A12 THE BULLETIN • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2021
Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2021
TODAY
THURSDAY
TONIGHT
HIGH
41°
LOW
23°
Intervals of clouds and sun
Rain and drizzle in the
a.m., then showers
ALMANAC
SATURDAY
44°
27°
45°
32°
Becoming cloudy
SUNDAY
42°
32°
Cloudy with snow showers
in the afternoon
MONDAY
51°
35°
Cloudy
TEMPERATURE
Yesterday Normal
Record
45°
44° 70° in 1977
32°
24°
-1° in 1956
PRECIPITATION
24 hours through 5 p.m. yesterday
0.00"
Record
0.53" in 1958
Month to date (normal)
0.28" (0.65")
Year to date (normal)
0.94" (2.18")
Barometric pressure at 4 p.m.
30.08"
SUN, MOON AND PLANETS
Rise/Set
Today
Thu.
Sun
7:01am/5:38pm 7:00am/5:39pm
Moon
9:55am/11:55pm
10:19am/none
Mercury 6:01am/4:12pm 5:57am/4:06pm
Venus
6:46am/4:46pm 6:45am/4:48pm
Mars
10:07am/12:54am 10:05am/12:53am
Jupiter
6:26am/4:14pm 6:23am/4:11pm
Saturn
6:06am/3:39pm 6:03am/3:35pm
Uranus 9:39am/11:34pm 9:35am/11:30pm
First
Full
Last
New
High: 53°
at Eugene
Low: 21°
at Crater Lake
Coos Bay
51/41
Cottage
Grove
50/36
Bandon
52/42
Port Orford
53/45
Feb 19
Feb 27
Mar 5
Mar 13
Tonight's sky: In the evening, the galaxy
M31 in Andromeda is visible high in the west.
Gold Beach
50/44
UV INDEX TODAY
10 a.m.
Noon
2 p.m.
4 p.m.
1
3
2
1
The higher the AccuWeather.com UV Index ™ number,
the greater the need for eye and skin protection. 0-2 Low,
3-5 Moderate; 6-7 High; 8-10 Very High; 11+ Extreme.
ROAD CONDITONS
For web cameras of our passes, go to
www.bendbulletin.com/webcams
I-84 at Cabbage Hill: Flurries during the
morning; otherwise, partly sunny today.
US 20 at Santiam Pass: Snow showers today;
an inch or less. Dry and cold tonight.
US 26 at Gov't Camp: A little snow at times
today; a coating to an inch.
US 26 at Ochoco Divide: Chilly today with
clouds, some sun and a fl urry or two.
ORE 58 at Willamette Pass: Mostly cloudy
today; a few snow showers. Fair and cold
tonight. Snow Thursday afternoon.
ORE 138 at Diamond Lake: A few snow
showers today then dry and cold tonight.
SKI REPORT
Medford
Ashland
46/38
53/43
Source: Jim Todd, OMSI
Beaver
Marsh
38/22
48/34
Brookings
Fort Rock
40/20
Burns
Riley 36/14
34/17
Christmas Valley
39/21
Silver
Lake
41/21
Klamath
Falls
Jordan Valley
33/15
Burns Junction
39/20
Rome
40/22
Fields
38/18
Lakeview
37/18
43/23
42/19
Juntura
40/18
Frenchglen
36/19
Paisley
40/22
Chiloquin
44/24
McDermitt
35/16
Yesterday
Today Thursday
Yesterday
Today Thursday
Yesterday
Today Thursday
City
Hi/Lo/Prec. Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W
City
Hi/Lo/Prec. Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W
City
Hi/Lo/Prec. Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W
Astoria
49/43/0.25 47/38/c 47/41/sh
La Grande
37/34/0.10 36/16/sf 34/30/sn
Portland
49/38/0.02 48/36/c 43/39/sh
Baker City
41/36/0.04 38/16/c 33/25/sn
La Pine
38/30/0.08 39/21/c 39/29/sn
Prineville
43/32/0.00 41/23/pc 39/34/sh
Brookings
50/41/0.09 53/43/c 49/43/r
Medford
53/40/0.03 48/34/pc 46/40/r
Redmond
44/35/0.00 42/22/pc 43/29/sh
Burns
40/30/Tr
36/14/pc 35/31/sf
Newport
48/43/0.09 47/40/c 48/43/r
Roseburg
51/42/0.25 50/37/c 48/42/r
Eugene
53/41/Tr
50/36/c 48/42/sh
North Bend
51/44/0.35 52/42/c 51/45/sh
Salem
52/39/0.07 49/35/c 46/41/sh
Klamath Falls
41/30/Tr
43/23/pc 39/32/sh
Ontario
45/26/Tr
42/19/pc 38/29/c
Sisters
41/32/0.04 41/23/c 43/35/r
Lakeview
38/28/Tr
37/18/pc 34/29/sn
Pendleton
39/22/0.07 36/21/pc 34/31/c
