CONFERENCE REVIEW
ECSITE2011 ANNUAL CONFERENCE
The theme of freedom perfectly complemented this year’s venue of Copernicus Science Centre in Warsaw. Four of the 860 who attended the event explain why this conference is so important to the industry
HANS GUBBELS ECSITE PRESIDENT DIRECTOR, DISCOVERY CENTER CONTINIUM, NETHERLANDS
Why was the theme freedom? Each theme must apply to all aspects of science centres and museums. As the event was held in Warsaw, Poland, free- dom was a very relevant theme. The city was completely demolished during World War Two and its citizens rebuilt it. Don’t for- get that Poland only achieved democracy in 1989. This is an example of people tak- ing freedom into their own hands. This spirit is shared by science centres and museums – giving people the free- dom to access knowledge and learn at their own pace. In an era of information overload, it’s essential that people have the freedom to access correct and reliable information about science and technology.
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One of our keynote speakers, Michael Jones, chief technology advocate at Google, talked about the positive and harmful effects of knowledge in the inter- net age. He seemed to really support science centres and museums as beacons of truth in the world’s sea of information.
What was the feedback? Overwhelmingly positive, with particular appreciation for the staff at Copernicus Science Centre who staged an extremely well organised and spirited event. I was very happy with the organisation,
the venue, the quality of the programme and the mind set of the participants. I don’t know of many conferences where such an intense program goes so well hand-in-hand with an informal and social atmosphere.
What were the highlights for you? Firstly, the opening event speech from Dr Mamoru Mohri, executive director of Miraikan (The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation), Tokyo,
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Japan, and two-time NASA mission astro- naut and former astronaut with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). He talked about how his science centre is making reliable information available to a confused and frightened public after the Japanese earthquake and Tsunami in March 2011. His presentation gave valu- able insight into how science centres can be socially active organisations. The second highlight was having the
opportunity to reaffi rm what a great fam- ily the Ecsite community is. People were genuinely happy to see each other and exchange ideas about their work. Thirdly, after two years of work with our members, the board and our new strategic planning commission presented Ecsite’s fi rst strategic plan, giving the organisation a clear direction for the next fi ve years.
Why was Copernicus chosen? Eastern Europe has become a particu- larly exciting market for science centres and museums. The Copernicus building
AM 3 2011 ©cybertrek 2011
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