On Tuesday morning, Aug. 28, three hundred brown clad UPS volunteers descended upon Aki Kurose Middle School Academy. The focus of the UPS Corporation's pledge of service for their 100-year anniversary was to give the entire block between South Juneau Street and South Graham Street a facelift.
The volunteers provided much needed and appreciated painting, weeding and maintenance of the school interior and exterior. They also broke ground on a rather unique project in the 13-acre park located directly behind the school.
Aided by a score of volunteers from the city's Seattle Works program, participants laid down a 500-meter gravel jogging path known as the "Planet Track." Joined by Mika and Mori, the grandchildren of Aki Kurose herself (for whom the middle school was named) these volunteers began work on the Brighton Science Park, a space dedicated to learning and the appreciation of science.
The elements at Brighton Science Park will capture key concepts built into the science curriculums featured in Seattle Public Schools. The "Planet Track" captures concepts of scale and distance important in the study of astronomy. When finished the 'Planet Track' will come complete with mosaic tile representations of the sun and the inner planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars) all placed at intervals correctly scaled to their actual distance from the sun. Why only four planets? If the scale is kept true for the next four planet, Jupiter would be on South Lucile Street and Neptune somewhere in the U District.
A "Physics Plaza," built with ramps for use in the study of force and motion, will also house a giant size coordinate system for graphing experimental results.
On the adjacent hill, a 40-foot concrete map of the Puget Sound basin will be sliced through to show a cross section of the plate tectonics that create the great Olympic and Cascade mountains. Though designed to follow school curriculum, the park is aimed to stimulate the curiosity of the general public. Brighton Science Park is a place for both recreation and learning, a tool for teachers and an inspiration for learners of all ages.
For more information about Brighton Science Park or to get involved, write to spectabolis@yahoo.com.[[In-content Ad]]