The Dalles
46/25/Tr
44/30/c 37/32/r
Weather(W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice, Tr-trace, Yesterday data as of 5 p.m. yesterday
NATIONAL WEATHER
-10s
-0s
0s
10s
20s
30s
40s
50s
60s
70s
80s
90s
100s
110s
NATIONAL
EXTREMES
YESTERDAY (for the
T-storms
Shown are today’s noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
Rain
Showers
Snow
Flurries
Ice
Warm Front
Stationary Front
Cold Front
Source: OnTheSnow.com
Cruise
told the Port Commission.
Will Isom, the port’s ex-
ecutive director, said he was
caught off guard by the length
of the cruise ship ban in
Canada, but that things can
change quickly.
“I think there’s a potential
that with the vaccine rollout
and other precautions that
may be put in place, that that
window may become shorter,”
he said. “But again, it’s hard to
project. There’s a lot unknown
moving forward.”
American Cruise Lines’ Columbia River fleet — including Queen of
the West, American Pride, American Song and American Harmony
— has homeported at North Tongue Point while the cruise season re-
mains in flux because of the coronavirus.
‘All potential avenues’
Alaska’s congressional del-
egation derided the length of
Canada’s ban, calling it unac-
ceptable.
“Upon hearing the an-
nouncement, we immediately
reached out to Canadian and
American agencies to try to
understand the rationale be-
hind this decision — particu-
larly the duration of the ban,”
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski,
U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan and
U.S. Rep. Don Young, Alaska
Republicans, said in a joint
statement. “We are exploring
all potential avenues, includ-
ing changing existing laws, to
ensure the cruise industry in
Alaska resumes operations as
soon as it is safe. We will fight
to find a path forward.”
Bruce Conner, the port’s
cruise ship marketer, said he
understands Canada’s deci-
sion. But he said it’s too soon
to say whether there will be a
cruise ship season this year.
“I believe there are some
options out there that we are
going to be able to, for fall
especially, find solutions for
the Canadian government to
amend its decision,” he said.
Conner said lawmakers
from Alaska and Washington
state are working with Cruise
Lines International Associ-
ation, a trade association, to
find compromises, such as
waivers to the federal Passen-
River cruises
The port was also supposed
to make more than $118,000
from 37 smaller river cruise
vessels docking at Pier 2. But
American Queen Steamboat
Co. canceled 29 of 34 visits by
its ship, the American Em-
press, to Pier 2 this year, eras-
ing three-quarters of the Port’s
river cruise revenue.
“If the restrictions get lifted,
I think we’ll have reservations
come in pretty quickly,” Tran-
sue said. “But at this point,
with the way the situation is, I
think we’re pretty much going
to stay at this point until that
changes.”
Isom pointed to the chal-
lenges river cruise ships face
operating in several counties
along Oregon and Washing-
ton state, often in different
stages of government restric-
tions.
“I think that could be a
challenge as we move forward
as well. Some jurisdictions are
going to be farther ahead, as
far as the vaccination process
and the level of virus outbreak
in those communities,” he
said. “That’s obviously going
to impact the ability of ports
to host a vessel. And along
with that, it’s hard to plan
around.”
