June 2015 Journal of the International Planetarium Society - Vol. 44, No. 2 - Data visualization focus - starts on
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Vol. 44, No. 2 June 2015
Journal of the International Planetarium Society
Data visualization focus - starts on Page 26
Articles
June 2015 Vol. 44 No. 2 8 A Guide to Conducting Educational Research in the Planetarium
Julia D. Plummer, Shannon Schmoll, Ka Chun Yu, Chrysta Ghent
Executive Editor 26 Specialized teams create compelling animations to visualize
Sharon Shanks
stories of science Judith Rubin
Ward Beecher Planetarium
32 Working with HST data at home Mike Heim
Youngstown State University
34 Why NSC’s We Are Astronomers focuses on the people side
One University Plaza
of astronomy data Paul Mowbray
Youngstown, Ohio 44555 USA
36 ART 360: Bringing art to fulldome Carolyn Collins Petersen
+1 330-941-3619
40 Hopping on the cloud to sharable media
sharon.shanks@gmail.com
Joe Kleiman, Judith Rubin
Webmaster 65 Donna Pierce: The grand Lone Star State lady Paige Skinner
Alan Gould 72 Pages of Stars Winner: The Rabbit in the Moon Andy Kreyche
Holt Planetarium 82 How We Do It: Kinesthetics for the grade-schoolers
Lawrence Hall of Science Keith Johnson
University of California 84 Celebrating the International Year of Light Sharon Shanks
Berkeley, California 94720-5200 USA 89 Tributes: Lonny Baker, Richard Knapp, Robert Reilly, James Orgren
+1 510-643-5082
+1 510-642-1055 fax
adgould@comcast.net Columns
Advertising Coordinator 49 Bard Spiral. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chuck Rau
Dr. Dale Smith 78 Book Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April S. Whitt
(See Publications Committee on page 3) 91 Calendar of Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Loris Ramponi
44 Data to Dome. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mark SubbaRao
Membership
50 Digital Dome and Beyond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carolyn Collins Petersen
Individual: $65 one year; $100 two years
54 From the Classdome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jack L. Northrup
Institutional: $250 first year; $125 annual renewal
4 In Front of the Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sharon Shanks
Library Subscriptions: $50 one year; $90 two years
56 International News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lars Petersen
All amounts in US currency
92 Last Light. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April S. Whitt
Direct membership requests and changes of
68 Mobile News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Susan Reynolds Button
address to the Treasurer/Membership Chairman
30 Partycles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alex Cherman
Printed Back Issues of Planetarian 6 President’s Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joanne Young
IPS Back Publications Repository 74 Seeking What Works. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jeanne Bishop
maintained by the Treasurer/Membership Chair 86 Waxing New . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sharon Shanks
(See contact information on next page)
Final Deadlines
March: January 21 Index of Advertisers
June: April 21 Astro-Tec. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
September: July 21 Audio Visual Imagineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
December: October 21 California Academy of Sciences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
ChromaCove. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Clark Planetarium/Hansen Dome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Associate Editors Digitalis Education Solutions, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Book Reviews Digital Dome International Evans & Sutherland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5, 13, 61, 73
April S. Whitt and Beyond Lars Petersen Fiske Fulldome Film Festival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Carolyn
Calendar Collins Petersen Last Light GOTO Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Loris Ramponi April S. Whitt
Classroom Konica Minolta Planetarium Co. Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Cartoons Education Mobile News Magna-Tech Electronic Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Alexandre Jack Northrup Susan Button
Cherman, Metaspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Chuck Rau Education Sound Advice Mirage3d. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21, 63
Committee News Jeff Bowen
Data to Dome Jeanne Bishop Navitar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Mark SubbaRoa NSC Creative. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Reef Distribution. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23, 69, 85
On the Cover: R.S.A. Cosmos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88, outside back cover
The autumnal equinox inside the Pantheon, a building in SCISS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . inside back cover
Rome, built during the reign of Augustus (27 BC-14 AD) and
Sky-Skan, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45-48
rebuilt by the emperor Hadrian about 126 AD. The building
is circular and has a concrete dome with a central opening Spitz, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7, 43
(oculus) to the sky. Almost two thousand years after it was Spitz Creative Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19, 39, 75, 77
built, the Pantheon’s dome is still the world’s largest unre- You Can Do Astronomy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
inforced concrete dome. Courtesy of Marzia Spinelli. Fore Zeiss, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . inside front cover
more, see International News/Italian Association of Planetar-
ia, on page 57.
International Planetarium Society home page: www.facebook.com/InternationalPlanetariumSociety
www.ips-planetarium.org
Planetarian home page:
www.ips-planetarium.org/?page=plntrn
June 2015 Planetarian 1
Affiliate Representatives
Association of Brazilian British Association Italian Association Russian Planetariums
Officers Planetariums
Alexandre Cherman
of Planetaria of Planetaria
Loris Ramponi
Association
Zinaida P. Sitkova
Mark Watson
Planetário do Rio de Janeiro Techniquest Glyndŵr, National Archive of Planetaria Nizhny Novgorod
President R. Vice-Governador c/o Centro Studi e Ricerche Planetarium
Joanne Young Glyndŵr University Campus
Rubens Berardo, 100 Mold Road Serafino Zani Revolutsionnja Street 20
Audio Visual Imagineering Rio de Janeiro RJ via Bosca 24, C.P. 104 603002 Nizhny
6565 Hazeltine National Wrexham, LL11 2AW
