The 1994 DO-IT Summer Study Programs were a great success. Eighteen Phase I Scholars (the new kids) attended a two-week program from August 7 to 19. Some Phase II Scholars came early to help the first week. They were joined by the remaining Phase II Scholars for their own program during the second week.

In preparation for this year's program, Phase I Scholars got a chance to meet one another on the Internet through e-mail--a rare opportunity for most students about to attend a summer camp. Discussions covered everything from college planning to the O.J. Simpson trial to an argument over ADA provisions.

Once they arrived for the summer program, Phase I Scholars were finally able to meet their cyberspace friends in person and learn about science and engineering, prepare for the transition from high school to college, and generally have a lot of fun.

As the week continued, the Phase I Scholars learned about how one's body deals with spaceflight, giving commands in UNIX, how to perform heart bypass surgery, and some even viewed Jupiter and the dark spots created from when the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet fragments hit.

On Saturday, Scholars got a well deserved break from routine by going to the Pacific Science Center. On Sunday all Scholars were joined by the remaining second year students during an evening barbecue at which Spinal Chord, a Vancouver B.C. band of musicians with disabilities, entertained.

For the final week Phase II Scholars formed study groups where they focused on special topics of study, ranging from DNA composition to information systems to computer programming.

On Friday, the DO-IT Scholars--all thirty of them--went home. But by Saturday, many had logged onto the Internet to continue communicating with one another, and to pore through the many science resources available to them. The DO-IT program just keeps going and going and going and going.

How do you look at files that are in your account area? Use the ls command to list files in your current directory. Most Unix commands can have what are called switches after them. This is just the dash or hyphen (-) followed by some letter. Unfortunately, it is not very easy to remember which switches do what for which commands other than by rote, as there is no reliable mnemonic system to it.

There are some files in your directory that are hidden, or not viewed, unless you specifically choose to have them listed. Hidden files have a filename that begins with a period, and they are used to remind programs, such as Pine, about your settings and preferences. Usually, you want to leave these files alone without changing, moving, or deleting them. To display these "hidden" files, use the ls command's -a switch: ls -a This will display all the files--hidden or not--in the current directory.

The -l switch will display the size, creator, and permissions of the files: ls -l Another useful switch is -F. Used in conjunction with the ls command, the -F switch yields information pertaining to what a specific entry is. For instance, if something is a directory, there will be a slash (/) after its name. If it is an executable file or application, it will have an asterisk (*) after its name.

Finally, all of these switches can be used in combination: ls -laF This command would display all normal and hidden files in the current directory, as well as their size, creator, and permissions, and whether or not they are directories or programs. This is probably the most useful incarnation of the ls command.

By the way, keep in mind that UNIX is case sensitive--so whereas using the -F (uppercase) switch will yield more information, -f (lowercase) will produce an error message. The -a and -l switches must be in lower case.

There are a lot more things you can to with your directory other than listing the files. Keeping a healthy account area involves periodic maintenance. For example, remove old files with the rm <filename> command. It may be beneficial for you to organize your files into directories, each directory having its own topic. For instance, a "Games" directory. This can be done with the mkdir <directory name> command line.

After creating a directory, you will want to move files into that directory. This would be done with the mv file directory command line. The mv command can also be used to rename a file, without moving it to a different directory: mv oldfilename newfilename.

One of the presentations at the DO-IT Summer Study was on oceanography, given by Courtenay Wilkerson. She spoke for an hour, with the aid of a poster and videotape. In 1991 a group of scientists dove off Hawaii and the coast of Washington. The talk was about the dive off the Washington coast because of the two sulfur formations found there.

These formations were observed with the help of a human operated machine, Alvin, and a remote control robot, Jason. Alvin is capable of holding three people--one pilot and two scientists. It has an arm that can be controlled by its crew. It can be used for taking temperatures and collecting specimens. Jason is used for getting closer to the formations and taking photographs. It filmed the full- color video used in the presentation. Jason is operated solely from the surface.

Courtenay mainly talked about the sulfur formation because it is the largest one that has been found. It is the shape of a collumn, about 45 meters high. There is a smaller formation that accompanies it which is only 4 to 5 meters high. They have been named Godzilla and Bambi, for obvious reasons.

