Cruising the Cosmos

The Bell’s traveling planetarium, known as the ExploraDome, is just one of the ways we work towards being a Museum Without Boundaries. This giant, inflatable planetarium makes it possible to bring the Bell’s astronomy programs to the far reaches of the state. After a long hiatus, the ExploraDome is back on the road starting mid-February and will be visiting some exciting new places. So far on the schedule, the ExploraDome will be visiting schools in Houston, Douglas, Stevens, Cook, and St. Louis counties—just to name a few!

In order to get the ExploraDome back up and running, we welcomed a new member to our team. Recently, Maria Olson started at the Bell as the ExploraDome Coordinator and Educator. In this role, she’ll be responsible for bringing this portable planetarium to schools and presenting our Bell astronomy programs. We’re incredibly excited to welcome Maria to our team and she graciously shared a little information about herself. Keep reading to learn more about Maria!

What’s your new role at the Bell and what will you be doing?

Maria: I’m the Exploradome coordinator and educator. I will be bringing a portable version of the planetarium to schools and presenting astronomy programs.

Can you tell us a little bit about your background and what led you to the Bell?

Maria: Starting in college I became interested in presenting education programs to a variety of audiences on multiple different topics. I’ve given presentations to dorm residents on how to live more sustainably, led groups of people through a dark and cold cave teaching them about the unique biology and geology of cave systems. I’ve even led zipline tours over one-hundred feet above the ground, while educating guests about the land around them. 

Through all these experiences I’ve discovered that I love educating audiences in a way that immerses them in the subject, and really brings what they’re learning to life.

What are you most excited about in this new role?

Maria: Learning about astronomy. As a biology major myself, I’ll admit my knowledge about our universe and everything in it is slightly limited. This job provides me with an opportunity to expand my knowledge of astronomy, and then take that knowledge and teach others.

Are there any locations you’re particularly excited to visit?

Maria: I’m mostly excited to visit Cook, Lake, St. Louis and Itasca counties. I love visiting the north woods, and getting out of the busy city.

As you travel to different parts of Minnesota with the ExploraDome, you’ll probably do a lot of driving. What are your top 3 favorite driving songs?

Maria: 

1. Mamma Mia – Meryl Streep
2. I’m Gonna Be (500 miles) – The Proclaimers
3. AOK – Tai Verdes

Learn more about the ExploraDome here or reach out at bell-exploradome@umn.edu!