Conner said the port, Or-
egon, Washington and other
ports upriver are planning
to discuss how to approach
the river cruise season this
spring. He said river cruise
companies are hoping to be
in a lower risk category than
oceangoing vessels because all
their vessels carry fewer than
250 people.
Grocery
an approach many epidemi-
ologists support as the most
ethical and efficient because
it will help reduce deaths and
hospitalizations faster. People
over 65 account for 80% of
deaths in the country, accord-
ing to the U.S. Centers for Dis-
ease and Control Prevention.
“Our main goals with vac-
cines should be reducing
deaths and hospitalizations,”
said William Moss, execu-
tive director of the Interna-
tional Vaccine Center at Johns
Hopkins University School
of Public Health. “In order to
do that, we need to begin vac-
cinating those at the highest
risks.”
But many grocery workers
have been surprised and dis-
heartened to find that they’ve
been left out of such policies,
in part because a CDC panel
had raised their expectations
by recommending the second
phase of the vaccine rollout
— 1B — include grocery and
other essential employees.
Even when grocery workers
are prioritized, they still face
long waits. New York opened
up vaccines to grocery work-
ers in early January, along
with other essential employees
and anyone 65 and over. But
limited supply makes booking
an appointment difficult, even
more so for the workers who
don’t have large companies or
unions to advocate for them.
Only 13 states are currently
allowing grocery workers to
sign up for vaccines, accord-
ing to the United Food and
Commercial Workers union,
which represents 1.3 million
U.S. grocery, meatpacking and
other front-line workers.
Some states are still work-
ing through an initial phase
that prioritizes health workers
and nursing home residents.
Many states have divided the
second phase into tiers that
put grocery workers lower
than others, including people
65 and over, teachers and first
responders. Eleven states have
no clear plan for prioritizing
grocery workers at all, accord-
ing to research from United
4 Respect, a labor group that
advocates for workers at
Walmart, Amazon and other
major retailers.
Oregon has not made gro-
cery or other essential workers
outside of health care settings
a priority, adding them into a
future category with the gen-
eral population and those of
all ages with underlying con-
ditions.
Continued from A11
Continued from A11
“Apparently we are not
front-line workers when it
comes to getting the vaccine.
That was kind of a shock,”
said Dawn Hand, who works
at a Kroger supermarket in
Houston, where she said three
of her co-workers were out
with the virus last week. She
watches others getting vac-
cinated at the in-store phar-
macy without knowing when
she’ll get her turn.
Texas is among several
states that have decided to
leave grocery and other essen-
tial workers out of the second
phase of its vaccination effort,
instead prioritizing adults over
65 and people with chronic
medical conditions.
Focusing on older adults is
NATIONAL
Yesterday
City
Hi/Lo/Prec.
Abilene
23/-4/0.07
Akron
21/19/0.25
