By Nancy Covert
Here’s a show you shouldn’t miss! Admission is only $6 per person. Warning: the material presented may inspire a lot of thinking about the subject matter.
This thought-provoking material can be viewed at Pierce College’s Ft. Steilacoom campus. The shows take place inside the new science building on the hillside overlooking the campus. A grand opening was held on Jan. 19, and programs have been shown ever since.
The Science Dome currently features a series of sky-related programs inside the modern planetarium-like theatre. Next show, “Life: A Cosmic Story,” takes place at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 17, with a second showing at 3:15 p.m. on Saturday.
This past Friday evening, I parked in the college’s upper lot, walked over to the main floor of the Rainier Building, paid my fee and entered the darkened auditorium, found a seat at the rear of the hall and soon was listening to some catchy lyrics about a “falling star”—no star at all, just a meteorite!
The room was illuminated in soft shades of ROYGBIV—rainbow colors, and contains 58 black upholstered seats, and an assortment of floor cushions (for those who prefer to watch from the floor) arrayed in a semi-circular format across the room.
The dome’s “presenter,” a PC science student, explained the evening’s program and soon all eyes in the room were glued on the ceiling where an array of planets, and constellations such as Orion and Ursus rotated across the night sky.
Spectators viewed a presentation about Earth’s unique qualities—along with a down-played foreshadowing about what could happen if Humankind persists on its self-destructive course of pollution.
Hillary Stephens, PC’s Physics and Astronomy Instructor, said that many community groups had been taking advantage of the Dome since it officially opened, including scouting groups, high school and elementary school classes.
A special science fiction-themed program is scheduled on June 8, Stephens said, showing four science fiction movies: “Treasure Planet,” “Back to the Future,” “Jurassic Park” and “Serenity.” There also will be science fiction-themed exhibits, talks and contests.
Besides the Friday-Saturday shows, Wednesday shows at 1 and 2:15 p.m. begin on June 26.
That evening I exited the Rainier Building to an “other-worldly” scene—a sage-brush/Scotch Broom infested prairie, the Solar System’s central globe sinking in the west behind a jagged array of snow-covered peaks, pondering: Is Global Warming for real?
Definitely “food for thought.”
Who will be brave enough to reverse the trend?
Upcoming PC Science Dome programs include Black Holes and Atlantis. Don’t miss any of these stimulating, informative, challenging programs. Visit www.piercecollegedome.com or phone 964-6440 for more information.