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t m c » p u l s e | s e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 4 29 around them, and shows them what they're capable of." Walking amidst the controlled, chaotic energy of the Bright Futures Fair, children could be found entranced by the mysteries of the universe under the Discovery Dome, HMNS's portable, full-dome theater; descending into the depths of three different ecosystems at Discovery Camp's exhibit, an exten- sion of the Street Olympics' Traveling Naturalist Program; or learning about the lush variety of herbs, plants and vegetables present at the Harris County Horticulture Department booth. "A lot of these children who come from low income families don't really have the opportunities to participate in anything like this—for them it's a new experience," said Christina Hartman, a naturalist for Harris County Precinct One who works with Discovery Camp, a one-day summer program designed to teach young people about their relationship with nature. "They might have never been hiking before or had the opportunity to visit a park setting outside of the city limits. We just want them to have fun in nature and value that experience, hopefully fostering a respect for the things around them. We hope that they'll want to protect the environment." After five hours of competition, entertainment, free lunch and the energy of the Bright Futures Fair, the Olympic flame is extinguished, closing out the 28th year of the games. Tired but happy athletes, many of them wearing their medals, make an organized exit to go home to celebrate their day. "Today is all about repurposing our connec- tions, from the involvement of the Texas Medical Center to our partnership with NASA," concluded Lee. "That's what this simple event accomplishes, as we try and light a spark or plant a seed, in any- thing from music to science, to initiate a conversation and generate ideas that could lead young people to become any- thing from a pediatrician to a musician. Even if that spark of an idea won't man- ifest itself for a year to ten years, if we do that and that alone, then this mission will have been successful." left: (left to right) torchbearers Dylan martin, leo richardson, and lilly walton re-light the olympic flame that was originally lit at the June 13 opening ceremonies. it was extinguished at the conclusion of the final medal presentation. top: at the exhibit for harris county precinct one horticulture Department, students have the opportunity to learn about growing herbs, vege- tables and plants. Bottom: at the booth for the texas medical center, athletes are able to interact with a display that demonstrates different parts of the human anatomy.