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We were thrilled and honored to have Senator Barack Obama visit Vernier today. It was a private event for Vernier employees and the press. Senator Obama’s comments were about the economy. He then answered our questions about NCLB, how to better fund education, how to make college more affordable, etc. It was exciting from the moment the secret service arrived to the time he and the press left.

Christine got a phone call on Wednesday night, May 7th, asking if we would be interested in hosting Obama at Vernier. Well, yes, we would! The Obama advance staff came out to the office an hour later and looked over the office. They said we were in the running and that they would call that night. No call. The next morning, they called and said we were it. We had 24 hours to get ready. The staff came out with a Secret Service guy dressed in a black suit and looking like the Secret Service. He walked the office with our newly-appointed Head of Security (David Vernier) and all the plans were made. We were not allowed to tell anyone, not even our employees. (Of course some suspected something, especially when the fancy flagpoles and six large American flags arrived.). About a dozen Obama staff arrived at 4:30 pm Thursday and they worked until 8:30 pm, setting up seating, special lighting, and a powerful sound system. They set up two stages with drapery and flags for the press to conduct interviews.

Sound and lighting equipment setup.

Press stage in the gym.

The morning of the event, 10 Secret Service people and the Obama staff arrived, along with a ton of police officers. They kicked us all out of the building for an hour so they could check it with dogs. The press were milling around outside asking us questions. (Amazingly, it wasn’t raining.) There were about five huge press satellite trucks in our parking lot and some people lining up on the street. The word had gotten out.

Setting up a satellite signal from our parking lot.

We had to evacuate the building for an hour and had sniffer dogs search the building.

We filed back into the office through a metal detector–employees only. We were all set up in the main lobby of our building. The press were then allowed in–about 7 big cameras and 75 press people. (It was pretty crowded in our lobby!) Senator Obama arrived on a bus and chatted with both of us for a little while. We also met his brother-in-law, who is the new basketball coach for Oregon State University. We talked about our company, our basketball court (Barack likes basketball), our green building, the company culture, etc. Then we walked in with him to where all the employees were sitting.

Only one entrance was opened, with security guards and a metal detector.

The press surrounded us with their microphones, cameras, and camcorders.

One of our tech support people, Verle Walters, introduced him, and then Senator Obama gave a 20 minute speech about the economy. Our employees asked some really good questions–about education, health care, his running mate, etc. Obama was just as we expected: smart, funny, and so gracious to our employees. He shook hands, signed autographs, and had pictures taken with everyone who wanted to do so.

Vernier tech support specialist Verle Walters introduced Senator Barack Obama.

Obama spoke about current issues and answered our questions.

Obama finished his visit with us by shaking hands, signing autographs, and taking pictures.

He then went into our small conference room (set up with flags and a backdrop) for individual press interviews. He was here for another hour or so doing those. Again, the press were milling around interviewing us and getting statements. He thanked the two of us again as he left and we had our picture taken with him. We even got him to sign a LabQuest.

Wow, what a day!
Christine & Dave Vernier

Read more about Obama’s vist:

• Oregonlive.com
• Portland Tribune
• Willamette Week

We are pleased to announce the 2008 Vernier/NSTA Technology Award Winners. The winners are awarded for their innovative use of data-collection technology using a computer, graphing calculator, or other handheld in the science classroom.

Read the synopsis of the winners’ submissions »

Elementary
Allison Needham
5th Grade Teacher
J. B. Watkins Elementary School
Midlothian, VA

Middle School
Mary Cook
8th Grade Science Teacher
Roosevelt Middle School
Glendale, CA

Sherlynn Davis
Science Teacher
Crossroads Second Chance-North
Roswell, GA

High School
Steve Ahn
Science Teacher
Watauga High School
Boone, NC

Rebecca Runnels Morrison
Science Teacher/Administrator
Runnels High School
Baton Rouge, LA

Danielle Spaete
Physics Teacher
Pleasant Valley High School
Bettendorf, IA

College
Irina Lyublinskaya
Associate Professor
College of Staten Island
Staten Island, NY

The Vernier LabQuest just received a wonderful review in MultiMedia & Internet@Schools, an educational publication. The review gave the LabQuest a 5-Star rating (out of 5) with the following grades:

• Installation: A
• Content/Features: A
• East of Use: A
• Product Support: A+

“Students will enjoy using LabQuest…. I was impressed by the rugged construction. This is definitely a tool that will last, which makes it an excellent buy—especially with today’s tight funding…. I have no doubt that LabQuest is going to get plenty of use in my classroom. I would highly recommend it for every classroom that is serious about engaging students in meaningful scientific investigations.”

Multimedia & Internet @ Schools
Sally Finley
Country Hills Elementary School
Coral Springs, Florida

Read the full review »
Learn more about the Vernier LabQuest »

Our 2008 catalog is on the way to our customers now. Check out these featured items that are new for 2008:

• Environmental Science Book
• LEGO NXT Sensor Adapter
• Redesigned CO₂ Gas Sensor

If you are already on our mailing list, you will receive a copy soon. If not, sign up on our mailing list or download the catalog PDF.

We are pleased to announce the release of Logger Pro 3.6. It is available now for download, and CDs are in production.

New Features for Logger Pro 3.6

• Vernier LabQuest Support
• Mac OS X 10.5 Support

New Features for Logger Pro 3.5

• Microsoft Windows Vista support
• Improved Spectrometer support for Intel-based Macs
• Support for additional GPS models
• Auto Graph Match Generator

Download the update or learn more about Logger Pro 3.

Looking for professional development? Registration is now open for our Spring workshops! Join us for free hands-on, 4-hour workshops for science and math educators. 78 locations nationwide. Graduate credit is available.

KLEW-TV recently interviewed University of Idaho’s Chemistry Chairman, Ray von Wandruszka, about how the Vernier LabQuest is the ‘iPod for science geeks.’

Watch the video clip »

We are pleased to announce the release of Logger Pro 3.5. It is available now for download, and CDs are in production.

New Features for Logger Pro 3.5

• Microsoft Windows Vista support
• Improved Spectrometer support for Intel-based Macs
• Support for additional GPS models
• Auto Graph Match Generator

New Features for Logger Pro 3.4.6

• Universal Binary supports Intel Macs
• Time offset curve fits
• Supports more Bluetooth radios
• Import data from other Logger Pro files to compare data from multiple files.

Download the update or learn more about Logger Pro 3.