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I N D I A N A D A I LY S T U D E N T | T H U R S D AY, J U N E 2 7, 2 0 1 3 | I D S N E W S . C O M
REGION EDITOR: SAMANTHA FELIX | REGION@IDSNEWS.COM
WonderLab looking for a helping hand BY RACHEL WISINSKI rlwisins@indiana.edu
Last summer, visitors of the WonderLab Museum of Science, Health and Technology could explore how the fingers on a human hand require the use of muscles, tendons and joints. This was done through a complex lever-and-pulley system attached to a ninefoot-tall robotic model of a hand. Now, WonderLab is looking to obtain this exhibit — created by Bloomington-based company “Explorabotics” — permanently. WonderLab is a nonprofit organization that served more than 85,000 visitors in 2012, according to a press release. “The reason it was popular is because it is large, and visitors were at the levers making the hands and muscles in the hand move,” said Louise Schlesinger, WonderLab marketing director. “It was a pretty exciting experience that appealed to adults as well as children, and therefore was a really good teaching tool.” WonderLab is looking to raise funds to install the Giant Mechanical Hand, which was on display as a test run last summer, the press release said. In this 2013 Exhibit Matching Campaign, an anonymous donor will match every $20 given plus an additional $10 donation, up to a total of $5,000. The museum’s goal is to raise $15,000 total by July 31 to fund the Giant Hand and additional exhibits. “The community has always been generous with our spring matching campaign,” Schlesinger said. “It’s wonderful when we have individuals who will step up and try to provide an incentive for others to give.” As a WonderLab volunteer for six years, Don Jones has become accustomed to seeing regulars at the exhibits every Tuesday afternoon. “It’s a great venue for Bloomington,” Jones said of WonderLab. “People from all over the country come here. I had a young woman who just moved here, and she came with her young
COURTESY OF WONDERLAB
The Giant Mechanical Hand by Explorabotics in Bloomington.
children and her motherin-law. She said, ‘Wow, this is terrific,’ and I told her to make sure to get a membership.” Jones said the addition of the hand would provide a boost to WonderLab’s exhibits. “We have different displays that come in on an ongoing basis, and the hand will become part of the ongoing road,” he said. “It will be some fun to have it.” Schlesinger said WonderLab has not had any problems reaching its fundraising goals in the past. “Admission fees only partially support the full operation of the museum, so fundraising in its various forms, whether it’s the annual gala, these matching campaigns or Science Night Out, supports the WonderLab experience,” Schlesinger said. She said usually the popularity of an exhibit is determined largely through observation and comment cards and sometimes formal surveys. Aside from the Giant Mechanical Hand, Development Director Courtney Schmidt said in an email the funds from the campaign will help install a new mirror exhibition in the fall, which will teach visitors about the
“The reason it was popular is because it is large, and visitors were at the levers making the hands and muscles in the hand move.” Louise Schlesinger, WonderLab marketing director
science of reflection. Schmidt’s email said this new exhibit would include three other components: mirrors that create a sense of motion with a praxinoscope; an exhibit in which mirrors create the impression that a visitor’s body disappears and his or her head appears to be sitting on a platter, and mirrors that create a sense of illusion, making it a challenge to decide if an object is real or just a reflection. Individuals who wish to make a donation may do so online by clicking “Special Matching Campaign” on the museum’s homepage, wonderlab.org. If individuals prefer, they may also make a donation at the museum’s welcome desk or mail a check to WonderLab Museum, Attn: 2013 Exhibit Matching Campaign, 308 W. Fourth St., Bloomington, IN 47404.
