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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><a name="_MailEndCompose"><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></a></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'> Timony, James (DCPL) [mailto:James.Timony@dc.gov] <br><b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, August 8, 2017 11:54 PM<br><b>To:</b> Timony, James (DCPL) <James.Timony@dc.gov><br><b>Subject:</b> Fw: [vibugannounce] Eclipse Soundscapes Website<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div id=divtagdefaultwrapper><div><div id=divRplyFwdMsg><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black'>VIBUG - VISUALLY IMPARED BLIND USER GROUP . <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'>Here’s an overview. Check out the website at <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'><a href="http://www.eclipsesoundscapes.org" id=LPlnk140944>http://www.eclipsesoundscapes.org</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><div style='margin-bottom:15.0pt;overflow:auto' id="LPBorder_GT_15022507183210.9042228024701318"><table class=MsoNormalTable border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width="90%" style='width:90.0%;background:white;border-top:dotted #C8C8C8 1.0pt;border-left:none;border-bottom:dotted #C8C8C8 1.0pt;border-right:none'><tr><td valign=top style='border:none;padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><div id="LPTitle_15022507183180.7285375868957307"><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:15.0pt;mso-line-height-alt:15.75pt'><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI Light",sans-serif;color:#0078D7'><a href="http://www.eclipsesoundscapes.org/" target="_blank"><span style='text-decoration:none'>Eclipse Soundscapes</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div style='margin-top:7.5pt;margin-bottom:12.0pt' id="LPMetadata_15022507183190.8803244211808521"><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:15.0pt;line-height:10.5pt'><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#666666'><a href="http://www.eclipsesoundscapes.org">www.eclipsesoundscapes.org</a><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="LPDescription_15022507183200.44963510325208533"><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:15.0pt;line-height:15.0pt'><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#666666'>The Eclipse Soundscapes project will use a specially designed app to allow citizen scientists to record environmental sounds before, during, and after the August 21 ...<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></td></tr></table></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'>On August 21, 2017, millions of people will view a total solar eclipse as it passes through the United States. However, for the visually impaired, or others<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'>who are unable to see the eclipse with their own eyes, the Eclipse Soundscapes Project delivers a multisensory experience of this exciting celestial event.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'>The project, from NASA’s Heliophysics Education Consortium, will include audio descriptions of the eclipse in real time, recordings of the changing environmental<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'>sounds during the eclipse, and an interactive “rumble map” app that will allow users to visualize the eclipse through touch.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'>PROJECT ORIGINS<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'>The idea for Eclipse Soundscapes came from Dr. Henry “Trae” Winter, a solar astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian CfA with a penchant for scientific<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'>engagement projects. Winter noticed a deficit in accessibility while building a solar wall exhibits for museums. He observed that some “accessible” exhibits<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'>merely included the item’s name in braille, while other exhibits — including his own — had no accessibility component at all. Winter began to brainstorm<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'>an astrophysics project that would use a multisensory approach to engage a larger percentage of the population, including the visually impaired community.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'>The “Great American Eclipse” of August 2017 seemed like the perfect opportunity.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'>HEAR TOTALITY<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'>For individuals who cannot see, hearing is an ideal way to experience the eclipse, since soundscapes change dramatically as the Moon passes between the<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'>Earth and Sun. Due to the change in light, nocturnal animals stir into action, while diurnal animals settle. As the Sun’s light re-emerges, it often triggers<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'>a “false dawn chorus.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'>Eclipse Soundscapes is working with organizations such as the National Park Service (NPS), Science Friday, and Brigham Young University, Idaho, to record<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'>these auditory fluctuations. Many of these recordings will use microphone arrays that simulate human hearing, creating a sensation of 3D sound for listeners.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'>Of course, these recordings will not be available until after the eclipse, but visually impaired individuals can enjoy the August 21 event with the Eclipse<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'>Soundscapes app, which will include a narration of the eclipse’s progression in real time using specialized imagery description techniques developed by<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'>WGBH’s National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM). Eclipse Soundscapes’ app will geolocate the user and start the narration to align with the planetary<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'>movements as they occur.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'>TOUCH THE SUN<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'>The Eclipse Soundscapes’ app also features an interactive “rumble map,” which uses a smartphone’s touch screen and vibrational feedback to demonstrate<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'>the physical qualities of an eclipse. The rumble map displays photos of the eclipse at various stages. When users touch the image, the app reads the greyscale<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'>value of a pixel underneath their finger, and vibrates the phone with a strength relative to the brightness of the section. As users move their fingers<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'>around the Sun, their smartphone will vibrate more. As they move their fingers into the dark spaces blocked by the Moon, the vibration will diminish and<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'>disappear.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'>BEYOND AUGUST<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'>With these tools, the Eclipse Soundscapes team hopes to provide visually impaired individuals with a variety of resources to explore the eclipse on their<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'>own — and maybe even learn something that their sighted peers could not through visuals alone.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'>Although the August 21 eclipse will only last for a few hours from beginning to end, the information collected through the Eclipse Soundscapes app will<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'>live on as an open source primary documentation of this historic event, and as a model for making science accessible for all. The team aims to continue<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'>their efforts for upcoming total solar eclipses, including one in Chile in 2019, and another that will visit the central United States in April 2024.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'>Jerry Berrier<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'>508-735-4420<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div></blockquote></div></div></div></div></body></html>