By Johnny McDonald | Downtown News 

RH Fleet’s Kirsch has much to be proud of

Is math and science education attention in the county’s school system dropping off when children move beyond the fifth grade?

Dr. Jeffery Kirsch, executive director at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, believes so, and has established Fleet Inquiry Institute education programs, which now reach 110,000 students per year.

The Fleet has been awarded a number of prestigious Eisenhower grants from the State of California to train San Diego elementary and middle school teachers.

He said the Fleet Inquiry Institute is for more than just assigning a book reading or a science experiment.

“From an education side, teachers and parents realize what we’re doing, but it’s hard to get the word out to the general public,” he lamented.

On the upside, he said the culture of the people involved with the Center is basically a love affair with science and science education.

“The thing I have always enjoyed is when people say they had a great time at [the] institution and of their delight with the people we have working here,” Kirsch said with some pride.  “We do our best to make it an exciting place.”

As a big boost, he also reported that the Fleet recently concluded an $18 million capital funding campaign that covered a five-year period.

“The supporting Fleet family has been with us the longest and Irwin Jacobs helped to make the dome theater a success,” he said. “But there are so many others.

“Across the board, as an educational place to visit we kept true to the idea that science can be made enjoyable.  The secret ingredient is that we’re … not just a theater.”

During Dr. Kirsch’s 29 years at the Center, he has spearheaded a building expansion and major improvements for the IMAX Theater.

“The expansion in 1998 tripled our science floor and allowed us to quadruple our membership,” he said.  “It’s become a full-service science center with always challenging exhibits.”

On other matters, Dr. Kirsch has always believed in unity among all the museums in the park and is why in 2002 he founded the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership.

He said the 23 institutions have a vital role to provide interesting displays for the people who love the park and want to keep it as it is.

The BPCP seeks collaborations with other Park institutions to enhance the role as the City’s cultural center.  Dr. Kirsch also serves as chairman of the Museum Film Network, an international association of museums, which develops and sponsors high quality IMAX films.

He has been executive producer for six IMAX productions, and consulting producer on six other IMAX films. He received the 2001 Founders Award from the IMAX Corporation, given to individuals who have made a major contribution to the arts and sciences of large format films.

He is co-chair of the International Advisory Board of the Association of Science and Technology Centers and co-chair of the educational committee for ASTC’s International Global Warming Awareness program.

Dr. Kirsch is interested in the transformation of science communications through the advent of computer graphics and new digital techniques.

“The super computer center at UCSD is playing a vital role,” he said. “The computer has changed the way scientists do their work.  Computers are the linkage that sparks people’s interest in science.”

Balboa Park’s ties to the Olympics

Not everything takes a skyward approach at the Air and Space Museum, there’s a need for testing at ground level, too.

Last month, Olympic bronze medalists Elana Meyers and Katie Eberling of the U.S. Women’s Bobsled team utilized the museum’s Low Speed Wind Tunnel (LSWT) for a series of tests to compare their sled to new, better designs. Their objective: a U.S. gold medal.

The tunnel has also provided testing for nearly 250 professional and amateur bicyclists, including seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, and virtually every other contender in the Tour peloton. USA Luge teams have also tested at the LSWT since 2004.

A native of Fairburn, Ga., Elana Meyers has competed since 2007. She won the silver in the bobsled’s two-woman event with Shauna Rohbock at the 2009 FIBT World Championships in Lake Placid, New York.

Before bobsledding, Eberling was an immediate favorite for the team after claiming the 2011 U.S. National Push Champion title in her rookie season.

The Museum’s Low Speed Wind Tunnel is considered to be the best facility of its kind in the world.  To date, the LSWT has conducted nearly 100,000 hours of testing and has been used extensively in numerous military and civil aerospace development programs.

Off-roading pioneers

When you think of off-road competition, the venerable Baja 1,000 might come to mind. It’s been around for some time and will celebrate it’s 45th anniversary in November.

However, Michael Anthony, a noted historian on the subject, says classic desert racing was conducted much earlier, actually 1908-1914.

Anthony discussed this at a recent lecture at the Auto Museum.

“Try and imagine this – it’s 1908, automotive technology is progressing in quantum leaps — but the supportive infrastructure, little things like roads as an example, were lagging far behind,” he explained. “So, a few progressive business associates sponsored an automotive Cactus Derby endurance race across the Mojave Desert.”

If your interest was piqued, check out the permanent exhibits featuring Steve McQueen, Harley Davidson and Indian motorcycles at the museum, located in 2080 Pan American Plaza.

Lions, Tigers and Reptiles

You might say those orphans have finally joined the rest of the San Diego Zoo family now that a winding path is leading its way to where they live.

It’s called Reptile Walk, which in true serpentine fashion was introduced with a Fourth of July opening and an awaking for those who may not have ventured beyond Klauber-Shaw Reptile House.

As longtime members of the Zoological Society my wife and I always enjoyed visiting the turtle, iguana and alligator exhibit.  But this corner of animal world seemed to be overlooked.

Elsewhere, elephants, tigers, chimps, and polar bears were the prime performers.  But, having had a preview of this appropriately defined new venture, it should lead to increased curiosity. For the most part, it’s another effort by the Zoo to explore ways to guide people past interesting rare and exotic wildlife.

The Reptile Walk is a renovation that replaces older, smaller exhibits with three new upgraded buildings for amphibians, turtles and a collection of animals native to the Southwest.

“We’re excited to highlight these native California species because we’re in a biodiversity hotspot,” said Kim Lovich, associate curator of herpetology for the San Diego Zoo. “A lot of our guests don’t realize that in our own backyards we have some of the most diverse reptile and amphibian collections in the world.”

Along the way, you’ll note a new, open-air pool exhibit for two female Chinese alligators, listed as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. It happens to be the first time the Zoo has had this species on exhibit.

It’s the hope this will become a breeding facility for this most endangered of all crocodilian species. A breeding recommendation must be obtained from the Association of Zoos and Aquarium’s Species Survival Program.

Traveling the pathway, guests will observe collections of animals that make their homes in various types of wetlands including marshes, swamps, bogs and fens, and seasonal wetlands, called vernal pools and washes.  Wetlands provide food, water, shelter and habitat for reptiles and amphibians.

There are more than 50 species of animals here, including poison frogs, leaf-tailed geckos, giant horned lizards, king snakes, Malayan giant turtles, and Roti Island snake-necked turtles.  Zookeepers hope this will lead to a greater audience.

Titanic

My colleagues expressed a desire to see the Natural History’s Museum’s expansive exhibit about the Titanic. Well, friends, you better hurry because the exhibit ends Sept. 9.

We walked the museum corridors several days ago to view 200 artifacts retrieved from the famous ship that sank 100 years ago after colliding with an iceberg.

At various wall locations, message boards chronicle this history about a majestic liner once described as the world’s largest vessel and considered to be unsinkable.

Experience Titanic’s fateful maiden voyage and take on the identity of a real passenger onboard as you explore magnificent recreation’s of the ship’s interior.

After an award winning, 38-year sports-writing career with the San Diego Union and authoring three books, Johnny McDonald now considers writing a hobby. He enjoys covering aspects of the port district, convention center, Balboa Park, zoo, and stories with a historical bent. You can reach him at [email protected].