RIMOSA

Welcome Kipp!

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:00:12 +0000

RIMOSA is thrilled and delighted to welcome Kipp Bradford to the Board of Directors! Kipp is an engineer, a creator and an educator with a passion for creating new products as well as finding new applications for existing technologies. He was honored as one of the “40 Under Forty” by Providence Business News, and one of the “10 people changing Providence” by Providence Monthly Magazine. But his accomplishments cannot be summed up in a short blurb. Or a long blurb (we tried). We look forward to seeing his energy, enthusiasm and ideas help RIMOSA take flight. For more information about Kipp (but still not enough), please see his longer blurb under Board of Directors. And stay tuned!

Get Ready for Nanodays!

admin — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:53:53 +0000

We are pleased to announce that RIMOSA has been awarded an NSF funded physical kit, with all of the materials and instructions to deliver high-quality hands-on activities to engage the pubic in nanoscale science, engineering, and technology! Check it out on the NISE Network! We plan to host at least one, and ideally more, programs with this kit during nanodays–the last week of March. So stay tuned!

See our exhibits at PCL!

admin — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 03:43:51 +0000

Do you miss playing with Sand Table? Do you have new ideas for games that can be played with Wooden Wave? Well, our latest pop-up is courtesy of a grant by RISCA (Rhode Island State Council on the Arts) and a partnership with Providence Community Library (PCL). From now until the first week of January, Sand Table will be at Knight Memorial Library; Wooden Wave will be at Wanskuck Library and Magnetic Wall will be at Fox Point Library. Please stop by one of these great community libraries around Providence and check out the exhibits! Please also check this website for details on when RIMOSA will be doing outreach programs associated with these exhibits…

STEM to STEAM

admin — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 02:10:01 +0000

For those who are new to the jargon, STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. It has long been held that these disciplines are critical for the continued well-being of the United States, and that more students need expertise in those areas.

I agree that more students probably should increase their familiarity with STEM subjects. But not because we need a ton more scientists (etc.) I believe we need more people in all walks of life who are comfortable with STEM. And I believe that we need just a few more creative and innovative individuals who will bring the next STEM breakthroughs.

That is where STEAM comes in. STEAM is STEM with the addition of Art. I firmly believe that Art needs to be added to STEM in order to get the creativity necessary to advance STEM fields.

Welcome Valerie!

admin — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 02:07:15 +0000

We are thrilled to welcome Valerie Taylor to the RIMOSA board of Directors! Her 15-plus years of experience in museum exhibit design is a tremendous asset for us, and we look forward to moving into our next phase with her. For more information on Valerie, please see her bio on our Board of Directors page (under “Who Are We?”).

Oops! NOT opening at 171

admin — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 01:34:56 +0000

We had an excellent weekend in early September at the Pawtucket Arts Festival. Over one hundred people came and enjoyed RIMOSA’s interactive, science/art exhibits – including the new Naked Piano. Unfortunately, we have to leave this location in the next month, so we won’t be able to have regular public hours. We continue to look for (and find) sites for pop-ups throughout the state – so please check in to see where we will be next!

Opening at 171 Main Street, Pawtucket

admin — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 02:15:02 +0000

What a summer it’s been! We’ve conducted 32 outreach programs in 26 Rhode Island communities from Smithfield to Westerly and all points between. Perhaps the most moving was the program at Central Falls. Since the library had been closed, the program was conducted in a middle school, after hours. We had more participants for that program than any of our others. Huge thanks to our Education Coordinator – Mary – for putting that together!

Our exhibits have toured Rhode Island Public Libraries and have now returned to our prototype site at 171 Main Street, Pawtucket. We are so excited to welcome visitors to this site! School and other groups can call our Education Coordinator – Mary Rapien – at 401-525-1931 to set up times for field trips at your conveneince. Public Hours are still being coordinated. Stay tuned!

Transfer of Energy on to Next Phase

admin — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 22:32:46 +0000

We moved RIMOSA’s first multi-week installation – “Metamorphosis: Transfer of Energy” - out of Slater Mill’s gallery this past Saturday (April 16). Even as we carried exhibits out, people came in and played with the pieces that were left.

One little girl (age 7) was very sorry to see us go – according to her dad, they came in lots. I told him that we weren’t leaving for good - just moving around, and he reassured his daughter that we wouldn’t be gone forever. I asked if he’d ever flled out an evaluation and he hadn’t. So he did right then, and then they had to hurry off and catch their bus. This was a pretty good location for that!

It reminded me that we affected far more people than filled in forms, and how sometimes even the forms don’t show the depth of attachment people have. He wrote “This was such a great experience for my 7 year old. Pawtucket needs a program such as this.”

There was so much work involved to put this installation up, but I just wanted to remind us all how much this type of experience is needed and wanted. Here’s the official word on it: In 2009, the U.S. National Research Council (NRC) released a landmark report stating, among other findings, that “informal learning experiences can significantly improve outcomes for individuals from groups that are historically underrepresented in science”, including women and minorities. And from the U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan March 25 2011 “The arts, perhaps more than any other subject, prepare young people with creativity and innovative thinking”

And here’s some onoffical words on it from the comment cards:

“Don’t give up; our area needs a science/learning museum for the youngsters!” – 50+ Female

“AWESOME! ” – 11-19 years old

“Amazing!” – J. L., Pawtucket

“Fun to play with and learn from!” – A. D., Providence

Look for us this summer in the Rhode Island Public Libraries!

Welcome Marc!

admin — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 20:51:53 +0000

We are delighted to announce that Marc B. Gertsacov, Esq. has joined the RIMOSA board! He was inspired to join us after seeing the RIMOSA presentation at Pecha Kucha in Providence. While he was in college, Marc briefly attempted to major in art, but to our benefit and to the art world’s loss, he is now an attorney with the Law Offices of Ronald C. Markoff. He primarily concentrates his practice in real estate matters and counsels a wide variety of small corporations. Please visit our Board of Directors page (under “Who Are We?”) to read more about Marc.

Updating your technology?

admin — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 18:51:13 +0000

Please consider donating your old video camera, computer or other technology to RIMOSA’s outreach programs. It will have a very useful life with us, and it will provide a a tax deduction for you!

For our Animation program, we need Sony (or similar) digital camcorders, tripods for camcorders, projectors which can project movies from video camcorders, laptops which can save movies from video cameras and projection screens. The more materials we have, the more programs we can run at the same time.

For our Sound Effects program, we need recording devices!

Please, send an e-mail to info (at) RIMOSA (dot) org if you are interested in donating – and THANK YOU!