Baton Rouge has hosted a variety of conferences this year, but one taking place this week has participants looking toward the great beyond. The city has opened its doors to 648 delegates from 46 countries and 48 states for the 2012 International Planetarium Society Conference, titled “Bridge to New Beginnings,” which began Sunday and concludes on Thursday. Kathleen Giesfeldt, 2012 International Planetarium Society Conference volunteer coordinator, described the magnitude of this event. “If you’re into planetariums or astronomy, this is one of the largest events that happens every two years,” she said. Attendees will spend this week in downtown Baton Rouge attending lectures, workshops and exhibitions on advancements in astronomy and planetarium technology. Giesfeldt said the conference is about “sharing the best practices and lessons people have learned and to further what a planetarium is and can be.” This year’s conference has the most attendees to date, according to a news release. Giesfeldt attributes the higher attendance to Baton Rouge’s location between the Gulf Coast and major cities, such as Houston. In 2014, delegates will travel to Beijing for this conference. The conference also premiered a Dome Village in the River Center on Monday. Jan Herrington, owner of Positive Results Inc., is a member of the conference’s advisory committee, described the Dome Village as large, inflatable domes that replicate small planetariums for vendors to exhibit their work. When delegates aren’t attending scheduled programs or visiting the Dome Village, they can attend panels on a variety of papers. Herrington said she is most interested in a presentation on 8k, an 8,000 dpi 3D display, which can be used in planetariums. “Lets say there is a meteor coming at you. In 8k, it looks like the meteor is coming into your brain,” Herrington said. The conference isn’t exclusively for International Planetarium Society delegates. Tonight at 7 p.m., there is a public screening of “Saving Hubble” in the River Center Theatre for the Performing Arts. This documentary film explores NASA’s 2004 cancellation of the Hubble Space Telescope. Giesfeldt said she is interested in the “Saving Hubble” presentation because she believes in restoring the telescope. She said she hopes this documentary will start a “ground swell” in Baton Rouge. To manage all the delegates, Giesfeldt recruited about 100 volunteers from various Baton Rouge organizations and institutions. The volunteers participated in Seein’ Red hospitality training, which taught volunteers about Baton Rouge attractions and locations. Giesfeldt said she is confident this conference will not only bring the best and brightest minds together, but it will also put Baton Rouge on the map as a location for conferences and conventions. 
 
____ Contact Marylee Williams at [email protected]