SPARQ Digital Theater - Stars: The Powerhouses of the Universe (Full Dome Film)
Mar
26
7:00 PM19:00

SPARQ Digital Theater - Stars: The Powerhouses of the Universe (Full Dome Film)

  • SPARQ Center at Piner High School (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

The SPARQ Planetarium News and Views (30 min)
Stars: The Powerhouses of the Universe
(30 min)

Stars: The Powerhouses of the Universe:  Stars: The lives of the stars, how they are born, how they die, and how human understanding of the stars has changed over time.  From Native Americans to Newton, from the electromagnetic spectrum to Einstein, audiences will explore nebulae, star clusters, pulsars, and black holes.

STEM Certificate Level 1 Approved

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STEM Café: We are Guardians
Apr
9
7:00 PM19:00

STEM Café: We are Guardians

  • SPARQ Center at Piner High School (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Special Showing at Piner! 

As the indigenous forest Guardians fend off the incessant encroachment and illegal loggers and invaders, a global story erupts entwining science, politics, and ultimately the fate of the Amazon Rain Forest.  You can make a difference. 

Runtime: 1 hour 25 minutes

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SPARQ Digital Theater - Oasis in Space (Full Dome Film)
Apr
23
7:00 PM19:00

SPARQ Digital Theater - Oasis in Space (Full Dome Film)

  • SPARQ Center at Piner High School (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

The SPARQ Planetarium News and Views (30 min)
Oasis in Space
(30 min)

Oasis in Space: Oasis in Space transports the audience on a startling and beautiful voyage through our universe, galaxy and solar system in search of liquid water, a key ingredient for life on Earth

STEM Certificate Level 1 Approved

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2025 STEM Symposium
May
29
7:00 PM19:00

2025 STEM Symposium

  • SPARQ Center at Piner High School (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Save the date for the 2025 STEM Symposium! The event is a showcase of STEM Level 2 & 3 student projects. It is also a night to recognize the hard work of the students. We also announce the winner of the Judy Barcelon Excellence in STEAM Award winner(s).

Poster session 7-7:55pm, Recognition 8-9pm.

2024 Student Displays

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STEM Café: Storyboard Artist & Piner Alumni
Mar
12
7:00 PM19:00

STEM Café: Storyboard Artist & Piner Alumni

  • SPARQ Center at Piner High School (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Samantha Sylvers: Storyboard Artist for Television Animation

Piner Alumni Samantha Sylvers comes back to share her educational journey from PHS to working as a professional storyboard artist.  You will hear about the process of creating and animating a short film and how her role as a storyboard artist fits into the television animation pipeline.  Samantha will also share one of her own short films!

STEM Level 1 Certified!

Brought to you by: Mr. Doucette

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SPARQ Digital Theater - Worlds Beyond Earth (NEW! Full Dome Film)
Feb
26
7:00 PM19:00

SPARQ Digital Theater - Worlds Beyond Earth (NEW! Full Dome Film)

  • SPARQ Center at Piner High School (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

The SPARQ Planetarium News and Views (30 min)
Worlds Beyond Earth
(30 min)

Worlds Beyond Earth (NEW!) :  Journey far beyond our own blue planet to marvel at the latest discoveries from our cosmic neighbors. Immersive visualizations of distant worlds. Groundbreaking space missions. Breathtaking scenes depicting the evolution of our solar system.

STEM Certificate Level 1 Approved

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STEM Café: The International Space Station
Feb
12
7:00 PM19:00

STEM Café: The International Space Station

  • SPARQ Center at Piner High School (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Steve Smith: SPARQ Observatory

SPARQ Observatory Mentor Steve Smith is back to talk about The International Space Station (ISS). It is one of the most remarkable achievements of humanity.  The ISS shows that, through multi nation cooperation, science advances more quickly to the benefit of us all.  Learn all about the ISS: how it got there, how it STAYS there, and how it all works.

STEM Level 1 Certified!

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SPARQ Digital Theater - The Birth of Planet Earth (Full Dome Film)
Jan
29
7:00 PM19:00

SPARQ Digital Theater - The Birth of Planet Earth (Full Dome Film)

  • SPARQ Center at Piner High School (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

The SPARQ Planetarium News and Views (30 min)
Birth of Planet Earth
(30 min)

Birth of Planet Earth: Scientists now believe that our galaxy is filled with solar systems, including up to a billion planets roughly the size of our own. How did Earth become a living planet in the wake of our solar system’s violent birth? What does its history tell us about our chances of finding other worlds that are truly Earth-like?

