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News & Events
FLEISCHMANN PLANETARIUM BECOMES PARTNER OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SCIENCE-TECHNOLOGY CENTERS (ASTC)
Planetarium members to receive free admission to hundreds of ASTC-partner museums and centers worldwide
The Fleischmann Planetarium and Science Center at the University of Nevada, Reno has become a new partner of the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC), an organization dedicated to furthering public understanding of science among increasingly diverse audiences. ASTC encourages excellence and innovation in informal science learning, in part by serving and linking its members worldwide.
Founded in 1973, ASTC numbers more than 540 members in 40 countries, including science centers and museums, nature centers, aquariums, planetariums, zoos, botanical gardens, space theaters and natural history and children’s museums.
Members of the Fleischmann Planetarium and any of the ASTC’s partnering organizations also benefit from the ASTC’s Passport Program, which provides free admission to hundreds of partner museums and centers around the world.
“The planetarium’s membership in this important organization means our own members will benefit directly, with free entrance to all sorts of great museums,” said Dan Ruby, associate director of the Fleischmann Planetarium. “We think it’s an awesome opportunity for our members and for other ASTC members visiting us.”
According to Ruby, the Passport Program is just one of many benefits of the partnership.
“In addition to providing our members access to a vast range of resources and member benefits at hundreds of our partner institutions worldwide, this new partnership will help Fleischmann develop exhibits and services to better serve the community,” Ruby said. “Our staff now has access to membership and visitor data and statistics that will help tremendously in our program development.”
Like Fleischmann Planetarium, a large percentage of ASTC institutions are part of a university or affiliated with one, and as such, can offer valuable data for program development to meet the University of Nevada, Reno’s needs.
“This will give us insights into how to develop increasingly effective collaborations with the University and community,” Ruby said. “I can’t tell you how excited we are to be able to offer so many benefits to our members, the University and the community as a result of this new partnership.” For more about the ASTC Passport Program and participating museums and centers worldwide, click here.
FLEISCHMANN PLANETARIUM AND SCIENCE CENTER OFFERS LEGO© ROBOTICS WORKSHOPS MAY 17-19, 2008
Aspiring scientists ages 10-14 are invited to engage in hands-on learning and fun during two-hour mini-robotics sessions
Join science teacher and robot-building expert Paul Nagelkerke for a two-hour mini-robotics workshop at the University of Nevada, Reno Fleischmann Planetarium and Science Center, held Saturday, May 17, 10 a.m.-noon, 1-3 p.m., or 4-6 p.m.; Sunday, May 18, 10 a.m.-noon, 1-3 p.m., or 4-6 p.m.; or Monday, May 19, 10 a.m.-noon or 1-3 p.m. The fee for each two-hour workshop is $35 per participant age 10-14, and includes a souvenir t-shirt.
Workshop participants ages 10-14 will build a small LEGO© Mindstorms Sumo Robot (one per participant) and learn how to program the robot to battle in a sumo competition at the conclusion of the class. Concepts explored include balance and speed versus force, and traction versus power. All parts and equipment must be returned at the end of the workshop. Parents are encouraged to attend to watch the construction and competition at no charge.
The instructor for the Planetarium’s LEGO© Robotics Workshops is Paul Nagelkerke, M.Sc., a science teacher at the Silbury Education and Resource Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia. Nagelkerke has presented robot-building classes at schools, summer camps and science centers throughout the United States and Canada. In addition to teaching, he builds robot props for films and television in southwestern British Columbia. Visit http://www.geocities.com/PantomimeRobotics for more information about Paul Nagelkerke.
Advance registration is required. To register, download the LEGO© Robotics flier, fill out the registration form and return to Fleischmann Planetarium at the University of Nevada, Reno by mail or in person, or call (775) 784-4812 for more details or to register by phone. No drop-in participants will be admitted. Registrations cannot be reserved until payment of $35 per participant is received in full. A 10 percent discount is available to Fleischmann Planetarium Nova Team members. Each session is limited to 10 participants; early registration is recommended. Classes will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Participants will be contacted by phone to confirm registration.
