Portable Planetarium

Dr. Robert Herrick, Associate Research Professor of Earth &
Planetary Remote Sensing, currently leads a team of volunteers who
deliver exciting digital presentations via the portable planetarium.

The University of Alaska Museum of the North and the UAF Geohysical Institute joined forces to bring the state's only digital portable planetarium to communities in Rural Alaska.

 

To arrange a presentation for your group contact Doreen Hayward at 474-1910 or doreen [dot] hayward [at] gi [dot] alaska [dot] edu (email Doreen here).

Elligible non-profit groups include:

Look below to learn more about our efforts to share space science with Alaskans of all ages.

 

School Presentations

Students enter the UAF Planetarium

Planetarium presentations are available for grades K-12th. Programs illustrating grade-specific concepts about stars, planets and space science are 20-40 minutes in length. Complementary classroom lessons are available.

CoCommunity Science Night

Picture of a Community Night Poster

As part of our visit, we offer an evening of fun and learning for the whole community.  Participants enjoy hands-on activities outside the dome and planetarium shows in the dome. 

Activities are led by local volunteers.

 

 

 

Activities include:

  • Van Gogh’s Starry Night
  • Solar System on a String
  • Constellation Tube
  • Glow in the Dark Poster
  • Build an Astrolabe

Communities Visited

Map of sites
Click picture to view larger map

We worked with grant partners and schools throughout the state to reach a wide range of geographic locations.  Communities visited include:

  • Anderson
  • Arctic Village
  • Barrow
  • Bethel
  • Cantwell
  • Cordova
  • Delta Junction
  • Dillingham
  • Elim
  • Fairbanks
  • Fort Yukon
  • Gambell
  • Glenallen
  • Haines
  • Healy
  • Kenai
  • Kenny Lake
  • Klukwan
  • Kodiak
  • Kotzebue
  • Lake & Peninsula School District
    • District academic meet held in Newhalen.
    • Participating students from 14 communities:
    • Chignik Bay, Chignik Lake, Chignik Lagoon, Egegik, Igiugig, Kokhanok, Levelock, Newhalen, Nondalton, Pedro Bay, Perryville, Pilot Point, Port Alsworth, Port Heiden
  • Little Diomede
  • Lower Kalskag
  • Minto
  • Nikiski
  • Nome
  • North Pole
  • Nuiqsut
  • Pitka's Point
  • St. Mary's
  • Salcha
  • Savoonga
  • Shishmaref
  • Sterling
  • Stony River
  • Teller
  • Tetlin
  • Togiak
  • Tok
  • Two Rivers
  • Unalakleet
  • Unalaska
  • Upper Kalskag
  • Valdez
  • Wrangell-St. Elias National Park Headquarters


UAF Planetarium In the News

NASA grant sends digital planetarium to rural Alaska (UAF, 11/14/08)

UAF to take planetarium on tour of rural Alaska (APRN, 11/21/08)

STARLAB Around the World: Alaska (STARLAB e-News, Spring 08)

Unalaska Students Get Unique Peek at Galaxy (APRN, 10/7/09)

Stargazers set for Science Night (Peninsula Clarion, 10/14/09)

Traveling stars and planets (Bristol Bay Times, 2/4/10)

‘NASA Days’ lets Alaska kids study the stars (Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, 2/23/10)

 

Planetarium Team

Project Investigator:

Dr. Robert Herrick, Associate Research Professor, Earth & Planetary Remote Sensing, UAF Geophysical Institute

Co-Investigator:

Dr. Laura Conner, Research Assistant Professor, College of
Natural Science & Mathematics, UAF (Former Head of Public Programs
& Education Director, UA Museum of the North)

Principal Educator:

Jennifer Arseneau, Education and Public Programs Manager, UA Museum of the North

Educators:

Chris Cannon
Kyle Campbell
Robin Davis
Jena Hecker
Patrick Joyce
Amy Rath

Consultant:

Joy Shockley, Cultural Program Director, Tanana Chiefs Conference

Evaluator:

Angela Larson, Goldstream Group

Collaborators:

Jennifer Carroll, College of Rural & Community Development, UAF
Dr. Jonathan Dehn, Geophysical Institute, UAF
Dr. Hajo Eicken, Geophysical Institute, UAF
Dr. Patricia Heiser, Geography Department, UAF
Dr. Dirk Lummerzheim, Geophysical Institute, UAF
Roger Topp, UA Museum of the North

Advisory Committee:

John Gallagher, Regional Starlab Educator; HS Science Teacher (WA); Mississippi State University  Instructor
Chris Johnson, Koniag Inc. Chairman; Information Management Corporation President (Seattle)
Stephanie Rudig, 5-6th Grade Gifted & Talented Teacher (Fairbanks)
Dr. Michael Sfraga, UAF Geography Program Director

Contact: outreach [at] gi [dot] alaska [dot] edu

For the Planetarium Community

Lesson Scripts (used with Starry Night Small Dome software)

 

Photos on this page by Roger Topp and Jennifer Arseneau