Planetarium Science Center
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The Planetarium Science Centre is a department in the Bibliotheca Alexandrina located in Alexandria, Egypt. It promotes science centers as an educational tool.
Pre-Historic Animal Park[edit]
The Science Park has a Dinosaur Park that houses models of many prehistoric animals.
The Sections of the PSC[edit]
The Planetarium[edit]
A planetarium may be defined as:
- A building housing an instrument for projecting the position of celestial bodies onto a domed ceiling.
- An optical device for projecting images of celestial bodies and astronomical phenomena onto the inner surface of a hemispherical dome.
ALEXPloratorium[edit]
The ALEXPloratorium is located next to the Planetarium, where visitors can interact with multiple exhibits that cover various scientific topics, most commonly Physics and Astronomy.
Listen and Discover[edit]
Short and simple scientific documentary films are displayed according to a predefined schedule. The goal of these films is to help communicate scientific issues with a tone curated to a diverse audience.
Programs in the PSC[edit]
Hands-on workshops[edit]
The History of Science Museum holds a variety of workshops to facilitate and simply animate the information in the museum.
Topics offered in the PSC workshops include:
- Chemistry
- Volcanoes
- DNA
- Agriculture
- Five senses
- Sound
- Genetics
- Air
- Magnetics
- Dinosaurs
- First aid
- Colors
- Mechanics
- Gravity
- Light
- Time measurement
Remote Sensing Workshop[edit]
This program introduces the scientific participles of remote sensing and offers hands-on applications. Participants witness the impact of natural events through history using a series of satellite images, as well as through analysis of recent images. They are also exposed to other environmental issues that relate to the theme of the workshop.
Zoom Earth Program[edit]
This program comprises different kinds of educational activities, such as lectures, workshops, and field trips. The program mainly covers topics such as irrigation, meteorology, volcanoes, and earthquakes.
Discover your Environment Camp[edit]
Discover your Environment is a winter camp that instructs students on various fields of science through activities, including a journey to the Siwa desert, organized by the Planetarium Space Center.
RoboAlex Center[edit]
The RoboAlex Center at the Alexploratorium offers instruction in robotics. The participating groups design, program, and test robots on a playing field, to accomplish certain missions.
Science Club[edit]
Science Club implements educational and science programs at schools; they aim to "stimulate curiosity, interest and enjoyment in science and its methods of inquiry, to develop experiment and investigative abilities and develop children's abilities and skills."
Super Science Show[edit]
The Super Science Show gets participating children involved in hands-on experiments. The show includes experiments in the fields of physics, biology, and chemistry.
Alexploratorium Contest[edit]
The Alexploratorium Contest familiarizes students of different age groups with topics relevant to general science, such as IQ tests and teamwork; as well as tackling major scientific discoveries.
Important events in the PSC[edit]
Eratosthenes[edit]
Eratosthenes is a traditional annual Festival that the Bibliotheca Alexandrina organizes to promote science and heritage among school students. The Festivities of 2003-2008 evolved around measuring the Earth's circumference, following the footsteps of Eratosthenes.
First-Lego League in Egypt Competition Finale[edit]
The result of an alliance between FIRST and LEGO, FIRST LEGO League (FLL) is an international hands-on, sport-like robotics program for children aged 9-14. Guided by mentors, FLL students solve engineering challenges.
Intel BASEF[edit]
The Planetarium Science Center (PSC), in collaboration with Intel organizes the Intel Bibliotheca Alexandrina Science and Engineering Fair (Intel BASEF), which is hosted by the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA) in March. Intel BASEF brings together students in grades 9–12 (14–18 years of age) from Alexandria and neighboring governorates, to train, research, innovate, and compete. The winning projects, one team project and two individual projects, represent Egypt in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) that takes place in the USA.
World Water Day[edit]
On the occasion of the international celebration of World Water Day, the PSC organizes one-day festivals.
World Environmental Day[edit]
Commemorated each year on 5 June, World Environmental Day (or simply Earth Day) is one of the vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action. The Slogan for 2008 was "CO2 Kick the Habit": Towards a low-carbon Economy.
The Planetarium's 2009 Renovation[edit]
In 2009, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina reopened its planetarium after a renovation. The renovation included a new dome projection system and a new set of shows.
The renovation allowed for the Bibliotheca and the Planetarium Science Center (PSC, the library's affiliate nonprofit educational center) to jointly host the 20th International Planetarium Society conference in June 2010.
Digistar 3[edit]
The Digistar 3 was first introduced in 2002 by the Evans & Sutherland (E&S) Company which specializes in digital systems for planetariums. The Digistar 3 uses 2 projectors to display the full hemisphere of the planetarium and is equipped at the PSC.
New Shows[edit]
"Stars of the Pharaohs" is one of the shows currently displayed at the PSC, centered on Ancient Egyptian astronomy. It discusses topics such as how Ancient Egyptians built observatories to study astronomy, and what their legacy is to modern science.
"New Horizons" is a show focusing on modern astronomical discoveries and insights. The show's description states that it will take viewers on an, "expedition through the Solar System and into the realm of comets." Its focus is exploration.[1]
See also[edit]
- List of planetariums
- Bibliotheca Alexandrina
- Library of Alexandria
- Planetarium
- International Planetarium Society
- Observatory
References[edit]
- ^ "Alexandria's Planetarium Revamps its Gear - IslamOnline.net - Health & Science". 2011-02-17. Archived from the original on 2011-02-17. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
- Planetarium Science Center official website
- Intel Bibliotheca Alexandria Science and Engineering Fair official website.
External links[edit]
Media related to Bibliotheca Alexandrina planetarium at Wikimedia Commons
