UKELODEON: For The Next Generation (04/08/01)

UKELODEON

For The Next Generation

"March Madness": young scientist is on the road again

NORTH ROYALTON, Ohio - Over the past six years, a particular kind of "March Madness" has become a tradition for the Horodyskyj family. However, it is not the excitement of college basketball competition. It is "science fair season."

The tradition began with Lev, who is now a sophomore majoring in astrobiology at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Lev started to compete in science fairs while still in elementary school, and by the time he graduated from high school, he had made it to the international level twice.

His younger sister, Ulyana, is carrying on the family tradition. Although only 15 and a sophomore at Padua Franciscan High School in Parma, Ohio, she has already matched her older brother, repeating her performance of last year by advancing to the international level.

Ulyana's 2001 "science fair season" began at the end of February, when she competed in the Buckeye Science and Engineering Fair in Columbus, Ohio. She was among the 54 students who presented their scientific research in a statewide competition sponsored by the Ohio Academy of Science. Ulyana was one of four finalists selected to represent Ohio at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair that will be held in San Jose, Calif., on May 6-12. More than 1,200 students are expected from over 40 countries. Students will be presenting their projects to the public on Thursday, May 10, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the San Jose Convention Center.

After the Buckeye competition, it was on to the Northeastem Ohio Science and Engineering Fair at John Carroll University in Cleveland, where Ulyana received first place in the category of Earth and Space Sciences for her project titled "Sailing Into Space: Steering Towards Mars." She also earned four special awards.

The following week, she traveled to the University of Toledo in northwestern Ohio to take part in the Ohio Junior Science and Humanities Symposium, where last year she earned the top award. This competition is sponsored by the Academy of Applied Science and the U.S. Armed Forces. This year, Ulyana's work was again judged the "most outstanding research paper." In addition to receiving a college scholarship, Ulyana will represent Ohio at the National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium in Orlando, Fla., on April 25-29. This is the first time in the 38-year history of the Ohio competition that the same student has won twice. Doing it back-to-back is even more impressive.

The day after returning from Toledo, Ulyana was off to Western Reserve District Five Science Day at the University of Akron. There she earned a "superior" rating, received a first place award in the earth and space category, and qualified for State Science Day.

After a two-week reprieve, Ulyana will travel to Huntsville, Ala., at the invitation of NASA and the Marshall Space Flight Center. After she presented her research at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., last year, scientists started to follow her work on solar sails and invited her to their 12th Advanced Space Propulsion Workshop. There, she will present this year's results alongside her mentor, a world-renowned astrophysicist and author, Dr. Robert L. Forward. Her presentation is especially timely, since the first experimental solar sail will be launched in mid-April of this year.

Others besides scientists have taken note of Ulyana. She was selected by Cleveland Magazine as one of the "Most Interesting People for 2001" and featured in an article in the January 2001 issue. She has also appeared in the January 2001 issue of Odyssey (Adventures in Science) Magazine, a Cobblestone publication, in a sidebar "Teen Scientist Soaring" that accompanied the article "Sailing the Ocean of Space." Two television stations have interviewed her: one in Cleveland and the other in Toledo.

Traveling and conducting research do not leave much time for other activities, yet somehow, Ulyana manages to keep up with her schoolwork. She is an excellent student who consistently stays at the top of her class. This March she was one of five sophomores inducted into the National Honor Society. She is a member of Padua's "Quiz Team" and also works on the school's literary magazine, Horizon. Ulyana has written essays that won awards from the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Optimist Club. She enjoys reading and playing soccer in her free time. Her career goal is to become a space scientist and an astronaut. Based on her recent accomplishments, she seems to be well on her way.

St. Nick's students enjoy portable planetarium

PASSAIC, N.J - Sphaera, a portable planetarium offered by the Newark Museum, recently visited St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic School. Throughout the day students entered the planetarium, which was set up in the school's auditorium, for three different shows: "The Sun is a Star," "Legends of the Night Sky" and "Telescopic Sky." The event was the culmination of a monthlong school library program focusing on the solar system. Seen above are the pre-K and kindergarten classes in front of the portable planetarium.