Albany
34/22/0.75
Albuquerque
39/23/0.16
Anchorage
27/19/0.08
Atlanta
32/28/0.01
Atlantic City
52/33/0.57
Austin
25/6/0.00
Baltimore
48/35/0.84
Billings
21/6/0.03
Birmingham
29/16/Tr
Bismarck
14/-13/Tr
Boise
40/33/0.05
Boston
40/27/0.66
Bridgeport, CT 47/33/1.06
Buffalo
25/24/0.54
Burlington, VT
35/20/0.63
Caribou, ME
21/18/0.60
Charleston, SC 65/55/0.56
Charlotte
53/38/0.25
Chattanooga
30/23/0.01
Cheyenne
35/10/0.00
Chicago
20/6/0.15
Cincinnati
20/12/0.17
Cleveland
20/19/0.26
Colorado Springs 38/4/0.00
Columbia, MO
13/-8/0.02
Columbia, SC
54/46/1.14
Columbus, GA
38/27/Tr
Columbus, OH
20/17/0.25
Concord, NH
34/26/0.93
Corpus Christi
34/19/Tr
Dallas
20/-1/0.00
Dayton
18/12/0.20
Denver
38/-1/0.00
Des Moines
6/-17/0.00
Detroit
19/14/0.28
Duluth
13/-26/0.00
El Paso
49/23/0.02
Fairbanks
13/3/0.18
Fargo
2/-21/0.00
Flagstaff
39/25/0.16
Grand Rapids
19/7/0.32
Green Bay
19/3/0.00
Greensboro
51/34/0.68
Harrisburg
44/33/0.76
Hartford, CT
44/29/0.76
Helena
34/11/0.01
Honolulu
82/69/0.05
Houston
35/13/0.00
Huntsville
19/13/0.02
Indianapolis
19/9/0.13
Jackson, MS
30/14/0.03
Jacksonville
67/57/0.61
Today
Thursday
Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W
24/13/sn
28/12/s
23/19/c
30/21/sn
24/13/s
25/21/sn
37/18/pc
37/19/s
30/25/sf
31/10/c
51/41/pc 47/35/sh
34/32/s
39/36/sn
35/24/i
36/18/sn
36/28/s
33/31/sn
22/6/sn
25/14/pc
49/39/pc 46/27/sh
14/1/pc
18/-1/pc
37/19/pc
38/31/s
31/21/s
30/28/sn
33/23/s
31/29/sn
22/13/pc 28/22/sn
21/7/s
25/17/c
23/-1/s
18/-1/pc
55/47/pc
68/48/t
47/35/pc 40/35/sh
47/36/c
45/29/r
25/4/sn
25/9/s
21/14/c
26/12/sn
24/21/sn 30/15/sn
21/17/pc 28/21/sn
30/13/sn
26/6/s
20/7/sn
22/3/c
52/43/pc
46/41/r
53/45/pc
57/38/r
24/21/sn 32/18/sn
27/10/s
28/20/c
52/32/c
41/23/pc
27/20/sn
31/14/c
22/18/sn 29/14/sn
29/12/sn 31/14/pc
14/3/c
16/1/pc
21/13/pc 27/18/sn
11/1/pc
14/0/c
54/31/pc
48/27/s
17/-1/pc
8/-25/sn
8/-5/pc
13/-3/pc
32/13/pc
37/14/s
23/13/pc 25/11/sn
19/9/sn
25/10/c
43/30/pc 34/32/sn
32/25/s
32/29/sn
30/18/s
27/24/sn
26/7/sn
27/19/pc
81/71/c
80/70/sh
39/31/i
38/24/c
42/33/c
40/22/r
21/16/sn
26/7/sn
37/32/i
37/24/sh
58/52/sh
81/59/t
Amsterdam
Athens
Auckland
Baghdad
Bangkok
Beijing
Beirut
Berlin
Bogota
Budapest
Buenos Aires
Cabo San Lucas
Cairo
Calgary
Cancun
Dublin
Edinburgh
Geneva
Harare
Hong Kong
Istanbul
Jerusalem
Johannesburg
Lima
Lisbon
London
Madrid
Manila
50/43/sh
47/39/pc
76/54/pc
70/47/sh
87/76/pc
37/10/s
53/47/r
42/37/sh
68/48/c
40/33/r
79/66/pc
72/56/s
54/48/pc
22/2/pc
85/77/pc
49/38/pc
48/41/r
54/36/s
68/58/r
74/60/s
38/31/sf
40/38/sh
79/61/s
77/68/pc
62/54/pc
52/47/r
61/38/pc
87/75/pc
City
Juneau
Kansas City
Lansing
Las Vegas
Lexington
Lincoln
Little Rock
Los Angeles
Louisville
Madison, WI
Memphis
Miami
Milwaukee
Minneapolis
Nashville
New Orleans
New York City
Newark, NJ
Norfolk, VA
Oklahoma City
Omaha
Orlando
Palm Springs
Peoria
Philadelphia
Phoenix
Pittsburgh
Portland, ME
Providence
Raleigh
Rapid City
Reno
Richmond
Rochester, NY
Sacramento
St. Louis
Salt Lake City
San Antonio
San Diego
San Francisco
San Jose
Santa Fe
Savannah
Seattle
Sioux Falls
Spokane
Springfi eld, MO
Tampa
Tucson
Tulsa
Washington, DC
Wichita
Yakima
Yuma
Yesterday
Hi/Lo/Prec.
