This event has been canceled
Indian River State College and the Hallstrom Planetarium are pleased to be your hosts for this year’s SEPA conference.
Since our part of Florida is known as the Treasure Coast, our theme will be “Planetarium Treasures.” The Hallstrom Planetarium is located on the College’s Fort Pierce campus, which is roughly midway between Cape Canaveral and West Palm Beach on Florida’s Atlantic coast (the beaches are just four miles east of the College). The Planetarium was built and opened to the public and the college community in the Spring of 1993.
The Planetarium theater has 74 fixed seats under a forty foot diameter dome. It houses a Spitz 512 optical-mechanical planetarium plus a 2K Digital Effects full-dome system with fisheye lens. Console controls, automation and cove lighting is by East Coast Control Systems. GUI automation of the Spitz 512 console and the Uniview theater videos was created and installed by Paul Stearns.
In addition to the conference proceedings, held at the Hallstrom Planetarium and Indian River State’s Kight Technology Center; we are also planning some time outside on the Indian River, with a pontoon boat tour of the lagoon’s wildlife, including pelicans, herons, manatees and dolphins. There will also be some opportunities to play Black Hole Shuffleboard.
Our keynote speaker is the acclaimed analogue astronaut and geologist, Dr. Sian Proctor. Included in her diverse resume of science communication and outreach, she was the first Education Outreach officer for the Hawai’i Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) Mission and has appeared in many television programs. Alongside our expert speakers, we will also be entertained and very scientifically informed by the world-famous Physics Chanteuse, Lynda Williams, who is planning on presenting some new outer space torch songs she is penning just for us! Workshops are also being planned, covering a variety of topics, including using a sextant; moon rock certification; and treasure hunting with a metal detector.
Finally, since this is the Treasure Coast, so named for all the silver, gold and other valuables that were lost when ten Spanish galleons sunk offshore during a hurricane in 1715, (and which are still being discovered today), there will be a treasure hunt for all SEPA members who are fully registered conference delegates, sponsored by SEPA and Audio Visual Imagineering; the winner of this activity will be the one to discover an actual doubloon (valued at hundreds of dollars) dredged up from the bottom of the sea and hidden somewhere on Indian River State College’s campus!
Questions? Contact Planetarium Director Jon Bell at jbell@irsc.edu