'Neurodome' a 3-D visual tour of brain

Otago Museum public engagement manager Rachel Cooper (left) and planetarium manager Oana Jones...
Otago Museum public engagement manager Rachel Cooper (left) and planetarium manager Oana Jones are excited about the arrival of the Neurodome, which will offer a 3-D view inside the brain. Photo by Joshua Riddiford.
Dunedin residents will have a chance to delve deeper into the human brain at the Otago Museum's planetarium this week.

Visiting exhibit the "Neurodome'' - a 3-D visual tour of the brain - will be on show as part of Brain Week Otago.

The Neurodome, devised by New York Medical College department of physiology assistant professor Jonathan Fisher, has been shown in eight countries across five continents.

Otago Museum public engagement manager Rachel Cooper said the museum's first show tomorrow would be the New Zealand premiere.

Four shows in total are scheduled for tomorrow and on Saturday at the museum, of which two are booked out.

Ms Cooper said the Neurodome and other components of Brain Week Otago 2016, such as the chance to walk through an inflatable 3-D brain, presented complex information in a more accessible way to those who didn't enjoy traditional educational mediums.

"Not everyone might like listening to a lecture so this way it's hands-on, interactive learning.''

Planetarium manager Oana Jones said the Neurodome could help bring information to a wider audience.

The public response to the planetarium, which opened in December last year, had been very positive so far and she hoped the Neurodome would prove popular.

"We've had a lot of very good feedback from our planetarium, and the content that we've had in there to do with space, so the opportunity to do something slightly different for Brain Week's been really fantastic.''

Adapting the Neurodome's content to be played in the planetarium was more difficult than expected.

"A 10-minute video takes about six hours [to upload] and that's just how long it takes the computer to process all that data.''

joshua.riddiford@thestar.co.nz 

 


The Neurodome
Planetarium

• Tomorrow and Saturday, 4.30pm and 4.45pm (4.30pm shows booked out).

• The shows are free.

• Bookings essential.


 

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