Also, please share my academy idea in any other ways that seem fitting, either on your website or elsewhere:
http://steven-a-sylwester.blogspot.com/2009/11/nasa-academy-of-physical-sciences-obama.html

As I state in my document, the original incarnation of my academy idea was named “Linus Pauling Academy of the Physical Sciences,” which is a name that I will go back to if NASA rejects me. The NASA fit is so perfect for the idea that I made the name change to “NASA Academy of the Physical Sciences,” but I did preserve the Linus Pauling tribute in the very important senior year Colloquy, which very specifically honors Linus Pauling, and which awards The Linus Pauling Medal to those young scholars who most exemplify the characteristics for which Linus Pauling earned his 1962 Nobel Peace Prize: coupling scientific insight with tenacious grit in the difficult political process of effecting positive change.

Though I am proud of my academy idea in its entirety, I am especially proud of the Colloquy honoring Linus Pauling. I believe the Colloquy will be the most inspiring and life-changing learning experience of all for some academy scholars, and I look at it as something Linus Pauling would be proud to have his name on. Being awarded The Linus Pauling Medal at a “NASA Academy of the Physical Sciences” will be a high distinction that will certainly earn some academy scholars significant university scholarships.

If you have not read through the Colloquy description in my document, please do so. And then remember back to being in high school. The academically-minded high-achieving grade-driven student who will be the typical academy scholar will be entirely flummoxed by the Colloquy in the beginning, because all of the usual motivations are gone: it is Pass / No Pass with no need whatsoever to please or impress the teacher, but with every need to impress and influence peers with clear thinking, precise articulation, and persuasive argument in achieving a growing agreement toward a common goal of identifying and advancing an idea for the good of humanity.

A careful read of the Colloquy description reveals the telling endgame decision that will seriously challenge some academy scholars: Do you abandon the growing consensus of the group effort when the rules allow you to revert to being a lone wolf again, or do you stick with the group effort (even if only in a supportive role) to make the shared solution the best that it can be?

In the world of ideas, there are those who create, invent, or form ideas, and there are those who make ideas happen — the doers. The idea people need the doers more than the doers need the idea people; the doers can muddle on because they will always accomplish something in the process, but the idea people and their ideas will die lonely deaths if they cannot persuade the doers to actually make things happen. The Colloquy will identify both the idea people and the doers, and sometimes the doers will be those who are most deserving of praise and recognition — and should be those who sometimes receive The Linus Pauling Medal for their efforts.

Again, I think Linus Pauling would be proud.

Steven A. Sylwester