Herald-Times subscriber burglarized during vacation FROM IDS REPORTS
Subscribers of the Bloomington Herald-Times newspaper reported they were the victims of a burglary after informing the publication they were going on vacation, Bloomington Police Department Sgt. Joe Crider said. The homeowners reported they had observed an unidentified male in their living room who fled out the front door June 8. The 64-year-old homeowner indicated to police officers that prior to the burglary, they had told the Bloomington Herald-Times they were going on vacation and requested they stop the delivery of their newspaper. The burglary occurred during first day the newspaper services was scheduled to stop, Crider said. The case was forwarded to the detective division where Det. Kevin Hill followed up with the initial report. Hill contacted the Herald-Times and obtained the information of the delivery driver for that residence, but the original driver reported a substitute had taken over. The 30-year-old substitute driver was located
and interviewed Tuesday by Hill, who confirmed the driver’s name was used at a local pawn shop to pawn a silver iPod June 18. Hill retrieved the serial number and download information, and was able to confirm that the pawned iPod was taken from the Church Hill Court residence. The substitute driver denied being involved in the burglary and denied possessing any other stolen property, though he did admit to pawning the iPod, Crider said. The 30-year-old substitute driver provided police with the name and telephone number regarding an 18-year-old male suspect who he believed was responsible for the burglary. The substitute cooperated with the police in terms of the investigation by providing text messages and recorded conversations between himself and the 18-year-old suspect in order to return the stolen property, but the 18-year-old suspect admitted to selling the laptop beforehand. A controlled buy was then set up by police officers after the 18-year-old suspect indicated to the 30-year-old driver that he
wanted to trade or sell his sawed-off shotgun for a handgun. The 30-year-old arranged a meeting near the Thompson Park area with plans to trade for a 380-caliber handgun. Once the 18-year-old male was observed near the area, a police surveillance team took him into custody and found a sawed-off shotgun in the suspect’s backpack. The suspect was arrested, transported to the BPD and preliminarily charged with burglary, receiving stolen property and possession of a sawed-off shotgun. The suspect said he denied involvement with the burglary or the theft, but police had recorded phone conversations that differed from his statement, Crider said. The 30-year-old substitute driver has yet face any preliminary charges, but is still under investigation. Hill asks that anyone who was on vacation from May to June of this year who put stoppage on their newspaper through the HeraldTimes, and thinks they may have been burglarized, to contact him immediately. —Samantha Felix
Fire department receives ‘Great Wall’ The Bloomington Fire Department announced it has received a “Great Wall of Rescue” from the Monroe County Farm Bureau. Members of the department will officially accept the donation at 8:30 a.m. Thursday at the fire department headquarters
on 300 E. Fourth St. The Wall is a lightweight metal panel device designed to aid rescue teams in the event of a silo, grain bin or loose material storage container engulfment emergency. For more information, visit greatwallofrescue.com
Deputy Mayor Maria Heslin returns to private sector FROM IDS REPORTS
Bloomington Deputy Mayor Maria Heslin announced earlier this month she is leaving her city government position in the fall to return to the private sector. Heslin was sworn in as the City’s first female deputy mayor by Mayor Mark Kruzan in January of 2008 and served as the city communications director for three years prior. Before joining the City of Bloomington government in 2005, Heslin owned and operated her own marketing and communication firm in downtown Bloomington. Heslin said she intends to launch her own company focusing on helping businesses and individuals advance their enterprises through strategic communications, business education and material development. “Her new business will focus on proofreading and editing content for small businesses, specifically for business websites and public relations campaigns,” Kruzan said in an email. Kruzan explained that Heslin’s father, Thomas Heslin, was an award-winning IU Kelley School faculty member, and that the two of them developed a website, gps-to-success.us, to assist businesspeople in learning business basics. Heslin expressed her excitement in a press release about her upcoming future. “Leaving the City to launch my own business was not an easy decision to make because being deputy
“Maria has been a terrific colleague and friend, and she’s been a crucial part of our administration’s efforts.” Mark Kruzan, mayor of the City of Bloomington
mayor of the world’s greatest college town is an honor and a fantastic job,” Heslin said. “However, I am eager to tackle new challenges and apply the best of the public sector to the world of business.” Heslin will be doing more than just starting her own business though. This fall, Heslin will be an adjunct instructor at the IU School of Journalism teaching nonprofit public relations. Before joining the City, Maria earned her B.A. and two Master’s degrees from Indiana University in Journalism and Arts Administration. “I am forever grateful to Mark for the opportunities he (Kruzan) has provided me, the support he has shown me and the belief he has demonstrated in my abilities throughout the years,” Heslin said in the press release. “Maria has been a terrific colleague and friend, and she’s been a crucial part of our administration’s efforts,” Kruzan said. He also described the main qualifications of the Deputy Mayor post are to have the trust and confidence of the mayor, which he said Heslin completely earned.
He cited H e s l i n ’s main accomplishments as being the modernization of Maria Heslin the city government, leadership of the Innovation Team and authorship of the city’s Strategic Plan. Kruzan also noted her role in helping to establish BEAD, naming and designing the logo for the B-Line Trail, launching the Be Active wellness initiative and increasing the Animal Shelter’s adoption program visibility. When asked about her replacement, Kruzan said the position is hers until she leaves, and he doesn’t plan on having any conversations about the post until then. Kruzan said though that in recent months he has asked the City departments to leave job vacancies open longer than usual to save the taxpayers money. He said they will most likely leave this position open for awhile in order to do the same. “Maria has done a tremendous amount not only for the city government but for the city as a whole,” Kruzan said. “Our loss is the private sector’s gain as her new business clients will have an expert editor, strategist and marketing professional on their team. —Samantha Felix
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