29/14/0.04
12/-10/0.01
18/8/0.39
63/50/0.00
15/13/0.17
3/-31/Tr
20/2/Tr
69/53/0.00
17/14/0.13
17/1/0.03
18/1/Tr
83/77/1.46
22/6/0.54
12/-13/0.00
18/11/0.03
35/25/0.00
51/32/0.82
51/32/0.85
69/40/0.56
11/-14/0.12
4/-23/0.00
74/64/0.35
76/49/0.00
13/0/0.15
51/33/0.75
72/52/0.00
30/27/0.46
32/26/0.60
56/31/0.60
60/41/0.63
4/-12/0.01
47/33/0.00
53/37/0.64
27/24/0.68
63/40/0.00
16/-3/0.04
38/32/0.26
30/12/0.00
64/57/0.06
58/49/0.00
57/44/0.00
35/19/0.13
61/56/0.03
51/38/0.17
0/-24/Tr
28/17/0.02
14/-14/Tr
69/64/0.16
66/47/0.00
13/-13/0.00
45/36/0.97
8/-16/0.00
38/9/Tr
75/51/0.00
Today
Thursday
Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W
37/32/sf
39/36/c
22/7/sn
21/3/pc
22/11/pc 25/12/sn
58/40/s
57/40/s
26/23/sn 31/15/sn
14/-2/pc
17/3/s
24/22/sn 33/15/sn
70/48/s
68/48/s
28/24/sn 33/15/sn
17/6/sn
22/5/c
27/24/sn 29/15/sn
82/75/pc 85/75/pc
23/16/c
26/13/c
11/4/sn
16/0/pc
35/30/c
35/18/sn
60/45/sh
49/34/c
32/25/s
30/29/sn
33/24/s
31/29/sn
37/33/s
43/38/r
22/8/sn
23/3/pc
13/1/c
16/5/pc
75/67/sh 84/68/pc
71/48/s
71/47/s
16/8/sn
20/1/c
33/26/s
32/30/sn
66/44/s
66/43/s
24/21/pc 30/24/sn
28/11/s
28/21/c
33/22/s
29/28/sn
46/30/pc
37/37/r
21/-1/pc
22/-1/s
43/24/s
51/37/c
41/28/s
37/34/i
24/13/pc 27/20/sn
63/36/s
62/48/pc
20/11/sn
23/5/c
35/23/sn
36/28/c
44/24/i
36/19/sn
65/49/s
69/48/s
61/45/s
61/52/pc
63/38/s
66/48/pc
33/13/c
33/11/pc
54/49/pc
73/50/t
47/36/c
44/41/r
9/-3/c
15/1/pc
31/18/c
33/28/sn
22/8/sn
23/8/c
75/69/r
81/67/s
62/34/s
61/38/s
26/11/sn
26/9/pc
37/29/s
36/31/sn
20/6/sn
25/7/s
43/26/s
35/26/sn
69/45/s
68/41/s
92/71/0.00
77/47/0.00
27/19/0.38
10/-11/0.20
82/61/0.00
84/75/0.00
82/56/0.00
50/36/0.11
26/18/0.12
18/18/0.40
54/43/0.08
82/73/0.02
52/27/0.00
68/55/0.00
84/66/0.36
31/30/0.29
30/16/0.03
55/37/0.00
88/75/0.00
27/5/0.00
78/63/0.28
80/62/0.36
68/49/1.11
61/49/0.00
19/12/0.13
46/37/0.08
36/24/0.18
30/18/0.00
81/59/pc
74/45/pc
16/5/s
19/0/c
82/58/pc
82/73/pc
79/54/pc
41/30/sf
29/25/sn
18/3/s
54/44/pc
86/76/t
56/38/sh
77/53/pc
84/68/t
30/23/sn
25/15/s
48/31/s
88/75/pc
25/16/sf
75/66/pc
63/55/sh
53/46/r
54/35/sh
25/13/pc
44/35/s
48/31/sh
33/17/sn
INTERNATIONAL
48 contiguous states)
National high: 87°
at West Palm Beach, FL
National low: -46°
at Ely, MN
Precipitation: 2.06"
at Vero Beach, FL
In inches as of 5 p.m. yesterday
Ski resort
New snow
Base
Anthony Lakes Mtn
5
0-48
Hoodoo Ski Area
3
0-85
Mt. Ashland
4
60-64
Mt. Bachelor
7
109-121
Mt. Hood Meadows
12
0-172
Mt. Hood Ski Bowl
12
54-73
Timberline Lodge
14
0-150
Willamette Pass
3
0-60
Aspen / Snowmass, CO
2
44-61
Mammoth Mtn. Ski, CA
0
75-120
Squaw Valley, CA
4
0-127
Park City Mountain, UT
10
50-55
Sun Valley, ID
