overcome them, as well as some insight into themselves and what they are capable of. “This [was] definitely a rewarding experience,” said Jeremy Krebs, one of last year’s project members. Basketball Association’s 76er’s, pre- sented by Magee Rehabilitation Hospital, face off against the Carousel House Rolling Thunder. : As you may have guessed, the NWBA’s 76er’s are sponsored by the Philadelphia 76er’s. The night promises to be filled with fun and entertainment including con- ers hoop it up locally ‘tion game between the professionals and high school seniors. “I could have stayed all night if they - would've let me,” said Krebs. If you would like to be a part of this experience, contact Barrier Awareness at (610) 490-3972. Tickets are $3 and directions are available. The National Wheelchair cessions, prizes and a halftime exhibi- Learn what profs are doing By STEPHEN WATSON Staff Writer Yes, this is a com- muter campus. Every day we come and we go as we please, just to knock off what — to most of us — are just general education credits. While we work on coursework, have we ever stopped to think about the tireless efforts of the people actually providing the education and what happens in their lives? Our faculty and staff have spent a significant part of their lives dedicat- ed to the function of this campus and to the educa- tion of its students. Students now have another opportunity to gain even more insight from their outstanding professors. Not through the classroom, but rather through a new concept ‘displayed on the Vairo Library web page www.de.psu.edu/library WORM Interviews. WORM (What's On ‘R Minds) Interviews are a collection of conversations with Penn State's Delaware County Campus faculty about the research they are doing. Each interview web page presents quotes from faculty publications, audio excerpts from a conversa- tion with the faculty mem- ber, and links to other resources related to the topic. This month’s WORM Interview is with Professor Cindy Dell Clark, Ph.D. In it, Dr. Clark discuss- es her book “Flights of Fancy, Leaps of Faith: Children’s Myths in Contemporary America.” She talks about her training and education in interdisciplinary studies, childhood development, as well as anthropology and sociology, and how her research with children foregrounds the work. Clark received her bachelor’s in International Relations from the University of - Pennsylvania, her mas- ter’s in Human Development from the University of Chicago, and her Ph.D. in Human Development from the University of Chicago. She’s had many arti- cles published and has performed many academic presentations. One such presentation was at an International Childhood Conference and a Conference at Clark University. She’s also working on a book titled “Illness Spells: Childhood Chronic Illness and Coping.” For more infor- mation about Dr. Clark, her book “Flights of Fancy, Leaps of Faith” and what she had to say in response to her interview questions, check out the web page at www.de.psu. edu/library. We can’t give away all the secrets here. The library staff will be selecting a mix of fac- ulty members that will represent a wide variety of academic disciplines. New WORM Interviews will likely be posted every month. The next WORM Interview will be with our distinguished professor of political science, Dr. Stephen J. Cimbala. He will be discussing his new book, “Nuclear Strategy in the 21st Century.” Marking the 15th year since Challenger By JOSEPH CRISAFULLI IV Staff Writer On :Jan.: 28, 1986, : the Space Shuttle Challenger (STS-51-L) lifted off for the last time from the Kennedy Space Center. This year marks the 15th anniversary of its disaster. The Challenger was sched- uled to lift off the day before — Jan. 27 — but plans were delayed due to a stripped bolt on the hatch and high winds. The next morning was the next window of opportunity for the launch. The weather was forecasted to be below freezing, which would create further complications for the launch. Despite the protests of many engineers, the space shuttle was cleared for launch on the 28th. Immediately after liftoff, it is said that wind shear shat- tered a fragile aluminum-oxide seal that formed when com- bustion gases vaporized a pri- mary and secondary O-ring. When the seal opened, flames struck the external tank and burned through the thin insu- lation and ignited the liquid hydrogen fuel, causing a explo- sion. . Judith By the remains of the cabin, Investigators concluded that most of the crew survived the explosion but were killed by the 2 minute 45 second fall, which produced 200g of force (200 times the force of gravi- ty) by the time it hit the water. Dr. Harry Camarda, pro- fessor of physics at Penn State Delco, notes the. force of grav- ity is 9.8 meters per second, every second, and 200g is “a tremendous force.” Dr. Camarda recalls being on campus, between classes, and learning the tragic new of the space shuttle from a sec- retary. The lives of Commander Francis Scobee, Pilot Michael Smith, Mission Specialist Resnik, Mission Specialist Ellison Onizuka, Mission Specialist Ronald McNair, Payload Specialist Gregory Jarvis, and “Teacher- in-Space” Christina McAuliffe were lost. The tragedy of the Challenger sparked NASA to become fanatical about the safety of its crew; not one acci- dent has happened since. Despite being 15 years since the explosion, however, only now is NASA considering integrating an escape method into the space shuttles. Above, the crew of the space shut- tle Challenger. At right, the 1986 launch. Above left, the mid-air explosion.
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