UKELODEON: For The Next Generation (09/09/01)

UKELODEON

For The Next Generation

Indiana youth experiences zero gravity in NASA's famous "vomit comet"

GRANGER, Ind. - Daniel Hromis of Granger, Ind., on June 15 joined the ranks of a limited group of individuals who have experienced the sensation of zero-gravity, the state of weightlessness in interstellar space.

Mr. Hromis, a parishioner at St. Michael's Ukrainian Catholic Church in Mishawaka, Ind., was one of 18 college students in the nation to earn a spot on NASA's vaunted KC-135 airplane, dubbed the "vomit comet" for the sickness it often induces in passengers, reported the South Bend Tribune.

NASA selected Mr. Hromis, along with his three collaborators, for admission into the Reduced Gravity Student Flight Program based on the team's experiment proposal. The experiment they had planned sought to determine the extent to which a zero-gravity environment impairs tactile perception.

This endeavor served as a follow-up to a previous venture on the KC-135, whose results proved inconclusive. Joachim Deguara, one of Mr. Hromis' partners, led the original 1999 experiment on spatial disorientation, which renders astronauts and fighter pilots unable to determine which way is up in the absence of gravity.

In 1999 Mr. Deguara boarded the zero-gravity plane in order to test a prototype vest with nine sensors. The vest was designed to utilize pulses in order to convey the subject's true spatial orientation to his brain. The technique relies on an illusion called "sensory saltation," the phenomenon that causes the brain to interpret a rapid sequence of pulses as a continuous stimulus.

However, the results were inconclusive, the team believed, because of impaired tactile perception. They hypothesized that the state of zero-gravity influences bodily fluids in a way that weakens the sense of touch.

For the follow-up experiment, the team enlisted the help of Mr. Hromis, a computer engineering major from Purdue University. He outfitted the new apparatus with a microprocessor that measures the level of tactile sensitivity in a weightless environment. When the final results were tabulated, the experiment suggested that zero-gravity indeed significantly reduces the body's ability to perceive tactile stimulation.

Upon finishing their protocol, Mr. Hromis' team made sure to enjoy the opportunity of a lifetime, a ride in the plane NASA calls the "Weightless Wonder 5."

About the experience, Mr. Hromis commented, "When my feet first came off the ground, it was an incredible feeling," adding, "Controlling my movements in zero-gravity was more difficult than I expected. A small nudge will push you in a direction, and you won't stop until you hit something. It was a little disorienting because you lose track of which way is up and down."

The zero-gravity jet flew in parabolic arcs in order to simulate the conditions in outer space. It traced 40 such arcs for a total of about 15 minutes of weightlessness. The final 10 trips were used to recreate the gravity felt on the moon and on Mars. The majority of the flight went off without a hitch, prompting Mr. Hromis' partner to mention that no one had gotten sick. But as soon as he did, Mr. Hromis ended the streak of good luck, later commenting, "It's not called the 'vomit comet' for nothing."

Since his adventure on the "Weightless Wonder," the 22-year-old Hromis has graduated from Purdue University with a B.S. in computer engineering and has accepted a position as a computer engineer for IBM in Rochester, Minn.

Seventy-three students attend Vacation Church School in Ohio

PARMA, Ohio - The seventh annual Vacation Church School, sponsored by St. Vladimir's Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral met here on June 26-30.

Seventy-three children participated in the program, the theme of which was the divine liturgy. Religious lectures, music, arts and crafts, and snack time were part of the daily routine.

The children also visited the monument to the Great Famine, which is located on the cathedral grounds, and placed a wreath before it in memory of the victims of the Famine.

On June 30 the school program ended with a special presentation for family members.

Seen in the photo on the left are children, clergy and teachers of the Vacation Church School gathered in front of St. Vladimir's Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral.

A Ukrainian forever

by Oksana Yaworsky

Last summer, while I was watching the 2000 Sydney Olympics, I was reminded of how strongly I am in touch with my Ukrainian heritage. The night of the opening ceremonies I was filled with an enormous sense of excitement and pride. As the Ukrainian athletes marched by the screen waving their miniature blue-and-yellow flags, I felt chills running up and down my spine and tears making their way down my cheeks.

These feelings are due to my deeply rooted Ukrainian upbringing and the 12 years I attended the Ukrainian Heritage School.

With a long line of Ukrainian ancestry on both sides of my family, I was destined to be brought up with the Ukrainian community, church and culture. From the time of my baptism, to my debutante ball, I have been a devoted member of the Ukrainian church and community.

