SWOCC release – Coos Bay, OR – Southwestern Oregon Community College is proud to host our STEM Student Art Exhibit Strategic Initiatives: Groundbreaking Innovation Evolved from Initial Military Purposes beginning Tuesday, June 14, 2022 until mid-October in the new Umpqua Hall Health and Science Building on the Coos campus (1988 Newmark Ave., Coos Bay). In celebration of the exhibit please join us Tuesday, June 14th at 7:00 pm for our exhibit opening. Our exhibit opening is timed with Flag Day and the US Army’s birthday to celebrate the contributions that Veterans across the nation made to the scientific world we experience today. We appreciate the continued community support of our STEM programs and events and are excited to showcase our students’ work. The exhibit features projects and research posters from students in physics, astronomy, and biology courses addressing scientific advancements spurred by military involvement. Exhibit curator Krystal Hopper and Southwestern Associate Professor of Physics, Dr. Aaron Coyner worked with students from March to September of 2021 on the showcased projects addressing questions inspired by Neil DeGrasse Tyson and Avis Lang’s book Accessory to War: The Unspoken Alliance Between Astrophysics and the Military. Their work explores how tools and methods developed for astronomy and astrophysics were applied to military endeavors and vice versa. Student projects include medical advancements in prosthetics, satellite communication, the return to the Moon, and the development of the United States Space Force, among others. For more information about the Strategic Initiatives exhibit please contact Krystal Hopper at krystal.hopper@socc.edu or Dr. Aaron Coyner, Associate Professor of Physics, at 541-888-7244, aaron.coyner@socc.edu. To learn more about physics and engineering degrees at Southwestern visit https://physics.socc.edu/.