FLEISCHMANN PLANETARIUM LAUNCHES PLANET-X FRIENDS OF THE PLANETARIUM EVENT THE THIRD THURSDAY OF EACH MONTH
Join Fleischmann Planetarium and Science Center at the University of Nevada, Reno the third Thursday of every month from 5:30-7:30 p.m. for Planet-X Friends of the Planetarium Night featuring performances from KTHX-FM 100.1 DJs and spectacular light shows utilizing Fleischmann’s state-of-the-art digital planetarium.
The event is free for Friends of the Planetarium members, or $5 for nonmembers. Tickets are available at the door. Come down and consider the benefits of membership including exclusive invitations to new show previews, discounts on telescopes and gift shop merchandise, reduced or free admission to feature films and star shows, and much more.
Planet-X Friends of the Planetarium Night features:
• A series of 20-minute shows in the Star Theater featuring music from KTHX and visuals from the edge of space
• Out-of-this world music performances from KTHX DJs in the Exhibit Hall
• Giveaway drawings for T-shirts, software, science-themed gifts and more
• Libations from renowned local sponsors including Great Basin Brewing Company, Red’s Little Waldorf, Tahoe Creamery, Sierra Wine & Spirits and others
• A children’s science craft studio facilitated by Planetarium staff
• Classic sci-fi movies recovered from the vaults of time
• And more!
Fleischmann Planetarium and Science Center is located north of Lawlor Events Center on North Virginia and 16th streets, on the University of Nevada, Reno campus, 1.5 miles north of the downtown Reno arch. Free parking is available in the West Stadium Parking Complex, level 3, just east of the Planetarium.
For more information about joining Friends of the Planetarium, Planet-X Night, and upcoming exhibits, events and shows playing in the Star Theater, call (775) 784-4812.
Daily through Sept. 1, 2008
FLEISCHMANN PLANETARIUM PUSHES THE EXTREMES THIS SPRING WITH TWO NEW SHOWS — “THE ALPS” AND “EXTREME PLANETS”
Fleischmann Planetarium and Science Center at the University of Nevada, Reno pushes the extremes in Spring 2008 with two new immersive theater experiences, MacGillivray Freeman’s large-format feature film, “The Alps” and Clark Planetarium Productions’ full-dome digital star show, “Extreme Planets.” Both shows play through Sept. 1, 2008, accompanied by a number of other planetarium favorites showing daily.
MacGillivray Freeman’s new Skydome 8/70 large-format feature film “The Alps” transports audiences to the sheer rock-and-ice wall known as the Eiger North Face in the thin air above Switzerland, where an American climber embarks on the most perilous and meaningful ascent of his life. In this extraordinary emotional journey through Europe’s majestic Alps, audiences experience the exhilarating true story of a man who overcomes his darkest fears to realize his greatest potential in one of the world’s most extreme and breathtaking environments.
“High adventure. Human drama. Heartbreaking tragedy… [‘The Alps’] is a heart-in-your-throat excursion into the Alpine landscape, interwoven with a true story that has become a climbing legend.” — Arizona Daily Star
Humans have long wondered whether they are alone in the universe. With the 1995 discovery of a planet orbiting another star, humankind moved one step closer to knowing the answer. In “Extreme Planets,” a new full-dome digital star show produced by Clark Planetarium Productions, audiences join the quest for extra-solar planets in an immersive full-dome tour of extreme Earth-like environments from water-worlds to molten landscapes, inhabitable moons and planets with multiple suns.
“The Alps” and “Extreme Planets” are shown seven days a week, including holidays:
“The Alps” — 1, 3 and 7 p.m. daily through Sept. 1, 2008.
“Extreme Planets” — 2 and 6 p.m. daily through Sept. 1, 2008, with additional noon showings Jan. 21, Feb. 18, March 10-14, and June 2-Sept. 1.
