The Geophysical Institute Education Outreach group offers basic astronomy education through a team of volunteers who deliver exciting digital presentations via the Digitarium® Portable System.
Presentations are available to schools, civic groups, and other nonprofit community organizations around the state of Alaska. Staff time and travel must be paid by the hosting organization for presentations outside of the Fairbanks North Star Borough. To arrange a presentation for your group, contact the GI Education Outreach office at UAF-GI-Outreach@alaska.edu.
In Fairbanks, the planetarium fee is $300 and there may be additional costs to be determined (i.e. parking fees, if applicable). Outside of the Fairbanks North Star Borough, staff time and travel expenses must be paid for by the host organization for presentations. Reach out to our department for a quote.
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School Presentations
To arrange a presentation for your group, contact the GI Education Outreach Team at UAF-GI-Outreach@alaska.edu.
Communities Visited
In collaboration with grant partners and schools throughout the state, the planetarium has visited the following locations:
Kiuguyat: The Northern Lights Movie
History of the Program
The first portable planetarium was purchased in 2007 with funds donated to the UA Foundation by BP and ConocoPhillips, and shortly thereafter faculty and staff at the GI began giving presentations at local schools. A NASA grant to the GI and UA's Museum of the North (PI Robert Herrick, GI; co-investigator Laura Conner, then at UAMN) provided staff salaries and travel monies for a four-year period, during which time the Museum of the North coordinated logistics and oversaw the program. After cessation of the NASA grant, the program has moved to a volunteer-supported model, with the GI Education Outreach group assuming responsibility for equipment maintenance and scheduling logistics. Robert Herrick, research professor at the GI, has overseen the program since its inception.