Projects
MESA Program Disaster Response Teamwork in Xilinx CO Summit Retreat
As flaming pebbles and lava begin to devastate the countryside, emergency response teams learn a hurricane is approaching. Fortunately, the space Shuttle is dispatched to transmit real-time data about the hurricane and volcano. Mission Control scrambles to assemble a team of specialists to assist the island residents. Will the hurricane make landfall? Will the volcano explode? Will the residents need to be evacuated?
Xilinx Colorado hosted "Operation Montserrat" for the Lyons Middle School MESA program (Math Engineering and Science Achievement) on Friday afternoon, February 25th. After two months of learning about vulcanism, hurricanes, disaster planning and collecting and interpreting data, the 7th & 8th grade students participated in a two-hour electronic mission. 17 students used their math and science skills, as well as problem solving, teamwork and communication skills, in an authentic crisis situation. The students worked in four teams--volcano, hurricane, evacuation or communication. While interacting with a flight director at the Challenger Learning Center of Colorado Springs, they tracked a hurricane, predicted volcanic activity and considered evacuation options to save the island of Montserrat and as many people as possible from two impending natural disasters.
The Xilinx Colorado Summit Retreat building, with a wall-size computer screen and live video feed from mission control, made this exercise very realistic for the students. The teams received instructions, real data and instant messages on their computers from a flight commander, and they quickly processed and sent information back to mission control. The students successfully completed their mission, which they attributed in part to the location of this exercise in the Summit Retreat Building as well as the technical support provided by Paul Gazdik, Sr. Network Manager and John Bustamante, Jon Torri, Kevin Hughes and Ray Goodell from the XCO IT organization. In addition, the students were provided exposure to a high-tech, professional environment, which was reported to have a direct and immediate impact on their career aspirations. Karen Hunter, St. Vrain MESA Coordinator, reported "everyone was excited about the possibility of working at a place like this in the future, and several students inquired about summer internships."
MESA's mission is to encourage, motivate and prepare students for academic success with a goal of preparing future leaders. Students who participate in the MESA program develop a high level of literacy in math and science, which prepares them for any career path they may choose within an increasingly technology-based world. MESA serves all students, but it was founded to create interest in math and science for minority and female students. MESA helps students build self-confidence, self-reliance and leadership skills.
The Xilinx Colorado Community Giving Committee has identified MESA as one of their Key Programs, as it meets their mission to "transform lives in positive ways, help to develop tomorrows' leaders, further the cause of learning, and improve the quality of life in our local communities through partnerships, volunteerism and funding." Kenn Perry, Xilinx' Key Program Champion for MESA, provides coaching and leadership for the St. Vrain MESA organization and has worked with them to establish an Advisory Board to promote community awareness and provide support for St. Vrain MESA programs.