Girls Science Program: Female Astronomer Course of Portable Planetarium Dome

When 11-year-old Lila first walked into the gymnasium of her middle school last spring, she wasn't sure what to expect. The room was buzzing with chatter from two dozen other girls, all clutching notebooks and wide-eyed with curiosity. At the center of the space, a strange, silvery structure was taking shape—something that looked like a cross between a giant igloo and a spaceship, slowly inflating with a soft hum. "Is that… a bounce house?" she whispered to her friend Mia, who shrugged and grinned. But by the end of that afternoon, Lila would discover this wasn't just any inflatable structure. It was a portal to the stars—and the first step in a journey that would change how she saw herself, science, and the universe.

For years, educators and scientists have sounded the alarm about the gender gap in STEM fields, particularly in astronomy and physics. Girls are just as curious about the stars as boys, but by middle school, many start to step back—discouraged by stereotypes that say "science isn't for girls," or simply never exposed to role models who look like them. That's where the Girls Who Reach for the Stars program comes in. Founded three years ago by a team of female astronomers and educators, the program aims to light a spark in young girls by making astronomy accessible, exciting, and unapologetically theirs. And at the heart of it all? A portable planetarium dome that brings the cosmos down to Earth.

"We wanted to create something that didn't feel like 'school,'" says Dr. Elena Marquez, an astrophysicist and program director, over a cup of coffee in the program's small office. The walls are lined with photos of past participants: girls laughing inside the dome, holding star charts, posing next to cardboard models of rockets. "Traditional classrooms can feel limiting. We needed a space where girls could experience the universe, not just read about it. That's when we stumbled on the portable planetarium dome."

The portable planetarium dome isn't your average inflatable toy. Made from durable, lightweight PVC, it's designed to be set up in minutes—no cranes or complicated equipment required. A small electric pump inflates the structure, which stands about 12 feet tall and 20 feet wide when fully expanded, with a smooth, white interior that acts as a giant inflatable projection screen. Once inflated, a high-definition projector mounted at the center beams images of stars, galaxies, and planets onto the dome's curved surface, wrapping viewers in a 360-degree night sky. "It's like having a planetarium in a backpack," Dr. Marquez laughs. "We've set it up in gyms, libraries, community centers—even a soccer field once, under the real stars. It's completely portable, which means we can bring the universe to girls who might never visit a big-city planetarium."

For girls like Lila, the dome is nothing short of magical. "When the lights went out and the stars came on, I forgot where I was," she recalls. "One minute I was in the gym, the next I was floating in space, looking up at the Milky Way. Ms. Carter [the program's lead instructor] pointed out Orion's Belt, and I realized I'd seen those stars before—above my house, but I never knew their names. It felt like the sky was finally speaking to me."

The Girls Who Reach for the Stars course runs for eight weeks, meeting twice a week after school. Each session blends classroom learning with hands-on activities and, of course, time inside the portable planetarium dome. The curriculum is designed to be interactive and girl-centered, focusing on both scientific concepts and the stories of the women who've shaped our understanding of the universe.

One of the course's most popular modules focuses on female astronomers—women like Annie Jump Cannon, who classified thousands of stars and created the system we still use today; Jocelyn Bell Burnell, who discovered pulsars as a graduate student but was initially excluded from the Nobel Prize; and Dr. Mae Jemison, the first Black woman in space, who once said, "Never limit yourself because of others' limited imagination." These stories aren't just history lessons—they're mirrors. "When we talk about Annie Jump Cannon, we don't just say 'she was a scientist,'" explains instructor Jamie Carter. "We talk about how she was told girls shouldn't study math, how she lost her hearing as a young woman but kept working, how she cataloged 350,000 stars by hand. The girls lean in because they see themselves in her. They think, 'If she could do that, maybe I can too.'"

While the portable planetarium is the course's centerpiece, the real magic happens when the girls take what they've learned outside. Each week includes a hands-on activity designed to bridge the gap between the dome's projections and the real world. In Week 2, after studying the solar system, the girls built scale models of the planets using inflatable beach balls (donated by a local toy store) and hung them from the ceiling of their classroom. "We measured the distance between each planet using string," says 12-year-old Zara, who chose Saturn for her model. "My planet was a yellow beach ball, and I added rings made from foam pipe insulation. When we turned off the lights and shined flashlights on them, they looked like they were glowing—just like in the dome!"

Another favorite activity is the "Star Journal" project. Each girl receives a small notebook and a star chart, and is tasked with observing the night sky for 10 minutes every night. They sketch constellations, note the moon's phases, and write down questions: Why does the moon change shape? Are the stars really moving, or is it just Earth spinning? "It's amazing how quickly they become invested," Carter says. "I had a parent text me a photo at 9 p.m. of her daughter sitting on the roof, notebook in hand, yelling, 'Mom, I found Orion! And his belt is three stars, just like Ms. Carter said!' That's when you know it's sticking."

This year, the Girls Who Reach for the Stars program is expanding to three more schools in the district, thanks to a ｇｒａｎｔ from a local STEM foundation. Dr. Marquez and her team are also developing a new module focused on exoplanets—planets outside our solar system—and partnering with a nearby university to host a "Star Party" for participants and their families, where they'll get to use real telescopes alongside female astronomy majors. "The goal isn't just to create astronomers," Dr. Marquez says. "It's to create confident, curious girls who know they belong in science—whether they grow up to be astronomers, engineers, doctors, or anything else. The dome is just the tool. The real magic is watching them realize, I can do this. I deserve to be here. "

Back in the gymnasium, as the program's spring session wraps up, Lila and her classmates are presenting their capstone projects inside the dome. One girl has designed a mission to Mars, complete with a model rover made from recycled materials. Another has created a storybook about a girl who discovers a new star, illustrated with constellations she learned to identify in the dome. When it's Lila's turn, she steps into the center of the dome, where the projector casts an image of the Andromeda Galaxy behind her. "I want to be an astrophysicist," she says, her voice steady. "And I'm going to find a planet that can support life. Maybe even name it after my grandma." The room erupts in applause, and for a moment, the stars above seem to twinkle a little brighter.

The portable planetarium dome deflates slowly after the presentation, shrinking back into its duffel bag as the girls hug goodbye and promise to meet at the upcoming Star Party. But the impact of those eight weeks—of stars, stories, and sisterhood—will last long after the dome is packed away. For Lila and hundreds of girls like her, the universe isn't just something they read about in books anymore. It's a place they belong.