This Week on the Central Coast
A new space telescope, local non-profits helps troubled youth, Salinas takes kids shopping, Santa Cruz makes plans for the homeless, and a new fully-inclusive playground is planned for Carmel Valley
UCSC researchers helped create the most advanced telescope yet.
The James Webb Space Telescope will launch on December 22. The advanced piece of technology uses several sensitive sensors to view the infrared light spectrum, which will allow researchers to see further into space, past dust and other debris, to ancient galaxies billions of lightyears away. Current telescopes only let researchers measure mass and radius; JWST will let them study the chemical makeup of atmospheres. Constructing the telescope was only the beginning of the complicated process. The primary mirror and sunshield would not fit on a rocket, so engineers decided to fold them like origami so they would fit. JWST will spend about six months unfolding, constructing, and collibrating itself at a distance of about one million miles away from Earth. Once JWST is safely orbiting the sun from behind Earth, it can begin to collect data. The telescope has the potential to create entirely new fields of research.
UCSC professor Garth Illingworth began working on the project in the 1980s. After JWST launches, his role will switch to a program called PRIMER, which will help to interpret information gathered from the first galaxies of the universe.
Another UCSC professor, Brant Robertson, will help with PRIMER, but will have a bigger role with another program. JADES will take pictures and spectra of the ancient galaxies discovered by JWST.
A third UCSC professor, Natalie Batalha, has experience with exoplanets. She was on NASA’s Keplar mission, which revealed thousands of new planets back when that was only a fantasy. Now, she is the presidential chair for UCSC’s Astrobiology Initiative, which tries to understand the formation of life and its significance in the universe. “At the end of the day, the most exciting things Webb will do are the things that I can’t tell you about: the surprises, because we’re looking at the universe in a different way,” says Natalie Batalha.
This is definitely an article you want to read entirely. It has so much more information than I can fit into a small summary! It’s amazing what our local professors and researchers are achieving.
Barrios Unidos is helping Santa Cruz county youth.
Daniel Alejandrez is the executive director of Barrios Unidos, a non-profit organization that started in 1977. The organization addresses social issues affecting youth while “playing a key role in the move toward restorative justice in this area and beyond.” This will be the first time it is participating in Santa Cruz Gives, which crowdsources funding around the holiday season every year for its partnered non-profit organizations.
BU is headquartered in Santa Cruz. It offers afterschool programs, a food pantry, and job training through its own businesses. They work with incarcerated people, who are commonly passed over by employers, to help prevent them from having troubled futures. They hope to provide a reliable support system for those who really need it.
Alejandrez has been recognized nationally for BU’s work. He has spoken to the United Nations multiple times about their work and was recently awarded the Chief Justice Earl Warren Civil Liberties Award.
Another nonprofit in the Santa Cruz Gives partnership is called Your Future is Our Business. YFIOB tries to connect schools and local businesses so the youth will have an easier time getting a job.
The Salinas Chamber of Commerce took kids shopping.
The Salinas Chamber of Commerce raised $50,000 for school clothes for those in need. An estimated 400n children bought clothes at Northridge Mall. Each child shopped with a volunteer. The entire event is very meaningful to the kids since many have never had something new just for themselves. Additionally, many of the kids come back as adults to pay it forward by volunteering to take a child shopping. The event has been happening annually for over 70 years, but the Chamber of Commerce took over just a few years ago.
Santa Cruz makes plans to help the houseless.
Santa Cruz has always planned on helping the large amount of homeless people. The storms of the past week have only expedited that need. The city is planning to open several transitional sites until a more permanent structure can be made.
The first transitional site to open will be on River St. Another will be at the California National Guard Armory at Delaveaga Park in early 2022. The armory will house up to 75 people. Santa Cruz city will also begin a Safe Parking Program that will allow people to legally sleep in their cars. This will start sometime in 2022. Funding for these projects came from the Federal American Rescue Plan and the state of California.
A new fully-inclusive playground is opening in Carmel Valley
Tatum’s Garden Foundation partnered with the Carmel Valley Community Youth center to create the fully-inclusive playground. “The playground will feature a wheelchair-accessible merry-go-round, a sensory maze, and a water-misting feature for hot days.“
However, more funds are needed to complete the park. You can donate on the Foundation’s website.
Donation options include:
Customized fence pickets
Customized bricks
Volunteering
Larger “sponsorship” donations are also available and include paying for access ramps, a mossy slide, a fire pole, a sensory maze, and much more. The sponsorship prices range from $350 to $5,000.
One last note:
I will try to get the Peninsula Report published on Monday as usual, but because of the holiday, I may be a day or two late. Thank you for understanding and, as always, thank you for reading and I hope you all have a very happy and safe holiday weekend!
-Ralph
