Center for Diversity and Inclusion takes religion and spirituality head-on

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Religion and spirituality are touchy subjects for most people, but the Center for Diversity and Inclusion took the topic head-on at itsfirst Cultural Conversation of the semester Tuesday.

Students from all backgrounds filed in to share their perspectives on religion and spirituality during the hour-long discussion. The dialogue shifted from how each student related to religion or spirituality to defining what each entity meant to them to discussing ways in which students connected to a higher power.

Organizational leadership and supervision junior Chad Sebastien is a regular at the Center and said he has found his home on campus after transferring from Lee College in Baytown.

My favorite part is seeing where everybodys mind is and where they stand, Sebastien said. If you want to get involved or meet wonderful people that can help you get to your next chapter in life or just help you network, the Diversity Center is a great place.

Students at the Center for Diversity and Inclusion gathered around and exchanged ideas on the topics of religion and spirituality. | Huy Hoang/The Cougar

The Center hosts Cultural Conversations twice a semester and aims to discuss topics that dig a little deeper into the diversity students share in a setting that is welcoming and relaxed.

I think any time youre talking about diverse topics people can get uncomfortable, Director of the Center Niya Blair said. But we are hoping to help move people past that uncomfortable state to understanding; we want everyone to feel good about themselves and whatever they believe.

Each conversation is facilitated by Blair and the Centers graduate assistant Jamie Gonzales. The two start a dialogue by asking students questions about the topic and then encourage them to expand on the issue.

We want people to engage and educate and empower one another, and we want to be the vessel for them to do that, Gonzales said. We want to be a safe place so that people can know that they can come here and be whoever they want to be and that they will be welcome.

Hotel and restaurant management junior Monique Hall said she was enlightened by the conversation and would definitely be back for future topics.

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Center for Diversity and Inclusion takes religion and spirituality head-on

Tan: Empowering the powerless 2

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Matthew 10:21-42

Empowering the powerless makes it clear that "Christ is Lord." It is another important truth that we must see as Jesus appointed the Apostles for their initial ministry. God's word can be very disappointing when it does not deliver what we want to hear. Here, Jesus gave the Apostles, not only the authority to be powerful, but, the purpose for why it was allowed. God's power is authenticated by God's wise purposes. As the Lord unveils some specific details of what was going to happen to His followers then, this makes us understand how to see the bigger picture of the Lordship of Christ.

Let us make it a habit to see the bigger picture of things within the context of God's glory. Seeing things beyond ourselves and our personal interest is powerlessness and spiritual depth. If we see the bigger picture while still in the context of self, we will only see a big, and enlarged "selfie."

When we bow to the rule of Christ, we develop kingdom convictions that would become kingdom commitments. Here, Christ, being Lord, is crystal-clear. Personally, when I begin to see the big picture within the context of God's glory, I don't only see the holiness of God's purpose, but also, the humor of how God's power is displayed. I end up more smiling than whining.

This time, the Apostles should now slowly see themselves, not as powerful people but powerless . . . empowered to make the Lordship of Christ crystal-clear. More than their power to get even with their enemies, they had been empowered to face their persecutors and die a Christ-like death that brought life to many. Their (apostles) martyrdom was a preview of the shattered expectations that the Lordship of Christ produced. Being empowered and authorized to dispense God's mandate made them bow down to Christ.

Here, it is clearly manifested that as Christ is Lord, He is above our expectations; as Christ is Lord, He is ahead of every enemy; as Christ is Lord, He can turn an accident into an experience of deep spiritual enlightenment.

As we learn to see the large frame, we soon discover our various roles and appreciate His power over our powerlessness. When we know our role, we learn to respect the roles God assigned to others as agents of redemption. Soon, we view each other as co-workers and not as rivals . . . as coming from one Vine. Becoming powerless is a continuous powerful encounter and experience with God. We see the big picture, we know our role, we respect other agents of change commissioned by the same Lord, and we will be maximized to be what Christ wants us to be. Indeed, Jesus Christ is Lord.

Published in the Sun.Star Davao newspaper on February 05, 2015.

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Tan: Empowering the powerless 2

Elon Musk Headlines Space Station Research and Development Conference

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HOUSTON, TX/24-7PressRelease/-- Independence Day is not the only important fourth this July. Hot on the heels of the holiday is the fourth annual International Space Station (ISS)Research and Development Conference, which takes place in Boston July 7 to 9. Launching this year's event is a keynote speaker who lives up to one of the core conference themes of gaining a new perspective: Elon Musk, chief executive officer and lead designer atSpaceX.