2
87-104
Partly sunny, a couple of
showers possible
TRAVEL WEATHER
Hampton
35/19
39/21
Crescent
38/21
Roseburg
50/37
Grants
Pass
52/39
La Pine
Oakridge
46/32
52°
25°
A couple of showers
possible
Remaining cloudy
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
EAST: A few snow
Astoria
showers Wednesday;
47/38
Umatilla
Seaside
partial clearing at
Hood
40/25
47/37
night. Becoming
River
Rufus
Hermiston
cloudy Thursday;
Cannon Beach
40/30
40/23
41/28
Arlington
Hillsboro Portland
Meacham Lostine
47/37
snow late.
45/28
47/34 48/36
34/13
Wasco
34/11 Enterprise
Pendleton
The Dalles
CENTRAL: Mostly
Tillamook
32/10
37/26
36/21
Sandy
44/30
McMinnville
48/39
cloudy Wednesday;
Joseph
Heppner
La
Grande
45/35
Maupin
Government
47/36
snow showers, then
36/16
32/11
Camp
36/25 Condon 37/25
Union
Lincoln City
partial clearing at
37/24
33/25
36/16
Salem
47/41
Spray
night. Light snow
Granite
Warm Springs
49/35
Madras
40/22
Albany
31/16
Thursday afternoon.
Newport
Baker City
42/26
43/25
Mitchell
47/40
49/34
38/16
WEST: A morning
Camp Sherman
37/22
Redmond
Corvallis
John
Yachats
Unity
shower or two in the
41/25
42/22
50/35
Day
Prineville
36/16
northwest, then partly 47/41
Ontario
Sisters
41/23
Paulina
36/18
42/19
sunny Wednesday.
Florence
Eugene 41/23
Bend Brothers 36/19
Vale
Periods of rain
49/43
50/36
41/23
34/20
Sunriver
41/18
Thursday.
Nyssa
39/22
OREGON EXTREMES
YESTERDAY
TUESDAY
54°
33°
OREGON WEATHER
Bend Municipal Airport through 5 p.m. yest.
High
Low
FRIDAY
The Astorian
ger Vessel Services Act requir-
ing visits to foreign ports by
foreign-flagged vessels.
The association said there
have been more than 200 sail-
ings in Europe and Asia with
enhanced safety measures.
Cruise companies have agreed
to require testing, masks and
physical distancing and quar-
antine crews prior to trips.
50/37/0.29
37/30/0.45
75/68/0.06
80/57/0.00
91/75/0.00
33/20/0.00
66/57/1.59
41/28/0.17
68/45/Tr
34/18/0.01
75/63/0.00
75/54/0.00
58/55/0.06
23/-6/0.06
79/72/0.26
52/46/0.04
50/45/0.00
52/32/0.02
69/64/0.77
77/64/0.00
36/32/0.11
60/43/0.15
74/57/0.00
80/70/0.00
61/55/0.01
52/48/0.12
59/36/0.00
88/75/0.00
53/40/r
56/43/s
74/57/s
60/41/s
90/72/s
42/15/s
55/51/sh
46/37/pc
65/49/r
48/30/pc
86/71/s
74/54/s
60/51/pc
26/15/pc
86/74/pc
47/40/pc
47/38/r
56/40/pc
75/61/t
69/60/s
42/36/sn
45/42/sh
83/62/pc
76/66/c
61/53/sh
51/40/r
59/42/pc
85/73/pc
Coding
Continued from A11
Samaira later realized that
her experience was common
for people new to coding. They
“start with the hardest prob-
lems first, and that intimidates
them.” That’s why it’s so im-
portant to begin by learning the
basic concepts, she said.