Brazil 22451-070 United Kingdom I 25066 Lumezzane Novgorod, Russia
Drive, Suite 2 +55 (21) 2274-0046 ext. 264 (Brescia) Italy +7 831 246-78-80
Orlando, Florida 32822 USA +44 (0)1978 293400
+55 (21) 2529-2149 fax M.Watson.BAP@gmail.com +39 30 872 164 +7 831 246-77-89 fax
+1 407-859-8166 alexandre.cherman@ +39 30 872 545 fax zsitkova@gmail.com
joanne@av-imagineering.com www.planetarium.org.uk
planetario.rio.rj.gov.br megrez58@gmail.com www.apr.planetariums.ru
planetarios.org.br Canadian Association osservatorio@serafinozani.it
Past President www.planetariodorio. of Science Centres www.planetari.org Society of the German-
Thomas W. Kraupe
com.br Ian C. McLennan Speaking Planetariums
#404 - 1275 Haro Street Japan Christian Theis
Planetarium Hamburg
Association of Vancouver, British Columbia Planetarium Society Planetarium Mannheim
Otto-Wels-Str.1
Dutch-Speaking V6E 1G1 Canada Kaoru Kimura Wilhelm-Varnholt-Allee 1
D-22303 Hamburg
Planetariums/PLANed +1 604-681-4790 Japan Science Foundation D-68165 Mannheim
Deutschland
Jaap Vreeling phone + fax Kitanomaru Park, Chiyoda-ku Germany
+49 0 (40) 428 86 52-50
Nova informatie centrum ian@ianmclennan.com Tokyo, 102-0091 Japan +49 621 419 4220 (phone)
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+49 0 (40) 172-40 86 133 cell 1098 XH Amsterdam www.ianmclennan.com www.shin-pla.info ct@planetarium-
thomas.kraupe@ Tel: +31 0 20 525 7480 mannheim.de
fax: +31 0 20 525 7484 Chinese Planetarium Middle Atlantic www.gdp-planetarium.org
planetarium-hamburg.de
J.A.Vreeling@uva.nl Society Planetarium
www.astronomie.nl Jin Zhu Society Southeastern
President-Elect Beijing Planetarium Jerry Vinski Planetarium
Shawn Laatsch Association of French- No. 138 Xizhimenwait Street 110 E Union Street Association
Infoversum Speaking Planetariums Beijing, 1000044 Hillsborough, North John Hare
Vrydemalaan 2 Marc Moutin P.R. China Carolina 27278 USA Ash Enterprises
9713 WS Groningen Cité de l’espace +86 10-5158-3311 +1 919-241-4548 3602 23rd Avenue West
Netherland Avenue Jean Gonord +86 10-5158-3312 fax jmvinski@gmail.com Bradenton, Florida
+31 (0) 50 820 0500 BP 25855 jinzhu@bjp.org.cn 34205 USA
s.laatsch@infoversum.nl 31506 Toulouse Cedex 5 Nordic Planetarium +1 941-746-3522
shawn.laatsch@gmail.com +33 (0)5 62 71 56 03 European/ Association johnhare@earthlink.net
+33 (0)5 62 71 56 29 fax Mediterranean Aase Roland Jacobsen www.sepadomes.org
m.moutin@cite-espace.com Planetarium Steno Museum Planetarium
Executive Secretary www.cite-espace.com Southwestern
Lee Ann Hennig Association C.F. Moellers Alle 2
www.aplf-planetariums.org Manos Kitsonas University of Aarhus Association of
Planetarium, Thomas
Eugenides Planetarium DK-8000 Aarhus C Planetariums
Jefferson High School
Association of Mexican 387 Syngrou Avenue DENMARK Rachel Thompson
for Science and Technology
Planetariums 17564 P. Faliro +45 87 15 54 15 Perot Museum of Nature
6560 Braddock Road
Ignacio Castro Pinal Athens, Greece aase.jacobsen@si.au.dk and Science
Alexandria, Virginia 22312 USA
Ave. San Bernabé, 723, +30 210 946 9674 2201 North Field Street
+1 703-750-8380
Casa 7 +30 210 941 7372 fax Pacific Planetarium Dallas, Texas 75202 USA
+1 703-750-5010 fax
San Jerónimo Lídice, mak@eugenfound.edu.gr Association +1 214-756-5830
lahennig@verizon.net
C.P. 10200 Benjamin Mendelsohn rachel.thompson@
México City, D.F. México Great Lakes Planetarium West Valley perotmuseum.org
Treasurer and +52 (55) 5500 0562 Community College www.swapskies.org
Association
Membership Chair +52 (55) 5500 0583 fax Jeanne Bishop 14000 Fruitvale Avenue
Ann Bragg icastrop@hotmail.com Westlake Schools Saratoga, California
Anderson Hancock Planetarium Planetarium 95070-5698 USA
Marietta College Association of Spanish Parkside Intermediate School +1 408-741-4018
215 Fifth Street Planetariums 24525 Hilliard Road +1 408-741-4072 fax
Marietta, Ohio 45750 USA Javier Armentia Westlake, Ohio 44145 USA Benjamin.Mendelsohn@
+1 740-376-4589 Planetario de Pamplona +1 440-899-3075 x2058 wvm.edu
ann.bragg@marietta.edu Sancho Ramirez, 2 +1 440-835-5572 fax sites.csn.edu/
E-31008 Pamplona jeanneebishop@ planetarium/PPA
Payments of membership Navarra Spain wowway.com
fees and advertising invoices +34 948 260 004 www.glpaweb.org Rocky Mountain
should be made to Ann Bragg +34 948 260 056 Planetarium
+34 948 261 919 fax Great Plains Planetarium Association
Membership fees also can be javarm@pamplonetario.org Michele Wistisen
www.planetarios.org Association
paid online on the IPS website Casper Planetarium
Jack L. Northrup
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 904 North Poplar Street
Australasian Planetarium Casper, Wyoming
Society Planetarium
3720 Florence Boulevard 82601 USA
Warik Lawrance +1 307-577-0310
Melbourne Planetarium Omaha, Nebraska 68110 USA
jlnorthrup@fbx.com michele_wistisen@
Scienceworks/Museum natronaschools.org
Victoria
2 Booker Street
Spotswood (Melbourne)
Victoria
3015 Australia
+61 3 9392 4503
+61 3 9391 0100 fax
wlawrance@museum.
vic.gov.au
www.aps-planetarium.org
2 Planetarian June 2015
Standing Committees
Awards Committee Conference Host-2016 Membership Committee IPS Permanent
Manos Kitsonas Robert Firmhofer, Monika Ann Bragg, Treasurer
Eugenides Planetarium Malinowska, Weronika Marietta College Mailing Address
387 Syngrou Avenue Sliwa, Maciej Ligowski 215 Fifth Street
17564 P. Faliro Copernicus Science Centre Marietta, Ohio 45750 USA
Athens, Greece Wybrzeże Kościuszkowskie +1 740-376-4589
International Planetarium Society
+30 210 946 9674 20, 00-390 Warsaw, Poland ann.bragg@marietta.edu c/o Ann Bragg, Treasurer
+30 210 941 7372 fax planetarium@kopernik.org.pl Marietta College
mak@eugenfound.edu.gr +48 22 596 4275 Publications Committee
+48 22 596 4113 fax Dr. Dale W. Smith, Chair 215 Fifth Street
Conference Committee BGSU Planetarium Marietta, Ohio 45750 USA
Thomas W. Kraupe Elections Committee 104 Overman Hall
Planetarium Hamburg Martin George, Chair Physics &Astronomy Department
Otto-Wels-Str.1 Launceston Planetarium Bowling Green State University IPS Web Site:
(formerly Hindenburgstr.1b) Queen Victoria Museum Bowling Green, Ohio 43403 USA www.ips-planetarium.org
D-22303 Hamburg Wellington Street +1 419-372-8666
Deutschland Launceston Tasmania 7250 +1 419-372-9938 fax
+49 0 (40) 428 86 52-21 Australia dsmith@newton.bgsu.edu
+49 0 (40) 428 86 52-99 fax +61 3 6323 3777
+49 0 (40) 4279 24-850 e-fax +61 3 6323 3776 fax
+49 0 (40) 172-40 86 133 cell Martin.George@qvmag.tas.gov.au
thomas.kraupe@ Please notify the Editor and
planetarium-hamburg.de Finance Committee Secretary of any changes
President, Past President, Presi-
dent Elect, Treasurer, Secretary on these two pages.
