OCESS
The Name
The acronym for the full name of Spacesim. OCESS stands for Ottawa Carleton Educational Space Simulation. The name was changed from OBESS (Ottawa Board of Education Space Simulation) in 1998.
Description
The OCESS or "Space Sim" as it is commonly called, is a student run program based at Lisgar Collegiate Institute. Currently run by Admiral Magwood, the OCESS includes members from all grades and is dedicated to educating its members and others about space sciences and space exploration.
Re-Branding
In the 2001-2002 year, OCESS underwent some rebranding. Efforts were made to change the feeling of the group from a student club over to a non-profit organization. This effort met mixed results, but are most evident in the more professional website and the new logo.
Current status
Currently, Space Sim is run by Co-commanders Stephen Smith, Crystal Xiao, and Stefan De Young under the supervision of Admiral Magwood. The current membership stands at about roughly 20 to 25 members and they have hosted one EEP to date, this year.
Programs
Space Sim offers two educational programs, EEP and Planetarium to educate other students, both within Lisgar and without. These programs have been largely successfull in the past, though their demand has been steadily dropping due to lack of publicity. For its own members, Spacesim launches one 5-day simulated mission, as well as several smaller "training missions" per year. These, along with the maintanance and preperation activities carried out by all Space Sim members, educates them not only about space, but allows them to both learn and apply scientific concepts. Spacesim could change its name to "The SpaceSim and Engineering Club" without changing any of its inner workings!
