“Seeing Light in the Darkness: Educating the Audience in the Year of the Eclipse”

When: May 19, 2017
Host: Indiana University Planetarium (IUP)
Contact: Ken Coles, kcoles@iup.edu

You are invited to attend the planetarium mini conference at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) in Indiana, PA. The theme for the meeting is inspired by the total solar eclipse that will cross the U.S. in August. Presentations or demonstrations involving any sort of teaching in the planetarium (formal or informal, whether related to the 2017 solar eclipse or not) are invited.

The IUP planetarium has a 30-foot dome, 74 seats, and a venerable Spitz A3P projector that will be celebrating its 50th year in May.

In addition to sharing of presentation and teaching ideas (9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.), the evening includes a star party at the Mingo Creek Observatory of the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh, about a 75 minute drive southwest from IUP. This facility includes a small planetarium that is an integral part of star parties (rain or shine!), an informal education setting that will be of interest to conference participants. Telescopes include a 10-inch refractor and a 24-inch RitcheyChrétien. We will carpool to this location and return to Indiana, PA, or you may drive on your own.

Thanks to support from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, there is no cost to those attending the conference. Meals (and lodging, if needed) will be on your own; we will provide a list of nearby hotels and places to eat.