Contact the Treasurer/Membership
Ad Hoc Committees Chair for individual member address
Armand Spitz International Presenting Live Under changes and general circulation
Planetarium Education Fund Relations Committee the Dome Committee
Finance Committee Martin George, Chair Mark Webb, Chair and billing questions. Addresses
Launceston Planetarium Grainger Sky Theater also may be changed online on the
Immersive Audio Queen Victoria Museum Adler Planetarium IPS Web Site.
Committee Wellington Street 1300 South Lake Shore Drive
Rene Rodigast, Chair Launceston, Tasmania 7250 Chicago, Illinois 60605 USA
Australia +1 312-322-0826
Fraunhofer IDMT (Institute for
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Digital Media Technology) Planetarian (ISN 0090-3213) is published
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Ehrenbergstraße 31 Martin.George@qvmag.tas.gov.au Science & Data quarterly by the International Plan-
D-98693 llmenau, Germany Visualization Task Force etarium Society. ©2015 International
+49 (0) 3677 467 390 Planetarium Design and Dr. Mark SubbaRao
Operations Committee Adler Planetarium Planetarium Society, Inc., all rights re-
+49 (0) 3677 467 467 fax
rdt@idmt.fraunhofer.de Ian McLennan 1300 South Lake Shore Drive served. Opinions expressed by authors
#404-1275 Haro Street Chicago, Illinois 60605 USA are personal opinions and are not neces-
Education Committee Vancouver, British Columbia +1 312-294-0348
V6E 1G1 Canada msubbarao@adlerplanetarium.org sarily the opinions of the International
Jeanne E. Bishop
Planetarium Director +1 604-681-4790 phone + fax Planetarium Society, its officers, or
Parkside Intermediate School ian@ianmclennan.com Vision 2020 Initiative
agents. Acceptance of advertisements,
24525 Hilliard Road ian.mclennan@gmail.com John Elvert, Chair
Westlake, Ohio 44145 USA www.ianmclennan.com Irene W. Pennington Planetarium announcements, or other material does
+1 440-871-5293 Louisiana Arts & Science Museum not imply endorsement by the Interna-
+1 440-835-5572 fax Portable 100 South River Road
Planetarium Committee Baton Rouge, Louisiana tional Planetarium Society, its officers
jeanneebishop@wowway.com
www.glpaweb.org Susan Reynolds Button, Chair 70802 USA or agents. The editor welcomes Letters
Mail address: Quarks to Clusters +1 225-344-5272 x 141 to the Editor and items for consideration
3180 Oakwood Lane 8793 Horseshoe Lane jelvert@lasm.org
Chittenango, NY 13037 for publication.The Editor reserves the
Westlake, OH 44145 USA
+1 315-687-5371 right to edit any manuscript to suit this
History Committee sbuttonq2c@twcny.rr.com
publication’s needs.
John Hare, IPS Historian sbuttonq2c@gmail.com
Ash Enterprises
3602 23rd Avenue West Planetarian is part of the EBSCO research
Bradenton, Florida 34205 USA database.
+1 941-746-3522
johnhare@earthlink.net
Guidelines for contributors
•• Planetarian welcomes submissions of interest to the plan- original work and has not appeared elsewhere in print or a personal website, blog, or a website of general inter-
etarium community. Preference is given to articles that electronically, nor is not being submitted simultaneously est as long as the following appears: Copyright 2013 (or
closely relate to the philosophy, management, technical elsewhere in print or electronically. If the submission has appropriate year) International Planetarium Society;
aspects, educational aspects, or history of planetariums, appeared elsewhere in print or electronically, permission used with permission and provide a link to the IPS. If in
and to ideas that can readily be incorporated into plan- to re-print must be obtained and a copy of this permis- doubt, contact the editor with questions.
etarium shows. Authors are responsible for obtaining all sion emailed to the Editor with the article. •• The Guidelines for Contributors on the IPS website
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•• Research articles dealing with educational aspects of the ing elsewhere is held by the International Planetarium ing Guidelines and Rate Sheet on the IPS website: .
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will be refereed if applicable and requested. (but not before the printed version has been received
•• Contributors agree that their submission is their own by members), contributors may post the submission on
June 2015 Planetarian 3
In Front of the Console jobs of translation. To steal a catchphrase from
an advertisement: Just do it.
The value of our vendors
Sharon Shanks You might notice that several of the articles
Ward Beecher Planetarium in this issue appear to be “vendor heavy” and
Youngstown State University wonder “what’s up with that?”
Youngstown, OH 44555 USA That’s an easy answer, especially if you
+1 330-941-3619 paid attention to what I just wrote.
sharon.shanks@gmail.com In addition to financially supporting our
conferences, bending over backwards to give
us price breaks on programs and equipment,
What’s that you say? Summer’s here and animations to visualize stories of science,”
and just generally being great people to work
you have nothing to read? I have the solution page 26).
with, our vendors also are willing to share in-
for that, and you’re holding* all 92 pages of it I asked Paul Mowbray for a quick look at
formation.
right now. why NSC Creative’s International Year of As-
Jeff Bowen shares his extensive knowledge
This issue is the largest, and also contains tronomy program We Are Astronomers fo-
of equipment and answer questions about au-
the most ads, of any Planetarian to date. cused on the people behind the data, and he
dio through his “Sound Advice” column. (I
And, for more good news (and to keep this brought out the often overlooked human side
gave him a break for this issue; he’ll be back
June issue from becoming a book), you have a of data acquisition.
in September.)
lot to look forward to in September. Mike Heim is a member of my local ama-
Carolyn Collins Petersen, even though kept
My apologies to Rob Walrecht and Jean- teur astronomy club and when he started to
busy as CEO of Loch Ness Productions, finds
Michel Faidit, but I’ve had to hold their arti- share great images he had processed directly
time to write about what’s going on in the im-
cles. Now you can look forward to learning from raw Hubble Space Telescope data, my re-
mersive and digital dome world.
how a simple idea and lots of hard work and action was “wow.” Everyone has access to that
And I know you’re thinking to yourself:
passion became a planisphere from Rob, and, data and can produce their own stunning pic-
“well, sure they do this—it’s free advertising
from Jean-Michel, you can brush up on your tures. Mike shares the method with us, and
for them.”
telescope knowledge. His article on the histo- provides another piece of the data visualiza-
Does that mean you’re not going to read
ry of the telescope, yet another installment in tion process.
their columns? Of course not. What you’re go-
our series on visualizing data, is one to keep on Look for more on data visualization in up-
ing to do is read and then incorporate their
hand as a great resource for producing your coming issues.
suggestions and information into your own
own program on telescopes.
dome. You’ll be informed. What an important
As promised, more stories on data visual- An editor on her knees word, especially when it comes time for bud-
ization appear in this issue. Three articles I re- I am grateful to Judy, Paul, and Mike for an-
get justification or asking for additional fund-
quested, and I owe a debt of thanks to their au- swering my plea for articles on a specific topic,
ing.
thors: Judith Rubin, Paul Mowbray, and Mike and I am equally grateful to the affiliate rep-
Spitz Creative Media, Evans & Sutherland,
Heim. resentatives and associate editors who write
and NSC Creative in this issues, and Sky-Skan,
faithfully for each issue.