"To welcome this diverse set of new and existing ISS users we were looking for a keynote speaker whose name is synonymous with the future of innovation," said Brian Talbot, marketing and communications director with the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS). "Elon Musk is an ideal fit for this role. Elon's passion for discovery and exploration appeals to business leaders, research and development professionals, and the space community."

Musk was at the helm in designing the Dragon spacecraft--the first commercial vehicle to berth with the space station. SpaceX continues to transport resupply missions to and from the space station multiple times each year, the latest launch having departed on Jan. 10. NASA recently selected SpaceX, along with Boeing, to finalize their vehicle designs capable of ferrying a commercial crew to the station.

The multidisciplinary space station's array of research areas for new and potential users is reflected in the span of topics for the conference's call for papers. This includes biology and medicine, human health in space, commercialization and nongovernment utilization, materials development, plant science, remote sensing/Earth and space observation, energy, STEM education, and technology development and demonstration. The deadline for submissions of abstracts is March 2.

During the conference, attendees will have a chance to build connections, talk innovation with peers and experts, and grow their current knowledge of microgravity research. While visiting sessions at the Boston Marriott Copley Hotel, they also can learn about the latest results, upcoming investigations in orbit, and opportunities to get their ideas from concept to launch.

"The focus of this year's conference is bringing a new population of users to the space station by showing how the orbiting laboratory can be a valuable part of their future," said Christian Maender, NASA's ISS National Laboratory Office deputy manager for commercial utilization at the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "Now in its fourth year, the conference will explore a wide range of important areas of research and development that leverage the station as an incredible platform for learning, discovery and innovation."

Registration for the ISS Research and Development Conference is now open and additional speakers will be announced in the coming weeks. The event is organized by theAmerican Astronautical Societyand CASIS in cooperation with NASA. The annual meeting is the only U.S. conference to detail the space station's many capabilities along with an array of research and technology development.

This July the ISS Research and Development Conference will be a fourth to remember, complete with participants interested and already successful in launching more than just fireworks towards the heavens. While quite the impressive display of sparks with each take-off, it's the benefits from space station research and technology that will keep the world watching.

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NASA TV Coverage Set for U.S. Cargo Ships Departure from Space Station

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After delivering more than 5,000 pounds of supplies and experiments to the International Space Station last month, the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft is set to leave the orbiting laboratory on Tuesday, Feb. 10.

NASA Television will provide live coverage of Dragon's departure beginning at 1:45 p.m. EST.

The Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to detach from the Earth-facing side of the station's Harmony module and release through commands sent by ground controllers in mission control at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston operating the Canadarm 2 robotic arm. Mission control will maneuver Dragon into place for its release, which is scheduled for 2:09 p.m.

Dragon will execute three thruster firings to move a safe distance from the space station for its deorbit burn at approximately 7 p.m. The capsule will splash down in the Pacific Ocean around 7:44 p.m. The deorbit burn and the splashdown will not air on NASA TV.

In the event that weather at the landing zone does not permit a Feb. 10 departure, the next available opportunity is on Feb. 11 with a 1:17 p.m. departure time with NASA TV coverage beginning at 12:45 p.m.

Dragon currently is the only spacecraft able to return cargo from the space station to Earth. It will return about 3,700 pounds of cargo, including science samples from human physiology research, biology and biotechnology studies, physical science investigations and education activities sponsored by NASA and the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) in Melbourne, Florida. CASIS, a nonprofit organization, is responsible for managing research performed in the U.S. national laboratory portion of the space station.

Dragon launched on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Jan. 10 on the companys fifth commercial resupply mission to the station. It arrived at the station Jan. 12.

For NASA TV schedule and video streaming information, visit:http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

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NASA TV Coverage Set for U.S. Cargo Ships Departure from Space Station

Can private companies replace space shuttle? Congress warms to the idea.

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From shop floors to launch pads at Cape Canaveral, momentum is building toward lofting the first commercial services to carry humans to and from the space station by the end of 2017.

The two companies NASA has selected for the job Boeing and Space Exploration Technologies are clearing initial, crucial milestones, and to keep the program moving, President Obama has proposed that the government spend $1.24 billion on the effort in fiscal 2016, which begins Oct. 1. That's up from $805 million the program received this year.

During the past five fiscal years, Congress repeatedly has provided less money for the program than the White House sought, although the gap has narrowed significantly. In the eyes of some analysts, Congress is increasingly warming to the program.

The 2017 target "will be here before we know it," and all indications are that the two companies are on pace to launch, says Eric Stallmer, president of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, a Washington-based organization promoting commercial human spaceflight.

