VOA – CONNECT
EPISODE # 291
AIR DATE: 08 11 2023
TRANSCRIPT

OPEN
((VO/NAT/SOT))
((Topic Banner))
Modernism
((SOT))
((Kevin Kemper
H3K Home+Design))
Hollywood glam had a direct influence on a lot of things that happened in Palm Springs. If you look at the mid-century modern architecture of the East Coast, it tends to be a little more of the woodsy, more natural look versus here where it’s a little more exaggerated with colors and use of metals and fun furniture.
((Animation Transition))
((Topic Banner))
A Gathering Place
((SOT))
((Anne Rowe

Director of Heritage, Sunnylands))

They were bringing people together from different worlds. You would have Prince Charles with Bob Hope, with Frank Sinatra, and with Ronald Reagan.

((Animation Transition))
((Topic Banner))
A Modern Lifestyle
((SOT))
((Jackie Thomas
Owner, “Moroccan Modern”))
I think this house is a wonderful expression of our different personalities. We love color. We love light. We love textures. And so, it has a lot of traditional, mid-century modern features.
((Open Animation))


BLOCK A

((PKG)) PALM SPRINGS (PART 1)
((TRT: 04:18))
((Topic Banner: Mid-Century Modern Architecture In Palm Springs))
((Producer/Camera/Editor: Genia Dulot))
((Map: Palm Springs, California))
((Main characters: 1 female; 1 male))
((Sub characters: 1 female; 0 male))
((Blurb:
Blurb: Mid-century architecture of Palm Springs was developed in 1950-1960s: houses were built with concrete, steel and glass, and celebrating in design a beautiful California climate, - with the concept of bringing outside into the building via large glass windows and walls. We visited some of the houses.))
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Kevin Kemper
H3K Home+Design))
Modernism is actually a celebration of the mid-century architecture of Palm Springs. From 1955 to about 1965, that’s when the development of Palm Springs really happened. And they built these homes and these buildings that really were mid-century modern architecture. And so, they do “Modernism Week” every year that kind of brings a bunch of people who appreciate modernism and celebrate it. They have lectures, seminars, tours, and you get to know more about mid-century modern and make it a learning experience.
((Kevin Kemper
H3K Home+Design))
The reason that mid-century modern kind of like really kind of got a kick-off is because it was after World War Two, when everyone was coming back from the war, and I think there is an optimism in America. You had a lot of money. You had a lot of, you know, happiness in the country. And so they really kind of used that to express themselves in the architecture.
((NATS))
((Lisa Vossler Smith
Modernism Week))
The architecture of the mid-century modern period is really unique because it was some of the first affordable building materials that came on the market after World War Two. Houses were built with concrete, steel, and glass, which were materials different from the wood and clapboard siding of traditional architecture.
In Southern California, we have a beautiful climate, wonderful sunny days, and it allowed to build large glass windows and walls, and bring the outside into the building, with the beautiful visual vistas of the landscape.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Haily Zaki
Modernism Week))
This is “The Hidden Frey”. This house was designed in 1966 by Albert Frey, who is the father of “Desert Modernism”. It was actually forgotten for almost 30 years. It was recently rediscovered and restored to its former glory. Everything you see is actually below grade, except for the pool which is at grade. And so that’s kind of why the name “Hidden Frey” is really appropriate. It’s completely hidden and private.
((Kevin Kemper
H3K Home+Design))
The architecture in Palm Springs is very interesting because, I think, once the [19]50s hit, and there was this ability to have air conditioning, which is obviously very important in a desert community, people were able to come here, live here. They could be here more full time. And then because we are kind of part of the Hollywood system, where the Hollywood celebrities were able to come from, you know, L.A. and travel easily to Palm Springs and kind of hang out here, Hollywood glam had a direct influence on a lot of things that happened in Palm Springs, especially compared to the other parts of the country. If you look at the mid-century modern architecture of the East Coast, it tends to be a little more of the woodsy, more natural look versus here where it’s a little more exaggerated with the colors, and light and bright, and use of metals and fun furniture.
((Lisa Vossler Smith
Modernism Week))
I think that the mid-century modern style has been translated over the last 50 years. What was once considered very simple and industrial and relatively inexpensive, has now become trendy and coveted and collectable.
((NATS))
((Jody
Palm Springs Visitor))
That pink door, I don’t know if you’ve seen the pink door that has its own Instagram account.
All the doors are a pop of color because if you look around, a lot of homes are beige and white to blend with the desert, but then the colors and the modernism part of everything, the architecture, and the colors, the pop of the door, are what make the home stand out.
It was so interesting to learn about all these architects that created this whole movement of the architecture. What you see in Palm Springs, it was a movement. And people want their homes done in the style of these architects, and to paint your doors really cool colors.
((Lisa Vossler Smith
Modernism Week))
There is a lot of joy expressed through the minimalist design, and things like the television show “Mad Men”, and many of the things happening in pop-culture has certainly brought back a vintage culture and, you know, social media and Instagrammable-type lifestyle for mid-century modern design. So it’s more than a trend. It’s really about a lifestyle and a way that people are choosing to live today.
((NATS/MUSIC))

