FlisKits: GIS Day 2004

[jflis]

The University of New Hampshire is hosting GIS Day 2004 on November 17th at their Durham, NH campus.

FlisKits has been invited to participate as a vendor and educator. In conjunction with The IGNITE Foundation, FlisKits will have visibility in the book store (vendor area) and in the educational center on the 4th floor.

This is a great opportunity to expose more young adults to this hobby. The event, also set up as a "college day" will be host to virtually every high school engineering/science student in the state as they explore their educational and job choices in this technical world.

If you are in the area, please stop by and say hi and see what is available.

Also, Jay Apt will be there as a key-note speaker and to autograph his book, so if you have any of his books or literature and want an autograph this is the place

 

[jflis]

I thought you folks would get a kick out of this...

First, I am approached by the organizers of this event to ask if I would be interested in setting up a booth to sell our kits. No charge for the booth and exposure to thousands of science/technology students from around the state.

Well, how could I say no?? THey were very pleased that I could participate and couldn't stop thanking me. All the while thinking "I should be thanking *you*!"

So, I get registered and set. Excited at what the day may bring and hopeful that I get the chance to meet Jay Apt.

So, I get a call this morning. When I registered, I selected the educational center as my preferred setup area to hit students *and* teachers. The GIS folks wanted to know if I would rather be in the vendor area in the book store as they expect far more traffic there which would help sales. No problem as I will also have literature with the IGNITE booth. Then they ask if I would have any problem having my booth set up along side Jay Apt's booth as that is where the GIS folks would prefer that I be set up.

hhmmm, does a model rocketeer have a problem being parked next to an astronaut/model rocketeer for the better part of a day??? hhhmmm, let me think about that one for a while...

Yea, I'm psyched

jim

 

[Papa Elf]

Jim, let me know if you need help

 

[jflis]

For the GIS Day 2004 event, we're all set. My wife will be with me and it is highly likely that Brian will join me as well. We will only have a booth on this occation (no build session, no launch), so manpower isn't an issue this time

Thank you though

jim

 

[cls]

Jim, maybe you could get Jay Apt to autograph one of your kits (let him pick his favorite!) and then auction it for charity. is IGNITE an appropriate charity?

 

[jflis]

The IGNITE Foundation is a non-profit organization whose focus is technology education in K-12. We are currently focused on central new england as that is where it was founded, but are rapidly becoming a nation wide source for sharing, coordinating and creating opportunities for educators. So, yes, they would be appropriate

I am looking to have Jay autograph a kit and I would also like to give him a kit and make him aware of what we're trying to do for the hobby. I would also like to see what would be involved in inviting him to join us at the conclusion of the Tour de Deuce.

I am a member of the Board of Directors for The IGNITE foundation. You can find out more at: https://www.ignitefoundation.org/

jim

 

[jflis]

Well, the day went very well

Our sales were very low, but that was expected. This was mainly a "college day" with high school students seeing what was available for college education and fields related to earth studies. No necessarily expecting to be buying things

I got to meet about 5 TARC teams too, which was very nice. I gave 3 lectures wherein I detailed some of the ways model and high power rocketry can be used to study the earth with explainations of how changes in technology have provided incredible advances in electronic and electro-mechanical devices and the lift vehicles to carry them in.

Here is a picture of Kathy at our booth (on the left side of the image you can see the table that Jay Apt used for his book signing.

 

[jflis]

Here I am talking with Jay after having just presented him with a Deuce's Wild! kit and a signed copy of "I am a Space Shuttle. I love to fly!" by Becky Cross (founder of The IGNITE Foundation).

He was a thrill to chat with, very personable. I greatly appreciated that he spent time with everyone there and never made you feel rushed.

 

[jflis]

Here we are in a picture after he graciously autographed a cover art for the new Alien8 kit. He signed it and added a list of his shuttle missions. As I explained to him, we will be auctioning off the kit containing this cover art and the moneys will be used to help fund a scholarship program that FlisKits will be kicking off beginning in 2005 (stay tuned )

 

[jflis]

Here is a close up of the signed cover art:

 

[jflis]

Last pix, one of Jay and I posing with the Deuce's Wild, Alien8 and the NAR tent I had set up (we were giving out NAR information at our booth). Having recently been named to the Board of Directors (Trustee) for the NAR, Jay was appreciative of our support of the NAR and wanted this picture.

It will be a pleasure to see more of him in my dealings with the NAR and hope to be able to spend some time talking rockets and shuttles with him

jim