2023 Archive
2023
2023 Dec 22 - Building Diverse Collaborations, led by Jean Creighton. To make planetarium theaters more inclusive spaces, we are encouraged to develop meaningful, long-lasting partnerships in our communities. Jean discusses three such collaborations that they have built at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Planetarium co-creating content with (1) six Nations of Wisconsin to highlight Indigenous cultures and languages of Wisconsin; (2) African American community leaders and artists as well as UWM African employees and students to share cultural perspectives and experiences; and (3) the Student Muslim Association and the Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition to highlight the many important Islamic connections to the sky. These partnerships build over time and are wonderful ways to grow both professionally and personally. Jean Creighton got her BSc in Physics at the University of Athens, Greece, Masters Degree in Astronomy at Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, PhD in astrophysics at the University of Waterloo, Ontario. She has been teaching astronomy at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) since 1999 where she has been Director of the UWM Planetarium since 2007. Watch the video.
2023 Nov 17 - Teaching in Italy and the Lessons I Learned. Originally selected to teach astronomy in 2020 as part of the longstanding "An Experience in Italy" initiative, Andy Kreyche finally was able to go as the program resumed post-Covid. Giving lessons in astronomy to high school students and leading teacher workshops in another country confirmed some expectations, and shattered others. Being in Italy for the first time gave Andy new perspectives on kindness, artistry, and permanence. In this travelog-style seminar Andy visits a school in Assisi, a Franciscan convent in the countryside, historic Ravenna, and an observatory perched high above a valley in the foothills of the Alps. Andy Kreyche has worked in planetariums of various sizes and configurations, with presentation style informed by hands-on activities. Andy is an inaugural board member of LIPS (Live Interactive Planetarium Symposium) and is active in the Santa Cruz (California) Chapter of DarkSky International. Watch the video. Read th chat.
2023 Oct 27 - Pointerology. A pointer is a little thing that can make a big difference. John Erickson (The Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley, CA) presents a review of different pointers and how they work, with a discussion of the pros and cons of each. Seminar participants show-and-tell their favorite pointers, commercial & home-made, and share best techniques for using pointers in the planetarium. John introduces planetarium tools including a new pointer meant to embody the best pointer features developed with the help of a PPA mini grant. See building instructions for this pointer, including sources for all the parts and a model for 3D printing the body. John also shares lessons he learned during the development process. For more than 30 years, John Erickson led programs for students, teachers, and the public, did curriculum development, and in later years was the planetarium director. Watch the video. Read the chat. See also Dome-L Discussion: Which pointer is best? on the IPS website.
2023 September 29 - Activities for the Centennial of the Planetarium. No Seminar Leader, but Michael McConville, IPS President, gave us a brief tour of the Planetarium Centennial website (https://planetarium100.org/). We had a broad ranging discussion and brainstorming about what our planetariums do in celebration of the Centennial of the Planetarium. In particular brainstormed possible audience activities that can raise awareness of planetarium visitors about planetarium lore. This seminar is intended to complement the October 21 launch of the Centennial years (see Centennial of the Planetarium website). Watch the video. Read the chat.
2023 August 25 - Professional Development for an Early Career Planetarian. Ellen Torres Thompson (she/they) graduated from U.C. Berkeley in 2021 with a B.A. in Astrophysics and South & Southeast Asian Studies. Since completing her studies at Cal, Ellen has taken on the role of Planetarium Lead Educator at The Lawrence Hall of Science, where she develops and presents live interactive programs, as well as trains and supervises student staff. This past June, Ellen attended the Stars For All planetarium conference in Kingsport, Tennessee, where she largely expanded her professional network and collected a wealth of exciting ideas to take home to the Hall. In this presentation, Ellen recaps her experience of SfA, emphasizing the importance of such development opportunities for early career professionals. Additionally, she describes Planetarium Pilots, a new guest-driven planetarium experience which she presented on at the conference. Watch the video. Read the chat.
