Day 3: Opening Ceremony - Monday May 13, 2013

Good Morning ... Phoenix.  It's going to be 104 degree F.  Thank goodness for AC!

A scheduled 8 am breakfast at the nearby Corner Bakery goes awry.  The latter was unprepared to process the large Canadian contingent's breakfast orders forcing the group to split up and be redirected to Starbucks and the Sheraton Bistro.

Not feeling rushed at all (just kidding), the group was herded over to the Fair to participate in a workshop on Presentation Techniques scheduled for 9 am.  Our students learned from one of the best, a Jack Franchetti (www.jfci.com).  I thought I heard that he's been doing this at ISEF for over a decade.  I believe that our students benefited greatly as I did.  I hope our students will be able to apply his key guiding principle ... "smile ... and give your key message in your opening sentence ... and repeat it a few times".

Avinash and Sruti from YSC had Intel TV interviews; I am sure you will be seeing their interviews soon posted in the upcoming months on the ISEF site (http://www.societyforscience.org/isef/).  The rest of us proceeded back to the Sheraton where chaperones conducted mock presentations for the student over the course of the next couple of hours.  Thereafter,  students and chaperones had a sliver of free time for lunch and rest  before meeting to go to the Opening Ceremony.

The group congregated in the Sheraton Lobby in preparing for our departure, it was inspiring to see how the group had bonded in such a short time.  All dressed in some sorts of identifying Canadian garb and paraphernalia, the group moved enmasse leaving no doubt to all observers that "We Are Canadians".




Prior to the Opening Ceremony, IISEF had an incredible buffet dinner ready for all of the particpants.  I think I enjoyed it a little bit better than Casa Roma Pizza.



An oh yes, at the beginning of the Opening Ceremony, I learned that my beloved Maple Leafs were up 4-1 in Game 7 in their Stanley Cup series.  I thought .... it was going to be a great night! ...........NOT

Prior to the scripted part of the Opening Ceremony, there is a spirited invitation to all of the students to run around and show their spirit.  Canada shone.  It was easy to identify us as our group meandered around the crowd and the other countries' teams. We were the red mass with the large Canadian flag.  And there was Calvin also caped in a Toronto Maple Leaf flag.  I wondered how many in the crowd ever heard of the country Toronto.

I am not sure what the crowd found more entertaining ... the kids running around or the acrobatic gymnasts on stage

 

Students and crowd were entertained and inspired by the evening's keynote speaker, Adam Steltzner.  The latter is NASA's JPL head engineer who headed Mars Rover Curiosity's entry, descent and landing (EDL) team and pulled off a bold, unprecedented and seemingly improbable touchdown on Mars. The evening was also the initial news release of Intel's latest of The Tomorrow Project and Competition.

By 9 pm, the event was drawing to a close.  Canada's popularity was evident by all of the many requests from other teams wanting to have their pictures taken with our group.  Very compelling about our groups's spirit and energy.

IT WAS A GREAT EVENING ... UNFORTUNATELY NOT FOR THE LEAFS ... I LEARNED LATER THAT OUR 4-1 LEAD WAS WASTED and WE LOST IN 5-4 IN OT.  Tears ..........

more pics ...

Day 2: Set-Up - Sunday May 12, 2013

Whoa! Quite an experience to waking up to an opening temperature of 94 degree F (that's 34+ degree C for us metric dudes).  It ended at 100 degree F midday.  Morning started early for Cathy and Eisha from Team BASEF as they had a booked 8:20 am appointment with the SRC.  Likewise for Stephane and one of his YSC student.  Everything proceeded positively and Team Canada IISEF are all to go

For the rest of us, morning started with a 8 am walk to our current breakfast haunt a few blocks away.  Get this ... breakfast at the "Einstein Bros. Bagel".  We wanted brain food for our students!

          

 Bageled and smoothied appropriately, the group was all energized for the block walk with projects in hand to the nearby Phoenix Convention Centre - the site of the IISEF 2013 Fair.

It was quite the variety of project set-ups ranging from simple roll-up banners to pre-engineered panel connections.  Some did not go as planned and with the assistance of fellow colleagues and chaperones, the job of project set-ups was all completed by 12:30 pm.  Many of our students learned the value of duct tape, exacto blades and the elusive PATIENCE.



Calvin, our BASEF student observer became a great help as he used his years of CWSF experience and assisted many with putting their projects together.

 The group retired back tothe Sheraton where we met Team Motreal who had just arrived.  We got introduced to chaperones Gus, Heather and Susan and their group of three students.  That brings TEAM CANADA-IISEF count to 24.