TEASE
((VO/NAT/SOT))
Coming up…
((Topic Banner))
A Place of Worship For All
((SOT))
((Rabbi Steven Rosenberg

Temple Isaiah, Palm Springs))

We label ourselves as a contemporary progressive congregation. So, we welcome people, no matter what the color of their skin are, what the background is, what’s their sexual orientation is.


BREAK ONE
USAGM SHARE
((LogOn Voice Diagnosis Tech (TV/R)
HEADLINE: LogOn: Could Your Voice Help Diagnose Your Next Illness?
TEASER: Technology analyzing thousands of voices may play a role in the future of medicine
BYLINE: Julie Taboh
DATELINE: Washington
PRODUCER: Julie Taboh, Adam Greenbaum
SCRIPT EDITORS: Michelle Quinn, Amy R
TRT: 1:54 & 2:00
[[Voice experts have long known that a person's voice can provide important information about their emotional, physical and mental health. Now a U.S. government-funded project is collecting and analyzing thousands of voices and using artificial intelligence to diagnose illnesses. VOA’s Julie Taboh has more.]]
((Courtesy: Allison Long/USF Health))
((NATS – patient’s voice being tested))
((NARRATOR))
Dr. Yael Bensoussan examines the vocal cords of a patient.
At the University of South Florida Health Voice Center, she treats patients with a range of voice disorders, such as upper airway, voice and swallowing disorders.
And lately, she’s been helping to lead a new project to build a database of 30,000 human voice recordings and train computers to detect diseases through changes in the human voice.
((Radio track: She spoke with VOA via Skype.))
((Dr. Yael Bensoussan, Voice Specialist)) ((SKYPE))
Not only to build that data, but also to develop the guidelines on how to share that data, how to collect that data, and also how to use that data for future AI [artificial intelligence] research. ((Courtesy: Weill Cornell Medicine))
((NARRATOR))
She works with a team of 45 investigators across 12 different universities in North America as well as a startup in Europe. ((NATS - Parkinson’s voice demo, Text on graphic: "Parkinson's disease"))
They study voice samples to help them detect illnesses like Parkinson’s disease…
((NATS - Glottic cancer voice demo, Text on graphic: "Glottic cancer"))
((NARRATOR))
cancer…
((NATS - Vocal fold paralysis demo, Text on graphic: "Vocal Fold Paralysis"))
((NARRATOR))
And voice disorders such as vocal fold paralysis…
The team also studies mood disorders such as depression and anxiety.
((Dr. Yael Bensoussan, Voice Specialist)) ((SKYPE))
So when somebody is depressed, sad, has anxiety, of course their speech changes.
((NARRATOR))
((Courtesy: NIH))
The study is one of four data-generation projects funded by the National Institutes of Health's Bridge to Artificial Intelligence program, designed to use AI to tackle complex biomedical challenges.
((Dr. Yael Bensoussan, Voice Specialist)) ((SKYPE))
They realized that there was such a big gap between the technology that we had available, and the clinical knowledge, and what we use in clinical care in our hospitals.
((NARRATOR))
And doing it while maintaining participants’ privacy.
[[Radio track: Grace Peng is one of the coordinators of the National Institutes of Health’s Bridge2AI program. She spoke with VOA via Zoom.]]
((Grace Peng, National Institutes of Health)) ((Zoom))
We want to think about the ethics associated with collecting people's voices. And how do we keep it private? ((NARRATOR))
((Courtesy: NIH))
The study will start enrolling participants in the coming year. ((Julie Taboh, VOA News, Washington))
BUMP IN ((ANIM))