SCISS, and others (sorry if I missed you) in past
Oh, how little I know However, I wish I didn’t have to plead for issues, have shared with Planetarian readers
When I realized that the March story about material. Planetarian is by and for planetar- without expectation of financial reward.
data visualization (“Visualizing the Data” by ium professionals around the globe. I dis- I certainly appreciate them, not only be-
Judith Rubin, page 18) illustrated my own ig- cover so many interesting projects and pro- cause their advertisements support this publi-
norance of how data is acquired by today’s grams when I read International News and I cation, but also because their words help fill
telescopes, both on the ground and in orbit, frequently request longer stories. Sometimes its pages with meaningful data. After all, I do
I asked if she could expand on the story, and I even get them, but, unfortunately, most of not and cannot fill them by myself.
she did (“Specialized teams create compelling the time my requests are ignored or forgotten. Only in the planetarium world do we have
*or viewing on a screen Please, everyone—share! That’s what we do vendors like this: vendors who are friends and
the best under our domes: we share our pas- oftentimes former co-workers who speak the
Letters to the Editor sion and our knowledge with others.
To all those hard-working newsletter edi-
language of the dome.
The language of the dome. What a wonder-
Response to Impact Craters review tors out there: if you have a great story, send ful thought. No matter where we live, we are
In the summer of 2012 I used my summer it to me (with reprint permission, of course). all connected by dome-ese: we talk lumens,
vacation to tour Portugal and Spain. In Spain I Share with your affiliate readers, and also pixels, dome size, projectors, and reaching au-
stopped for a night at a bed and breakfast run share with the world. diences. We talk stars and galaxies, mythology
by an elderly English woman named Dulcey Affiliate representatives: if you know of and metaphors, pre-school and adults, hands-
in the town of Rubielos de la Cerida. She told something interesting going on in your re- on and best practices.
me the town was in a crater, which interest- gion, let me know. I’ll try to make contact and Admit it: You look foward to going to re-
ed me enough to extend my stay for a second follow up for a story. And, although this is a gional conferences and international meet-
night. Using my badly rusty high school Span- bit morbid, please let me know about deaths ings because they are reunions: not of rela-
ish I learned coesite was found there, and actu- in your area. Dome-L keeps me informed tives, but of friends and colleagues who speak
ally saw some shatter cones. about U.S. people, but I have no ability to find dome-ese, not matter their native tongue.
Your book reviewer would be well advised out about deaths elsewhere unless you tell me. Even though the official language of IPS con-
not to accuse others of being obsolete, when Don’t worry about grammar or writing in ferences is English and for some, the language
he himself is. English. It’s my job to take care of the gram- is a barrier, we find ways over or under the
Sharon G. Rosen mar, and Google and Microsoft do pretty good barrier and we communicate. I
4 Planetarian June 2015
June 2015 Planetarian 5
President’s Message tiative team illuminating the path to our fu-
ture, we are discovering there is even more to
accomplish to be the resource our communi-
ty requires. What does that suggest to you?
As stated by Jon Elvert, “In order for IPS to
Joanne Young take on leadership roles, provide programs
Audio Visual Imagineering and resources for the membership, IPS must
be the very best source for planetarians to get/
6565 Hazeltine National Drive, Suite 2
receive professional development.”
Orlando, Florida 32822 USA
I agree with Jon. In order to accomplish this,
+1 (407) 859-8166 I believe that IPS needs an advocate, a full-
joanne@av-imagineering.com time mouth piece, an enabler that can foster
cooperation between international regions/
Dear Fellow Planetarians, work, I have never served on an IPS commit- societies. I think the best option to make sure
Firstly, I want to thank you for the tremen- tee or Council nor as an officer. I had no idea IPS achieves its desired outcomes would be to
dous response to our special invitation to host of the amount work our officers and certain hire a full-time executive director. This is an
the IPS 2018 Conference. Within two weeks of committee chairs and members have been opinion that I know I share with some. There
posting the invitation on our website, we re- doing. I didn’t realize the amount of time, fo- are others who would prefer we stay a volun-
ceived 11 responses. cused attention, and work through very late teer society. As president of IPS, I believe we
I understand that not all will actually sub- night skype meetings, face to face meetings, can do both— and do it well.
mit bids, but your enthusiastic support was emails, writing, calls, etc. devoted by a few to
overwhelming and welcomed. I am grate- the business of IPS. Finding the best way forward
ful to the IPS Council members who rallied Working and collaborating with all of these As a team, the IPS officers are searching the
to the cause seeking potential hosts. I am also IPS warriors is a great honor and privilege, for best way forward. We tasked Jon Elvert to
grateful to those Council members who are which I am grateful. With the Vision 2020 Ini- identify professional facilitators, experienced
currently assisting potential with our business, who can help IPS develop
hosts as they complete their our organization to the next level. Of the can-
bids for IPS 2018. didates Jon provided, we have retained Eliza-
C
All bids were due by June 1, beth Monroe-Cook, Ph.D. She is a consulting
2015. Watch the website for psychologist whose organization develop- M
further developments and in- ment work includes facilitation, training, and Y
formation about these poten- groups at all levels of an organization. Some
CM
tial sites. A decision will be of her past clients include GLPA, Kavli, and
made by IPS Council in Au- NASA programs. She will be meeting with the MY
gust of this year during our entire IPS Council during our August meeting CY
annual meeting, being held in Montreal. We look forward to that meeting
CMY
in Montreal. and seeing her recommendations.
K
Meeting on the Space Meeting in Poland
Coast In late April Shawn and I met with Maciej
February 21-22, the IPS offi- Ligowski and Monika Malinowska in War-
cers, Thomas Kraupe, Shawn saw, Poland to continue planning for IPS2016.
