And the winner is. . .

Monica Vagnozzi!
But first, some background. After five years and the first field trips, it was time for a change. “We’ve been staging the War of the Worlds broadcast with a live cast and antique radios since 2003,” says David Sarnoff Library executive director Alex Magoun. “A lot has happened at the Library since then. Now that we’ve begun hosting field trips to our new exhibits and renewed our commitment to science and technology education, the need for funding for an education director is more pressing. There are also so many new and younger members of the community who are unfamiliar with the broadcast, and we wanted to connect with them through the Library’s educational mission.”

Gwen McNamara, communications manager at Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association, and board member and Plainsboro Library director Jinny Baeckler suggested expanding the theme beyond the radio broadcast and offering more events. Library volunteer Sharon Chapman of West Windsor urged setting up a contest for a logo, and Magoun came up with “Martians for Education.” “It lacks the alliteration of “Aliens for Education,” he said, “but it also lacks the political overtones, and Martians are really what we’re focusing on. As Sharon said when she pushed this contest, there are some very talented people here, and we’re grateful for their best efforts in meeting our requirements.”

The judges committee of Magoun, Baeckler, Chapman, and Dick Snedeker and Jerry Fields of the West Windsor Arts Council reviewed eighteen entries from ten artists aged 11 to 75 years old. Monica Vagnozzi of Ewing, and a 2007 graduate of The College of New Jersey’s Art Department, submitted the winning design in a unanimous decision based on its brightness, original imagery, and positive view of educated, radio-friendly Martians against a global backdrop. Magoun announced the decision at the Library’s annual meeting Monday while recognizing the other two finalists from Princeton Junction: Janet Felton, second, and Charlotte Dey, third. They took home prizes including a dinner for two at Sotto Ristorante in Princeton, a gift basket from Grover’s Mill Coffee Roastery and Café in West Windsor, and an Avon Products gift certificate donated by Dorothy Sadley and Joann Marchiano.
For other activities, the Library plans to brand a variety of events culminating in its annual radio broadcast re-enactment on Saturday, October 25. The David Sarnoff Radio Club has agreed to apply for a special-event transmitter license for station W0W, and amateur radio operators or "hams" that make contact with W0W will receive a QSL card with the Martians for Education logo. The Library is working with the Plainsboro and West Windsor Historical Societies and other organizations to develop other activities with which to engage people of all ages.
“This is coming together at such an opportune time,” said Magoun. “NASA has just confirmed the existence of ice on Mars, we’re already booking field trips for the 2008-9 school year, and this campaign fits like a glove with the Princeton region’s designation as a tourist destination. We look forward to making this a festival of science, art, food, and history that you can’t get anywhere else on this or any other planet.”

The Verdict Is In

Yes, our five fearless and discerning judges--Jinny Baeckler, Sharon Chapman, Jerry Fields, Alex Magoun, and Dick Snedeker--found favor with three of the eighteen entries for our Martians for Education logo to accompany our 70th-anniversary War of the Worlds festivities this October. One logo ruled them all, though the other two will also receive prizes--from Sotto 128 Ristorante in Princeton, Avon Products courtesy of Dorothy Sadley, and Grover's Mill Coffee Roastery. Who is it awready, you're no doubt asking yourself. Simmer down, and come to our annual meeting this Monday evening at 7:30 in Sarnoff Corporation's auditorium, 201 Washington Road, Princeton 08540, to find out. You'll also get to see and help thank some of the wonderful people who make the Library possible through their selfless volunteering; see and congratulate some of the hard-working and smart local students who competed in the International Future Problem Solving Championship and the National Science and Physics Olympiads; enjoy the Library's refreshments; and watch the New Jersey premiere of All-Russia State Television and Radio Company's wonderful documentary on RCA’s leading television inventor, Vladimir Zworykin: Russia’s Gift to America. Fred Olessi, Dr. Zworykin's amanuensis and co-author of his memoir, Iconoscope, will introduce the film and, to a degree, Zworykin, who was interested in much more than television. The film is 60 minutes, well-subtitled; I think you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

Princeton is About to Buzz: The Electro-Music Chamber Orchestra Returns

What’s the buzz about? After a wired holiday celebration last December, the Electro-Music Chamber Orchestra returns to Sarnoff Corporation's Auditorium on Saturday, March 15th with its mountains of synthesizers, keyboards, sequencers, gizmos, gadgets, and electro-gear. Doors open at 7:00 PM for this ear- and eye-expanding event, with refreshments provided by Grovers Mill Coffee and McCaffrey's bakery. Admission is $10.00 for the general public; paying Friends of the David Sarnoff Library and students 18 and under with a valid school ID receive a five dollar discount.