BLOCK B

((PKG)): PALM SPRINGS (PART 2)
((TRT: 06:26))
((Topic Banner: Inspiring the Powerful and Serving the Religious))
((Reporter/Camera/Editor: Genia Dulot))
((Map: Palm Springs, California))
((Main characters: 1 female; 2 male))
((Sub characters: 0 female; 0 male))
((Blurb:
Sunnylands in Palm Springs was created as a getaway estate for powerful politicians to come, to relax and build friendships with each other, while deciding on the fates of the world, and mid-century modern architecture served that purpose, - as well as in synagogue Temple Isaiah, that was designed to look like Noah’s Arch, where the architectural style is meant inspire the worshipers.))
((NATS))
((Anne Rowe
Director of Heritage, Sunnylands))

Walter and Leonore Annenberg were both American diplomats and they were philanthropists. And in 1963, they decided to build a marvelous mid-century home here in the desert.

They paired up with a Quincy Jones, who was a famous architect in Southern California and beyond that, and they designed this masterpiece.

So the mid-century modern movement really occurred across the globe. And the way it was interpreted in Southern California took many shapes and forms.

In the Annenberg’s case, they had it in their mind and they brought to the table, to the architect, that they wanted a “Mayan influence”, they called it. They had toured through Mexico. They had toured the pyramids, and hence they wanted a pyramidal roof on their mid-century home.

When they designed this house, they were not yet diplomats. They were successful publishers. They were very wealthy power couple.

What happened was they built this home for themselves. And as the history of the home unfolded with one of the first guests being President Eisenhower, and it’s just snowballed from there. One dignitary came after another, and they saw the power of place here. They saw their friends coming out of Washington, D.C. and other places in the world, and coming to this tranquil environment. And they saw really interesting conversations happen here. And then later, it became more conscious effort to use this property for diplomatic outreach.

They were bringing people together from different worlds. For instance, on the patio, we know from the guest books, you would have Prince Charles with Bob Hope, with Frank Sinatra, and with Ronald Reagan.

There were some relationships forged through this property. For instance, it was actually Mr. Annenberg who introduced Ronald Reagan to Margaret Thatcher. That became a very famous pairing and a powerful pairing through the 80s. It impacted policy, you know, across the pond, so to speak.

What the Annenbergs wished for their property after their residency was that we continue to provide what they naturally provided, and make the home a place to gather people who have impact in the world, for the greater good, really to bring peace to the world. That was their goal. And so they asked us to do the same, to bring people, important people, to the property, to be in the home, to relax and have important conversations.

One of our recent guests was President Obama during his term, and he brought to the property, Chinese President, Xi Jinping, and they had an important summit here, and a lot of good work was decided out of that meeting here.

President Trump did not opt to use the property, but it certainly was available to him.

As a presidential retreat, President Biden is more than welcome to plan meetings here, and we would welcome him and his administration as we would any president.

((NATS))

((Rabbi Steven Rosenberg

Temple Isaiah, Palm Springs))

This was the original chapel that was built in 1947.

In the [19]50s, in the United States, the American style was very different than the European style of synagogues. Everything that was almost the antithesis of the Baroque Victorian, very grand. Things were much more simplistic.

So, if you look at these pictures, mid-century architecture with synagogues was very utilitarian, with not much interpretation. That was the ark that looked like a box. That was the era.

The idea of we say, well, you know, do you get spirituality of it? That’s kind of a 21st century word.1950s, if you went to the average Jewish person and said, you know, where do you find your spirituality? They may not know what you’re talking about.

As a rabbi, I’d say, you know, I find our much more moderate space upstairs, for me, much more spiritual than this space.

This is…this served a purpose a long time ago. Is it relevant for the era that we live in now? Probably not, but it was then.