On Godzilla, there are "smokers," holes releasing a substance resembling black smoke. A smoker is water that is hotter than the surrounding water, so it smokes out. The water that comes out of the smokers is about boiling temperature. At a depth of 2200, the boiling temperature is 375 degrees. This increase in boiling temperature is a result of greater water pressures. Off the side of it were formations that looked like mushroom tops. They are called flanges. The flanges are made from sulfide material and hold hot water from the smoker below it.

Of the many areas of science we were exposed to in the two weeks, this was one of the more fascinating.

Mars hasn't been explored by humans yet. Technology has been involved in the development of spaceships, but these spaceships haven't explored farther than the distance of the moon. In 1981 NASA had the technology and completed the first product of its space shuttle project, costing a great amount of money. In the long run, however, it would be less expensive than the Saturn V rockets in the days of old were to build, launch, and maintain.

Pinky Nelson, an astronaut who presented a lecture about the physiological effects of space travel, has traveled to space three times over his eleven year career. According to him, depending on the number and difficulty of the tasks each particular space shuttle mission is to carry out, the number of the astronauts could be five to seven. A few months before the mission, the chosen astronauts converge in Houston for training so that they can accurately carry out the planned escape routes, both inflight and prelaunch, in the event of an emergency.

When all astronauts have completed training, they are ready to go into space. After going into orbit, according to Pinky, half of the astronauts may get sick because of the difficulty posed by contradicting signals between the ears and eyes and other parts of the body. By the next day, however, all of them become all right.

The cycle of a day in space is about the same as on Earth, but a few things are different. For example, on Earth the sun rises and sets in a 24 hour cycle. In space, however, it rises and sets during a period of 90 minutes, or 16 times in 24 hours. Another example is that in space all objects weigh nothing.

Mars has largely been a mystery for a long time, even when astronomers of the 1600's began looking at it through their primitive telescopes. Today, we know more about Mars. It is three- eighths the size of Earth, and its atmosphere is mostly made up of carbon dioxide. It orbits the sun in a year as 683 earth days or 687 Mars days. Because scientists believe that Mars might have some kind of life, they try not to put earth organisms there by going through a rigorous routine of sterilizing all the components of whichever vehicle will be making the journey.

In conclusion, the astronauts might be able to travel to Mars and around the universe in the future. Scientists and engineers are working very hard to make it happen. As scientists try to make exploration of Mars and beyond more accessible to humanity, factors such as those Pinky spoke of must be considered in these designs and plans. This is imperative so that space can be explored efficiently and comfortably.

As a continuation of the DO-IT Scholars' education about computers and technology, Professor Gaetano Boriello gave the Phase I Scholars a lesson in logical circuitry. No, this is not a fancy new cooking technique, it is the theory and application of how all computers and digital equipment are designed and made. Scholars learned about Boolean algebra, which is the main form of mathematics used in computer logic; OR, AND, XOR and other types of logical notation, and about the symbols used in the design of logical circuitry.

They applied the knowledge they gathered in an hour long lecture using a computer program called LogicWorks which allowed the Scholars to construct their own logical circuits and see the outcome. Professor Boriello assisted the Scholars with their designs, and many of them actually got to see how a digital circuit like those in their computers were designed.

The program LogicWorks, can be used on a Macintosh, or an IBM PC. It has a graphical interface that allows the students to construct actual circuit designs, and see what their outcome would be with simulated logic probes.

In class, the students created simple adding machines that would add binary numbers together. Some students learned how to use registers to store and manipulate the numbers that they worked with. "It was great," one student said. "I learned that there are a lot of ways to do logic with circuits," another student added.

The human genome project is very useful, but presents difficult political, social, and cultural issues for society to deal with. A living organism is one of the hardest things to study. Its DNA is always duplicating within its cells and can mutate at any moment. The knowledge of how these strands of DNA work is not necessarily a good thing to know. Some have the capability of taking this knowledge and misusing it.

There are a few ethical dilemmas that cause people concern. Being able to actually procure the information that lies in the DNA's structure could result in people being discriminated against for a job or insurance coverage. Another issue that causes controversy is the prospect of selection of fetuses during pregnancy. This causes a huge commotion with pro-lifers. The idea of creating the "perfect" child is also disturbing. The other side of the coin is that we would be making advances in medical science that are unrivaled at this time, such as cures for hereditary diseases.

