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Planetarium Endowment Will Help Project Thrive |
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They come from K-12 schools from in and around Glendale to take a trip through the universe and beyond, courtesy of the planetarium at Glendale Community College. Since the planetarium opened in September of 2003, close to 2000 elementary and secondary school students have passed through its doors to view the night sky in real time and real color, to take trips to Saturn and the surface of the moon and to see many other exciting ways of viewing outer space. Thanks to 17 computers and six projectors that work together to produce images on the 30-foot dome, students and visitors recline in moveable seats to view the show and remarkable images in comfort. While a trip to the planetarium or digital theatre has become one of the most popular sights at the college for students on campus and visitors from the community, the cost of keeping the planetarium current and relevant is enormous and beyond the operating budget of the college. The Foundation has taken on the challenge to help raise funds for a planetarium endowment by enlisting the help of GCC Assistant Professor of Art Ellen Stern, who has created an amazing mural and donor wall that was dedicated in January just outside the planetarium. “The creation of the mural blends the timeless technique of drawing with highly sophisticated technology,” said Stern about the donor wall. “The original concept was sketched by hand in the traditional manner, scanned into software and fabricated out of synthetic stone using computer-controlled machinery.” Annual proceeds from the endowment will fund items such as necessary upgrades and repairs, new media, technical staff and other such needs. It is the goal of the Foundation to raise the funds to keep the planetarium state-of-the-art. Already, several of the tiles on the donor wall have been sponsored by college staff and friends of the science center. For more information on how you can place you name on the donor wall and be part of this worthwhile project, please call the Foundation office at x5199. You can also find more information at www.glendale.edu/community/minbrochures/Planetarium. &
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