When Frank Sinatra‘s mother died, Rabbi Horowitz did one of the eulogies. The Sinatra family was so moved by what Rabbi Horowitz said, and Frank Sinatra came up to Horowitz and said, “If there’s anything you ever need, just call me. I’ll be more than happy to help you.”

Well, a few years later, they wanted to expand the temple, but they needed like four million dollars. Four million dollars, in 1982, is a lot more than today in U.S. dollars.

Mr. Sinatra to come help him to do some benefits or what not, and they raised, they raised all of that.

It is important when you walk into a worship space, regardless if it’s Jewish or Christian or Catholic, that you’re inspired when you walk in. When you come in from the back and you see this vista, with these gorgeous mountains, and through this window, it really gives such an impression of just majesty and the grandeur of God.

The building itself, this wing was really designed to look like Noah’s Ark. And if you notice, there is a lot of use of these colors of a rainbow. Part of the Noah’s story is that after the world floods and the waters recede, and God puts the rainbow in the sky, saying, “I am never going to destroy the world again.” It’s a sense of hope. It’s a sense, a promise of continuity.

We label ourselves as a contemporary progressive congregation. So, we welcome people, no matter what the color of their skin are, what the background is, what their sexual orientation is.

((Mitchell Karp

President, Temple Isaiah’s Board of Trustees))

With me being and openly gay president of a conservative movement temple, and with Rabbi Rosenberg, we want to make sure that this is a, quote, safe space for everybody.
((NATS/MUSIC))

TEASE
((VO/NAT/SOT))
Coming up…
((Topic Banner))
A Modern Lifestyle
((SOT))
((Michael Ostrow
Owner, “Seventies Sackley”))
In California, in general, the light is much brighter than, let’s say, it is in New York. It is different feel for the light. I think American optimism and enthusiasm is reflected in the architecture. You see the openness and the brightness of the houses.

BREAK TWO
USAGM
((LogOn Underwater Drones (TV, R)
HEADLINE: LogOn: Underwater Drones Take Off Like Those in the Air
TEASER: The discovery of the Endurance shipwreck in Antarctic waters this year has encouraged hobbyists to take up underwater drones
BYLINE: Genia Dulot
VIDEOGRAPHER: Genia Dulot
PRODUCER: Genia Dulot
SCRIPT EDITORS: Michelle Quinn
TRT: 2:01
[[As they overcome the challenges of operating in water, underwater drones are becoming more available for hobbyists, researchers and public agencies. Genia Dulot reports.)) ((NARRATION))
Jesuit Robotics, a high school robotics team from Sacramento, California, has been designing remotely operated vehicles, or ROVs, for more than a decade.
[[For Radio: Charlie Diaz, a member of the Jesuit Robotics team]]
((Charlie Diaz, Jesuit Robotics))
We developed the grippers ourselves, the cameras, our modularly adjustable buoyancy systems.
((BROLL: Shots of Jesuit Robotics team))
((NARRATION))
Jesuit Robotics recently exhibited its underwater drone at a competition in Long Beach, California. Called the Manatee, this underwater drone can map shipwrecks or work on environmental projects.
((Charlie Diaz, Jesuit Robotics))
We have our custom AI detection software. … Our bottom gripper helps us to restore seagrass beds.
((NARRATION))
((Courtesy: FALKLANDS MARITIME HERITAGE TRUST, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC / AFP))
Entrancing many, the recent discovery by ROV of the Endurance, which sank in Antarctic waters in 1915. That effort cost an estimated $10 million.
ROVs have been slow to take off among hobbyists, however. Several startup companies are making design changes and adding technology to make drones work better underwater and reduce costs.
Blue Robotics, a Los Angeles firm, works on waterproofing underwater drone parts such as the thruster, which propels the ROV in the right direction, and has added various sensors measuring temperature, pressure and depth.
[[For Radio: Rustom Jehangir is founder and CEO of Blue Robotics]]
((Rustom Jehangir, CEO Blue Robotics))
Instead of trying to protect the motor from the water, why don’t we make a waterproof motor? That’s really the innovation here.
((Courtesy: Blue Robotics))
((NARRATION))
These new underwater drones cannot go to the deep sea, but they are being used in conditions unsafe for human divers, and by hobbyists, says Fritz Stahr, an ocean technology expert.
[[For Radio: Fritz Stahr, a judge at the competition, and chief technology officer at Open Ocean Robotics, a marine technology firm.]]
((Fritz Stahr, Ocean Tech Expert))
The ability for everybody or more people to be that explorer, to be that person who understands what’s going on in their local environment, is really important.
((NARRATION))
Unlike aerial drones, technology has yet to solve the problem of underwater communications. For now, these drones are controlled by a tether.
((Genia Dulot for VOA News, Los Angeles))
BUMP IN ((ANIM))


