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Nine Science Communication Theses, Awarded from Armand Spitz Planetarium Education Fund

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Nine Science Communication Theses, Awarded from Armand Spitz Planetarium Education Fund Nine Science Communication Theses, Awarded from Armand Spitz Planetarium Education Fund Lars Broman, Professor of Physics at Strömstad Academy Teknoland Stångtjärnsvägen 132 SE-79174 Falun, SWEDEN [email protected], [email protected] www.teknoland.se, www.stromstadakademi.se Introduction In the fall of 2003, a new 1-yr Master's Program in Science Communication started at Dalarna University Sweden. While such programs were run by over ten European Universities, this was the first (and to date, last) such Swedish Program. Inspired by the Master's Program at University of Glamorgan in Cardiff, Wales, our program educated students for a future career in Science Centers and Planetariums. In the beginning we were just a 2-person staff, Per Broman as lecturer and I as professor and program director. Following year, the staff increased to include Ernst van Groningen as associate professor, Hannu Salmi as adjunct professor, and Maria Björkroth as assistant professor. We didn't only lecture and supervised students, but also found some time for R&D work. During some years we participated in the European Science Communication Network ESConet, where we and ten other European academic institutions developed workshops for science communication training. The work was financed by the European Union Sixth Framework Program. The importance of our participation was that also science communication using science centers and planetariums became part of the workshops. For more information about ESConet and the ESCW modules, you can contact Professor Steve Miller, University College London, [email protected]. Starting in 2004, scholarships from the IPS Armand Spitz Planetarium Education Fund have been available for Science Communication master students from Dalarna University. Since then, nine scholarships, two each during the years 2004-7 and one for 2008, have been awarded. All of the scholarships have been successful in that the recipients have written master theses, which have been passed by the examiners. So here you will find all nine theses which fully or partly dealt with planetariums. The whole Science Communication program, which terminates at the end of this year (2008) has to date resulted in 47 accepted and graded theses authored by 53 students. The ten students who wrote the planetarium field theses did well. In the European ECTS scale, where the passed grades are A, B, C, D, and E (as compared to the most common US scale with just three grades A, B, and C), two were graded A, four were graded B, four were graded C, and one was graded D, indicating that all the thesis with a good margin met minimum criteria for a passed thesis. Their average grade was also a bit higher than the 53 student average. The inspiration of receiving a grant has certainly played a role, not only in making students wanting to do studies in the planetarium field, but also in writing good theses. The ten students come from seven different countries: Bangladesh, Canada, China (2), Germany (2), Iran (2), Pakistan, and Ukraine. The field work was also done in several countries: Canada, Denmark, Germany (3), Sweden (3), UK, and Ukraine. This reflects the trends among the 53 students, coming from all continents (except Antarctica) and doing their fieldwork mostly in European countries, but also in Canada, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and Vanuatu. Some students did their field work in their home country, but a majority chose another country. Shortly after the Science Communication master's program started at Dalarna University, there was a change in the leadership of the University. The new rector and the group around her for some reasons didn't like Science Communication, so it was decided to terminate the subject and not accept any more students after 2006. The last professor (Hannu Salmi) left in March 2008. Myself, I became emeritus in 2007, but feeling some responsibility for part-time students remaining in the system, I continue to supervise, give exams, and grade students as a consultant paid by the hour. On the other hand, I am presently engaged in creating Strömstad Academy, an Institute for Advanced Studies, but that is another story. For me, it has been a rewarding experience to work with so many talented students. It is my hope that planetarians will find much enjoyable and useful reading among the nine theses that follow. I want to express my sincere gratitude for International Planetarium Society and the IPS Council supporting the Science Communication Master Program at Dalarna University during five years. Thanks are also due to the students, who have given IPS the permission to publish their theses and to the supervisors whose work has been most essential. Here follows nine theses with titles, authors, names of supervisors, and when in Planetarian the projects have been presented. Main supervisor for all theses has been Lars Broman, unless otherwise noted. ASPEF Award Theses 2004 Examining Visitor Attitudes and Motivations at a Space Science Centre Claudette Martin, Canada Local supervisor Donna Livingstone, H R McMillan Space Centre, Vancouver BC, Canada Thesis HDa-SC-04, 2004. 