New book for children focuses on Great Famine

EDMONTON - It was a whirlwind three days of activity for Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch when she came to Alberta in February for the launch of her latest book, "Enough," or "Dosyt," the Ukrainian-language version. During her trip, Ms. Skrypuch read from "Enough" to students at A.L. Horton Elementary School in Vegreville, the Rev. Kenneth Kearns Elementary in Sherwood Park and Afton Elementary and St. Kevin's Jr. High in Edmonton.

"Enough" is a story set during the Great Famine of 1932-1933 in Ukraine, and tells of a young girl's attempts to save her village from starvation. The heroine, Marusia, encounters greedy soldiers and an evil dictator. She takes a magical trip to the Prairies of North America in search of food to take back to her village. While this is a heartwarming Ukrainian folktale about good versus evil in which generosity triumphs over greed, it also introduces the young reader to a tragic historical event. There are not many children's picture books that show desolate graveyards, ominous clouds and weather-beaten crosses.

This may lead one to think that the subject matter of "Enough" is too serious for students of elementary school age, but the faces of the students showed otherwise. They were enthralled with Ms. Skrypuch, captivated by the story and looked genuinely interested throughout her readings. Afterwards, they lined up to get her autograph. All this bears out Ms. Skrypuch's assertions that she prefers "to write for children and young adults, because they're a more serious audience" and that "kids worry about big issues."

In addition to the school visitations, Ms. Skrypuch was interviewed by radio stations CBC, CKER and University of Alberta station CJSR. The Edmonton Journal set up a call-in number that made it possible to listen to a reading in both Ukrainian and English from a page of Ms. Skrypuch's book. She ended her Alberta visit with a very well-attended book signing at the Ukrainian Youth Unity Complex where she was joined by Lubomyr Luciuk, author of the recently published "Searching for Place."

The Edmonton Office of the Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association, the Ukrainian Youth Unity Complex, the Ukrainian Bookstore and the publishers of "Dosyt" and "Enough" sponsored the author's Alberta appearance.

"Dosyt," published by the Ukrainian Language Education Center (ULEC), is the Ukrainian translation of "Enough," published by Fitzhenry & Whiteside. Both editions are illustrated by Michael Martchenko.

Mishanyna

To solve this month's Mishanyna, find the words that appear capitalized in the text below.

Ukrainians have wonderful Easter CUSTOMS that have been passed on from generation to generation. EASTER follows a 40-day period that culminates in the resurrection of CHRIST.

During LENT both the inside and outside of the family home would be scrubbed. Is your MOTHER getting your house ready for Easter? If so, this is a perfect time to offer to help her.

Many families go shopping for Easter OUTFITS. Did you know that this is a custom? It is a TRADITION for the faithful to wear new clothes to symbolize their NEW LIFE with Christ.

During Lent families go to special CHURCH services. HOLY WEEK starts with PALM SUNDAY, or Kvitna Nedilia. In UKRAINE a pussy WILLOW branch is carried and people tap each other while reciting: "It is not I who strikes you, but the willow. A week from today is Easter." Each family brings a BASKET - containing PASKA, HAM, KOVBASA, CHEESE, butter, SALT and HORSERADISH - to church to be BLESSED. After Easter liturgy family members eat their blessed MEAL, or SVIACHENE.

We are sure most of you also will be celebrating Easter this way. All of us at UKELODEON wish you a tasty paska.

Myshka's Easter basket

Happy Easter to all my friends!

Letter to Mykola Myshka

Mykola Myshka received the following answer to the question he posed in the March issue of UKELODEON.

Dear Mykola:

The honey cake in Ukrainian is called medivnyk.

Roman Duchnycz, 6
Newark, N.J.

We are sending Roman, who was the first young reader to give the correct answer to Myshka's mystery, a special philatelic prize courtesy of The Ukrainian Weekly's philatelic columnist, Dr. Ingert Kuzych.

OUR NEXT ISSUE:

UKELODEON is published on the second Sunday of every month. To make it into our next issue, dated May 13, please send in your materials by May 4. (Please include a daytime phone number.)

Send in your articles, letters, photos, etc. to: The Ukrainian Weekly, UKELODEON, 2200 Route 10, P.O. Box 280, Parsippany, NJ 07054; telephone, (973) 292-9800; fax, (973) 644-9510; e-mail, staff@ukrweekly.com.

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