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Nunez Chancellor Dr. Tina Tinney, center, announced that Nunez will be home to a Voyage Mark II Scale Model Solar System Nov. 18 at the Nunez Administration Building. Dr. Tinney is pictured with Nunez Foundation Board Member Roy Glapion, left, and Aerospace Manufacturing Technology Program Manager Andreas Pashos.
Nunez Community College will soon house the entire solar system on its campus in St. Bernard Parish.
Nunez Chancellor Dr. Tina Tinney announced Nov. 18 that the college is one of 12 sites across the country approved by the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education and Exhibitology to host a Voyage Mark II Scale Model Solar System. Dr. Tinney told a small gathering of special guests in the Nunez Administration Building that the college will break ground on the Voyage Mark II model in early 2022.
The permanent exhibit will span the entire Nunez campus, with the sun, all eight planets, asteroids and Pluto represented by stanchions spaced at 1 to the 10-billion scale based on their orbits. Each stanchion will feature a 3D model and a placard that provides location information and other facts for exhibit guests.
The Voyage Mark II exhibit is the latest effort in Nunez’s mission to make its campus a hub for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) education for St. Bernard Parish and the entire region. Nunez is home to the only college-level Aerospace Manufacturing Technology program in the state and works closely with the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility located just minutes away in New Orleans East. Many Nunez Aerospace grads have gone on to work at Michoud, assembling NASA and Boeing’s SLS (Space Launch System), the largest rocket ever built to carry humans.
Nunez is also home to The Skillshop, a public makerspace that offers access to numerous advanced manufacturing technologies for a low monthly fee. Nunez also uses its Skillshop to host various workshops for its STEAM Division, which has recently offered drone and robotics camps for children and a free Do-It-Yourself series for homeowners repairing damage from Hurricane Ida.
More information about the Skillshop and the STEAM Division can be found at Nunez.edu/STEAM.
Whereas Nunez’s previous STEAM initiatives have been housed primarily indoors, the Voyage Mark II exhibit will be entirely outdoors along a 2,000-foot walking path. The experience will be an ideal opportunity for K-12 students to explore the solar system with their feet, offering an intuitive sense of distance and space.
“Education exists in a multiplicity of forms. It is not reserved strictly for the classroom or for textbooks,” Dr. Tinney told the special guests on Nov. 18. “We have an obligation not to simply lecture or explain or demonstrate. We have an obligation to inspire. We have a vision for Nunez that our campus becomes a destination in learning.”
Nunez is inviting community members and organizations to sponsor a planet and have their name or company logo included on a solar stanchion. Organizations interested in donating can reach out to Associate Vice Chancellor of Advancement Katherine Lemoine at klemoine@nunez.edu.
About Nunez Community College
Nunez Community College is a student-centered institution that delivers relevant and innovative curriculum integrating the arts, sciences, and humanities leading to academic credentials and workforce opportunities. Nunez serves a vital role in the community by engaging with partners to support student success and personal growth. Nunez Community College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate degrees, certificates, and diplomas. Nunez is located at 3710 Paris Road, Chalmette, LA. For more information, visit www.nunez.edu.
