Pierce Fort Steilacoom will house the only Science Dome in the South Sound starting fall of next year.
The new planetarium has the potential of being a useful tool in drawing the community to the campus. The astronomical center will offer educational and entertainment programs to college students, local residents, and K-12 students.
With a $1.6 million budget, construction will begin in January 2012. The interior space of a storage room on the second floor in the Rainer Building, will transform into a planetarium. Before construction can begin, a design team will have to make revisions to layout plans.
“We are in the first round of designs with our consultant team,” Jim Taylor, district director of facilities said.
“Once we have a final layout, we can submit our documents to the city and get a permit by December of this year.”
The consultant team consists of the district director of facilities, project manager, science faculty, purchasing team, team of architects and engineers, and a construction team from Canada. The purchasing team are responsible for buying the dome and projection system for the planetarium.
“I will be in charge of the Science Dome once it is built next year, and I hope to train other faculty members and students on how to use the control panel,” Stephens said.
“Our focus will be to teach astronomy, then branch into other courses.”
The 38-feet in diameter-perforated dome will tilt 10 degrees to create an immersive environment. A dual-projector system will emit three-dimensional (3D) images onto the ceiling of the dome.
“The dome will look like a ball cut in half from the bottom, and the projectors will be hidden on the sides of the dome,” Stephens said.
Stephens explained that students will have a better understanding of astronomy by seeing the universe from their seats and participating in hands-on activities.
“Students will be able to watch the stars across the sky, and they will understand abstract concepts that are hard to see on a piece of paper,” Stephens said.
“They can come into the dome and have a 3D view of what stars looked like 2,000 years ago and what they will look like in the future.”
Along with the educational and 3D laser shows for students and the public, a sound system will add audio and music to the environment. It is estimated that 50 or more seats will be placed parallel to the dome, with a ramp available for those with disabilities.
The space behind the Rainer Building will turn into an observatory, where images from telescopes will broadcast onto the projector screens in the dome.
Jim Taylor, district director of facilities, had a few concerns about the construction project.
“There are numerous things that the design team have to consider, which include the amount of seats to build, the height of dome, the traffic patterns of entering and exiting the dual door system, the placement of air systems and fire sprinklers, and creating a catwalk assemblies to access utility lights on top of the dome,” Taylor said.
“We also have to switch the green emergency exit lights to red because green lights affect a person’s night vision.”
The project will be possible due to funding from the 21st Century Learning Campaign, generous donations, student fees, and foundations and matching government funds.
Both Stephens and Taylor want the new astronomical center to become a powerful learning tool for college students. They would also like to see K-12 students and local residents visit the campus.
Bellevue College had the first major planetarium in the Puget Sound area. The facility opened in the early 1970s. Bellevue College student Demitria Dissen has never been to Pierce College, but believes students on campus will benefit from having a local planetarium.
“I think it is wonderful that another college will have its own planetarium, and the locals there don’t have to drive all the way to Bellevue or Seattle,” Dissen said.
“The digital projectors in our planetarium create an image of the stars and galaxies, and I get to enjoy my astronomy class.”
Local International Student Naida Yasub believes the planetarium will bring the community together.
“We will see all different kinds of people come to campus to see the planetarium and the laser shows,” Yasub said.
“I am new to this country and learning so much about the culture here; I also hope I get the chance to see what the universe looks like.”
For more information contact Suzy Ames at [email protected] or Hillary Stephens at [email protected]