We are introducing a fresh lecture series at Colgate University titled "Interstellar Collaborations: Bridging Disciplines in the Fulldome Planetarium." These engaging sessions will take place a few Thursdays at 11:30 am during the fall semester starting Thursday, September 21st. Discover the versatile applications of the Ho Tung Visualization Lab and other fulldome planetariums across various fields and explore how these immersive environments are influencing the evolution of media.

All lectures and presentations will be held in the Ho Tung Visualization Lab, room 401 in the Ho Science Center. Light refreshments will be served after the presentation. 

Exploring the Current State of the Planetarium Landscape

​Cora Braun, M.A. Media Conception & PhD Student, ​Europa Universität Flensburg​ & Fachhochschule Kiel

The planetarium landscape has become increasingly diverse over the past 100 years due to the influence of various media and media technologies - time to take stock. For this purpose, the Great Lakes Planetarium Association (GLPA) and Society of German-Speaking Planetariums (GDP) will be systematically examined as a central research object within the framework of the dissertation project "The Planetarium – Dispositifs through the ages". Drawing on Baudry's Apparatus theory and Foucault's Dispositif concept, this research aims to systematically structure and classify the planetarium as dispositive with empirical methods. Based on this data, an overview of the different planetarium-"types" and their ratio to each other will be created. This information is relevant for a variety of areas, such as content production and distribution, planning of new facilities, distribution of hardware and software, and the general future development of the medium.

Thi​s presentation will provide an overview of the current status of the dissertation project. Cora Braun is a doctoral student at Kiel University of Applied Sciences, Germany, and is attending Colgate University as a research fellow. As part of her stay, she is visiting VisLab to gain insight into various aspects of the day-to-day work of a directional planetarium.

Colgate University leverages its planetarium for research and educational purposes, drawing faculty from diverse fields. Over the last ​fifteen years, various departments at Colgate University have utilized the planetarium for their research and teaching endeavors​. We will showcase instances and explore how the planetarium fosters interdisciplinary collaborations.