Laatsch, Lee Ann Hennig, and The conference site is beautiful—and perfect
Ann Bragg, as well as Vision for our conference. All of the luxurious space,
2020 Initiative Chair Jon El- services, and facilities required for a successful
vert, met at my house on the event are under the roof and
Space Coast of Merritt Island, on the lovely grounds of the
Florida. If you have ever worked with these Copernicus Science Center.
people, you know they show up on time, get On April 27 we also met
coffee or tea and begin working immediately. with some of the vendors who
It doesn’t stop until it’s time to eat and have will be sponsoring IPS2016.
coffee, and we are back at work. There is always a great deal of
We covered a lot of business in two days— planning for the vendors pri-
the most important of which was the means or to any conference. Present
by which IPS will develop as the new organi- at that meeting were Jan Bu-
zation we all desire. rionek and Zdenek Rychetnik
IPS is an all volunteer society, and I can see from AV MEDIA representing
it is time for a change. For any of you who Zeiss, Glenn Smith of Sky-
have volunteered on various committees in Skan, Benjamin Cabut of RSA
your local communities and/or IPS, you know Cosmos, Cecilia Ohrner of
there is a great amount of effort made by a few SCISS, and Marzia Muradore
and often things don’t move as quickly as you Above: Officers meeting on the Space Coast: clockwise starting with of Skypoint representing Ev-
would like. President Joanne Young, Lee Ann Hennig, Thomas Kraupe, Shawn ans & Sutherland, along with
Laatsch, and Ann Bragg. Below, the wonderful crew at the Copernicus (Continues on page 30)
Although I am no stranger to volunteer
Science Center.
6 Planetarian June 2015
June 2015 Planetarian 7
Planetarium Research
A Guide to Conducting Educational Research in the Planetarium
Julia D. Plummer1, Shannon Schmoll2, Ka Chun Yu3, and Chrysta Ghent1
1
Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Pennsylvania State University, jdp17@psu.edu, cag1030@psu.edu
2
Abrams Planetarium, Michigan State Universe schmoll@pa.msu.edu
3
Denver Museum of Nature & Science kcyu@dmns.org
Introduction
For the past several decades, researchers ments research-based programming for our we discuss the planetarium-specific spectrum
have conducted studies on the planetarium audiences. of learning, in and out of the dome, and why
as an educational venue. A major goal of this the planetarium community should consider
research has been to measure student concep- Potential research areas and both of these spaces when building a research
tual learning (e.g. Brazell & Espinoza, 2009), related literature literature base. In considering the intersection
while other studies have compared learning In this section, we first explore the spec- of these realms, we discuss four potential lines
outcomes in the planetarium to learning in trum of informal and formal learning with- of research as examples of the kind of inqui-
other settings (e.g. Zimmerman, Spillane, Reiff, in education literature and examine the plan- ry members of the planetarium community
& Sumners, 2014). Despite the long history of etarium’s place in this body of work. Next, could pursue. This will allow us to introduce
research on the planetarium, there are many
questions unanswered about the role plane-
tariums can play in educating audiences or There are many opportunities for planetarium research
supporting their interest in astronomy.
The goal of this article is to provide guid- Last summer, Thomas Kraupe (then IPS a small project specific to your situation,
ance to the planetarium community on issues President) noted that he would like the Ed- an action research project, that takes a rel-
pertaining to planetarium-based research. In ucation Committee to include an empha- atively small amount of time. Or maybe
particular, we will aim our discussion towards sis of planetarium research. We are fortu- you will be inspired, individually or shared
those interested in investigating their own re- nate that the authors of this article agreed within a large institution or with other in-
search questions. As members of this commu- to join the Education Committee, and fur- stitutions, to initiate an in-depth, well-con-
nity, you are uniquely qualified to identify ther, to prepare this seminal article. trolled project that will help you, but also,
areas of research that will generate findings If you have ever considered doing a plan- when shared at a conference and in writ-
interesting and useful to other planetarium etarium research project, you need to read ing in one or more journals, will help other
practitioners, and potentially speak to the this article. If you have ever wondered planetarium educators who have goals sim-
broader community of researchers interest- which way to present a concept or a visual- ilar to yours.
ed in astronomy education, informal educa- ization in the planetarium, you should read Even if you do not plan to do your own
tion, visualization, and other fields. In particu- this article and undertake research that will research project, this article will familiarize
lar, evidence gathered through research-based help you answer your question. If you are you with a branch of activity increasingly
practices can help communicate the value of planning a study for an advanced universi- important to the planetarium community.
planetariums to other stakeholders (e.g. do- ty degree, this article’s information should Those who conduct planetarium research
nors, school boards, etc.) as well as demon- be invaluable. will illuminate best practices in different
strate how methods developed in one plane- Plummer, Schmoll, Yu, and Ghent, all ex- situations and types of planetariums. Full-
tarium can benefit the broader planetarium perienced in the field of planetarium re- dome and other innovative planetarium
community. search in the U.S., draw together a large technology is very valuable, but determin-
This guide is organized into four sections. number of considerations, resources, and ing how to best use it and interacting with
First, we present four broad areas of literature tips for a successful research project. They classroom, exhibit, and other experiences,
in which planetarium-based research could present helpful categories for planetarium will allow it to reach its full potential. As
be situated. Second, we discuss basic elements research, allowing us to understand better we, the planetarium community, can de-
of conducting educational research and dif- the nature of questions we might ask. liver research results showing the best ways
ferent approaches to collecting and analyz- As the authors discuss, there are many to reach planetarium potential, those who
ing data. Third, we suggest practical consider- different possibilities for planetarium re- give funds for planetariums and their pro-
ations that are important to remember when search, and the opportunities never will be grams will be convinced to continue and
engaging in planetarium-based research. Fi- exhausted. Whether you have a small por- increase that support. Planetarium research
nally, we discuss the importance of dissemi- table planetarium, the latest fulldome tech- helps us all! Thank you, Julia, Shannon, Ka
nating research results and identifying poten- nology, or something in-between, doing a Chun, and Chrysta!
tial venues in which to present and publish. research project probably will help you be
We see this guide as one part of an ongoing more effective. Jeanne Bishop, Chair
conversation that can lead to improvement Perhaps you will want to complete only IPS Education Committee
in how the planetarium community imple-
8 Planetarian June 2015some relevant literature, but will not act as an it a museum and follow a more structured And, despite our unique environments, we
exhaustive analysis of existing work or poten- docent-led tour. Where exactly a learning en- should not restrict ourselves to only what
tial lines of research. vironment or an individual educational pro- happens in the dome. People do not come
gram falls will depend on content, audience, into a learning environment as blank slates;
Informal vs formal learning environments physical space, and overall goals of both the rather they construct knowledge in differ-
The terms formal and informal learning en- educators and the audience. ent ways based on prior experiences and ideas
vironments are often applied to the dichoto- Programs at individual planetariums will (Piaget, 1970). Additionally, it has long been
my of in school and out of school contexts, also fall at different points on this spectrum. recognized that there are important social fac-
respectively. However, there are a variety of planetariums housed in schools may imple- tors to how people learn. Learning occurs best
characteristics that distinguish informal and ment programs that fall more in the formal through interactions between people (Vy-
formal learning environments that will help realm, as it could be considered a specialized gotsky, 1978). This is something that informal
us define the planetarium learning experi- classroom that students can return to fre- learning environments can easily foster (Falk
ence in more nuanced ways. A primary char- quently. Those that operate as part of muse- & Dierking, 2000).