Here are a few good questions to be thinking about, next time they make Jurassic Park advances: Are the developments in genetics worth the loss in people's privacy? Would you like to be the unborn child that was a girl instead of a boy? Would you want to be discriminated against in the job place, because of the possibility of a future illness? Would you like being turned down for health insurance, because you may have heart disease in the future? On the other side, would you not like to have the causes for all genetic diseases solved?

These are all controversial questions that may or may not disturb you. There is great importance in discussing questions of this nature, before other genetic advances are made.

The balance of nature is how animals depend on each other for food. When nature is in balance the populations of the animals are controlled. However, if one type of animal eats most of its natural prey, the prey's population goes down too far and recovering its population through natural reproduction may become a big problem. Without enough food, the predator's population may also die and both animals could become extinct.

Our class talked about how the balance of nature controls both predator and prey populations. One animal depends on another. For example, the deer, which can be prey to other animals and even humans, may face extinction because too many people hunt for deer for sport, food, and their skins for clothing. As another example, if too many fish are caught or otherwise killed, there won't be enough left to lay eggs and have babies and they, too, may become extinct.

Other factors affect the balance of nature as well. For example, the amount of certain types of animals decrease by forest fires destroying their homes. Without food and shelter, the animals may die.

Dams on the rivers can cause problems for fish returning to spawn. If the fish can't get over the dams, they can't return to their spawning grounds where they were born, and they die before they lay their eggs. Humans catch fish on their trips to the spawning grounds. Between sport fishing and the need for electricity from our dams, many fish are killed and their populations become very low. Fishing also affects whales and dolphins who accidentally get caught in fishing nets.

There isn't much of a way to stop how low a certain animal's population gets in nature. We need to be careful about how humans affect other animals. We talked about whether or not it is important for certain animals to live and we discussed if there are ways to stop unnecessarily taking lives.

As you might have guessed, Consumer Electronics deals with anything that is electrical and is a luxury. For example, we took a look at compact discs--the inside, outside, and everything that can be done to a compact disc. We worked with a laser and were able to write music on a computer.

We opened the lecture with a brief introduction to the world of CDs. Presentation was easily understood and helped us understand what we would be doing later in the day. We started off by going back to the basics and looked at some CDs with scratches, grasping the concept of how a compact disc can correct itself. We understood how a CD player functions, reads information, and plays.

One of the high points of the day was getting to compose our own song. Most people didn't know how to compose music because they were never able to write music on a piece of paper let alone on a computer. So this was a real eye opener for most people because it showed them that they can write music even though they may not be able to write on paper. We know that people really enjoyed this day and next summer hopefully we can have it again.

Do you know how much a Mentor actually does for the DO-IT program? Well, we asked our Mentors how and what they do for us.

First thing a Mentor is here to share their own knowledge, experiences, and also their wisdom with us. They provide us with useful contacts in academics, career, and personal areas. Their challenges are to increase their own students' curiosity, present new ideas, opportunities, and to share their own struggles. They help participants find their talents, interests, and confirm their goals. Mentors are supposed to be people who have information that you are just dying to know.

However, this is not always the case. In our opinion Mentors are helpful but some questions that we have they might not be able to answer. In fact, Scholars can someimes help Mentors!

To correspond with the DO-IT Mentors, send electronic mail to mentors@u.washington.edu

As in any new situation, there are always jitters. Getting a job, taking a new class. Going to the University of Washington for two weeks to live on campus and participate in the DO-IT program was no exception. Being a Phase I Scholar, I was concerned about getting lost and all the other fears that accompany a high school student who is about to be on her own for the first time, disabled or not disabled. After all, this was the "real" world! I was unsure of how all this was going to work, and there was nothing to allay my fears until I actually got there.

However, I was not nervous about meeting the other students involved. In a sense we had already met over the Internet. The "Information Superhighway," as it has been called, eliminates a lot of prejudice by introducing you to a person's thoughts, ideas, feelings, and beliefs, before you are face-to-face. The Internet gives people a chance to meet you before they meet any disability you may have. This gives people a chance to be taken more seriously. I had already had lengthy conversations with some of the other Scholars through e-mail.

