Circle Practice: Stories of Organizational Change, Relationships and Community

This project explores the impacts of an organizational development process in a non-profit domestic and sexual violence program. The organizational changes documented in this initiative illuminate a disconnect between the process for organizational development and the quality of relationships among staff and the larger community. This project also explores the practice of Circle as a sacred gift from Indigenous peoples that has the capacity for creating individual, organizational, and community transformation in ways that can bring healing, love, authenticity and belonging to other initiatives working to end violence. The experiences from this project have led to a further exploration of how organizations might embody their core values and align with their mission, while examining the implications and applications of these insights on non-profit social change organizations

Thermally stable deployable structure

A deployable structure which meets stringent thermal and strength requirements in a space environment was developed. A mast with a very low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) was required to limit the movement from thermal distortion over the temperature range of -200 C to 80 C to .064 cm (.025 in). In addition, a high bending strength over the temperature range and weight less than 18.1 kg (40 lbs) was needed. To meet all of the requirements, a composite, near-zero CTE structure was developed. The measured average CTE over the temperature range for the mast was .70 x .000001/C (.38 x .000001/F). The design also has the advantage of being adjustable to attain other specific CTE if desired