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<span style="color: rgb(29, 33, 41); font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">Exciting news for Teachers coming to EPIQ 2017. If you haven't
applied yet, funding decisions will be made in the next week or two, so hurry!</span>
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<div style="orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: 14px;" class=""><font color="#1d2129" face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" class="">Reader’s Digest Partners for Sight Foundation (PFS) is pleased to announce
a $20,000 grant award to the Quorum Outreach and Research Foundation (QORF), Henderson, NV, in support of the EPIQ 2017 conference.</font></span></div>
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<span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 14px;">WCBVI is proud to be hosting the 2017 EPIQ (Experience Programming in Quorum) training workshop this year in conjunction with Yerkes Observatory. We would love to see a strong
showing from Wisconsin this year. This is a fun and very educational workshop and is meant for beginners and advanced learners alike. Please feel free to share this far and wide with anyone you think would like to attend. There will be TVIs from all over
the country as well as mainstream science and computer teachers. All are welcome to apply for this wonderful opportunity. There is scholarship money available so please apply and come learn how your kids can compete in computer programing and astronomy!</span></div>
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<span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;">EPIQ – 2017</span></h1>
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<span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;">Experience Programming in Quorum: </span><span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;">Computer Science training workshop for educators and pr</span><span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;">ofessionals</span></p>
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<span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: 700;">Computer Astronomy Camp</span></p>
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<span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: 700;">Yerkes Observatory</span></p>
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<span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: 700;">Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired</span></p>
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<span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: 700;">Quorum Outreach and Research Foundation</span></p>
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<span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify; background-color: rgb(243, 243, 243);"><font size="5" color="#002e7a" class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;">July
23rd - 31st 2017</font></span></div>
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<span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;">Are you interested in learning and teaching Computer Science? How about using computer science to better understand astronomy for any student? We invite you to the 8th annual Experience Programming
in Quorum (EPIQ) workshop: </span><span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: 700;">July 23rd – July 31st </span><span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;">held at the Yerkes Observatory & Wisconsin Center
for the Blind and Visually Impaired. The workshop will focus on teaching participants how to program with the open source Quorum Programming language and equip them with a free and engaging curriculum (e.g., program games, LEGO robots) and accessible software
development tools that can be used in the classroom.</span></p>
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<span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;">More information on EPIQ can be found here:</span></p>
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<a href="http://quorumlanguage.com/epiq.html" target="_blank" class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 122, 204); cursor: pointer; background-color: transparent;">http://quorumlanguage.com/<wbr class="">epiq.html</a></p>
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<span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: 700;">Who runs EPIQ:</span></p>
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<span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;">The Quorum Outreach and Research Foundation runs EPIQ (</span><span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;"><a href="http://qorf.org/" target="_blank" class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 17, 204); cursor: pointer;">qorf.org</a></span><span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;">).
This organization works with several others that have helped with funding over the years, including the Washington State School for the Blind, Perkins School for the Blind, the Readers Digest Partners for Sight Foundation, the National Science Foundation,
the University of Washington’s Do-It program, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, the University of Alabama in Huntsville, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, AccessCS10k, and others.</span></p>
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<span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: 700;">2017 EPIQ Computer Astronomy Camp:</span></p>
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<span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;">The 2017 conference will have several new and exciting changes. First, we will be hosting in a new location: The birthplace of modern Astrophysics: </span><i class="">Yerkes Observatory</i><span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;"> in
Williams Bay Wisconsin. We’ll have access to telescopes from around the world through the </span><a href="https://skynet.unc.edu/" target="_blank" class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 122, 204); cursor: pointer; background-color: transparent;">Skynet
Robotic Telescope Network</a><span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;"> and use the </span><a href="https://skynetjuniorscholars.org/" target="_blank" class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 122, 204); cursor: pointer; background-color: transparent;">Skynet
Junior Scholars</a><span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;"> web portal to teach astronomy using accessible tools we’ve developed using the Quorum language. Second, we’ve partnered with the Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually
impaired to provide participants with housing and meals at their wonderful campus in Janesville. Finally, we’ve adjusted the schedule to provide time each day after lunch for participants to get extra help in open labs, work on team projects for the EPIQ award,
and attend special lectures on participant selected topics.</span></p>
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<span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: 700;">EPIQ 2017 Tracks:</span></p>
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<span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;">Attendees can choose between a </span><span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: 700;">beginner</span><span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;"> or </span><span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: 700;">advanced</span><span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;"> track
and will spend the week learning how to use the accessible Integrated Development Environment Sodbeans and the Quorum Programing Language or a new version with chromebook support. The beginner track welcomes teachers that have little or no programming experience,
while the advanced track will cover concepts up to and beyond a second semester college course. Both tracks contain new content and teach computer science concepts in the context of programming for mobile phones, 3D and 2D</span><span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;"> computer
games, LEGO robotics, or auditory processing and gaming. </span><span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;">As usual, the programming environments are designed to be understandable and usable by all, including those with disabilities.</span></p>
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<span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: 700;">EPIQ 2017 Awards:</span></p>
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<span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;">For the first time, this year there will be two awards given to participants. First, there will be an EPIQ programming award, which we have had in previous years. To win this award, a participant
demos their best program to the EPIQ community (e.g., games, robots). Second, there will be an EPIQ lesson award. To win this award, participants write up and present a lesson that can be used by teachers in the Quorum community. The winners are selected by
popular vote of the community, will be provided a trophy, and will have their work highlighted on the website with past award winners. More information can be found at the EPIQ awards site: </span><a href="https://www.quorumlanguage.com/awards.html" target="_blank" class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 122, 204); cursor: pointer; background-color: transparent;">https://www.<wbr class="">quorumlanguage.com/awards.html</a></p>
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<span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: 700;">Cost and Scholarships:</span></p>
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<span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;">We’ve been working with our partners and financial supporters to offer conference registration for </span><span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: 700;">$350.00</span>,
which up to our space limit will include housing and two meals<span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;">. Scholarships will be available for travel reimbursement, housing past our space limit, and conference registration, however funding
is limited and will be applied based on need and your application information. In previous years, we have been able to offer attendance at no charge, but the move of EPIQ to a new venue comes with some additional costs to run it in practice. We </span><span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: 700;"><i class="">strongly
encourage</i></span><span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;"> those teachers that cannot obtain support from their institutions to attend to apply for a reimbursement scholarship for registration or travel. Registration is tax-deductible
through the Quorum Outreach and Research Foundation.</span></p>
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<span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: 700;">Apply now!</span></p>
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<span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;">Applications are now open for the conference. As always, funding and space are highly limited, so we strongly encourage applicants to fill out the survey below as soon as possible.</span></p>
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<span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;">Here is the application:</span></p>
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1qhqKF7mnAvHJk5i7gAicMXx9u9s3S2tyAtVHNUn9PnM" target="_blank" class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 122, 204); cursor: pointer; background-color: transparent;">https://docs.google.com/forms/<wbr class="">d/<wbr class="">1qhqKF7mnAvHJk5i7gAicMXx9u9s3S<wbr class="">2tyAtVHNUn9PnM</a></p>
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<span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;">*Participants will be encouraged to fly in the day before on the 22nd and leave after the last session at noon on the 31st.</span></p>
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Please contact The EPIQ steering committee at <<a href="mailto:epiq@qorf.org" target="_blank" class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 17, 204); cursor: pointer;">epiq@qorf.org</a>> with any questions or
concerns.</p>
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<span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;">EPIQ Steering Committee, 2017</span></p>
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<span class="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;">Andreas Stefik, Derrick Smith, Sam Shaw, Sina Bahram, Danya Borowski, Melinda Hudson, Jeremiah Beasley, & Kate Meredith</span></div>
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________________________________<br class="">
Jeremiah Beasley<br class="">
Assistive Technology Specialist<br class="">
Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired<br class="">
Google Certified Educator Level 1</div>
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<a href="mailto:jbeasley@wcbvi.k12.wi.us" class="">jbeasley@wcbvi.k12.wi.us</a><br class="">
Web: www.wcbvi.k12.wi.us<br class="">
iAccess Blog: www.iaccessblog.com<br class="">
Phone: 608.758.6157</div>
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