Patrick Hess Email & Phone Number

Kansas City, Missouri, United States

• Primary staff person responsible for maintaining, programming, and updating all hardware and software in the 60-foot, 150-seat digital 4K Arvin Gottlieb Planetarium.• Increased annual attendance by 100% and revenue by 200% over five years through a combination of infrastructure improvements, original programs, data-based scheduling practices, and creative audience interaction.• Proposed, negotiated, and led a full digital projection system upgrade, comparing strength of software suites and hardware vendors, as well as analyzing internal and external economic and cultural impact (2017).• Created and documented a custom fulldome solution featuring the synergy of Paul Bourke software, QLab professional theater control suite, WorldWide Telescope, Mac OS, and Microsoft Windows (2014).• Actively manage staff members responsible for running planetarium shows to ensure customer satisfaction and efficiency in operation, providing ongoing training on appropriate practices and customer service.• Regularly produce and encode original fulldome content using thorough knowledge of various cross-platform software including Adobe CC, Blender, SkyExplorer 4, and a number of command line and scripting tools.• Provide cross-departmental support across organization, assisting with planning and execution of large-scale community events, corporate and public facility rentals, and school group program development.• Represent my organization in local and national print and film news publications, online in educational livestreams, as well as in-person at international planetarium and immersive media conferences.• Maintain an active presence in adjacent science center, Science City, writing and delivering STEM/STEAM programming to a diverse visitor population of regional and international students, families, and adults.

Kansas City, Missouri Area

• Coordinate and deliver unique interactive astronomy programs to student and adult groups.• Provide hardware and technical expertise for live telescope viewings and lessons during both day and night.• Contract with both larger organizations and events, as well as smaller private groups for customized star parties.• Consult on astronomy and space exploration related events and education throughout the Kansas City metro area.

• Created and maintained formal documentation method and database for attendance and maintenance reports.• Played an active role in designing, fabricating and evaluating new exhibits for the museum.• Provided technical and maintenance support to resolve computer and exhibit problems.• Organized and executed large-scale community events to promote the museum to visitors and sponsors.

• Mentored and provided a positive academic role model for new and returning students, helping them to adjust to scheduling and life changes and giving them resources to get involved in school activities.• Proactively managed challenging resident situations to ensure physical safety and enforce codes of conduct.• Demonstrated creativity, initiative, and a team-oriented approach to developing campus-wide programs for community building and fostering the development of valuable life skills.

• Actively participated in Dr. Terry Palmer’s research team studying visual and audio perception.• Worked with other team members in designing and implementing the method of experimentation.