Case Study: Harford County Public Schools achieves immersive planetarium experiences for 54 schools with NEC Display Solutions

NEC Projectors and LED Display Create Immersive Learning Environment for School Planetarium

Harford County Public Schools faced the challenge of modernizing an aging planetarium at Southampton Middle School to create immersive, budget-friendly STEM experiences for K–12 students. They partnered with NEC Display Solutions, which provided a custom AV configuration including three NP-PX602UL laser projectors with NP35ZL and NP34ZL lenses, NEC’s Multi-Screen geometric correction/edge‑blend tools, and a 65-inch V652 LED display to deliver high-contrast, large-format dome and flat-panel presentations.

NEC Display Solutions installed and tuned the system over an 18‑month project that included custom rigging, sound, and a powerful gaming PC to drive six outputs; the final setup projects an approximately 19’ × 34’ rectangular image on the dome and streams content to the V652 display. The upgraded planetarium restored the “wow” factor, supports hands-on data collection and multimedia lessons, serves students from all 54 district schools, and materially improved contrast, geometric correction and teaching flexibility — outcomes HCPS credits to NEC’s products and support.

Harford County Public Schools

Andrew Renzulli

Supervisor of Science