Special Events Information
Listed below are the Special Events for the afternoon of Wednesday, May 19th. Pre-registration is required. Please submit the Special Wednesday Events Registration Form (PDF) with registration materials before May 1, 2010.
James Madison University Admissions Session
45 minute session
Interested in JMU? Want to learn more about everything JMU can offer you? Come to the information session sponsored by the JMU Admissions Office in the Festival Grand Ballroom. Learn why JMU is such a great place to be!
Registration NOT required
East Campus Dining Hall Tour
45 minute tour
East Campus Dining Hall, which opened in August 2009, is the “greenest” building on campus—even though much of its interior is purple and gold, JMU’s school colors. This tour will highlight the features that make this 700-seat dining hall eligible for LEED certification (which is pending), sustainability certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. View more information about the East Campus Dining Hall.
Science On a Sphere® (SOS)
30 minute workshop
Science On a Sphere® (SOS) projects narrated movies of planets onto a six-foot diameter spherical screen. The observer has the illusion of seeing Earth systems (and those of other planets) from an astronaut’s perspective in space. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration primarily uses SOS as an education and outreach tool to visualize Earth processes. Many of the current images for SOS use processed satellite data. Examples of SOS projections are available at http://sos.noaa.gov/datasets. James Madison University is the first university to acquire SOS for research purposes.
Since SOS is located in Memorial Hall which is a 30 minute walk from ISAT and parking is not available, a shuttle is provided from ISAT to Memorial twenty minutes in advance of showtimes. Late admission is not possible. Space is limited, so advanced registration for the shuttle & showings are required at the time of registration for the conference. Please note, no food, drinks, or gum are allowed.
Mineral Museum
Open admission. Co-register with SOS
The museum features over 550 crystal and gemstone specimens from around the world. The collection began in 1976 under the curation of Dr. Lance E. Kearns. For details regarding the collection, please click here. The Mineral Museum is located in Memorial Hall, along with the SOS tour, and is available for open admission. Registration for the SOS tour and the Mineral Museum will be together, and please allow yourself enough time to explore the exhibit, following the scheduled SOS time slots.
Edith J. Carrier Arboretum and Botanical Gardens
45 minute tour
The mission statement of the Edith J. Carrier Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, quoted from the website, states that, "An arboretum is a place where trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants are cultivated for scientific and educational purposes. This arboretum provides an ideal combination of botanical gardens and natural forest, each complementing the other and serving the purpose of research, teaching and demonstration. The complex serves as an outdoor biology laboratory as well as an environmental center for this region." This tour of the arboretum will be led by Jan Sievers Mahon, the Arboretum Director. She will lead you through and point out trees and plants that are noteworthy for their age, medicinal use, and historic use.
Clean Energy Technologies Tour
30 minute tour
Students from the Integrated Science and Technology Department at JMU have designed and built a solar farm and a hybrid electric plant on the east side of campus. The tour will include a viewing of both facilities, a discussion on the technology used, and how it was implemented on campus. Students will have the opportunity to ask questions and learn about solar and wind technology from a real installation. To learn more about The Center for Energy and Environmental Sustainability at JMU and the Wind Power Applications and Technologies Team (WPATT), go to www.windpowerva.org
