Month: September 2020

MaryKay Severino
Trae Winter passionately talking with a young high school man about NASA satellites.

Dr. Henry "Trae" Winter III

Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Scientist

Trae is a solar astrophysicist who has worked on eight NASA missions observing the Sun. His primary research focus was understanding how energy is released in the Sun’s atmosphere, the corona, and in other stars. Trae spearheaded many efforts to engage the public in scientific discovery, including work with the Montana Space Grant Consortium, the Salish-Kootenai Flathead Lake Reservation, and the Boston Lyrical Opera.

To highlight the spectacular images being produced by the Solar Dynamics Observatory, Trae designed a series of video wall exhibits for the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, North Carolina State University’s Hunt Library, the Harvard Art Museums’ Lightbox Gallery, and the Museum of Boulder. However, Trae quickly realized many people had no access to the exhibits he was helping create, the blind and visually impaired (BVI).

To make science accessible to everyone, Trae began the Eclipse Soundscapes Project that built a mobile application that would engage all users with the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse. Consultants, who were themselves blind, were included at every stage of the application’s design process. The application used images, spoken word descriptions, sound, and touch to make eclipse features accessible and engaging to everyone as they were occurring.

Based on the success of the Eclipse Soundscapes Project model, Trae and MaryKay Severino founded the ARISA Lab which could quickly assemble highly trained and diverse teams to invent the new technologies and techniques necessary to make scientific exploration effective, accessible, and engaging for everyone.

Trae's CV      LinkedIn

For over two decades, the National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) has been a national leader in making digital media accessible for people with disabilities. The team in NCAM—with over 150 years of combined experience in accessibility—are pioneers, inventors, and problem-solvers, frequently anticipating and creating solutions for tomorrow’s technology challenges.

 

NASA’s STEAM Innovation Lab is a think tank with an emphasis on space science content applications. It brings together NASA scientists, engineers and educators to explore and develop new ideas related to infusion of educational technology into STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) activities, programs and approaches. Inside the lab are 10 interchangeable STEAM exploration stations fitted with technologies typically found in many of today’s 21st century educational environments. By placing these stations in close proximity to each other, we encourage users to investigate how the technologies can be effectively blended together for greater impact and integration into NASA education programs and products.

Logo for the NASA's STEAM Innovation Lab

The NASA Space Science Education Consortium (NSSEC) capitalizes on NASA’s rich history of sharing research and technology through compelling and innovative education projects. The NSSEC (formerly the Heliophysics Education Consortium (HEC)) continues the Science Mission Directorate’s (SMD) work at the forefront of NASA’s educational endeavors by linking exciting science and missions directly to the American public. The NSSEC team has learned from the strengths and weaknesses of previous programs and has a clear, adaptable plan forward.

 

Lindsay Yazzolino

Lindsay Yazzolino

Lindsay Yazzolino
Writer, Editor, Web Producer, and Social Media Specialist

Lindsay is an accessible technology consultant with particular interests in developing “hand-catching” tactile interfaces and in promoting hands-on science engagement. As a lifelong science enthusiast who has been totally blind since birth, she leverages her inherent nonvisual expertise to collaborate with ARISA Lab scientists, artists, and museum professionals to develop products designed to be experienced through touch and sound. Lindsay has spent several years as a cognitive neuroscience research coordinator, and continues to assist researchers with running studies of cognitive abilities in blind individuals such as braille reading, language, and mathematical proficiency.


Kelsey Perrett

Kelsey Perrett 

Kelsey Perrett
Writer, Editor, Web Producer, and Social Media Specialist

Kelsey Perrett is a Massachusetts-based freelance writer, editor, web producer, and social media specialist. She enjoys writing about travel, health and fitness, and the environment. When she isn’t writing, she can be found outside exploring trails, at the gym/yoga studio, or attempting to conquer an ever-expanding reading list. Kelsey Perrett is the author of the guidebook Moon New England Hiking


Miles Gordon

Miles Gordon
Multimedia Developer

Miles Gordon is an audio engineer and multimedia developer currently based in Honolulu. In addition to working on museum installations and accessible media applications, he has been involved in the development of several video games and the creation of several albums.


Arlindo Goncalves

Arlindo Goncalves

Arlindo Goncalves
iOS Developer

Arlindo Goncalves is an iOS developer from Brockton, Massachusetts, who graduated from University of Massachusetts, Boston with a degree in Computer Science. He enjoys developing applications that help schools and other institutions engage youth, making education a focal point in their lives. In his free time, Arlindo enjoys playing soccer and cooking for his family and friends.