acteristic of informal learning environments, ums or science centers may fall in the infor- For planetariums, the social piece is often
such as museums, science centers, and nature mal realm as they cater to wider audiences lacking because talking during a show vio-
centers, is the level of choice offered a learn- who choose to spend their leisure time attend- lates social etiquette and time is limited for
er (Falk & Dierking, 2000). On the other hand, ing a planetarium program. Portable domes any social interaction. If interaction during a
formal learning environments are often char- that travel to a school might fall closer to the show happens, it is often still passive and lim-
acterized by a teacher-led curriculum where middle as they are single visits, but also may ited to visitors answering a question posed by
students have little control over what they be integrated into a school curriculum. Simi- a presenter or voting on something, like a top-
study. larly, some planetarium programming that is ic or destination, by the audience. As a result
Thus, informal environments differ from more structured and show-like might not of- those social aspects of learning will more like-
formal environments by the extent to which fer a lot of choice and social interaction, thus ly happen, and may need to be fostered, be-
learners’ experiences are driven by their not connecting to the same ways of learning yond the dome.
choice in which spaces to visit and control as we consider to happen in informal environ- Research should investigate how these out-
over how long to linger, resulting in more per- ments. Planetarium shows that are designed of-dome experiences could inform what we
sonalized experiences (NRC, 2007). People also to offer the audience more control might fall do in the dome and how the dome can influ-
spend different amounts of time in informal on the informal side. ence extended learning after a presentation.
environments, usually with less frequent vis- Understanding these different characteris- Because what happens outside this dome af-
its that are shorter than a typical classroom tics of formal and informal learning environ- fects learning in the dome, we consider this
experience. Additionally, there are document- ments will help you start reviewing appro- a separate spectrum of learning in and out of
ed “novelty” effects which occur when new priate research literature for a new research the dome.
or infrequently visited spaces cognitively project. In other words, even though planetar-
overwhelm people; this makes it difficult for iums are often categorized as a form of infor- Vignettes
them to learn content because they are dis- mal education, the nature of how we engage The intersection of informal, formal, in-
tracted by what is new and different about our audiences suggests that drawing on litera- dome, and out-of-dome creates what we will
the environment (e.g. Orion & Hofstein, 1994). ture from formal, school-based research rather refer to Quadrants of Planetarium Research
As a result, many informal spaces tend to fo- than from the museum-based literature may (see Figure 1 on next page). This is not the only
cus their learning goals on affective gains, in- also be a productive choice. way we can split research, but the quadrants
stead of learning factual content. These emo- could be a helpful tool to situate your proj-
tional aspects of learning include motivation, In-dome vs out-of-dome ect in the literature and develop appropriate
interest, and perseverance to learn something Even though existing informal and formal research questions. We will present vignettes
new. The focus on meeting standards in for- literature can inform our work, we still need of potential lines of research in each quadrant
mal education means that the content and separate evidence-based planetarium research as a way to illustrate potential avenues for fu-
cognitive gains are often given a higher pri- because of the unique characteristics of plane- ture research.
ority. tariums compared to other learning environ-
Another difference between informal and ments. For example, school-based planetari- Formal and in-dome quadrant:
formal environments is primary audience. ums often provide an educational experience Effective visualizations for multiple
Schools and colleges focus on students who more akin to an informal environment when audiences
are required or pay to attend, and receive indi- compared to the rest of their school-based The heart of our work in the planetarium
vidual grades. Informal museums, on the oth- curricula. This means that school-based plan- is the way we visually engage audiences. And
er hand, cater to the wider public audience etarium educators may need to attend more yet, what do we know about how our audi-
who may view their visits as social excursions. to the novelty factor of the planetarium en- ences interpret and extract information from
While these differences in how we consid- vironment while also benefiting from oppor- the visualizations used in the dome, whether
er learners’ experiences do exist between for- tunities to engage children’s excitement and we project a simple star field with constella-
mal and informal learning environments, interest. When located in an informal en- tion overlays or complex renderings of flight
they should not be considered a stark dichoto- vironment, planetariums offer more struc- through the solar system?
my, but as a fluid spectrum. Every learning ex- tured learning activities and time constraints Within this area of research exists many po-
perience will likely fall somewhere between than other parts of a museum or science cen- tential lines of inquiry focused on the cogni-
these extremes (NRC, 2009). For instance, for- ter, skewing the planetarium experience back tive gains associated with visualization. As a
mal classrooms may emphasize choice and towards a formal education experience. Hav- result of this conceptual and cognitive em-
control by allowing students to pursue their ing evidence unique to our range of audiences phasis in the dome this particular visualiza-
own research projects, albeit in a certain con- and contexts will help us better identify best tion research would fall into the formal/in-
tent area. Similarly, people may choose to vis- practices for the field. (Continues on next page)
June 2015 Planetarian 9Planetarium Research Figure 1. dome quadrant. Some existing research has begun to ex- plore ways an immersive planetarium envi- ronment may support audiences in making sense of spatial information. Chastenay (2015) investigated ways a planetarium program can be designed to support both an Earth- based and space-based perspective on the lu- nar phases. Yu, Sahami, Sahami, and Sessions (2015, in press) have begun to uncover evi- dence that visualizations presented in an im- mersive, fulldome environment are better at supporting student learning of spatially com- plex phenomena than the same visualization on a non-immersive (flat) format. This may be due in part to the immersive visuals freeing up cognitive resources that would otherwise be used to keep track of where celestial bodies are in the simulation. Further research in this area may need to draw upon the existing body of multime- dia theory literature (Mayer, 2005). Consider- able prior research on multimedia education points to the importance of considering the well as existing literature on how people learn used to effectively integrate a school astron- cognitive load incurred by visuals or anima- from images and simulations. omy unit with a planetarium visit. Another tions due to limited size of human’s working line of investigation could explore methods of memory. One consequence of this is the split- Formal and out-of-dome quadrant: designing curriculum supplements aligned to attention effect (Sweller, Merrienboer, & Paas, Intersections and connections between specific planetarium programs. For example, 1998): if the visualization provides multiple planetariums and school-based education Small and Plummer (2014a; 2014b) investigat- sources of visual information, all of which are Field trips for students represent a large por- ed the impact of a combination of planetari- essential for understanding the content pre- tion of many planetariums’ audience. While um field trip and a pair of pre/post classroom sented, then the learner must integrate this in- studies have investigated student learning lessons, designed to facilitate further engage- formation internally before making sense of during field trips to planetariums (e.g. Plum- ment with the planetarium content, on early the visualization, which imposes a heavy cog- mer, 2009), much more could be done to con- elementary students’ understanding of lunar nitive load. sider methods that further support this pop- phenomena. Gillette (2014) found a negative impact on ulation across both learning environments. The work of Schmoll (2013) or Small and student learning from planetarium programs Prior research on student learning on field Plummer (2014a; 2014b) could be expanded that include additional images or deviations trips to museums and other informal settings with different