Skip to main content

College’s Planetariums a Hit at KidCon

Visitors prepare to enter one of two planetariums during KidCon.

Salt Lake City’s biggest annual costume party had something uniquely “outta this world” for kids at this year’s KidCon, the quasi child of the wildly popular FanX.

Janalee Harrison, physics lab coordinator for Salt Lake Community College, brought two giant  planetariums, put them in a large room and watched children become wowed by what was inside. Harrison borrowed from KidCon’s pirate theme to add even more fun to the experience.

“I pretended to be a pirate captain and the kids had joined my crew,” Harrison says. “After ‘boarding’ the planetarium, we learned there was a mutiny and we had all been marooned on a deserted island. We then had to figure out where we were and how we were oriented and then we could navigate off the island.”


About 2,000 children (and adults) visited the silver and blue Portable Planetarium Systems over the course of three days in early September. Once inside the blue “Digitalis” planetarium, kids used the sun and stars to determine longitude and latitude and a north orientation, “just like ancient sailors,” Harrison notes. Then they navigated off the island to end the 20-minute show. The shows ran non-stop each day and were at maximum capacity each time. “Our public debut was a big hit and a great success,” Harrison says.

The silver planetarium in the room is the old StarLab the college purchased in 1984 – yes, it still works! It projects a star field via a gel over a lightbulb for a more simplified show that focuses on finding and identifying a few constellations, the North Star and measuring latitude. In busier times during KidCon, the silver sister to the more popular blue planetarium handled some of the overflow.

Harrison said using the planetariums was a way for SLCC student volunteers during KidCon to gain leadership experience, ideas for research projects and hands-on time with a STEM-related experience. “I knew Salt Lake City’s FanX would be a great way to reach a lot of people, and their KidCon event is S.T.E.A.M. centered – so, I knew we would fit right in,” Harrison says. The show she developed focused on astronavigation.


Most things and experiences at FanX and KidCon cost money, but Harrison was able to keep the planetarium show free, much to the “surprise and relief” of otherwise hesitant parents. She also made sure that it was ADA compatible, which meant many children with disabilities were able to participate. “Our interactions with them were always very special, and I’m pleased we could provide that service,” Harrison says.

Harrison was helped by SLCC student volunteers, SLCC’s TRIO STEM volunteers and a crew of others. By networking during KidCon with other organizations, SLCC gained potential partners interested in hosting the planetarium experience during future events. “KidCon has already invited us back,” she says. “So, if you missed us this year, you can catch us next year.”


Popular posts from this blog

SLCC's Undergraduate Annual Research Conference Registration Deadline

Salt Lake Community College’s annual Undergraduate Projects, Performances, Presentations, and Research Conference (UP3RC) is set to take place on April 2, at the Taylorsville Redwood Campus, offering students a chance to showcase their academic achievements, fostering a culture of intellectual exchange.  The UP3RC is an annual event designed to celebrate and highlight the academic accomplishments of undergraduate students. It provides a supportive environment for students to share their work, hone their presentations skills, receive constructive feedback, and engage in meaningful discussions with their peers and faculty. All SLCC departments and programs, including faculty and staff, are encouraged to support and visit the day of the event. Students with their poster from last year's UPRC event “The goal of this event is to make sure every school and student is given the opportunity to participate,” says Dr. Kamal Bewar, interim director of the STEM Learning Center, who is chairin

SLCC Business School is Utah’s First to be Named Exclusively After a Woman

Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) proudly announces a partnership with the Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation to modernize its Business Building and transform its School of Business. The improvements are made possible through a generous $10 million gift from the Miller Family Foundation and Gail Miller, the largest-ever single cash donation received by the college.  SLCC is renaming its Business Building the Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Business Building in honor of the Miller family’s legacy and contributions to the community. The business school will be named the Gail Miller School of Business in recognition of the strong business acumen Gail Miller displays as a community leader and as the owner and immediate past chair of the Larry H. Miller Company. This name change will make SLCC home to the only business school in Utah and one of only a few in the country to be named exclusively after a woman.  “We are deeply humbled by the generosity of Gail and the Miller fam

You’re Invited to A Party! Open House Kicks off New Herriman Campus

  Complimentary food truck fare, live music, and family activities spotlight new campus.   There’s something for everyone at the upcoming Herriman Campus Community Open House on Friday, August 4 (3:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.). See schedule below.   The public is invited to celebrate the opening of this new campus with festivities that include free local food truck fare, live music, and a Mocktail Mixer, where you can mingle with others, including Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) and University of Utah (U of U) faculty.   Families with kids can engage in face painting and a craft station, see the Super Mario Brothers movie, and high-five mascots Brutus, Swoop and Yeti.   This is an opportunity to have some summer fun for all ages and to check out the Juniper building on the new 88-acre SLCC Herriman campus.    At the open house, prospective students and their families can meet SLCC and U of U faculty and staff, take a tour the building, or even check out the Application & Transfer Lab a