Lunch was a group enmass visit to Casa Roma Pizza.  Team CANADA invaded the restaurant after which we all went back to the Sheraton for couple of hours rest before the Pin Exchange event for the evening.  Curfew was 11 pm and as far as I know, everyone omplied.  I of course was watching my Beloved Maple Leafs eked out a 2-1 victory over the Big Bad Bruins.  GO LEAFS GO!

more pics ...

Day 2: Happy Mother's Day - Sunday May 12, 2013

Happy Mother's Day to All

Last night, all of our students were reminded to call their Mothers.  I hope they did not disappoint.

GO LEAFS GO

I hope my wife understands that I added my Leafs rant along with the Happy Mother's Day greeting ... after all, they are the two most important things in my life.  Of course, there's no dispute as to which is the more important.

Plans are to meet for a 8 am breakfast and then to head over to the Convention Centre and begin set-up.

Day 1: Travel Day - Saturday May 11, 2013

Well, the adventure begins .... Team BASEF-IISEF 2013 met at Pearson for 6:45 am.  As expected, Cathy was there to greet us all.  Boarding passes in hand and surviving the US Customs process, the group did few quick breakfast purchases at Starbucks and prepared for the 9 am flight boarding.  However, I ran into a slight problem ... I learned not to take pictures at the Customs with officers.  I was hauled into a room where they interrogated me why pictures were being taken.

We met Team YSC which had just previously been processed.  YSC chaperones Stephan and Kartik who chaperoned with us last year was there to meet us and introduced us to YSC's third chaperone, Leanne.  But just before boarding the plane, Calvin surprised all by misplacing his boarding pass.  Cathy being Cathy, however put out the fire and gets Calvin on board on time.

The flight was smooth with the scheduled 4 1/2 hour flight landing 15 minutes early.  It was odd losing the 3 hour time delay ... we departed 9 am Toronto time and we landed in Phoenix 10:30 am.

Glad I brought along plenty of shorts ... temperature was 30 degree Celsius

A quick LRT ride (wished we had this in our GTA) took us to downtown Phoenix but on the way, we had an interesting glimpse of the surrounding geography.

Destination: Downtown Sheraton.

Palm trees ... an odd downtown sight for me

The quick arrival at the Downtown Sheraton was offset by a painfully slow check-in.  Eventually, the team was all comfortably placed in their rooms on the 20th and 21st floors.  Cool elevators ... you needed your room keycard to work the elevator to your specific floor.  Embarrassing when you keep pushing your floor button and the elevator goes nowhere.

After settling in, the group proceeded to Ti Amigo for a Mexican lunch/dinner.  Not sure that it was the group's favourite as per food.

The kids were encouraged to sit beside someone they knew and someone they didn't know.  The strategy to promote bonding seem to work ... there were lots of engaging conversation going on and the chaperones had to hurried the kids along out of the restaurant.

While the kids went back for a rest, chaperones headed over to the Convention Centre to get a head start and pick up the students' registration packages and badges.

Nice to see that Cathy thinks highly enough of me to see me as an "Adult in Charge" ... my wife doesn't.

After a late evening outing for some Coldstone ice-cream at the neighbouring Arizona Center (an outdoor downtown mallscape), the group returned back to the Sheraton for Stephan's "Circle".  Each of the chaperones and the students gave a personal introduction of themselves and a brief description of their projects.  Stephan followed up with an inspirational address to remind the students of their responsibility to do their best for themselves and for CANADA.  And oh yes, all were reminded to be responsible (yes, call your Mother tomorrow) and to follow specific ground rules regarding behaviour.  Does that apply to chaperones as well?  Just kidding.

more pics

Parents ... Important Last Minute Trip Info!

Here’s the final details for the IISEF Week.

We are leaving on AC589 from Toronto to Phoenix this Saturday morning.
The flight leaves at 8:55 am, so we need to be at the airport at 6:45 am (sorry!!!)

We will meet by the US check-in counter at Terminal 1.

We can’t check in until everyone is there, and then we clear customs here in Toronto before we go.


Our return flight on May 18 is AC590, leaving Phoenix at 11:25 am (local time) and getting into Toronto at 6:35 pm.  We clear customs here in Toronto, and then have to wait for luggage, so if parents are there by 7 pm, the timing should be just about right.

We are staying at the Downtown Phoenix Sheraton , 340 N 3rd St, Phoenix, Arizona 85004, United States
Phone:+1 602-262-2500 .  But if there are any needs for immediate emergency contact needs, all parents were given forms with Cathy's and Ming's cell numbers to use.

If I’ve given you your jacket already, please remember to bring it, and for those who don’t have it, I’ll bring it to the airport.

Don’t forget your passports!!

Additionally, please scan and email both Ming and I copies of all your SRC forms (1, 1A, 1B, 3, 6A, etc .. not all of you will have all of these .. some of you may have others) … Calvin, you won’t need to do this part, and Eisha, I’ve got yours now too.

Cathy