How dare you suggest that it looks like a “pimple”! No, my dear, it’s a portable planetarium theater and it’s chock-full of fabulous technology projecting a FULL DOME PLANETARIUM EXPERIENCE! (and that female narrator of the show they’re running… she sounds so familiar…)
Dr. Carolyn Sumners really is a crazy lady, though. Certifiable. I can attest to this – I used to work for her. She is what we call in these parts, “A Real Hoot.” If you took the time to visit with her while she and her team were at AAM 2011 in the Discovery Cart Zone this week, I’m sure you heard fabulous stories about how her portable dome has literally served thousands of kids during her tenure as the Director of Astronomy at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Every year, Carolyn and her staff connect with school children from around the city, teaching them the fundamentals of astronomy through her deep technology toolbox. If you’re ever looking for someone who knows the ins and outs of outreach, she’s “The Bomb.”
Carolyn and her staff were a part of this year’s Discovery Cart Zone in the 3rd Floor Lobby, which also included the following museums hosting other Discovery Carts:
- National Museum of Funeral History
- West Bay Common School Museum
- The Water Works Educational Center
- Community Artists’ Collective
- The John C. Freeman Weather Museum
I hope you had a chance to stop by! I will not say whether each was populated with their own “crazy” representative – I wanted everyone to make their own “discovery,” so to speak. Let us know all about your Discovery Cart Zone adventures by commenting below!
— Cecelia Ottenweller, HexaGroup Creative,
member AAM 2011 PR & Marketing Subcommittee
AAM Houston 2011 