Science Centre News
Get ready to make and innovate
Lucy SchweinGruber T
inkering, fabbing, trial and er r o r –
whatever you want to call it – the maker movement is spread- ing to science centres and museums across Europe. It’s also a particularly theme- appropriate topic for the upcoming Ecsite Annual Conference, Dreams, the Spirit of Innovation, 6-8 June 2013 in Gothenburg, Sweden. Pre-Conference Workshops will take place on 4 and 5 June. Here, we offer a snapshot of the maker
movement-focused content at this year’s conference, which will surely entice the creative creators among you: • Making, fabbing, tinkering: The Fab
Lab movement, initiated by MIT researcher Neil Gershenfeld in the late 90s is starting to have an impact on the way interactive exhibitions are conceived. Laser-cutters and 3D printers in combi-
nation with open-source soſtware are the symbols of a post-industrial way of produc- tion on demand. It’s a seductive thought that today we can make almost anything if we just use the commonly available tools and the information circulating in the world (wide web). • Pre-Conference Workshop: The maker
movement is having an impact on museums, but hands-on, assembly-based, make-and- take activities may not be enough to support truly innovative thinking. In what ways can we support the making
aspect, which is inherent to best practices of teaching and learning in order to develop a tinkerer’s disposition? This session will get participants (max-
imum 25) actively involved as learners using tinkering activities for half the ses- sion, and then as designers and educators of such activities for the other half. Our belief is that the culmination of a variety of tin- kering experiences over time gives learners the practice and ability to start asking their own questions, accept new challenges, and take action in new ways in order to bet- ter understand science, art, and the world around them. This year’s conference is hosted by
Universeum Science Centre. Register at
www.ecsite.eu/annual_conference
Lucy Schweingruber, fundraising and events manager, Ecsite
16 $100m Tennessee centre planned
A US$100m (£62.5m, E76.6m) discovery park is currently under construction in Union City, Tennessee and expected to open mid-2013. The 50-acre Discovery
Park of America aims to pro- vide knowledge for adults and children in the areas of science, technology, history, art and nature. The park will house a 100,000 sq ſt (9,290sq m) Discovery Centre show- casing 10 exhibit galleries including exhibitions on energy, enlightment, military, Native Americans and natu- ral history. The Robert E and Jenny D Kirkland
Foundation is Discovery Park’s principal bene- factor. The foundation has donated US$70m (£43.7m, E53.6m) to the creation of Discovery Park, as well as a program of US$2m - $3m (£1.5m - £1.8m, E1.5m - E2.3m) continuing support aſter opening. Highlights of the centre include a 20,000-gallon aquarium showing the under- water life of Reelfoot Lake, a 60ſt (18m) replica of the human body with a 30ſt (9m) slide and a theatre simulation of the 1811-1812 New
Discovery Park of America will open in Tennessee in mid-2013
Madrid earthquakes. Dinosaurs, fossils, Native Americans, military equipment and vintage automobiles will also be on display. Meanwhile, the park will house a water
feature that bisects the site, flowing north to south, which includes waterfalls and bridges. Japanese, European and American gardens will surround the park allowing guests to learn about nature from around the worlds. Other features include log cabins, a 100-
year-old church, a train station and a replica of the Liberty Bell.
Discovery Science center to open in LA
Funding has been approved for the Discovery Science Center in Orange County to go ahead with development of a new education and science attrac- tion in Los Angeles, USA. Finance was approved by
the Los Angeles City Council for the 58,000sq ſt (5,400sq m) facility, which will be spread over two storeys and provide hands-on exhibits focused on science, technology, engineer- ing and mathematics. It will take over the site
currently occupied by the par- tially built Children’s Museum LA, which was never completed due to its non- profit operator going bankrupt in 2009. Discovery Science Center president Joe
Te current Discovery Science Center attracts 500,000 visitors a year “This will provide kids from throughout
Adams said: “The need for a hands-on sci- ence and education facility in Los Angeles is strong and we’re very excited to be a partner in bringing that dream to fruition.” Councillor Richard Alarcon said the facil- ity would open within a few years.
Read Attractions Management online
attractionsmanagement.com/digital
Southern California with an excellent resource to learn important lessons about conservation and our environment,” he said. The current Discovery Science Center in
Santa Ana houses more than 100 interactive exhibits over 59,000sq ſt (5,481sq m). The centre attracts more than 500,000 visitors each year.
AM 1 2013 ©cybertrek 2013
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