Maria Michails is pleased with the results for her balloon mapping and air quality sensing rover initiative at the Estevan Public Library.
Michails had a display set up at the Estevan Leisure Centre on Saturday afternoon to explain the project. Young people ages 10 to 13 have been involved with the balloon mapping, in which a camera was attached to a kite and balloons, which were deployed into the air for aerial mapping purposes.
As for the rovers, children ages 13 to 16 used a commercially-available remote-controlled truck, and outfitting it with temperature, humidity and dust sensors, and drove it around to collect data.
“The idea is to bring the two projects together, so that when we create the aerial map with the younger kids with the balloons, then we can collect the data with the rovers on the ground, and map it on the bigger map they create with the balloons,” said Michails.
Michails said the projects proved to be so large that she had to add three weeks. It was supposed to end the weekend after Thanksgiving.
But she is pleased with how the project went thus far. Some kids couldn’t show up each week due to prior commitments, which slowed them down. Design problems occurred at first with the cameras.
“I hadn’t done this project before with little kids; I hadn’t done the project myself,” said Michails.
Her other project in the community has been the Oral Histories of Estevan through the Souris Valley Museum, in which she has been collecting the stories of the Energy City from local seniors. It had a slow start at first, but the last session in October had a dozen participants.
“I’m trying to get as many stories to start with, and then we’ll continue when I come back,” said Michails.
The Oral Histories project will continue until the end of November. She will also interview a few more people in the community.
If she is able to secure funding for the spring and fall semestre next year, she will be back for nine months. If she doesn’t receive funding, then she’ll be back for the spring.
Michails has been spending time in the community through her PhD studies at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y. Once her projects in the community are finished, they will be incorporated into an exhibit at the Estevan Art Gallery and Museum in 2019.