BLOCK C

((PKG)) TINY HOUSES
((TRT: 05:37))
((Topic Banner: A Modern Lifestyle))
((Reporter/Camera/Editor: Genia Dulot))
((Map: Palm Springs, California))
((Main characters: 2 female; 2 male))
((Sub characters: 0 female; 0 male))
((Blurb:
Two LGBTQ couples are showing us their mid-century modern houses in Palm Springs, talking about their love to this architectural and design style.))
((NATS))
((Roger Stoker
Owner, “Seventies Sackley”))
Hi! Welcome to our home! I’m Rogers Stoker.
((Michael Ostrow
Owner, “Seventies Sackley”))
And I am Michael Ostrow.
((Roger Stoker
Owner, “Seventies Sackley”))
And we live in a Stan Sackley home in Palm Springs in the beautiful Indian Canyon neighborhood. The house was built in 1975, and Stan designed a lot of the houses on the street, and mostly for second homes.
Stan Sackley always did a very private front, and then you walked in, and usually a step-down living room, and then a very open back. With the clear-story windows, it really takes advantage of the views and the beautiful blue sky.
The great thing about having the sliders in the back is you kind of feel like this is an extension of your living space. And we have a hedged backyard, which is very private. We have living space. We have lounging space. We have dining space and the great pool right outside of our living room door.
It is sunny 360 days of the year, and pretty much 75 degrees (fahrenheit) [24 degrees celcius] and beautiful, so you can really enjoy indoor outdoor lifestyle.
This is a great example of the full height door. When you open it up, it really makes the rooms flow together. They don’t feel like separate spaces. So the full height door is a very important feature of Stan Sackley’s home.
Again, in the master bedroom, we have the wall of glass, which brings outdoors in. So, this is a huge platform tub, sunken Roman tub, and it had an area with a skylight for plants behind it, so you felt like the outdoors were even in your bathroom.
We are interior designers, and we have a shop called Grace Home Furnishings, but we love use of color, bright color. And the light is so much different in Palm Springs that when you use the bright color, it becomes very saturated. It really changes your mood to come out here and use fun color.
((Michael Ostrow
Owner, “Seventies Sackley”))
I also think that in California, in general, the light is much brighter than, let’s say, it is in New York. It is different feel for the light. I think American optimism and enthusiasm is reflected in the architecture. You see the openness and the brightness of the houses.
((Roger Stoker
Owner, “Seventies Sackley”))
This is our dog, Grace. She loves the modern architecture. She loves running in and out of the slider door to play in the yard and…
((Michael Ostrow
Owner, “Seventies Sackley”))
…she loves the cool floors. She loves how open everything is. Nothing is closed. There’s not a lot of doors. She’s able to kind of run free.
((Roger Stoker
Owner, “Seventies Sackley”))
And she loves jumping in the pool.
((NATS))
Cookie, doggie. Where’s the doggie? Oh, let me get this.
((NATS))

