What a Great Week!

Good Evening Everyone!
This is just a quick update on the Academy's activities and upcoming projects. I have several new pictures to get uploaded, but just not tonight.... However, I do want to keep in touch because there is so much going on!!

We had a great week last week with Doug Keaton (NEED Project)! We, the ETCA students as well as myself, always learn so much when he comes to visit! We reviewed anemometer data, had a very good meeting with Dr. Bettie Starr, attended the Solar Panel Assembly meeting with Linda McKinley-Grider, Steven Gordon, and two LWC SIFE students! And that was just on Wednesday...not to mention the classes that were taught in Russell and Adair Counties!!!

We spent a lot of time Thursday pre-filtering and filtering WVO (Waste Vegetable Oil) for the 40-gallon processor. We continued on Friday, but the temperatures were very low and made it difficult to complete the oil filtration process. This project will be on hold until after Spring Break. Until then, we will devote our time to the Arnold House Project. We are looking at some very cool green technologies, such as a solar heating panel. We will probably make a trip out to visit the Arnold house to get some dimensions and more detailed pictures.

The Uganda Project is nearing completion. This week's goal is to have the cart assembled and the assembly manual written! It's aggressive, but do-able! We powered the light plant with the battery today, just to make sure it would actually work!!! The kids are so proud of this project. Tomorrow, we hope to have the light plant standing on its own...then we can start testing the battery and light plant for charge times, depletion, etc.

Last, but not least, we will begin writing the goals and supporting documentation for the NEED Youth Award submission! Last year, we won "National Rookie of the Year"! As you know, you can only be a rookie once...so, now we are competing with the pros! I DO hope and pray that I will be able to take another great group of students to Washington, D.C. this June!!!

I will be posting pics soon!!
Signing off....
Heather