IPS Statement

I am a member of the International Planetarium Society, a world-wide group of professionals who work with, in, and for planetariums and science centers. I’ve been a member for 30 years, was elected as a Fellow in 1996, and served on IPS council for a number of years.  The group serves the interests of planetarium professionals and advances science education goals at every level in every country where members exist.

As an international group IPS cannot endorse any specific candidate in any country’s elections, but it can comment on the importance of such facilities in science education.

IPS has come out with an official statement following the untrue criticisms leveled by Senator McCain in recent weeks.  Here’s the whole statement, which has been mailed to the U.S. candidates for president:

Since planetariums have been described critically in the current US presidential campaign, the International Planetarium Society welcomes the opportunity to clarify the role of planetariums in the American and worldwide educational systems.

Planetariums are domed theaters that project images of the starry sky and countless spectacular objects we find in our universe, creating educational experiences that teach astronomy and related sciences. The star projectors that show the night sky itself are among the most durable, versatile, and cost-effective of educational tools.

Planetariums are the world’s astronomy classrooms and theaters of public science education that have served perhaps a billion people during the past century. The world’s 3000 planetariums are found in schools, colleges and universities, and museums and science centers in all 50 US states and in over 100 countries around the world.

In a time when quality science education is more important than ever, a scientifically literate public is an essential part of the progress of any country. Planetariums around the world both inspire and educate people of all ages about our surroundings-the Earth itself and our place in the Universe-and they are often a place in which young people become enthused to follow a scientific career.  Many of today’s leading scientists chose their careers because they were captivated by the experience of a planetarium visit.

Planetariums also were used to train early astronauts in celestial navigation techniques. By showing the fascinating discoveries in astronomy and space exploration, planetariums are a major tool in increasing science literacy. This dissemination of knowledge distinguishes our time from the Middle Ages, when knowledge was restricted to an elite few.

The planetarium referred to in the campaign debates is Chicago’s Adler Planetarium. IPS endorses the Adler’s responding statement, which can be found in

http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/pressroom/pr/2008_10_08_AdlerStatement_aboutdebate.pdf

[Adler Press releases]

The International Planetarium Society (IPS) is the world body of professionals in the planetarium field and does not endorse candidates in any election campaign.