((Jackie Thomas
Owner, “Moroccan Modern”))
I am Jackie.
((DeeAnn McCoy,
Owner, “Moroccan Modern”))
I am DeeAnn.
((Jackie Thomas
Owner, “Moroccan Modern”))
And we come from advertising and marketing backgrounds. We met in Portland…Portland, Oregon, where DeeAnn had an advertising agency, and I worked for Nike. And along way, we decided that we wanted to balance our work-life environment, so we moved to Palm Springs.
This house was built in 1974, so it’s a little post-modern. It’s got a lot of traditional, mid-century modern characteristics. It’s got floor-to-ceiling windows. It’s got tremendous lighting.
I think this house is a wonderful expression of our different personalities. We love color. We love light. We love textures. And so, it has a lot of traditional, mid-century modern features. I think the scale shifts a little bit. It’s really grand. And there are some nuances from 1970s that the architecture added.
When you look at the front of the house, there are those really cool kind of medallions that are in the front, and we just had never seen that before. And we loved that. We thought it felt like it had a really cool kind of a Marrakesh-Moroccan vibe, and we just loved it. We thought let’s take that, and blend kind of a modern and the Moroccan together, and see if we can come up with something kind of really fresh and exciting.
That was the inspiration for what we call, “Moroccan Modern”.
((DeeAnn McCoy,
Owner, “Moroccan Modern”))
There are mid-century modern homes everywhere, but very few places where you find the density of homes like you will here. And the education level, that people understand what mid-century modern is all about. And that goes beyond just the architecture and the design. It’s kind of a lifestyle, because in the [19]50s and [19]60s, the U.S. was coming out of World War Two. There was so much optimism. Everyone was excited. They were buying homes. They were having children, you know, baby boom. We are the part of the baby boom generation. And I just remember watching my parents, loved it, you know, poolside, cocktails after a hard day, having guests over, their friends for dinner. It was just a wonderful lifestyle.
((Jackie Thomas
Owner, “Moroccan Modern”))
And so for us, the boomers, we’re kind of saying, you know what? We’ve worked really hard and we loved what we did, but there’s going to be something else. So we want to redefine how we define success. And I think there is a real synergy between those two, and certainly for us.
((NATS))

((PKG)) TINY HOUSE COMMUNITY
((Previously aired June 2021))
((TRT: 03:05))
((Topic Banner: Tiny House Community))
((Reporter/Camera/Editor: Arturo Martinez))
((Producer: Zdenko Novacki))
((Map: Mount Laguna, California))
((Main characters: 3 female; 0 male))
((Sub characters: 0 female; 0 male))

((MUSIC/NATS))
((Natalie Cornacchione
Student and Employee, Tiny House Block))
A tiny home is a home that is under 400 square feet [37 m2]. So, yeah, this is definitely it.
((MUSIC/NATS))
It's always been my dream to live in a tiny house. I saw the documentary, “Minimalism” when I was 17 [years old], and I started to realize that you could live in a way that was different and that we don't necessarily need all of these things that the American dream tells us that we need: getting a bigger house, or a better car, and just always trying to accumulate possessions that are a reflection of who we want people to think that we are, but really, we just bought those things and it has nothing to do with who we are at all, and we should be focusing on relationships.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Natalie Cornacchione
Student and Employee, Tiny House Block))
I think that the push is coming from the younger generation, especially just with the way the economy is and affordability of having your own space. Living in a tiny home makes it so attainable and affordable to do so. It really does.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Natalie Cornacchione

Student and Employee, Tiny House Block))
There is 25 houses here at Tiny House Block. Some of them are individually owned, a few of them are, but then most of them belong to the community. Jon and Melissa Block [Affordable housing entrepreneurs] started Tiny House Block because they saw the need for and the demand for a place that is safe and legal to park a tiny home. I do housekeeping, and then I also do the social media, and I'm responsible for the newsletter.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Natalie Cornacchione
Student and Employee, Tiny House Block))
Hi.
((Erica Moslander

Tiny House resident))
Hi. How are you?
((Natalie Cornacchione
Student and Employee, Tiny House Block))
I'm good. How's my little Iggy?
((Erica Moslander
Product owner, Tiny House resident))
Lovely as always.
This is my house. Yeah, yeah. Well, it's not my house. I'm renting it. I'm working internet-based. So, as long as I can tap into the internet, we're all good.
((Gail Arnold
Retired, Tiny House owner))
Come, come sit with me. Come see me and Bodhi. How was your weekend?
((Natalie Cornacchione
Student and Employee, Tiny House Block))
It was good. We went out for sushi, and we played Mario Kart.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Gail Arnold

Retired, Tiny House owner))
Oh, I'm full.
((Erica Moslander

Product owner, Tiny House resident))
Yeah, me too. I’ve eaten a lot today.
((Gail Arnold
Retired, Tiny House owner))
Oh, yeah. So true. Yeah.
((Erica Moslander