Individual tickets for “The Alps” or “Extreme Planets” are $6 adult/$4 children under 14 and seniors 54 and over. Museum admission is free. A discount may be available for the second show in a daily double feature. Call (775) 784-4812 for details.
Also showing through Sept. 1, 2008
Join Nancy Aulenbach and Hazel Barton in “Journey into Amazing Caves,” produced by MacGillivray Freeman Films, as they search for clues about Earth’s past and examine the microorganisms that inhabit its most extreme environments, including ice caves in Greenland and underwater caves in the jungles of Mexico. Their story transports viewers to caves so remote and treacherous that exploring them is like traveling to a distant planet. Shown daily at 5 p.m. Tickets are $6 adult/$4 children under 14 and seniors 54 and over. A discount may be available for the second show in a daily double feature. Call (775) 784-4812 for details.
Clark Planetarium’s production of the full-dome digital star show “Black Holes” takes audiences on a journey through one of the most mystifying, awe-inspiring phenomena in the universe. What is a black hole? Where do they come from? Where do they go? How do we find them? Is there one on Earth’s horizon? Explore the most recent discoveries in a show featuring the latest in full-dome 3-D animation technology. Shown daily at 4 p.m. Tickets are $6 adult/$4 children under 14 and seniors 54 and over. A discount may be available for the second show in a daily double feature. Call (775) 784-4812 for details.
In “The Secret of the Cardboard Rocket” (recommended for children in grades 1-3, but fun for all ages), audiences climb aboard a magical cardboard rocket with two young adventurers to experience a breathtaking, up-close look at each of our solar system’s planets. Discover the secret to making this seemingly impossible trip to the edges of the universe and back, and gain a new sense of wonder about space along the way. Shown Saturdays and Sundays at 11 a.m. through Sept. 1, 2008, with additional weekday showings at 11 a.m. Jan. 21, Feb. 18, March 10-14, and June 2-Sept. 1. Tickets are $6 adult/$4 children under 14 and seniors 54 and over. A discount may be available for the second show in a daily double feature. Call (775) 784-4812 for details.
“Dark Side of the Moon,” Pink Floyd’s legendary rock ’n’ roll masterpiece, is re-created in full-color animation for an unforgettable high-definition, full-dome video experience — a new digital revolution in sight and sound. Shown Saturdays at 8 p.m. through Sept. 1, 2008. Tickets are $6 adult/$4 seniors 54 and over. Parental advisory: adult content.
What’s happening in the sky tonight? “Live SkyTonight Star Talk” answers that question in an informal and entertaining immersive multimedia presentation aided by state-of-the-art technology, followed by telescope viewing (weather permitting) at the Planetarium’s observatory site in Rancho San Rafael Park, courtesy of the Astronomical Society of Nevada. “Live SkyTonight Star Talk” takes place the first Friday of each month at 6 p.m. at Fleischmann Planetarium. Tickets are $6 adult/$4 children under 14 and seniors 54 and over.
For tickets and more information, call (775) 784-4811.
Click here for more show information.
SUMMER 2008 PRESCHOOL ACTIVITIES
For more information, view or print pdf>>
“PERCEPTUAL RELATIVITY” EXHIBITION EXPLORING THE HUMAN MIND OPENS DEC. 7 AT FLEISCHMANN PLANETARIUM ON THE UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO CAMPUS
Events include opening reception and presentation by Stuart Anstis, author and world-renowned scholar on human perception
What does it mean to see? “Perceptual Relativity,” an interactive exhibition developed by the University of Nevada, Reno Department of Psychology and on display at the University’s Fleischmann Planetarium and Science Center, explores individual perception through visual illusions — images that distort our perceptions in remarkable ways. An opening reception, Friday, Dec. 7, 2007, at the Fleischmann Planetarium will kick off with a presentation by world-renowned scholar, Stuart Anstis, Ph.D., from the University of California, San Diego. The lecture, reception and exhibition are free and open to the public.
