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Transcription: [00:08:03]
{SPEAKER name="Jane Shelby"}
I have been on several early morning alerts with the Moon Watch Team in New York City and I observed Sputnik with the Cambridge Massachusetts Moon Watch Team. I haven't seen Explorer yet, because it is too far south to be seen in New York, except under very unusual conditions.

[00:08:17]
{SPEAKER name="Jane Shelby"}
But I do hope I will have a chance of seeing the first US satellite before it comes down.

[00:08:22]
{SPEAKER name="Jane Shelby"}
As you may have guessed by now, astronomy is my main interest and I intend to make a career in research in astrophysics.

[00:08:29]
{SPEAKER name="Jane Shelby"}
I'm lucky enough to live in the time when space travel is just getting started. If possible, I'd like to take advantage of the exciting opportunities for astronomical research that will be available in the next few years.

[00:08:40]
{SPEAKER name="Jane Shelby"}
The Earth's atmosphere, useful though it is, is an awful nuisance to astronomers because it keeps out a very large proportion of the light from the stars. An airless place, such as a moon, would be an astronomer's paradise. I hope very much that I will be one of the lucky people to do research there.

[00:08:56]
{SPEAKER name="Allan Pestcoe"}
This is Allan Pestcoe, 17, of Miami Beach Senior High School.

[00:08:59]
{SPEAKER name="Allan Pestcoe"}
For 5 years we at Miami Beach have been using radioisotopes for student experimentation. We have worked in many fields: chemistry, biology, and physics. Some of the experiments we have done concern the chemistry of uranium, absorption of minerals by bacteria and molds, and removal of contaminated materials from surfaces.

[00:09:17]
{SPEAKER name="Allan Pestcoe"}
A large part of our work concerns botany. The experiments I reported on in my search paper concern the effects of herbicides, weed killers, on the absorption of sulphur in the leaves of plants, and the movement rates of both sulphur and phosphorus in leaves.

[00:09:30]
{SPEAKER name="Allan Pestcoe"}
A relatively large amounts of radioactive materials we use, for high school that is, require a rather elaborate radiation protection procedures. Having lead and concrete shields protects us from radioisotopes that emit gamma rays, very penetrating type of radiation.

[00:09:47]
{SPEAKER name="Allan Pestcoe"}
Less dense materials, such as glass, wood, plastic, and in some cases concrete, are used for handling radioisotopes emitting beta rays, a less penetrating type of radiation.

[00:09:57]
{SPEAKER name="Allan Pestcoe"}
Of course, we are very stringent in our protection procedures. We well recognize that radioisotopes are tools that must be handled with care. The laboratory of which I am the director has at present a staff of five students. Our program is designed to exceed the level of normal high school science and to give advanced training to receptive individuals.

[00:10:17]