STEM Certificate Level 1 Approved

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STEM Café: Life in the Universe
Jan
15
7:00 PM19:00

STEM Café: Life in the Universe

  • SPARQ Center at Piner High School (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Laura Sparks: Astronomy and Physics SRJC

Laura has recently created a new class at SRJC called Life in the Universe.  She will share the most interesting things she learned while preparing the class, including new missions to explore the solar system, weird life on frozen moons, and the search for habitable earth-like planets throughout the galaxy.

STEM Level 1 Certified!

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SPARQ Digital Theater - Special Presentation - Double Feature in Spanish (Full Dome Film)
Dec
11
7:00 PM19:00

SPARQ Digital Theater - Special Presentation - Double Feature in Spanish (Full Dome Film)

  • SPARQ Center at Piner High School (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Special Presentation - Double Feature in Spanish

The SPARQ Planetarium News and Views (30 min)
STARS & Black Holes
(30 min)

Double Feature in Spanish (Full Dome Film):

STARS:Stars focuses on the lives of the stars, how they are born, how they die, and how human understanding of the stars has changed over time.

Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity uses high-resolution visualizations to explore the science of black holes.

STEM Certificate Level 1 Approved

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STEM Café:  2024 Election: The Aftermath
Dec
4
7:00 PM19:00

STEM Café: 2024 Election: The Aftermath

  • SPARQ Center at Piner High School (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

David McCuan: SSU Political Scientist

Special Edition!  Dr. David McCuan is back this time to talk about the 2024 elections.  What happened this past November?  Dr. McCuan was with us in the Spring and will now bring his political commentary and analysis full circle post-election.

STEM Level 1 Certified!

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SPARQ Digital Theater - To Space and Back (Full Dome Film)
Nov
20
7:00 PM19:00

SPARQ Digital Theater - To Space and Back (Full Dome Film)

  • SPARQ Center at Piner High School (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

The SPARQ Planetarium News and Views (30 min)
To Space and Back
(30 min)

To Space and Back:   Space exploration, our greatest adventure, is having a big impact on our lives. It is helping us to discover a universe of unimaginable scale and beauty, and it is reaching down into our world and influencing the way in which we live..

STEM Certificate Level 1 Approved

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STEM Café:  Food Science and Technology
Nov
6
7:00 PM19:00

STEM Café: Food Science and Technology

  • SPARQ Center at Piner High School (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Kasey Schalich Ph.D.: Postdoctoral Researcher

Piner Alumni Kasey Schalich Ph.D. comes back to share her educational journey from PHS graduation in 2010 to working at UC Davis as a research fellow focusing on gut health and how milk bioactive-gut microbiome interactions promote gut and brain heath.  From Piner to USC to Cornell to Vanderbilt University and finally to UC Davis. Plan YOUR journey! 

STEM Level 1 Certified!

Brought to you by: Mr. Rosales

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SPARQ Digital Theater - Earthquake! (Full Dome Film)
Oct
23
7:00 PM19:00

SPARQ Digital Theater - Earthquake! (Full Dome Film)

  • SPARQ Center at Piner High School (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

The SPARQ Planetarium News and Views (30 min)
Earthquake (
30 min)

Earthquake: Evidence of a Restless Planet -Earthquake explores the forces that transform the surface of our planet. After a stunning flight over the San Andreas Fault, audiences travel back in time to experience San Francisco's infamous 1906 earthquake.  Data-driven visualizations illustrate Earth’s story and how geological activity influences the course of human history.

STEM Certificate Level 1 Approved

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STEM Café:  Veer Cycle Belt Drive Technology
Oct
9
7:00 PM19:00

STEM Café: Veer Cycle Belt Drive Technology

  • SPARQ Center at Piner High School (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Sean Hacking: Founder and CTO of VEER

Local (Petaluma) entrepreneur Sean Hacking will join us to share his company’s unique solution to dirty, noisy and sometimes unreliable chain drives for bikes and e-bikes.  Hear Sean’s story from concept to reality as he takes us on his entrepreneurial journey to provide a chainless, seamless cycling experience.

STEM Level 1 Certified!

Brought to you by: Ms. Miller

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