30 June 2005

The USU Research Foundation hosts 2nd Annual Bring Your Family to Work Day

By Trina Paskett, Space Dynamics Laboratory

LOGAN, Utah – Utah State University Research Foundation (USURF) employees will have a chance to show their families how they have a “blast” as they ignite rocket motors, build satellites and light up with infrared technology on July 7.

The 2nd annual Bring Your Family to Work Day will be held in the Space Dynamic Laboratory’s Calibration and Optical Research building auditorium and lawn from 9a.m. to noon.

“Truly understanding what a parent does at work is always a complicated matter – try adding the fact that your parent is a space engineer or scientist” said Dave Norton, CEO of USURF. “Family Day is an excellent avenue for employees to show their families what they do here.”

Employees come from the four units that fall under USURF: the Space Dynamics Laboratory, the BioMolecular Systems Laboratory, the Water Dynamics Laboratory and the Technology Commercialization Office.

“We have some of the most exciting research and state-of-the-art development happening in the Research Foundation, and it is always fun to share that with your family,” said Norton.

This year’s Family Day will showcase USURF’s most recent state-of-the-art technology. Family members will have the opportunity to participate in fun activities where they will learn about these exciting innovations. Here are the activities planned for family day:

Visualize
See yourself light up through the use of infrared technology and learn how seeing the world through the IR spectrum benefits us.

Ignite
Feel the power of a rocket motor as it fires and learn what it takes to become a rocket scientist.

Inspect
Learn how USU’s ODIS robots, now deployed in Iraq and our nation’s capitol, are helping protect us against terrorist attacks by performing under-vehicle inspections.

Create
Build your own satellite while learning about SDL’s satellite programs.

Invent
Witness the “twist” of the USU patent-pending Twisteron on a student-built remote controlled airplane.

Following the activities, employees can take their families on tours of their offices and the facilities. Currently, USURF has more than 300 employees, with backgrounds in science, engineering, chemistry, physics, computer science, bioscience and business.