A group of people dedicated to science and exploration will always be a group of people on the rise. Enjoy this image and join RIESTER in our commitment to the expansion of scientific knowledge with a determination to continue exploring new worlds, on earth and beyond.

The final space shuttle landing.

Many of our clients are actively engaged on this issue.

Rocky Mountain Power recently supported a conference called “Expanding Your Horizons,” which hosted 300 girls for a day to encourage them to pursue careers in math and science. Read more at Rocky Mountain Power’s website.

This coming Saturday (March 26) Clark Planetarium in Salt Lake City is hosting veteran astronaut Kent Roiminger who will discuss his experiences in space before a special showing of Hubble 3D. If you’re in Utah, and especially if you have children, you will not want to miss this event. Visit Clark Planetarium’s website for more information.

Watch this video to learn more about why science education is important to our future:

This video was produced by RIESTER for Arizona’s Solutions Through Higher Education.

I heard about the new Nonprofit Academy for Excellence in Utah and was intrigued to learn more about what this organization is doing to help nonprofits become more effective. The Academy provides training and professional certificate programs to nonprofit professionals.

Anne O’Brien is the founder of the Academy. O’Brien left a secure job with a promising future in the high-paying technology sector to find a job closer to her home in Salt Lake City. She wanted to find work that would require less travel, allow her to grow her career, contribute to her community and make it easier to be a mother.

Rather than finding a job, she created one along with a brand new organization which is an invaluable resource for Utah and a model program for what’s possible anywhere. “Nonprofits see value in education and training and they make time for it. I love seeing the impact that the Academy is having on the community,” she said.

O’Brien is on the leading edge of learning about the latest communications platforms available through social media. The Academy offers courses and a certificate focused on mastering these new tools.

She finds Facebook fascinating. O’Brien says that Facebook is “really changing and it’s becoming an infrastructure, like Google. It’s not just some little thing that you’re using; it’s almost becoming how we communicate.” She mentioned the Utah Museum of Natural History, Make-A-Wish and Tree Utah as local leaders in using social media.

O’Brien commented on RIESTER’s social media and traditional work: “I’ve seen the work you’ve done for the Utah Symphony. I thought it was incredibly creative and fun. I also love the Alta ads. The ad with the bride is one I especially remember. I appreciate seeing that kind of quality creative work here in Utah because I think people in our state often seem to think they need to go to New York to get good stuff. Yet we have that talent right here. “

Thanks Anne. And thank you for the resource that you’ve created for nonprofits. The work they do is invaluable in promoting worthy causes, including: keeping our culture vibrant and alive, helping those in need, teaching about important topics and working to help people change behaviors in positive ways.

Learn more about the Nonprofit Academy for Excellence.

Anne O'Brien and her daughter, photographed at Alta.

Commander Scott Kelly aboard the International Space Station. Photo via NASA.

International Space Station Commander Scott Kelly is promoting geographic knowledge by leading a contest called: “Where Over the World is Commander Scott Kelly?”

Here is a short version of how to play, from NASA:

“Users follow @StationCDRKelly on Twitter. Kelly will tweet from space a photo during the Expedition 25/26 flight. The first person to reply to @StationCDRKelly on Twitter with the correct answer wins. Use the hashtag #spacegeo after your reply and to follow the geography game on Twitter from space.”

Find full details of the contest from NASA.

RIESTER is committed to education. A highly educated population is required for a healthy and sustainable future. We dedicate this post to our clients, past, present and future who are promoting science education, with an honorary mention to Clark Planetarium in Salt Lake City (follow Clark on Twitter).

Scott Kelly will remain on the International Space Station as commander through mid-March.

Follow Scott on Twitter and be the first to reply to him the next time he asks where over the world he is.

Kelly posted this photo on February 2, 2011. It's the 'Big Island' of Hawaii.

RIESTER client Clark Planetarium is located in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Blog Action Day 2010: Water from Blog Action Day on Vimeo.

We work on public awareness campaigns to promote ideas, raise awareness, decrease negative behaviors (like smoking) and increase knowledge.

Here’s a photo by International Space Station Commander Douglas Wheelock to get you thinking:

From Wheelock: “The Earth at night is a masterpiece of light and motion. Aurora Australis dancing on a moonlit night…a new dawn just beyond the horizon. The small pinpoint lights that you see in these night images are pixels on the camera’s image sensor blown out by particles of cosmic radiation…one of the hazards of the job out here.”

This image is one of many that Commander Wheelock is making available via Twitter. View more via his Twitpic feed. These are amazing shots and important persectives of our planet.

Personally, I enjoy “geeking” out at the planetarium and am very excited about the latest film,  Hubble 3D, opening tomorrow March 19!

The remarkable images of outer space on the huge IMAX screen will take your breath away and make you think, ‘What else is out there?’

You can watch the trailer and get ticket information at the Clark Planetarium website.

Astronauts Steven L. Smith, and John M. Grunsfeld, appear as small figures in this wide scene photographed during extravehicular activity (EVA). On this space walk they are replacing gyroscopes, contained in rate sensor units (RSU), inside the Hubble Space Telescope. A wide expanse of waters, partially covered by clouds, provides the backdrop for the photograph. Photo and text from NASA.

Tim Riester discussed why science and education are important in a post last year welcoming home space shuttle Discovery.

We invite you to take some time to watch this outstanding talk from TED by Rob Hopkins, founder of the Transition Towns Movement. Like most TED talks, this is a provocative, insightful and informative perspective on some of the great issues of our times.

TED is a non-profit dedicated to spreading great ideas.