Discovery Dome planetarium at MFMS inspires learning
Emily Hilley-Sierzchula/The Highlander
Eighth-grade science students at Marble Falls Middle School get ready for the star show in a temporary planetarium on Tuesday, April 5.
By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula
The Highlander
“It’s okay to ooh and aah,” said the astronomy educator to the group of 8th-grade Marble Falls Middle School students who couldn’t help but react upon seeing the entire universe above and around them. Students reclined in the Discovery Dome, watching as day turned to a brilliant night sky brimming with stars and planets.
Over the course of two days, MFMS students got a 10-minute tour of the universe followed by “2 Small Pieces of Glass,” a program about the invention and evolution of the telescope, all while nestled in the black bubble of the inflatable planetarium in the library.
“The kids have said the experience makes the universe come to life, like they’re in space,” said Carla Duggins, 8th grade science teacher at MFMS. “I’m hearing them say over and over that it feels real now.”
Duggins said the activity fit perfectly with the science TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills state curriculum). “It incorporates everything we’re learning in class about stars, galaxies and light years,” she said.
A Highland Lakes Legacy Fund grant funded the visit by the astronomer and the temporary planetarium, part of the Discovery Dome Project at the Texas Museum of Science and Technology (TXMOST) in Cedar Park.
Duggins said she is thankful for the grant because it’s a way to fund educational activities and guest speakers. “It’s hard to find money in the budget to take students on a field trip, so this way the planetarium came to us so these kids could have that experience,” Duggins said. “When I first mentioned it, most students had never been to a planetarium, and some had never heard of it.”
Anyone can view a “virtual planetarium” on a computer using the same free program used during the presentation. A link to “Stellarium” is available on the TXMOST website (www.txmost.org).
Folks can call 512-961-5333 or email info@txmost.org for more information about TXMOST and its Larry K. Forrest Memorial Planetarium.
For more information about the Highland Lakes Legacy Fund visit www.highlandlakeslegacyfund.org or call 830-220-1100.
