Planetarium Fieldtrip Assistant — Student Employee

Joliet Junior College; Joliet (IL); On-site; USD 18,000 - 23,000; Part time

Job summary

Joliet Junior College seeks a Student Employee to assist with Planetarium field trips in the Center for Continuing Education. You will greet visitors, help coordinate shows, and support outreach and education programs.

Responsibilities include engaging audiences in astronomy topics, researching show content, managing materials, and assisting with travel and dome events. This role requires strong communication and teamwork while aligning with JJC’s mission.

Qualifications

• GPA of 2.0 or above.
• Must be enrolled at JJC in at least 6 credit hours.
• High School diploma or equivalent.
• Interest in related fields of Astronomy, Science, and/or Education
• Availability on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings
• Must be able to work well with K-12 students, adults with special needs, and diverse community members.
• Must be able to communicate effectively. Strong public speaking, verbal, written, and customer service skills.
• Computer literacy
• Attentiveness to detail, excellent organizational skills, initiative, and multitasking.
• Demonstrate professionalism with commitment to JJC’s mission and Core Values
• Ability to establish and maintain cooperative and effective working relationships with other members of the college and community, displaying cultural competence as well as emotional intelligence.

Responsibilities

• Greet and usher visitors to JJC and the Trackman Planetarium for events and field trips.
• Assist in coordination and facilitation of planetarium shows, educational programming, community outreach, in-house science demonstrations, camps, and classes.
• Supervise, guide, and direct school age children, educators, and chaperones throughout scheduled field trip events.
• Engage audiences on topics in astronomy, physics, and aerospace.
• Present the history of JJC’s Cronin Schoolhouse with field trip visitors.
• Aid in researching planetarium show content and imagery, presenting lectures, and hands-on demonstrations.
• Coordinate social media efforts to increase outreach and awareness of Planetarium events. Create promotional items and visual displays, flyers, TV promos, brochures, bulletin boards, and other materials to market events.
• Research, summarize, and catalog content for new full dome films.
• Maintains cleanliness and safety in the Planetarium environment.
• Attend training and become familiar with the Planetarium digital projection system, including audio, video, and full dome software.
• Assist the Planetarium Coordinator in use of the Traveling Trackman Planetarium at local schools. Including set up/break down, greeting, seating, and transitioning of groups throughout the scheduled event.
• Track and report data of Planetarium events and attendance throughout the semester.
• Reserve booking of the dome for public shows, field trips, and other events via 25Live.
• Collaborate with other departments and promote campus-wide partnerships.
• Maintain cooperative and effective working relationships with other members of the college and community.
• Perform related other duties as assigned

Skills

Public speaking

Verbal communication

Written communication

Customer service

Computer literacy

Attention to detail

Multitasking

Interpersonal skills

Teamwork

Enthusiasm

Education

High School diploma or equivalent

Enrollment in at least 6 credit hours at JJC

Job description

Joliet Junior College seeks a Student Employee to assist with Planetarium field trips in the Center for Continuing Education. You will greet visitors, help coordinate shows, and support outreach and education programs.

Responsibilities include engaging audiences in astronomy topics, researching show content, managing materials, and assisting with travel and dome events. This role requires strong communication and teamwork while aligning with JJC’s mission.