planetarium types, age groups, from the main content presentation, which has concluded that student learning is im- or content areas. Schmoll (2013) also noted further supports the importance of attending proved when the field trip is integrated into that more research needs to be done to ex- to multimedia theory. An important instruc- students’ school curricula (Griffin, 1998, De- plore how to best foster the social aspect of tional implication of this is that researchers witt and Osborne, 2007). This generally takes learning in and out of dome. We can also look and program developers should consider the the form of classroom-based pre- and post-ac- at understanding the role that teachers play types of visual elements presented and find tivities that are directly tied to what students in these field trips to understand how we can better ways to effectively integrate them for see while on the field trip. best collaborate with and support them in the learning in the planetarium presentation. Because integration includes out-of-dome this integration. We could also look at similar This is but one direction research might preparation and follow-up in the traditionally research done already in other informal en- take on the design of effective dome visual- formal realm of classroom education, this line vironments such as museums to gain an idea izations. Other lines of research might consid- of research would fall within the Formal/Out- of other research questions that should be ex- er what makes a visualization for a particular of-Dome quadrant. However, given current plored in planetariums. concept or age group effective by examining understanding of how learning is tied to the how it supports audience’s ability to engage context in which it is learned (e.g. Brown, Col- Informal and in-dome: with spatially complex scenarios. Addition- lins, & Duguid, 1989), more research is needed Choice in the planetarium al research could consider the relationship on effective ways of integrating students’ ex- A third broad area of potential research between students’ prior conceptual knowl- periences across informal and formal learning could focus on audience experiences in edge or spatial skills and what they learn from environments. the planetarium through opportunities for particular dome visualizations. Other studies Some research has already been conducted free-choice learning. Because choice is such could explore methods of educating audienc- in this area, though it is a burgeoning field for a key feature of informal environments, es in the practices by which astronomers in- planetariums. One approach to this problem this would fall into the informal/in-dome vestigate the universe. Overall, future studies was Schmoll’s (2013) study of how the School- quadrant. It can be difficult to incorporate in this area should carefully consider the na- Museum Integrated Learning Experience in choice into planetarium shows, but not im- ture of how planetariums engage audiences, as Science framework (Griffin, 1998) could be (Continues on next page) 10 Planetarian June 2015
8K Multiple Show Networking Events Receptions 8K, 65-Foot Premieres Dome AUGUST 13-15 In beautiful Boulder, Colorado, USA FESTIVAL REGISTRATION NOW OPEN www.FiskeFest.com June 2015 Planetarian 11
Planetarium Research
One line of research could explore meth- trip integration could look at extended pro-
possible. However, audience members’ oppor- ods of connecting temporary or permanent gramming while at the planetarium. There
tunities for choice under the dome will like- exhibit displays to planetarium content. Ex- are many lines of worthy inquiry if set up ap-
ly look different from choice in other aspects tensive research has considered methods of propriately within the literature and meth-
of a museum, such as walking through a gal- optimizing visitor engagement with museum odology base. To start familiarizing yourself
lery space. While many planetariums include exhibits (e.g. Allen, 2004), but little has been with the current state of the research field, we
some opportunities for live engagement, the done to explore how to connect planetarium recommend reading some of the relevant re-
level of controlled facilitation in planetari- experiences with other aspects of a museum search syntheses published and freely avail-
ums limits the extent to which visitors can visit. Some research has explored how visitors able to download (www.nap.edu) by the Na-
personalize their experience. make their own choices and decisions about tional Research Council. We have selected the
Some planetariums offer choice and inter- how various exhibits are connected within a reports most relevant to inquiry in the four
action through clickers or a similar kind of museum (MacDonald, 2007), but how could quadrants of planetarium research (See Table
voting system, though little about the effec- a museum effectively engage visitors in mak- 1). In the next section we will discuss how to
tiveness of these interactions towards increas- ing purposeful connections between a plane- take the next steps in designing your research
ing audience learning or interest has been for- tarium visit and other exhibit space, especial- study.
mally published. Given the importance of ly considering the differences in the nature of
visitors’ own personal interests and motiva- these experiences? And what ways might this Basics of Research
tion in what they take away from an infor- shape a visitors’ learning, interest, or motiva- As we review some of the basics of conduct-
mal science setting (Falk et al. 2006), are there tion to engage in future astronomy-based ex- ing educational research, keep in mind that
particular ways in which planetariums could periences? this will be a brief introduction rather than a
support effectively choice in the dome or is comprehensive summary of the topic. There
it best to introduce choice through experi- Summary are entire textbooks and primers devoted to
ences beyond the dome? Future research in These are only a few potential options. this topic (see Table 2 for suggested readings).
planetariums settings could further investi- Many of these questions are likely to span Our goal in this section is point those new to
gate how this theoretical framework can in- across informal, formal, in-dome and out-of- research in the right direction for deciding on
form the design of planetarium experiences dome in ways that go beyond these examples. research questions, methodologies, and practi-
and lead to more research on the relationship For instance, we discussed social learning be- cal considerations for any study.
between visitors’ personal agendas and the de- ing pushed beyond the dome, but questions
sign of planetarium programs. could be asked relating to how we can fos- Research vs evaluation
ter social interactions during a show. Issues One question that often comes up with an
Informal and out-of-dome: of choice in the dome could be studied be- investigation that involves specific instruc-
Extending learning opportunities out of yond the dome. Questions of classroom-field (Continues on next page)
the dome
A final area for research
Table 1. Recent research syntheses of science education research
considers the potential for
connecting visitor experienc- National Research Council (NRC) resource Description
es in the dome to additional
Taking Science to School: Learning and Teaching Sci- Synthesis of what is known about how children in grades K-8
opportunities for sense-mak- ence in Grades K-8 (NRC, 2007) learn concepts and practices of science. Reviews the founda-
ing and exploration outside tions for learning science in younger children and the impor-
of the dome. In the previ- tant role teachers play in science education.
ous section, we raise the pos-
Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Synthesizes what is known about students’ ideas about sci-
sibility that visitor agendas Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas (NRC, 2012) ence and research on standards-based education to generate
and the potential for person- a framework from which the Next Generation Science Standards
al choice could lead to inno- were developed. Emphasizes the importance of integrating
vations in research within core disciplinary ideas, science practices, and cross-cutting
concepts across grade levels.
the dome. Similarly, in this
quadrant, we suggest that vis- Discipline Based Education Research: Understanding Synthesizes empirical research on undergraduate teaching in
itor experiences in the space and Improving Learning in Undergraduate Science the sciences, including astronomy, with a focus on how stu-
and Engineering (NRC, 2012) dents learn the concepts, practices, and ways of knowing sci-
outside the dome provides
ence and engineering.
a wealth of opportunity to
pursue their interests and dis- Learning Science through Computer Games and Sim- Report considers what is known about how computer games
cuss their planetarium expe- ulations (NRC, 2011) and simulations can support science learning, identifies limita-
riences with family members. tions in our understanding, and develops an agenda to move re-
search forward.