2023 July 28 - Two North American Solar Eclipses in Two Consecutive Years! Jim Todd, Director of Space Science Education at the Oregon Museum of Science & Industry (OMSI) and the president of the Rose City Astronomers Club, helps you prepare for the 2023 Annular Solar Eclipse and 2024 Solar Eclipse! The annular eclipse this year is the second of three notable solar eclipses viewable from the US. It follows the US total eclipse of August 2017 and comes six months before the North American total eclipse of April 2024. On October 14, 2023, annularity, where the Sun forms a 'ring of fire' around the Moon, is visible along a narrow path that crosses from Oregon to Texas.Portland observes an 86% partial eclipse at 9:19 AM (Pacific Time). The Great North American Total Solar Eclipse takes place on April 8, 2024. The narrow path of totality runs through central Mexico, the eastern United States, and eastern Canada. A partial eclipse visible across nearly all of North America. Portland observes a 22% partial eclipse at 11:25 AM. Solar viewing glasses are required for both viewings! Where are you in 2023 and 2024 and how can your planetarium serve your community best? Watch the video. Read the chat.
2023 May 26 - Show and Tell: Free Image Processing Programs for Educators. Planetarian peers discussed some free open source graphics editing and image processing programs. We shared tips and tricks that you can use in different programs. We started GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) and Krita. We talked about how to use image processing to create engaging content, effective web/marketing materials, and educational lesson plans for students. It was for all ranges from beginners interested in seeing what is possible, to intermediates looking to improve their workflow, to experts who are willing to share their knowledge. Moderated by Jeff Nee at the Museum & Informal Education Alliance. Watch the video. Read the chat.
2023 Apr 28 - Fundamentals of Visual Storytelling. Seminar leader: Michael McConville. This seminar provides a primer for understanding how our audiences experience and interpret information. Our choices of color, position, relationships, and context can make good shows great and great shows extraordinary. We walk through numerous examples of how proper visual storytelling can make even the most complicated concepts and data sets easier to understand, and we’ll spend time during the workshop sharing some best practices and working through some visualization decisions as a group. Michael McConville is the president of the International Planetarium Society, founder of the Dome Dialogues online forum, and the director of customer outreach for E&S and Spitz. Watch the video. Read the chat.
2023 Mar 31 - 23 Years of K-8 Under the Dome. Seminar leader: Jeremy Amarant. I was hired to run the Palmdale School District's SAGE Planetarium just over 23 years ago. At the time, it was a new facility that had only been open one year. Pretty much everything from there has been a huge learning curve and I have learned to surf that wave. Hear about my journey and what I have learned along the way. Whether it is building a planetarium program for covid, or designing a science bus, you are guaranteed to gain some insight into surviving and thriving in a K-8 environment. Watch the video. Read the chat.
2023 Feb 24 - Planetarium Marketing Tips and Tactics. Karrie Berglund workshop leader. In this interactive workshop, we explore and share ideas for marketing your planetarium programs. We discuss the following: What is marketing anyway? What are some strategies to consider when putting together a marketing plan? What tactics have other planetarians found to be successful or unsuccessful? Karrie also shares some insights on an overarching philosophy that has worked for Digitalis Education Solutions in marketing their products. Karrie Berglund is Director of Education, Marketing Director, and co-founder of Digitalis. She is a former planetarian starting out in a Starlab for Pacific Science Center (PSC) Science On Wheels program, and overseeing the Willard Smith Planetarium at PSC for about a year before starting Digitalis in January, 2003. She is also chief instigator for the Live Interactive Planetarium Symposium (LIPS). Watch the video. Read the chat.
2023 Jan 27 - NASA Artemis Mission in Planetarium Programs. NASA plans to land the first woman and the next man on the surface of the Moon with NASA's Artemis missions. Then, we will use what we learn on and around the Moon to take the next giant leap - sending astronauts to Mars. Presenter: Patricia Moore, NASA's Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate's Outreach Strategist. Watch the video; Read the chat.