Don't get me wrong. When we first met, we did not all join hands and sing a rousing rendition of "We Are The World." There were conflicts, but overall, there was a willingness to overcome barriers to understand and work with each other.

If I needed proof that people cared, I got it on my last night at camp. I was sick, and needed to leave a day early. As I was preparing to leave, half of the DO-IT population came to say good- bye. As soon as I was able to get on-line, I checked my inbox and found I had at least thirty messages wishing me a speedy recovery. That's all the evidence I require to prove my theory--technology brings people together. --Carolyn

How is it really like in college? This is a question that I often wonder since I made it to high school and college was most likely my next destination. I had no idea what I was going to experience in my two weeks at University of Washington. I had never really been away from home before, and I thought it would be interesting to see how college life would be like. Little did I know that my two week stay at the U-Dub with the program was something that I would consider as the highlight of my summer.

I was aware of the fact that I would spend these two weeks in the program with people I have something in common with, but I was a bit anxious to meet the other kids in the program due to their degree of disability. I was concerned about communication between some of the kids and myself. In no time, communication was established through the Internet and I thought that it was a very interesting process. My first impression of the Internet, however, was impersonal, formal, and intimidating, but my opinion about it quickly changed once I started talking to other students involved in the program. The range of topics that we talked about were unlimited and involved personal, social, and academic combinations of discussions and sometimes even arguments.

The Internet gives everyone a chance to express their ideas without being ridiculed right away and, in our case, an opportunity to an open line support group, due to the fact that on hawking we are a community of sorts. Although what we all have in common is one kind of disability or another, there were still barriers that had to be overcome in the first encounters. I thought the Internet made it easier to overcome those barriers and conflicts before actually meeting everyone. Technology gives people a chance to be themselves, settle differences without truly harming anyone, and most of all bring people together to work toward our advancement, both as a group and as individually capable people who can accomplish much. --Maria

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To the National Science Foundation;

Here are my feelings about the DO-IT Program and how I believe Mike has benefited already. It may seem odd but I have learned so many things from Mike, the DO-IT Scholars, and DO-IT staff.

Mike is seventeen and is dyslexic in reading, writing and spelling. He is also Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disordered and on medication. He is very bright and has worked so hard to succeed in the hostile world of the public school system. He has to fight the system to be allowed into the advanced classes he deserves because his ability to write is so poor.

When we saw the flyer for DO-IT, it seemed too good to be true and too competitive for him to have a chance. On the other hand it was too perfect for Mike not to be chosen. Being accepted as a DO-IT Scholar (even the title is uplifting recognition of their ability) has boosted Mike's self confidence and belief in himself and his abilities.

He told me two things, over the phone while in Seattle, that seem significant to me. He said "we are all the same here." I believe that this was the first time that he could be absolutely who he is with no hiding, faking, being embarrassed or having to make excuses for his learning style. I love him and accept him and his different way of looking at the world even when I don't understand, but family doesn't count to kids who have always had that. He had a hard time breaking away and coming home with us. The other thing he said was that they (DO-IT Scholars) had lived their whole lives with inferior and inadequate equipment and if they can get the right technology there is nothing that can stop them in what they want to do with their lives. That statement was proven day after day while Mike was in Seattle in the activities and information that he was able to take part in. He did not only observe, he was hands on involved, he was asked his opinion and then it was respected by the staff. That allowed Mike to come to believe in himself.

I am still overwhelmed when I think about his experience and the chance he has now that he did not before DO-IT. This experience has changed the course of his life. Honestly, he came home different. He gets up in the morning and takes his medication and puts a couple of pills in his pocket when he goes out for awhile and takes them when he needs them. He says his medication is just like the others' wheelchairs in that it's what he needs to help make him successful. He has been somewhat resistant to medication. He is also going in to school the first day to talk to the math department head about changing the math class he has been put into because it follows the existing list. He says it's too easy and he wants a more difficult class where he can learn something new. He is not asking for me to help. He has the courage to go and work on this on his own. Him being his own advocate has been coming, but this jump in ability is a direct result of the DO-IT experience.

