JMU first to receive Science Sphere
By Tatiana Kopaeva, contributing writer
Posted on January 16, 2007

JMU is the first institution to receive Science on a Sphere, a 3-D earth visualization tool that was constructed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“The system is going to be opened probably this summer in June,” said Tiffany Newbold, program manager for the SHENAIR Institution.

The new technology will be installed in Memorial Hall. According to NOAA, Space on a Sphere is a room-sized global display system that uses computers and video projectors to display planetary data into a six-foot diameter sphere, analogous to a giant animated globe.

The system was created for people of all ages and scientific interests, including both researchers and non-professionals, and is designed to increase the public’s attention to environmental issues such as global warming.     

“I am writing a paper on global warming and its influence on the ice caps,” senior Catelyn Eddy said. “I haven’t heard about the system at JMU, but it would be great to use it for my research,” Eddy said. “Such processes need visualization, especially in a 3-D format.”

Similar systems have been installed in science centers and museums, and are quite expensive to acquire.

“35,000 to 40,000 dollars is the approximate cost for the hardware,” Newbold said.
 
Though Science on a Sphere needs skills and knowledge to be installed, it is easy to use.

The system in Memorial Hall is currently being used by researchers and faculty members. It will be open to the public this summer.

“My major is literature and communication studies, but I was always interested in our environment, especially in climate changes. One of my friends is a meteorologist, so he gave me a lot of information for thinking,” junior Jessica Kelsey said.

“I would like to see the system at work. I saw something similar at the museum some time ago.” She plans to see the system when it is ready.

“We used to visit different museums and centers with my children,” said retired teacher Patricia Hopkins. “3-D images are really very impressive.“I think the system will attract a lot of schoolchildren and help them to explore the world of science, the whole Earth, as if they saw it from outside.”