Hundreds more schoolchildren and students will be able to marvel at the wonders of the Universe with the launch of the University’s new mobile planetarium.
Winning an Education Enhancement Fund (EEF) grant of nearly £30,000 has enabled the team to purchase a new six-metre Astrodome that can fit more people inside to watch its shows and learn about the visible Universe and what astronomers are doing to understand it. The new dome is set to accommodate up to 2,000 more people a year during its roadshow of school visits and public events.
The new dome was launched by the University’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Don Nutbeam at a special ceremony. He said:
“This outreach programme is a great credit to the University. It is because of this type of outreach work that we have seen something of a renaissance in Physics and Astronomy at this University over the past decade.”
At the opening ceremony, four of students were specifically recognised for their dedication to the mobile planetarium:
- Juan Hernandez – outstanding postgraduate award
- Cait Percy – outstanding undergraduate award
- Chris Frohmaier – dome managing on campus award
- Robert Firth – dome managing at schools award
To find out more about the Astrodome visit: website, Facebook, and Twitter.