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9:30 a.m. .                            WELCOME @ Morrisville State College - Automotive Tech Center                  

10:30 a.m.                              Re-Discovery and New Discovery              

Questions at Hand:

·         What’s all this under the hood?

·         Will spark plugs shock me?

·         How fast can I change a tire?

·         Will my brakes always work?

Lawnmowers, snowblowers, and tillers, oh my!

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.            Lunch
Mustang Alley

1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.              Re-Discovery and New Discovery (cont.)                   

back at Automotive Tech Center 

3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.              Aeronautics Presentation by a NASA Engineer

                                                Book Signing by the Stephanie Esterline, author of "This Girl's First Car"

4:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.             CLOSING

4:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.              Ice Skating or Campus Tour

TIMOTHY F. POTTER BIO

Tim Potter currently serves as a NASA Test Director and a Ground Operations Manager in the Launch and Landing Division of the Space Shuttle Processing directorate.  He is responsible for the overall well being and safety of the work force in the Launch Complex 39 processing areas as well as conducting the integrated testing of the Space Shuttle fleet and conducting launch countdowns from the firing rooms in the Launch Control Center.  He is also responsible for leading landing activities at various sites in the continental US and at Transatlantic Abort Landing sites.

Tim has served NASA in several other programs as well.  He collaborated with colleagues, on the Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter (JIMO) project which was to be the first deep space science mission utilizing a fission reactor to propel and power the spacecraft.  Much of the work was to conduct mission profile studies and analysis to determine the best way to run the mission and also to determine what reactor power should be, that would support both JIMO and follow-on deep space missions.  The objective was to minimize trip time to Jupiter and first science return.

He has worked to develop new technologies needed to develop the architecture for a future, manned, space launch vehicle that would eventually replace the Space Shuttle.

Tim received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from California State University in 1982.  He received his Masters of Science in Engineering Management from the University of Central Florida in 1993.

Tim has also been driving race cars for about 25 years. He’s getting ready for a 12 hour endurance race with a couple of fellow drivers.  The three of them will take turns in the seat to run the entire 12 hours.   Pit stops, about every hour and 45 minutes, will include refueling and driver changeout as well as replacing tires and brakes as required.  This will be the weekend before Tim joins us in Hamilton.  This race will be run in a Mazda Miata which has been specifically prepared to go this long distance.

Tim thought you might be interested in knowing that the Mazda uses a completely different type of internal combustion engine; the Rotary, in which there are no pistons, just rotors.  There are no reciprocating parts in a rotary, and it therefore can be run at very high rpm for long periods of time.  The Rotary engine is extremely reliable for racing.

STEPHANIE ESTERLINE BIO

Stephanie Esterline, author, is a seventeen year old high school senior in Grosse Ile, Michigan. She has recently written and illustrated “This Girl’s First Car”, a 100 page guide to car care and maintenance for teenage girls.

Through extensive research and experience with her own car, a 1999 red Saturn SC2, she has identified all the basic car care and maintenance requirements that all teenage girls need to know.

Stephanie has been on the road for almost three years (permit included). Writing the book was originally her dad's idea. She’s always liked to write and came up with the idea of writing a book about car maintenance that was directed specifically at teenage girls. She thought it was a good idea because of all the age groups, teenage girls know the least about taking care of their car. Writing the book was not very difficult because her dad has been teaching her things about cars even before she started driving. She learned how to fill, rotate, and change tires, replace the battery, change the oil, along with a whole list of maintenance items. She also did research online and in the library to learn about the things she didn't already know. 

***Discovery Under the Hood graduates who attend the Reunion Event

will receive a signed copy of Stephanie’s book!***

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