Product owner, Tiny House resident))
I will say that you have brought like such a dynamic of community.
((Natalie Cornacchione
Student and Employee, Tiny House Block))
I agree.
((Erica Moslander

Product owner, Tiny House resident))
Yeah. Like the first time you knocked on my door with like Julian apple pie and then…
((Natalie Cornacchione
Student and Employee, Tiny House Block))
So sweet.
((Erica Moslander

Product owner, Tiny House resident))
It’s like, just definitely like encourages that sense of community.
((Gail Arnold

Retired, Tiny House owner))
Yeah.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Natalie Cornacchione
Student and Employee, Tiny House Block))
I feel like I'm my best self when I'm very connected to nature and the community. And being here at Tiny House Block gives me both of those things every single day.
((NATS/MUSIC))

((PKG)) NATURE: MOOSE
((TRT: 02:00))
((Topic Banner: Nature: Moose in Alaska))
((Text on screen:
Grazing moose in the wetlands of Homer, Alaska and moose cows taking care of their calves.))
((Camera/Editor: Gabrielle Weiss))

BREAK THREE
USAGM SHARE
((LogOn: Space Camera (TV, R)
HEADLINE: LogOn: Giant Camera Focuses on the Invisible
TEASER: Camera will document the universe for 10 years, gathering data for dark energy and dark matter research
BYLINE: Matt Dibble
VIDEOGRAPHER: Matt Dibble
PRODUCER: Matt Dibble
SCRIPT EDITORS: Michelle Quinn, Reifenrath
TRT: 1:55
[[In California, a camera the size of a car is being prepared for its mission: documenting unseen phenomena in the universe. Matt Dibble has the story.]]
((Courtesy: SLAC))
((NARRATOR))
At the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in Menlo Park, California
((Courtesy: SLAC))
((NARRATOR))
engineers are building the world’s largest digital camera. The LSST camera, as it’s called,
((Courtesy: Rubin Observatory/NSF/AURA))
((NARRATOR))
will be installed at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in southern Chile to record images of the night sky over a ten-year period.
((Courtesy: Rubin Observatory/NSF/AURA))
((NARRATOR))
By observing a wide swath of the universe over time, researchers expect to gain insight into some of science’s biggest questions.
[[For Radio: PhD student Theo Schutt is running final tests on the camera.]]
((Theo Schutt, Stanford University Ph.D Student))
How old is the universe, how fast is it expanding, why is it expanding?
So we're really like going for the 95% of the universe that we basically don't understand at all.
((Courtesy: NASA))
((NARRATOR))
Scientists theorize that 95% of the universe is made up of dark energy and dark matter, which can’t be seen directly.
((Courtesy: SLAC))
((NARRATOR))
However, the effect that dark energy has on its surroundings can potentially be detected if observed over time.
[[For Radio: ...says astrophysicist Aaron Roodman, who leads the camera project.]]
((Aaron Roodman, Rubin Observatory Deputy Director))
We can study it by looking at galaxies, ((Courtesy: NASA)) studying how the light from distant galaxies has been bent by all the matter between us and the distant galaxy.
((Courtesy: Rubin Observatory/NSF/AURA/ Todd Mason Productions))
((NARRATOR))
The camera will record on most nights, essentially compiling a time-lapse movie.
((NARRATOR))
Each image will be made up of about 3 billion pixels, ((Courtesy: Rubin Observatory/NSF/AURA)) about 300 times the size of a smartphone image. ((end courtesy))
((NARRATOR)) ((Mandatory CG: SLAC))
Funded by the US government, the project will share images ((Courtesy: Rubin Observatory/NSF/AURA))
with international researchers, directing attention to short-lived phenomena as they happen.
((Aaron Roodman, Rubin Observatory Deputy Director))
Within two minutes, we will compare ((Courtesy: NASA))
the objects we see in it — the stars, galaxies, asteroids ((end courtesy)) — with how they previously appeared in prior images. And we will flag any differences.
((NARRATOR))
Researchers are eagerly expecting the unexpected.
((Matt Dibble for VOA News, Menlo Park, California))
BUMP IN ((ANIM))


SHOW ENDS