This time around the infamous, mutating orchestra personnel have been hand-picked by founders Howard Moscovitz and Greg Waltzer. During the first half of the evening, various members will perform short sets of electrifying compositions before returning in the second half as the full Chamber Orchestra in a sizzling celebration of Spring.

The audience will meet Fringe Element, a quartet of electro-musicians: Michael Victor, Greg Waltzer, Jose Murcia and James Lacey. Their wholly spontaneous creations will lead everyone out of the ordinary and into a world of unpredictable, flowing soundscapes. Their two CDs, Rampant Biology and Organic Chemistry are available at electro-music.com. Another of the evening’s permutations will see Greg Waltzer leave the Fringe to build lush, ambient sonic constructs with partners Howard Moscovitz and Bill Fox. Together, they become the resonant force called Xeroid Entity. The evening’s mutations continue with Howard freed of the trio to perform solo, bringing us deep into the reverberating harmonies and silences of his own universe. He’ll then be joined by thereminist Kip Rosser (Remember the theremin? The electronic instrument that’s played without being touched!). The duo will present their dreamy, evocative improvisations, soon to be released on their CD, Exploration of the Black Exterior. The metamorphosis will be completed in the evening’s second half, as all personnel become the Electro-Music Chamber Orchestra. Their composition will be an entirely new experiment in which the music is “conducted” by utilizing a complex numbering system, under the direction of Howard Moscovitz.

This feast for the ears is also going to be a banquet for the eyes. State-of-the-art visuals will send the audience on a parallel trip presented by Azimuth Visuals. The premiere diva of computer-generated abstract images, animations, and original artwork, Hong Waltzer will be processing and mixing video in real time. Inspired by the music being created onstage, her dynamic collages bring even more depth to the musical oceans.

Perfect for young and old, electronic music enthusiasts and traditional music-lovers alike, this is a great occasion to treat aspiring musicians to sights and sounds they’ve never experienced before. Don’t miss this evening of boundary-breaking music making. Get a real buzz, and kick off Spring with the Electro-Music Chamber Orchestra!

Electromusic Chamber Orchestra Thrills Crowd

Suffering from Bach fatigue and intrigued by electronic multimedia made flesh, neither snow, nor rain, nor gloom of night intimidated nearly 50 people from attending the David Sarnoff Library's concert this evening. And what a concert it was, alternately soothing and stimulating electronic music and images synchronized on Sarnoff Corporation's stage in two fascinating sets. Brain Statik and Xeroid Entity opened while Hong Waltzer mixed a DVD and some software to project a shifting montage of imagery, patterns, and colors through an LCD projector, and Brain Statik's Ken Palmer provided arrays of fixed and fluid lighting on-stage. There was a little bit of everything--after all, you can do a lot with guitar, saxophone, drum, and piano synthesizers. When we have photos or links to the music, we'll post them, but take it on good authority that they were worthy heirs to the legacy of RCA's Harry Olson and the Mark I Music Synthesizer built at the RCA Labs in the early 1950s.

After an intermission where the audience adjourned to Grover's Mill Coffee and McCaffrey's cookies as well as the Library's museum, the chamber players also known as the Martian Radio Orchestra--Howard Moscovitz, thereminist Kip Rosser, and Greg Waltzer--joined Brain Statik, Xeroid Entity, and Hong Waltzer onstage for another fascinating set of improvisations that gained sustained applause and enthusiastic endorsements by the happy crowd. Once again, the Library provided a space where people from a wide array of backgrounds and interests could bridge C. P. Snow's two cultures of art and science, and learn something about both as well as their combination.

Will they be back? You bet; save Saturday night, March 15, for our spring equinox show! If that's too far away, make plans to visit during our open house and NJARC radio repair clinic on Saturday, January 19. Details will follow, but Brain Statik will be back, and Kip Rosser is a good bet to play the theremin. For now, let's thank them all for coming out, along with Library volunteers Sharon Chapman and Vrinda Kaimal for running the ticket booth and gift shop, and Dr. Rebecca Mercuri of the Princeton ACM/IEEE-CS group for making it all happen!

Welcome Back Grover's Mill Coffee Company!

We are pleased to announce that the Grover's Mill Coffee Company will once again be providing coffee during the dessert reception following this year's evening performance of the War of the Worlds, which will be held on October 27th.

Come for the performance....stay for the coffee!