The multimedia exhibit will be a permanent installation in Fleischmann Planetarium throughout 2008, enhanced with several changing displays and new content during the year. The exhibit allows visitors to explore dozens of illusions where stationary figures appear to move, lines and colors are warped by their surroundings, and entirely new perceptions emerge simply by turning the picture. Reaching far beyond the surface of perceptions, these illusions provide a powerful window into the workings of the human mind.
Guest lecturer Stuart Anstis, Ph.D., is an award-winning professor of psychology at the University of California, San Diego and a world-renowned expert on human perception. He has published more than 120 papers on a wide range of discoveries in vision, hearing and touch, and has given more than 250 invited presentations on his research throughout the United States, Europe and Japan. His work has been featured in Discover magazine and on numerous television programs. He has won awards as an outstanding teacher at York University and at Earl Warren College, UCSD.
The “Perceptual Relativity” exhibit was created by faculty and students in the graduate program in cognitive and brain sciences in the University of Nevada, Reno Department of Psychology, and is supported by grants from the Optical Society of America and the University of Nevada, Reno College of Liberal Arts.
The opening lecture, “Illusions are Not What They Seem,” by Stuart Anstis, will be held Friday, Dec. 7 at 4 p.m. in the University’s new Joe Crowley Student Union movie theatre, third floor. A reception follows at the Fleischmann Planetarium and Science Center from 5-7 p.m. The exhibition will be open daily, Sunday-Thursday from 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m., Friday and Saturday until 9 p.m., and closed Christmas and New Year’s Day. All events are free.
The Fleischmann Planetarium is located north of Lawlor Events Center on Virginia and 16th streets, on the University of Nevada, Reno campus. The Crowley Student Union is located just east of Lawlor Events Center. Free parking is available for both events in the West Stadium Parking Complex, level 3, just east of the planetarium.
For more information about all the events and shows at Fleischmann Planetarium and Science Center, call (775) 784-4812 or visit: http://www.planetarium.unr.edu.
Fleischmann Planetarium and Science Center is part of the University of Nevada, Reno and Extended Studies, offering science-related exhibits, public star shows and large-format films, as well as public star observing courtesy of the Astronomical Society of Nevada. The planetarium’s uniquely shaped building was designed by famed Reno architect Ray Hellman and is listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings. Built in 1964, it was the first planetarium in the world to project full-dome movies, and is currently one of the first of a handful of planetariums around the world to utilize the Spitz SciDome digital projector, a high-resolution, state-of-the-art immersive visualization tool. The projector is also adaptable to a number of disciplines and uses, supporting collaborations among the planetarium, other University departments and programs, and community organizations. Fleischmann Planetarium serves more than 40,000 visitors a year, including hundreds of school field trips that introduce students, K-12, to the wonders of the universe.
FIRST THURSDAYS AT NEVADA MUSEUM OF ART
Join the Planetarium and KTHX-FM 100.1 at the Nevada Museum of Art the first Thursday of each month, 5-7 p.m., for live music and refreshments.
$10 adult • $8 seniors, students • $2 children • NMA members FREE
Visit www.nevadaart.org for details.
STARS OVER X-VILLE
Attention sky-watchers! Tune in to “Stars Over X-ville” on KTHX-FM 100.1 every Tuesday morning at 7:45 a.m. for an update on happenings in northern Nevada’s skies, with Dan Ruby, planetarium associate director. See the latest report.
NEWS ARCHIVE
• Investigate the “Mystery of the Nile” and explore the “Ultimate Universe”! more >>
• The 1st Reno Interdisciplinary Festival of New Media will feature a selection of full-dome videos, Nov. 16. more >>
• Discover What's "UP" at Fleischmann Planetarium's Grand Re-opening! more >>
• NEW! Special birthday party packages for children! pdf >>
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