At the age of 3 I joined the Ukrainian American Youth Association (SUM), for which I presently serve as a junior instructor and a summer camp counselor. At the age of 5 I began my Ukrainian school career. Over the past 12 years, I have learned about myself by studying Ukraine's extensive history, its bountiful hills and rolling plains, the traditional customs of the people, and its intriguing songs, poems and stories. Inspired and stimulated by this knowledge, I tend to forget the social events I missed as a child and find pride, joy and comfort in distinguishing my own uniqueness.

It has never been easy waking up early on Saturday mornings to go to Ukrainian Heritage School. Looking back at my earlier years at "Ukie" school, I am constantly reminded of the Friday night sleepovers or the "Rowdy Girl" Saturday morning soccer games I had to forgo. I longed to be like my American friends, home asleep in my room, enveloped by the warmth and comfort of my bed.

I constantly cried to my parents, "Why do I have to do this? It isn't fair! I just want to be a normal kid." Only later, during my high school years, did I realize who I really was and what my heritage really meant to me.

The summer before ninth grade my parents tested me. They told me: "Oksana it is your choice now. You decide if you want to graduate from Ukrainian school or drop out now."

After hours and hours of contemplation and reminiscing about the many social functions I had missed out on as a child, I realized something very important: I will not remain on the same soccer team or in the same group of friends, but I will remain a Ukrainian forever. My conscience and heart did not allow me to throw aside who I was.

Now, as president of my "Ukie" school graduating class, I have reached the paramount point of my ethnicity. To deny myself these last four years would have been a tragedy. I will soon end this chapter of my life, but I will carry and hopefully return to the Ukrainian community all that it has given me.

This essay by Oksana Yaworsky, a student at the Ukrainian Heritage School, was submitted to UKELODEON by teacher Zynowij Kwit of Philadelphia.

Myshka completes his summer reading

Mishanyna

To solve this month's Mishanyna, search for the words capitalized in the text in the Mishanyna grid.

Well, faithful readers, it's SEPTEMBER - BACK to SCHOOL for all of us. We hope you had a wonderful summer and enjoyed CAMP.

Did you CELEBRATE the 10th anniversary of Ukraine's independence with your families? Mykola Myshka was in WILDWOOD during "UKIE Week" for the festivities. He was impressed by the huge Ukrainian FLAG that was carried to the BEACH. Members of both SUM and PLAST joined together holding BLUE and YELLOW helium-filled BALLOONS. It was really an exciting and memorable occasion.

And now, before you know it, "it's the most wonderful time of the year... (to quote one current commercial). You've probably shopped for BACKPACKS, binders, PENCILS, PENS, CRAYONS, BOOKS and, unfortunately, HOMEWORK pads. Mykola is all set. How about you?

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UKELODEON wants to hear from you. Let us know how your SUMMER went. And, don't forget about us during the school YEAR. We're part of a PAPER that is dedicated to our Ukrainian community. Take advantage of it and let yourselves be HEARD!

BEST wishes for the upcoming school year from your FRIENDS.

Check it out: In next week's issue of The Ukrainian Weekly, read excerpts from a journal collectively written by young participants of a world gathering of SUM members in Ukraine at the time of Ukraine's 10th anniversary of independence.

UKELODEON: it rhymes with nickelodeon. Yes, that's a kids' network (spelled with a capital "N"), but the original word referred to an early movie theater that charged a nickel for admission. According to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, the root of the word, "odeon," is from the Greek "oideion," a small building used for public performances of music and poetry. Our Ukelodeon is envisioned as a public space where our youth, from kindergartners to teens, can come to learn, to share information, to relate their experiences, and to keep in touch with each other. Its contents will be shaped by the young readers of the next generation.

OUR NEXT ISSUE:

UKELODEON is published on the second Sunday of every month. To make it into our next issue, dated August 12, please send in your materials by August 3. (Please include a daytime phone number.)

Send in your articles, letters, photos, etc. to: The Ukrainian Weekly, UKELODEON, 2200 Route 10, P.O. Box 280, Parsippany, NJ 07054; telephone, (973) 292-9800; fax, (973) 644-9510; e-mail, [email protected].

OUR EDITORS:

UKELODEON is prepared by the editorial staff of The Ukrainian Weekly working in conjunction with Lydia Smyk, an elementary school teacher at St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic School in Newark, N.J.

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