NEW OPENING
CLOSER TO DARWIN
Sharon Ament
Seeing scientists at work and fi nding our more about the
The centre also houses the
Natural History Museum’s collections and research are
Attenborough Studio – a large, theatre
space where we have activities running
the aims of the new Darwin Centre. The director of public
every hour – and the Angela Marmont
engagement, Sharon Ament, tells Kathleen Whyman how
Centre for UK Biodiversity, which is a hub
for amateur naturalists, enthusiasts and
it’s helping people really understand science
other societies to study wildlife.
Other offers include tours of our Spirit
What is the Darwin Centre?
displays throughout the whole building. Collection, which are zoological collections
The £78m (US$127m, 87.5m) Darwin Visitors can go through the Darwin Centre stored in alcohol – these are small tours
Centre opened in September 2009 after the and see scientists working in their labs and but very in-depth and you really go behind
initial idea in 1998. Located in a new seven- walk through a giant cocoon, which is actu- the scenes, and a Climate Change wall,
storey wing of London’s Natural History ally a sealed collections store. What they which is an interactive, hugely evocative
Museum, the centre is a working scientifi c encounter is perhaps the world’s best exam- way of looking at Earth’s changing climate.
space, as well as being a fantastic storage ple of science in action. There’s nothing Inside the cocoon, there are interactive
facility for the museum’s collections. It has quite like the Darwin Centre – it’s revolution- stations. Some offer a hands-on experi-
state of the art labs and a research base for ary in that it’s rare for people to be able to go ence with the kinds of tools, nets and
our scientists, plus integrated public into a science lab and see scientists at work. objects we use to collect specimens, such
as great big butterfl y nets and pooters,
WE MODELLED OUR VISITOR NUMBERS BY ASSUMING WE
which are used to suck up insects. We’ve
also got a station that helps people get
WOULD OPEN ON A PEAK AND THEN DECLINE SLIGHTLY a better understanding of DNA by giving
TO A BASE LEVEL. SO FAR, SIX MONTHS AFTER OPENING,
examples that visitors look at through
microscopes. Anyone aged from 10-years-
WE HAVEN’T SEEN VISITOR NUMBERS TAIL OFF AT ALL
old through to adulthood will love it.
40 Read Attractions Management online
attractionsmanagement.com/digital AM 1 2010
©
cybertrek 2010
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