On the way home Mike said to us that he had made more friends in the past two weeks than he had in his whole life and that's right. It has always made my heart ache at the lack of friends. It is hard to be different. He has never had a birthday party because he has never had enough friends at one time. This year his birthday fell on a day while he was in Seattle, the DO-IT staff bought a birthday cake and that was the first time he celebrated with so many friends.

Mike has already passed on some of what he got to another ADD child, by taking a boy to register for high school and showing him around so he will know where things are the first day of class.

I truly believe that this program came to Mike exactly when he needed to continue his search for knowledge and he needed to know that others believed that he could make it in a "normal" world. The mentors, volunteers and staff are wonderful. I hope this program will be available to Mike and more students as I believe that this experience is truly one that will change a child's life.

Sincerely,
Pat Hampton, Mike's mother

My son, Travis, has often joined the DO-IT Scholars for evening and weekend activities in the summer program. I decided to share the reactions of Travis, as he later recounted them, in the words that he might use to describe his experiences with the first DO-IT kids during the summer of '93 when he was three years old.

Some really big kids lived in the dorm at the University of Washington where my mommy and daddy work. I got to join the DO-IT kids after school (daycare). The first DO-IT kid I met was in a wheelchair. Mama told me his name was "Hollis." Hollis made a noise but I didn't know what he said. Mommy said he said "hi," but it didn't sound like that to me, so I didn't say "hi" back to him.

I met Mark next. He was in a wheelchair, too. He said "Hi" to me and I shouted in surprise, "Mama, Mark can talk!" I had decided that DO-IT kids in wheelchairs couldn't talk, but I guess I was wrong.

One day Hollis was talking to mommy in the computer lab, but she couldn't understand him. I listened closely and said, "mama, mama," and patted her on the leg. She was too busy listening to Hollis to hear me. I tried again. "Mama, I think Hollis is talking about hawking." Mommy realized I was right, he was telling her how to use hawking, the file server used by DO-IT. I could understand Hollis better than mommy! From then on, I felt a special bond with Hollis. He was my friend. One time mommy was talking to another adult about how Hollis has trouble speaking. "Sometimes I have trouble talking, too," I said. I didn't want anyone to think that my friend was the only one with this problem.

I met lots of other kids. Mama said they're called "teenagers" ... I want to grow up to be a teenager ... they had a lot of fun. Some had trouble talking, seeing, hearing, or walking. We took a trip to the "Ave." We had ice cream cones. Mama and I were walking with Anna. Mama told me that Anna is blind and that "blind" means she can't see. Mama carried me and I let Anna hold onto my foot. It was fun telling Anna about things that I saw.

I was really tired when we came home. I wanted mama to carry me, but she said she had too much to carry so I would have to walk. I didn't want to walk by myself so I threw myself on the sidewalk and cried. She stood over me and said "You have to walk. You're a big boy." I was tired of listening to her demands so I said, "My ears don't work." Mama didn't believe I was deaf and made me walk to the house. Oh well, it was worth a try! It seems to work for Lloyd...

I miss the DO-IT kids. Whenever we drive by the dorm I ask to go in and see them. But, mommy says that the DO-IT kids went home to their mommies and daddies until next summer. But, I am learning how to send electronic mail. I sent a message to the whole group. It said "HI, TRAVIS." followed by some rows of numbers (I knew they would want to see some of the numbers that I am learning about.) I sent the message and it went zoom, zoom out the window to all of the DO-IT kids' computers.

When I was little (two and a half or so) I used to tell mommy that when I grew up I wanted to be a basketball player. After watching the DO-IT kids I told mommy, "When I grow up I want to be in a wheelchair--with a motor on it! ... Then I'll be a basketball player."

What can a three-year-old teach an adult?

A three-year-old is in the process of trying to put some order in his world. At a younger age, Travis learned to put things in broad categories...birds, dogs, people. At three, he is learning to make finer distinctions...what we do on Saturday versus what we do on Sunday; what clothes boys wear vs. what clothes girls wear; the difference between a Mazda RX7 and a Honda. He's into the details that distinguish things within a group. So, he approached students in the DO-IT program like this.