48 pp. Project reported in Planetarian 4/2004. Important Parameters in Designing and Presenting Exhibits and Planetarium Programs in Science Centers. A Visitor-Based Framework Hamid Asgari and Kayvan Seyed Nejadian, Iran (shared) Local supervisor Per Broman, Dalarna University temporary science center Thesis HDa-SC-05, 2004. 161 pp. Project reported in Planetarian 4/2004 ASPEF Award Theses 2005 A Study of Visiting Student Groups to Planetarium Shows Miao Xu, China Local supervisor Lars Petersen, Orion Planetarium, Jels, Denmark Thesis HDa-SC-16, 2006. 46 pp. Project reported in Planetarian 4/2005 The History of Planetaria in UK Shibly Ahmed, Bangladesh Main supervisor Ernst van Groningen Local supervisor, Eva Hans, South Tyneside College Planetarium, UK Thesis HDa-SC-17, 2006. 102 pp. Project reported in Planetarian 4/2005 ASPEF Award Theses 2006 Exploring New Possibilities of New Generation Planetariums. Qualitative and Quantitative Study in Mediendom, Kiel, Germany Yang Yu, China Main supervisor Hannu Salmi Local supervisors Eduard Thomas and Jürgen Rienow, Mediendome Kiel, Germany Thesis HDa-SC-20, 2007. 63 pp. Project reported in Planetarian 4/2006 Touch-Screen Visitor's Survey Programme Bilal Anwar, Pakistan Local supervisor Elisabet Eronn, Framtidsmuseet, Borlänge, Sweden Thesis HDa-SC-28, 2007. 86 pp. Project reported in Planetarian 2/2007 ASPEF Award Theses 2007 The Influence of Astronomy Education in School and Planetariums on Previous Astrological Beliefs Inga Gryl, Germany Local supervisor Olaf Kretzer, K. E. Ziolkowski Planetarium and Observatory, Suhl, Germany Thesis HDa-SC-30, 2007. 146 pp. An article based on the thesis was published in Planetarian 3/2007 New Ways to Teach Astronomy at Kyiv Planetarium Nataliya Kovalenko, Ukraine Local supervisor Klim Churyumov, Kyiv Planetarium, Kyiv, Ukraine Thesis HDa-SC-46, 2008. 72 pp. Project reported in Planetarian 1/2008 ASPEF Award Thesis 2008 After the Digital Revolution: Impact of Fulldome Technology in a Planetarium Author Tobias Wiethoff, Germany Local supervisor Hans Meinl Thesis HDa-SC-42, 2008. 53 pp. An article based on the thesis was published in Planetarian 2/2008 Master Thesis in Science Communication Shibly Ahmed Supervisor: Ernst van Groningen Local supervisor: Eva M Hans The History of Planetaria in UK HDa-SC-17 2 3 Contents Abstract………………………………………………………………..5 Keywords………………………………………………………………5 1. Introduction………………………………………………………..6 1.1 The Aim of the Study………….………………………………7 1.2 Location of the study………………………………………….8 1.3 Acknowledgement……………………………………………..9 2. Research Methodology…………………………………………….10 2.1 Literature Review………………………………………………10 2.2 Questionnaires………………………………………………….11 2.3 Interviews……………………………………………………….11 3. The History of Planetaria worldwide……...………………………13 3.1 The Era of Projection Planetarium…………………………….17 3.1.1 The Evolution of Zeiss Projector……………….……….17 3.1.2 Invention of Spitz Projector……………………………..23 3.1.3 Appearance of More Planetarium industry…….……..25 3.1.4 The Era of Digital Planetarium………………………..25 4. The History of Planetaria in UK…………………………………27 4.1 The Fixed Planetaria…………………………………………27 4.1.1 London Planetarium……………………………………27 4.1.2 Liverpool Museum Planetarium………………………31 4.1.3 Mills Observatory Planetarium…………………………34 4.1.4 Jordel Bank Planetarium……………………………….36 4.1.5 Armagh Planetarium……………………………………37 4.1.6 Important parameters of fixed Planetaria………………42 4.2 The Mobile Planetaria of UK………………………..………45 4.2.1 Evolution of Mobile Planetaria……………………….….45 4.2.2 Stardome Mobile Planetarium…………………………… 4.2.3 Cosmicsky Production…..………………………………. 4.2.4 Important factors of Mobile Planetaria…………………. 5. Home Made Planetaria in UK……………….…………………...53 4 5.1 Mills Observatory Planetarium………………………….53 5.2 Southend Planetarium…………………………………….54 5.3 Home Made Planetarium by Mr. Raymond Worthy ……57 6. Planetaria in Astronavigation Education of UK……….………..63 6.1 History of Astronavigation Device in UK……………………..63 6.2 Nautical Colleges with Planetarium in UK……………………67 6.2.1 Leith Nautical College……………………………………67 7. Astronomy in the National Curriculum…………………………70 7.1 National Curriculum Structure for School in England…..70 7.2 Astronomy Content in National Curriculum……………..72 7.3 Update of Astronomy content in national curriculum……76 8. Millennium Commission and 2000 Lottery Project………………84 8.1 Background……………………………………………………84 8.2 The Millennium Commission funded Science Centers
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