This is similar to the litera-
ture on integrating a field Learning to Think Spatially: GIS as a Support in the Draws on literature from multiple fields to begin to define the
trip into curriculum through K-12 Curriculum (NRC, 2006) notion of spatial thinking; examines the role spatial thinking
pre- and post-activities. How- plays in learning across many disciplines, including astronomy.
ever, there is a shift in audi- How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, & School Synthesizes research on learning, transfer, the design of learn-
ence and additional level of (NRC, 2000) ing environments, and effective teaching.
choice that moves this line
of research into the informal
Learning Science in Informal Environments: People, Examines research on learning science in out-of-school environ-
side of the spectrum, while re- Places, and Pursuits (NRC, 2009) ments. Synthesis includes everyday settings, designed settings,
maining Out-of-Dome. informal programming, and media.
12 Planetarian June 2015June 2015 Planetarian 13
Planetarium Research
methods to use in a study. Yet crafting a good could account for the result by providing a
tional interventions, such as a planetarium research question is one of the most challeng- comparison group. In other words, if one is in-
program, is whether the study would be con- ing aspects of doing research (Slater, Slater, & vestigating whether a particular education-
sidered research or evaluation. Evaluation and Bailey, 2010; Slater, Slater, & Shaner, 2008). A al intervention (planetarium program, exhib-
research may seem very similar given the fo- good research question should connect to a it, classroom lesson, etc.) causes the change
cus on developing evidence-based conclu- broad base of existing research literature. in audience knowledge or behavior, the au-
sions and use of the same tools and terminol- The literature should be used to effective- dience outcomes should be compared to an-
ogy, there are distinct differences between the ly identify areas in which more research is other group of similar people who did not
two. needed. A good question might reframe ques- attend that particular intervention. For ex-
The goal of evaluation is to improve a pro- tions which have been previously asked but ample, one might ask: Are audiences’ explana-
gram or educational approach by judging apply them to new contexts or use improved tions of [topic] more accurate when they first
the program itself. The evaluation serves the data gathering tools. For example, questions engage with a related exhibit before the pro-
stakeholders who created or funded the pro- about learning or instructional design studied gram compared to after the program? Such re-
gram. There are different types of evaluation, in non-planetarium settings may now be ap- search could examine participants who visit-
depending on how far along you are on a proj- plied to new research conducted in the plan- ed an exhibit before, after, or not at all.
ect. Formative evaluation is performed dur- etarium environment, or research previously Finally, mechanistic questions take a closer
ing program development; results are used to done in one type of planetarium, such as with- look at the process and mechanisms by which
refine the program. Summative evaluation is in a small dome or with a optical-mechanical factors may influence outcomes. For example,
done at the end to judge the success or failure projector, might be done in a larger planetari- if someone conducted the previous study and
of a program in achieving its goals. um or with fulldome projections to better un- found that audiences learn more when they
Research, on the other hand, focuses on derstand how these differences affect learn- are primed by exploring a related exhibit pri-
questions that go beyond a particular pro- ing. or to entering the planetarium than if they
gram, with the goal of making discoveries The literature also should be used to pro- did not first explore that exhibit, a follow-up
that can be generalized to other programs, vide a rationale for the research question, study might try to uncover the mechanism
audiences, and conditions. Research may be by showing the significance of the problem that influences that difference: Why does en-
used to test a specific theory or to generate being studied and how it draws on previ- gaging with an exhibit prior to attending the
new theories and hypotheses. Instead of gath- ous findings or theories. Good research ques- planetarium improve learning outcomes?
ering data to provide evidence for stakehold- tions address issues that are meaningful to the Such a study may need to examine the social
ers who wish to determine the effectiveness community, such as others in the planetari- interactions that take place between visitors
of a specific program, research often origi- um field, planetarium researchers, and related regarding the exhibit as well as developing
nates from scholars, with the merit of the re- constituencies. methods to investigate differences in what au-
search judged by other scholars from the same Finally, good research questions are those dience members attended to during the pro-
discipline. While many of the concepts, meth- that can be answered using evidence. Thus, gram. Findings could then influence future
ods, and perspectives we discuss in this paper when selecting a research question, the re- exhibit and planetarium development.
are applicable to either research or evaluation, searcher also should consider the available re-
our focus here will be on addressing questions sources for gathering data. Beginning with a Research methodologies
and practices of research. research question that leads to a small-scale pi- The choice of research question should
For those interested in getting started in lot study may be the appropriate first step to- drive the selection of appropriate research
planetarium-based research, you may find it wards broader research questions answered in methods. Paying close attention to the match
productive to start by thinking about ways larger studies in the future. between research question and methods al-
to conduct research on how you engage your There are three, interrelated, categories of re- lows for “the development of a logical chain
audiences. This would likely be categorized search questions in education (NRC, 2002): de- of reasoning based on the interplay among in-
as a third approach referred to as action re- scriptive (What is happening?), causal (Is there vestigative techniques, data, and hypotheses
search. Action research has its roots in class- a systematic effect?), and mechanistic (How to reach justifiable conclusions” (NRC, 2002,
room-based research wherein teachers engage and why is it happening?). Descriptive ques- pp. 62-63).
in research on their own teaching practic- tions are those that attempt various kinds of In general, educational researchers divide
es in their own classrooms. Those engaged in descriptions of people, actions, or events. A de- methods into two broad categories: quantita-
action research often focus on the immedi- scriptive, planetarium-relevant research ques- tive and qualitative. Not only do quantitative
ate application of findings to practice, rather tion might include: How often do teachers use and qualitative research have different philo-
than producing generalizable results or gener- content addressed in the planetarium before sophical approaches, but they have different
ating theory. Thus, action research is often cy- or after a planetarium visit? Descriptive ques- methodologies as well. Each approach has dif-
clical with the researcher gathering evidence tions also address simple relationships or cor- ferent strengths, which allow researchers to
on outcomes of their instruction and using relations between variables when methods do solve different types of problems.
those results to make improvements in their not allow for causal conclusions. An example
practice, followed by further data gathering of this type of research might examine the de- Quantitative methods
and improvement. sign of a planetarium program that is meant Quantitative research may be most familiar
to support an audience’s understanding of size to physical scientists; questions are answered
Research design and scale; the descriptive question might be, based on the analysis of numerical data.
Research questions do audience members understanding of rela- Quantitative methods allow the researcher
At the core of any research study are the tive size and scale improve after attending this to measure cause and effect, determine statis-
questions being asked and answered. Our re- planetarium program? tically significant changes in variables, and
search questions drive all further consider- Causal questions attempt to control for look for correlations between variables. In
ations of appropriate evidence to gather and the potential that an alternative explanation (Continues on next page)
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