He applied his newfound knowledge and noticed, "All the kids in my school can walk, but some people can't. They have to ride in wheelchairs." At another time, "When people can't see, you have to help them find things sometimes." He zeroes in on the functional implications of a specific disability. Why do we, as adults, so often generalize disability to the whole person, saying "She is blind" as if she lives in a totally different world? I don't know. Perhaps we should ask the three-year-olds of this world to help us.

3A. ESSAY: IN ORDER FOR THE ADMISSIONS STAFF OF OUR COLLEGE TO GET TO KNOW YOU, THE APPLICANT, BETTER, WE ASK THAT YOU ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION: ARE THERE ANY SIGNIFICANT EXPERIENCES YOU HAVE HAD, OR ACCOMPLISHMENTS YOU HAVE REALIZED, THAT HAVE HELPED TO DEFINE YOU AS A PERSON?

I am a dynamic figure, often seen scaling walls and crushing ice. I have been known to remodel train stations on my lunch breaks, making them more efficient in the area of heat retention. I translate ethnic slurs for Cuban refugees, I write award-winning operas, I manage time efficiently. Occasionally, I tread water for three days in a row.

I woo women with my sensuous and godlike trombone playing, I can pilot bicycles up severe inclines with unflagging speed, and I cook Thirty-Minute Brownies in twenty minutes. I am an expert in stucco, a veteran in love, and an outlaw in Peru.

Using only a hoe and a large glass of water, I once single-handedly defended a small village in the Amazon Basin from a horde of ferocious army ants. I play bluegrass cello, I was scouted by the Mets, I am the subject of numerous documentaries. When I'm bored, I build large suspension bridges in my yard. I enjoy urban hang gliding. On Wednesdays, after school, I repair electrical appliances free of charge.

I am an abstract artist, a concrete analyst, and a ruthless bookie. Critics worldwide swoon over my original line of corduroy evening wear. I don't perspire. I am a private citizen, yet I receive fan mail. I have been caller number nine and have won the weekend passes. Last summer I toured New Jersey with a traveling centrifugal-force demonstration. I bat .400. My deft floral arrangements have earned me fame in international botany circles. Children trust me.

I can hurl tennis rackets at small moving objects with deadly accuracy. I once read Paradise Lost, Moby Dick, and David Copperfield in one day and still had time to refurbish an entire dining room that evening. I know the exact location of every food item in the supermarket. I have performed several covert operations for the CIA. I sleep once a week; when I do sleep, I sleep in a chair. While on vacation in Canada, I successfully negotiated with a group of terrorists who had seized a small bakery. The laws of physics do not apply to me.

I balance, I weave, I dodge, I frolic, and my bills are all paid. On weekends, to let off steam, I participate in full-contact origami. Years ago I discovered the meaning of life but forgot to write it down. I have made extraordinary four course meals using only a mouli and a toaster oven. I breed prizewinning clams. I have won bullfights in San Juan, cliff-diving competitions in Sri Lanka, and spelling bees at the Kremlin. I have played Hamlet, I have performed open-heart surgery, and I have spoken with Elvis.

But I have not yet gone to college.

If you've noticed a new or different flavor to the presentation and layout of this issue, that's because DO-IT News has new editor--a changing of the guards, so to speak. My name is Rodney, I'm a Phase III DO-IT Kid™. I graduated from high school in June of this year with less than honors.

My past editing experiences have been with my own rag, the Curmudgeon, where I was, in the words of DO-IT News' last editor Serena Shubert, "Lord of all I survey." I miss that. In fact, I'll consider myself lucky if Sheryl lets me print this paragraph.

I've brought over some of my editing philosophy to this publication. I despise clip art as filler, I like photos, I love consistency, keep the layout clean, and endlessly harrass uncooperative writers (e.g., Ben, Erofei).

But I'm not complaining, I survived my first issue of DO-IT News! I can't believe I only get $5.50 an hour for this.....

DO-IT NEWS is published at the University of Washington with input from the staff, Scholars and Mentors of DO-IT. The College of Engineering and Computing & Communications coordinate the program. DO-IT is primarily funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation.

 

• Publisher -- Sheryl Burgstahler
• Editor -- Rodney

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