With her father’s encourage-
ment, Samaira started again.
Eventually she was able to cre-
ate the app, which features a
disappearing on-screen button.
“That brought me a lot of joy,”
said Samaira, who lives in Santa
Clara, California.
When Samaira told her
friends about her love of coding
and encouraged them to try it,
they weren’t interested. Coding
was “scary” and “boring,” they
said.
But Samaira was determined
to change their minds. She
asked her friends what they
loved. Their answer? Games.
“Maybe I could put this cod-
ing thing into a board game,”
she recalled thinking, “and
somehow make it fun for my
friends.”
She began to sketch ideas for
a game featuring a bunny that
travels through a maze to eat
a carrot. In 2016, with support
from her parents and after a lot
of trial and error with design-
ers, Samaira introduced Coder-
Bunnyz, her first board game.
As Samaira shared the game
Taxis
Continued from A11
Hwang is leading the re-
search team, which includes
UCSD engineer Shirley Meng,
one of the nation’s foremost
battery experts, as well as col-
laborators from San Diego
State University, UC Davis,
Brigham Young University,
Aurora Flight Sciences and M4
Engineering.
Interest in urban air mobil-
ity has waxed and waned over
the years. It’s been on the up-
swing lately; United Airlines
announced last week that it
would buy 200 vertical take-
off-and-landing aircraft from
Archer in a deal that could be
worth up to $1 billion. Toyota
Mecca
Mexico City
Montreal
Moscow
Nairobi
Nassau
New Delhi
Osaka
Oslo
Ottawa
Paris
Rio de Janeiro
Rome
Santiago
Sao Paulo
Sapporo
Seoul
Shanghai
Singapore
Stockholm
Sydney
Taipei City
Tel Aviv
Tokyo
Toronto
Vancouver
Vienna
Warsaw
75/55/pc
76/42/s
23/15/pc
9/-5/s
83/58/pc
83/73/pc
80/54/pc
42/33/pc
36/32/sn
23/14/pc
57/39/r
84/75/t
59/42/s
77/54/s
85/67/t
32/26/sn
34/20/pc
49/35/s
88/76/pc
29/27/pc
76/69/sh
64/52/pc
59/50/sh
46/36/s
26/19/c
42/38/r
46/34/pc
25/14/s
with her friends, she saw their
attitudes about computer sci-
ence begin to change.
“They were starting to think
of it as something they could
enjoy,” she said.
After creating CoderBunnyz,
Samaira wanted to teach more
kids about coding. She asked
libraries about hosting work-
shops, but because she was so
young, “getting people to agree
to do things with me was a
huge challenge,” she said.
With time and persistence,
Samaira found people who be-
lieved in her. She began leading
workshops and developed a
successful track record.
Samaira invented two more
coding board games: Coder-
Mindz, which focuses on ar-
tificial intelligence, and Co-
derMarz, which shares facts
about Mars and space. She also
launched the “Yes, 1 Billion
Kids Can Code” initiative to
donate educational resources to
children around the world.
During the coronavirus pan-
demic, Samaira created Boss
Biz, an online program that
teaches kids how to start their
own business. About 200 peo-
ple have participated.
Whatever you choose to do
in life, having a basic coding
understanding will help you
succeed, said Samaira. “It gives
us that mind-set that we can
take any situation, analyze it,
and come up with the best po-
tential solution.”
and Airbus also are investing
in the field.
Ken Moelis, CEO of the in-
vestment bank Moelis and
Co., told CNBC that creating
aircraft involves essentially
refining what has already be
done with helicopters. People
are “adding the word electric
to it ... The technology exists.
There’s nothing to invent.”
But UCSD’s new NASA
grant expresses a different out-
look, saying that engineers are
going to have to do everything
from improving vertical take-
off-and-landing battery tech-
nology to making the taxis
quieter than helicopters and
ensure that they won’t suffer
catastrophic problems while
flying over urban areas.