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       '''Why aren't all people who enter the program to become astronauts ?'''
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       '''What is different about this graduation ceremony from other graduation ceremonies?'''
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       '''Use two details from the passage to support your response.'''
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       '''Use one details from the passage to support your response.'''
  
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'''<h4>Thousands Apply to Become NASA Astronauts</h4>'''
 
  
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'''<h4>Robots Help Japanese Students "Attend" Graduation Ceremony</h4>'''
  
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<br><br>In early March, the US space agency NASA  asked people who wanted to become astronauts to apply. Over 12,000 people applied, showing that interest is still very strong in the US space program.
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BY MEERA DOLASIA
  
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<br><br>As children, many people dream of becoming an astronaut. But the number of people who actually make it into space is quite small. Since the 1960s, only 350 men and women have been chosen for NASA’s astronaut training. Currently, NASA has 48 astronauts.
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<br><br>Japan has always been at the forefront of robotic technology. Over the years, the androids have been deployed to work in banks, run hotels, and even serve as personal assistants to the elderly. Now, in what is being hailed as an "industry first," a Tokyo university has used avatar robots to enable students to "attend" their graduation ceremony without leaving home
  
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<br><br>Between March 2 and March 31, 12,000 people applied to become NASA astronauts. That’s almost a record. In 2017, over 18,000 people applied. But this time NASA is requiring higher levels of education. They also gave people half as much time to apply.
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<br><br>Professor Shugo Yanaka, Dean of Global Business Administration at Business Breakthrough University (BBT), came up with the brilliant idea after the coronavirus pandemic forced them to rethink the in-person spring graduation ceremony. He told Euronews Living, "We knew that there were lots of students who would like to attend the graduation ceremony but wouldn't be able to do so due to Coronavirus concern. I suddenly came up with an idea of the Avatar Graduation Ceremony."
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<br><br>The event, which was held at Tokyo's Hotel Grand Palace on March 28, 2020, started with university president Kenichi Omae delivering an uplifting commencement speech to the students attending via video-conferencing platform Zoom. Then began the virtual graduation ceremony.
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<br><br>Not everyone who is accepted into the program is certain to become an astronaut. There are many challenging parts to the astronaut training, and the candidates must successfully complete them all.
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<br><br>Each time a student's name was called out by a moderator, one of the two remotely operated "Newme" avatar robots, dressed in graduation caps and gowns, motored to the podium to accept the diploma from the president. The graduate was able to experience the event, and hear the handful of school staff in attendance clap and shout-out their "congratulations," via a digital tablet attached to each Newme's head. Once Mr. Omae had placed the certificate on a rack, mounted on the Newme's midsection, the beaming students remotely posed with him for an official graduation photo.
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<br><br>Following the groundbreaking ceremony, a graduate of BBT University who graduated via Newme said, "When I enrolled, I never thought I would operate my avatar and attend the graduation ceremony. However, receiving a diploma in public is a novel experience."
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<br><br>The new class of astronauts will be the second under NASA’s new space program, Artemis. The goal of the Artemis program is to put people back on the moon by 2024. NASA hopes to use what it learns during the moon exploration to help with its larger goal of sending people to Mars by 2030.
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<br><br>Once the COVID-19 pandemic is over, Newme creator ANA Holdings has plans to deploy the slim, 4.9-foot (1.5-meter) tall machine to "travel" to destinations worldwide on behalf of humans. The company believes it will enable business people to attend meetings remotely, allow people with mobility issues to go on "vacation," and help doctors treat critically-ill patients in hard-to-reach places, such as Antarctica or the space station. The robots could also enable experts to access disaster-stricken areas or war zones without endangering themselves.

Revision as of 00:23, 16 April 2020

Hello Students, read the below article then on your own webpage on www.goodtoknow.com, write a short constructed response using "R-A-C-E-" as instructed in class.


      What is different about this graduation ceremony from other graduation ceremonies?
      Use one details from the passage to support your response.


Robots Help Japanese Students "Attend" Graduation Ceremony

BY MEERA DOLASIA



Japan has always been at the forefront of robotic technology. Over the years, the androids have been deployed to work in banks, run hotels, and even serve as personal assistants to the elderly. Now, in what is being hailed as an "industry first," a Tokyo university has used avatar robots to enable students to "attend" their graduation ceremony without leaving home



Professor Shugo Yanaka, Dean of Global Business Administration at Business Breakthrough University (BBT), came up with the brilliant idea after the coronavirus pandemic forced them to rethink the in-person spring graduation ceremony. He told Euronews Living, "We knew that there were lots of students who would like to attend the graduation ceremony but wouldn't be able to do so due to Coronavirus concern. I suddenly came up with an idea of the Avatar Graduation Ceremony."

The event, which was held at Tokyo's Hotel Grand Palace on March 28, 2020, started with university president Kenichi Omae delivering an uplifting commencement speech to the students attending via video-conferencing platform Zoom. Then began the virtual graduation ceremony.

Each time a student's name was called out by a moderator, one of the two remotely operated "Newme" avatar robots, dressed in graduation caps and gowns, motored to the podium to accept the diploma from the president. The graduate was able to experience the event, and hear the handful of school staff in attendance clap and shout-out their "congratulations," via a digital tablet attached to each Newme's head. Once Mr. Omae had placed the certificate on a rack, mounted on the Newme's midsection, the beaming students remotely posed with him for an official graduation photo.

Following the groundbreaking ceremony, a graduate of BBT University who graduated via Newme said, "When I enrolled, I never thought I would operate my avatar and attend the graduation ceremony. However, receiving a diploma in public is a novel experience."

Once the COVID-19 pandemic is over, Newme creator ANA Holdings has plans to deploy the slim, 4.9-foot (1.5-meter) tall machine to "travel" to destinations worldwide on behalf of humans. The company believes it will enable business people to attend meetings remotely, allow people with mobility issues to go on "vacation," and help doctors treat critically-ill patients in hard-to-reach places, such as Antarctica or the space station. The robots could also enable experts to access disaster-stricken areas or war zones without endangering themselves.