Planetarium Science Center

Planetarium Science Center
The Planetarium Science Centre is a department in the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Alexandria, Egypt. It promotes science centres as an educational tool.
Pre-Historic Animal Park
The Science Park has a Dinosaur Park that houses models of a large number of prehistoric animals.
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.
ALEXPloratorium
The ALEXPloratorium is located next to the Planetarium, where visitors are able to interact with multiple exhibits which cover various scientific topics, most commonly Physics and Astronomy.
Listen and Discover
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
Hands-on workshops
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
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
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
A winter camp, Discover your Environment instructs students on various fields of science through activities, including a journey to the Siwa desert, organized by the PSC.
RoboAlex Center
The RoboAlex Center at the Alexploratorium offers instruction in robotics. The participating groups design, program, and test robots on a playing field, with the goal of accomplishing 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 experiments. The show includes experiments in the fields of physics, biology, and chemistry.
Alexploratorium Contest
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
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 Recognition of Science and Technology) and LEGO, FIRST LEGO League (FLL) is an international hands-on, sport-like robotics program for children aged 9-14.
Guided by mentors, FLL student solve 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), 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 United States of America.
World Water Day
On the occasion of the international celebration of World Water Day, the PSC organizes one-day festivals.
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 2009 Renovation
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
The Digistar 3 was first introduced in 2002 by the Evans & Sutherland (E&S) Company which specializes in digital systems for planetaria. The Digistar 3 uses 2 projectors to display the full hemisphere of the planetarium, and is equipped at the PSC.
New Shows
"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. (Alexandria's Planetarium Revamps its Gear)
See also
List of planetariums
Bibliotheca Alexandrina
Library of Alexandria
Planetarium
International Planetarium Society
Observatory
References
Planetarium Science Center official website
Intel Bibliotheca Alexandria Science and Engineering Fair official website.
External links
Buildings and structures in Alexandria
Science and technology in Egypt
Scientific organisations based in Egypt
Bibliotheca Alexandrina
Planetaria