Indeed, the United States finds itself in a unique position with regard to human-spaceflight technology, according to John Elbon, vice president and general manager for space exploration at Boeing

"Never before in the history of human spaceflight has there been so much going on all at once," he observed during a recent briefing on the status of NASA's commercial-crew program.

Beyond the work his company and SpaceX are performing to build a commercial capability for human spaceflight, Sierra Nevada Corporation is working on its Dream Chaser craft for carrying humans into low-Earth orbit.

In addition, companies such as Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic, and Bigelow Aerospace are developing hardware to commercialize various aspects of human spaceflight. And NASA is pressing ahead with its own Space Launch System rocket and Orion crew capsule for deep-space exploration.

NASA's bid to turn over resupply of the space station to two commercial contractors began in 2010, when five companies received seed money. After whittling the number of companies to four and then three during the next two years, NASA picked Boeing and SpaceX as its two providers last September. The last contender to be eliminated, Sierra Nevada Corporation, filed a protest with the Government Accountability Office, but the GAO ruled in NASA's favor in January.

Boeing and SpaceX already have passed one of NASA's five milestones: approval of their long-term plans for earning the agency's OK for carrying astronauts. Meanwhile, the companies have been busy.

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Can private companies replace space shuttle? Congress warms to the idea.

The NASA diet: Food, but not as we know it

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Around 400 kilometers above the Earth's surface, the International Space Station continues its orbit of the planet.

Since the first crew arrived in November 2000, more than 200 astronauts from 15 different countries have visited the ISS. At its core, it's a floating lab, where for six months at a time six crew members work, exercise, sleep -- and eat.

Providing NASA astronauts with a nutritious diet is the job of food scientists at the Johnson Space Center, in Houston. There, Maya Cooper is part of the team responsible for about 40 percent of the food sent to the astronauts. She says her team tries to strike a delicate balance between providing home comforts and healthy food.

"There are many items that we've had on the menu that were great tasting items but recently we've had a big sodium reduction, trying to get the sodium content on the space menu down," Cooper says. "So we've had to reformulate a lot of those items, preserving the taste and the homely comfort food aspects of the food, while making sure that the nutrition is right where we need for it to be."

If Cooper makes space food sound like a science, that's because it is. Weightlessness requires more energy; your body is never truly at rest at zero gravity, so astronauts must eat accordingly, consuming 3,000 calories a day.

In the controlled environment of the ISS, scientists are able to study the astronauts' physiological processes with great accuracy. "We know exactly what they're eating," Cooper says, "so we have better data in terms of how food actually impacts the body."

Likewise, food is affected by the requirements of space. Food sent into orbit has to be preserved by heat processing which, paired with its long-term storage, causes food to lose some of its nutritional value due to vitamin degradation.

Overcoming these obstacles is one of the challenges facing Cooper, along with how to make such adulterated food appetizing.

Meals through a straw?

Space food in popular culture ranges from liquid meals of various viscosities -- think Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" -- to a miracle pill containing a day's worth of nutrition.

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The NASA diet: Food, but not as we know it

Food scientists provide meals for NASA astronauts

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(CNN) -

Around 400 kilometers above the Earth's surface, the International Space Station continues its orbit of the planet.

Since the first crew arrived in November 2000, more than 200 astronauts from 15 different countries have visited the ISS. At its core, it's a floating lab, where for six months at a time six crew members work, exercise, sleep -- and eat.

Providing NASA astronauts with a nutritious diet is the job of food scientists at the Johnson Space Center, in Houston. There, Maya Cooper is part of the team responsible for about 40 percent of the food sent to the astronauts. She says her team tries to strike a delicate balance between providing home comforts and healthy food.

"There are many items that we've had on the menu that were great tasting items but recently we've had a big sodium reduction, trying to get the sodium content on the space menu down," Cooper says. "So we've had to reformulate a lot of those items, preserving the taste and the homely comfort food aspects of the food, while making sure that the nutrition is right where we need for it to be."

If Cooper makes space food sound like a science, that's because it is. Weightlessness requires more energy; your body is never truly at rest at zero gravity, so astronauts must eat accordingly, consuming 3,000 calories a day.

In the controlled environment of the ISS, scientists are able to study the astronauts' physiological processes with great accuracy. "We know exactly what they're eating," Cooper says, "so we have better data in terms of how food actually impacts the body."

Likewise, food is affected by the requirements of space. Food sent into orbit has to be preserved by heat processing which, paired with its long-term storage, causes food to lose some of its nutritional value due to vitamin degradation.

Overcoming these obstacles is one of the challenges facing Cooper, along with how to make such adulterated food appetizing.

Meals through a straw?

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Food scientists provide meals for NASA astronauts