Starlab Comes to LIS

LIS students prepare to enter the StarLab as they show off their knowledge of the solar system to John the Astronomer.

STARLAB is a portable planetarium system. The dome inflates and is capable of accommodating about 25 students.

From the outside it looked like a giant silver mushroom. Students venturing inside found a planetarium they exclaimed was "lots of fun" where they "learned a lot." The inflatable StarLab, built by MIT and run by super-charged "John the Astronomer," earned favorable reviews from Lawrence Intermediate School students at the first LIS Science Night on May 4th. Indeed, one young visitor to StarLab deemed it "the same as a big planetarium" - quite an endorsement! StarLab's visit was sponsored by the Lawrence Township Education Foundation as part of its commitment to science education and fostering educational excellence, creativity and achievement in Lawrence's public schools.

While outside the StarLab, John gave quick lectures on topics such as the moons of Jupiter while handing around pieces of meteors so students could observe their density and luster. Students milled around the bulbous structure, waiting for their turn in one of the 15-minute programs John hosted inside the StarLab. Seating about 25 participants in each session, by the end of the evening some 150 people had enjoyed the StarLab experience.

Within the StarLab, students learned to locate planets visible to the naked eye in the night sky using prominent landmarks such as the moon. They scoured the stars identifying familiar constellations and encountering a few new ones on the way. Visitors to the StarLab calculated the number of trips around the Sun they've made in their lives and considered what it really means when "the sun goes down."

Showing the students the effects of light pollution, John dimmed the ambient light in the StarLab and let the Milky Way and constellations awe his young audience. Their oohs and aahs could be heard from outside the dome, followed by their quick responses when he asked them to name constellations.

It's no surprise that these kids know their stuff: Jessica Heller, teacher and driving force behind the Science Night event, reports that LIS students study the Earth, moon, and Sun in the 4th and 5th grades and that 5th graders keep a moon log for a month. It was Heller's grant from the LTEF that brought the StarLab to LIS, and she is hopeful that the success of this first Science Night will mark the beginning of an annual event.