UPCOMING EVENTS/SOCIALS

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 We will soon be seeking applications for the 2023 NGAA-East Scholastic Advancement Scholarship.  NGAA-East will award one or more scholarships in the sum of $500 each to deserving candidates referred by NGA employees and members of the National Geospatial-Inteligence Alumni Association-East Chapter (NGAA-East).  Please check this site later for further information.
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This article on Turner Farm Observatory has just been posted on the Sky and Telescope website:
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VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY AT SPY MUSEUM

Calling all SPY fans and intelligence experts! The International Spy Museum in Washington, DC is now recruiting volunteers to join their team. The International Spy Museum Volunteer Program advances the mission of the Museum by providing dependable service and being an approachable resource for guests, staff and the diverse Washington, DC community. Enjoy meeting new people? Love espionage? You may be a perfect fit for our program. Learn more about volunteering and apply online at https://www.spymuseum.org/support-spy/volunteer-program/.

Volunteer Opportunities

-Welcome guests and assist them in planning and organizing their visit.

-Answer guest questions at the Information Desk.

-Prepare groups for missions and educational programs.

-Surveil the permanent exhibit and engage guests during their visit, including demonstrating Radio Frequency Identification(RFID) technology. 

-Assist and manage the execution of Private Tours.

-Serve as the final touchpoint for guests in the Debriefing Center.

*Additional opportunities available with our Sales and Retail team.

Volunteer Benefits

-Uphold a long tradition of giving back to the local community.

-Provide a critical role in the guest experience.

-Positively impact the reputation of the International Spy Museum.

-Professional development opportunities and Museum sponsored field trips.

-Museum store discounts.

-Exclusive previews and tours of the new Spy Museum at L'Enfant Plaza.

-Two free tickets to the Museum per year.

-Annual Volunteer Appreciation Event.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out directly to Kia Hunter, Volunteer Manager, at khunter@spymuseum.org or 202-654-0957.

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NGAA- East Wine-Tasting and Picnic Lunch

NGAA members and guests, and all former NGA and heritage employees, are invited to participate at various times at Hiddencroft Vineyards outside Lovettsville, VA.  This charming winery (www.hiddencroftvineyards.com) was founded in May 2008 by husband and wife, Clyde and Terry Housel.  The couple, who came from long careers with NGA and its predecessors, began planting their vineyard in 2001 and were grape-growers first.

The Housel’s decided from the beginning that they would focus on producing grapes, and then wines, of superior quality. Clyde, who is the winemaker and largely self-taught, is doing just that. Hiddencroft wines are approachable and readily drinkable. The red wines see plenty of barrel time…between 22 and 42 months. The whites are complex and show the characteristics of the terroir…fruit, flowers and spice.

The event usually starts at noon.  A picnic lunch, consisting of cold lunch meats, cheeses, bread/buns, prepared fruit and veggie trays, chips and dips, and water/soda, is usually served. The cost is  around $20 per person which includes the wine-tasting fee and picnic lunch. It is about a 50-minute drive from Tysons Corner via the toll road without traffic.

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NGAA Oral History Program.

The first in this series of oral history interviews is with three people who worked closely with the renowned geodesist, Dr Irene Fischer.

Irene Fischer was a renowned AMS geodesist who redefined the ellipsoid (Fischer 1968) and had a significant role in developing today’s World Geodetic System. She died in 2009 at the age of 102, after an extraordinary life that included escaping from the Nazis in 1939. NGA’s East Campus Learning Center is named in her honor. Yet, when cited at the Library of Congress Symposium on Women in Mapping in March 2015, many important current practitioners and academicians attending had not heard of her. That led to an East Chapter decision to locate and interview several people who had worked with her. Listening to these interviews with THELMA ROBINSON, and ERICH RUTSCHEIDT and BERNIE CHOVITZ (Part One) (Part Two) will give you some insight into Irene Fischer, the scientist and the person. Then you may want to locate and read her book “Geodesy, What’s That? My Personal Involvement in the Age-old Quest for the Size and Shape of the Earth with Running Commentary of Life in a Government Research Office”, published in 2005.  This is a PHOTO of Bernie Chovitz, the principal interviewee, taken on the occasion of the Fall 2015 NGAA-E luncheon at NCE. Bernie, with his boss Dr O'Keefe, hired Dr. Fischer into AMS, collaborated in her initial research, and, following her retirement, assisted in getting her memoir published.  (Photo courtesy of NGA.)

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For important information regarding the suspected hacking of Federal personnel records check out this message from the National Association of Retired Federal Employees: http://www.narfe.org/departments/home/articles.cfm?ID=3835