IS 72 SI at Tibetan Museum March 1

Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art
338 Lighthouse Avenue
Staten Island, NY 10306

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Meg Ventrudo
February 21, 2008 718-987-3500
mventrudo@tibetanmuseum.org


I.S. 72 LEGO ROBOTICS TEAM GIVE TIBETAN MUSEUM AN ECO-FRIENDLY MAKEOVER
DISPLAY OF PRIZE WINNING PROJECT TO BE HELD AT MUSEUM
Saturday, March 1, 3:00pm
Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art
Free with Regular Admission: $5 Adults, $3 Students/Seniors – light refreshments

STATEN ISLAND – Students from the I.S. 72 Rocco Laurie School Robotics Team will present their prize winning research project at the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art on Saturday, March 1st. The Museum’s buildings, designed in the style of an Himalayan mountain monastery, were given an “Energy Makeover” in honor of the Museum’s recent 60th anniversary. The students were challenged by the need to preserve the authentic integrity of the Museum as well as to make it energy efficient.

The project which began with an energy audit of the Museum’s two fieldstone buildings, included proposals for solar power, windmills, and double paned, energy efficient windows. “We estimated that the new windows would save the Museum 25 – 50% on their heating bills,” said team member Heather Platt (age 12). Other team members are Thalia Collazo, Eileen Diih, Kevin Sheridan, John Guarco, Matthew Cassidy, Andrew Neil, Louis Matrone, Nicholas Anderson, Mayuran Sivakumar. The team is coached by Randi Huss, Olympia DiSpigna, and David Colasanto.
The students placed first in the Borough Wide Robotics Tournament held at Staten Island Technical High School in December and placed fifth in the city-wide finals out of a field of 80 teams.
The program begins at 3:00pm and light refreshments will be served. The program is free with regular museum admission.

The Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art was founded in 1945 to foster the interest, study, and research of Tibetan art and culture. The Museum furthers its mission through exhibitions, educational programs and publications. Public programs at the Museum are funded, in part, by funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Located at 338 Lighthouse Avenue, the Museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 1:00pm – 5:00pm. For further information, please call 718-987-3500 or visit the website at www.tibetanmuseum.org.