Planetarium Science Center
The Planetarium Science Center is a department in the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Alexandria, Egypt. It promotes the concept of science centers as an educational tool.
The Sections of the PSC
The Planetarium
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.
The Bibliotheca Alexandrina's Planetarium Shows:
- Solarmax (IMAX 40min.)
- Star Show (Live Show 45min.)
- Oasis in Space (Panorama 25 min.)
- Ring of fire (IMAX 40 min.)
- Human Body (IMAX 40 min.)
ALEXPloratorium
It is located next to the Planetarium, where visitors are able to interact with its exhibits which cover various scientific topics, with emphasis on Physics and Astronomy.
Listen and Discover
Short and simple scientific documentary films are displayed according to a predefined schedule. The films are of a lively nature that attract audience and help them understand scientific issues in an appealing, simple yet interesting manner.
Programs in the PSC
Hands-on Workshops
Within the mission and strategy adopted by the PSC. The History of Science Museum conducts a variety of workshops to facilitate and animate the information in the museum in a simple fun manner.
Topics offered in the PSC workshops include:
Remote Sensing Workshop
This program introduces the scientific participles of remote sensing. and offers hands-on applications. Participants are introduced to the impact of natural events through history using a series of satellites images, as well as the analysis of recent images to comprehend the current situation. They are also exposed to other environmental issues that are related to the workshop theme.
Zoom Earth Program
This program comprises different kinds of educational activities, such as series of lectures, workshops and field trips. The program mainly tackles topics such as irrigation, meteorology, volcanoes and earthquakes.
Discover your Environment Camp
A winter camp, Discover your Environment allows students to interact with various fields of science through entertaining activities in the courses of an amazing journey to the Siwa desert organized by the PSC.
RoboAlex Center
The RoboAlex Center at the Alexploratorium offers hands-on robotic challenges guided by animators. The participating groups design, program, and test robots on a special playing field to accomplish certain missions.
Science Club
Science Club implements educational and science programs at schools; they aim to "simulate 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
The Super Science Show gets participating children involved in hands-on experiment. The show includes experiments in the fields of physics, biology, and chemistry.
Alexploratorium Contest
The Alexploratorium Contest familiarize students of different age groups with essential topics in science like IQ tests and teamwork; it also tackles important scientific discoveries.
Important Events in the PSC
Eratosthenes
Eratosthenes is a traditional annual Festival that the Bibliotheca Alexandrina organizes with the aim of promoting 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
The result of an alliance between FIRST(For Inspiration and Recogenition of Science and Technology) and LEGO, First Lego League (FLL) is an international hands-on, sport-like robotics program for children 9-14. Guided by mentors, FLL student solve actual engineering challenges.
Intel BASEF
The Planetarium Science Center (PSC), in collaboration with Intel Co. organizes the Intel Bibliotheca Alexandrina Science and Engineering Fair (Intel BASEF) 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, compete, and winning. The winning projects, one team project and two individual projects, will represent Egypt in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) that takes place in the United States of America.
World Water Day
On the occasion of the international celebration of World Water Day, the PSC organizes one-day festival.
World Environmental Day
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 Revamp
The Bibliotheca Alexandrina reopened its planetarium doors after having equipped itself with a newly installed state of the art dome projection system and a set of stunning shows to go along with it.
With the new system running, the sea-side Bibliotheca and the Planetarium Science Center (PSC, the library's affiliate nonprofit educational center) are now ready to jointly host the 20th International Planetarium Society conference in June, 2010.
Digistar 3
The planetarium describes its new system which is known as Digistar 3 as a "cutting-edge full-dome projection system with a rich set of real-time 3D astronomy features and a wide database of celestial bodies that enables the audience to explore the universe as never before."
Stunning Shows
"Stars of the Pharaohs" is one of the shows currently displayed at the PSC which is centered on Ancient Egyptian astronomy. It answers questions like how much truth is there to claims that the Pharaohs' monuments were observatories, possessed magical powers or were even built by aliens? How did the Egyptians see and use the stars, and what is their legacy to us?
"New Horizons" on the other hand is a show focusing on modern astronomical discoveries and insights. The show promises to take the viewer on an "expedition through the Solar System and into the realm of comets." Its focus is one of exploration. (Alexandria's Planetarium Revamps its Gear)
See also
References
External links
