From: IN%"soteros@snoopy.usask.ca" 24-DEC-1996 02:42:15.89 To: IN%"RAJ@snoopy.usask.ca", IN%"david.steele@sask.usask.ca" CC: IN%"SOTEROS@snoopy.usask.ca" Subj: RE: Words from Chris on Potential Benefits? Return-path: Received: from skycat.usask.ca by DANSAS.USASK.CA (PMDF V5.0-6 #15020) id <01IDDF494P8W000C4R@DANSAS.USASK.CA> for Steele@DANSAS.USASK.CA; Tue, 24 Dec 1996 02:42:14 +0000 (GMT) Received: from math.USask.CA (snoopy.usask.ca) by sask.usask.ca (PMDF V5.0-6 #15020) id <01IDD2JVBR0W935SRL@sask.usask.ca> for david.steele@sask.usask.ca; Mon, 23 Dec 1996 20:42:12 -0600 (CST) Received: from tadpole.Usask.ca by math.USask.CA (4.1/SMI-3.2); Mon, 23 Dec 1996 20:42:11 -0600 (CST) Received: by tadpole.Usask.ca (SMI-8.6/SMI-SVR4) id UAA09522; Mon, 23 Dec 1996 20:40:38 -0600 Date: Mon, 23 Dec 1996 20:40:38 -0600 From: soteros@snoopy.usask.ca (Prof. Chris Soteros) Subject: Re: Words from Chris on Potential Benefits? To: RAJ@snoopy.usask.ca, david.steele@sask.usask.ca Cc: SOTEROS@snoopy.usask.ca Message-id: <199612240240.UAA09522@tadpole.Usask.ca> Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Hi David, Here is the latest version of the potential benefits section which I promised to send you earlier. Chris 11. Potential Benefits Ozone layer research is important to all humans and especially Canadians. The people, vegetation and extensive land masses of the Canadian North will be most adversely affected by any changes in the ozone layer over the North pole. The Niteowl project provides a low cost opportunity for measuring ozone densities in Northern Canada with Canadian expertise and equipment. The most important spin-off of Niteowl will be the development of a micro-satellite based instrument which will be used to measure local and global ozone distributions in near real-time; such a capability is essential if ozone depletion continues. With this capability, individuals will have the opportunity to ``see'' the ozone layer on television and at an internet web site or obtain daily reports via newspapers and radio. Because of the health risks associated with ozone layer depletion, such rapid dissemination of information is important. Providing this information should be a high priority for public financed research. The Niteowl project and launch will also enhance the efforts made by Akjuit (sp?) Aerospace towards re-establishing and expanding SpacePort Canada (Churchill, MB) as an important national and international launch site. Canadian industry will benefit. Sci-Tec will have the opportunity to make use of scientific research without delay. This leads to a win-win situation for both research and industry: 1) The scientists have their scientific research transformed immediately into applied technology (and public wealth). 2) Industry realizes it is worthwhile to participate in research projects with univerities and government organizations (CSA). Graduate education in space science will benefit. This experiment involves graduate students at every stage and gives them first hand experience in space science research. The graduate school experience and post-graduation employment opportunities of the participating students is expected to be enhanced. This can only benefit the field of space science research. In particular, students will have the opportunity to work as term employees with Sci-Tec during the phase A study and thus obtain first hand experience working in Canadian industry. Communication of the potential benefits of this project has already begun. In a recent front page article of ``On Campus News'' (a newsletter of the U of S public relations office) the nature of the Niteowl proposal and the activities of the science team were described and the unique aspect of having graduate students help in the proposal preparation was highlighted. An internet website is being developed which will provide up-to-date progress reports on the project and in the end will be used to distribute launch date photographs and final results. Presentations will be made at conferences and the work will be published in scholarly journals. The history of the NiteOwl project will be incorporated into a computer based education initiative at the University of Saskatchewan. As part of the College of Engineering's Innovative Teaching and Learning Center, a PowerPoint based set of materials (including internet web pages) will document the development procedures used for the NiteOwl science and intrumentation. This will allow the formal system design process followed by the NiteOwl team to be presented to a fourth year electrical engineering design class as an example of real-world engineering design. Finally, the high level effort to educate the general public on the project will continue. For this purpose the science team will take advantage of existing programs such as the Western Space Education Network and the Canadian Space Resource Centre, Innovators in the Schools, U of S Engineering Summer Sci-Fi Camp and Spectrum, and the U of S University to the People program. Several members of the science team have participated in these programs in the past (see their personal data forms for details). In addition, during Phase A we plan to explore with the U of S extension and Audio Visual departments the possibility of developing a video chronicling the experiences of the graduate students in the project and the final outcome of the Niteowl project. With the success of the project, we will contact radio and television networks to make public the results and expected benefits.