Scitech

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This article is about the Australian science organisation. For other uses, see SciTech (disambiguation).

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File:ScitechWALogo.jpg
The Scitech Logo

Scitech is a not-for-profit organisation that operates the Scitech Discovery Centre, a permanent interactive science museum which includes a planetarium, and is located in West Perth, Western Australia.[1] It first opened in 1988 on 13 August.[1]

It's published mission is,

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To increase awareness, interest, capability and participation by all Western Australians in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Scitech generally aims its programs at children aged up to 12, but it does provide activities for children and adults of all ages. A few times a year it also runs "Scitech After Dark" evenings to allow over 18 year olds to enjoy its attractions in an adult-oriented atmosphere.[2]

Scitech at City West, Perth, WA.

Scitech Discovery Centre

The Scitech Discovery Centre features a number of regularly changing interactive exhibitions designed to inform and educate visitors on a myriad of subjects concerning science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). It also offers a range live science, puppet and planetarium shows presented by enthusiastic science communication staff.

Large feature exhibitions are rotated every six months, with a variety of STEM exhibits pertaining to a particular theme, storyline or concept, most of which are built in-house by Scitech's design, graphics, and workshop departments. Scitech was the first Australian science centre to build large-scale interactive exhibitions. In addition, the exhibitions Scitech creates have also toured nationally and internationally to places including Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Singapore, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Finland,[3] France, England, Portugal, Estonia, Norway, Kuwait, and will soon be appearing in North American venues.[4]

Approximately 3 million people have visited Scitech since its opening in 1988. 290,000 general public visitors and 45,000 school children visit the Scitech Discovery Centre annually at its West Perth base,[citation needed] with another 180,000 people experiencing Scitech via its travelling roadshow known as Outreach.[5]

Scitech Areas

  • Discoverland (For 3–7 year olds)
  • Discovery Shop
  • CSIRO Lab
  • Scitech Planetarium
  • Exhibition floor
  • Puppet Theatre
  • Lotterywest Science Theatre
  • Scitech CSIRO Lab 2013 SMC.jpg

    CSIRO Lab

  • Puppet Theatre

  • Science Theatre

Staff

Notably, the floor staff that most visitors will interact at Scitech in West Perth with fall into two categories.

  • Science Squad staff who are responsible for general operational duties, running theatre shows, and helping visitors interact with exhibits.
  • Unpaid volunteers, known as "SciGuides" who are predominantly on the floor to help facilitate visitors interacting with exhibits.[6]

There is also an extensive "behind-the-scenes" operations and support team. This team comprises creative design, electronics, mechanical workshop, operations and maintenance, logistics and purchasing, IT services, graphic and multimedia design, communications and marketing and travelling exhibition support.[7]

Funding

Funding for Scitech's programs and services comes from grants from government, corporate sponsorship, rental of travelling exhibitions, admission and membership fees, and other supporting services. Roughly 50% of funding comes from the Western Australian state government.[8]

Sponsors include Lotterywest, BHP Billiton Iron Ore, Rio Tinto, Woodside, Chevron and the CSIRO (who run the science laboratory within the centre, which aims to provide hands-on experience to school-aged students).[9][10]

Scitech Planetarium

Inside the dome.

In 2004,[1] the Horizon - the Planetarium was opened. The planetarium is adjacent to Scitech, and screens multimedia space shows on an 18m domed screen.[11] The planetarium is housed in the domed area of the City West complex that was formerly the Omni Theatre IMAX cinema. It was re-branded as the Scitech Planetarium in 2014 following a major refurbishment funded by a grant from Lotterywest.

The planetarium is currently the largest domed screen in the Southern Hemisphere, using a digital projection system to accurately depict not only the night sky but fully 3-dimensional renders of astronomical phenomena. Visitors are taken on a virtual tour of the solar system and beyond with an emphasis on interaction with the live presenter who has full control over what is displayed.

Scitech Outreach

Scitech's Outreach is a travelling arm of the organisation that takes Scitech's educational early childhood, science, technology and careers programs to over 180,000 people across Western Australia.[5][12]

Awards

Received

  • Scitech won the creative science exhibit award at Asia Pacific Network of Science and Technology Centres conference in South Korea, in 2013 and 2014.[13]
  • Scitech was named as a finalist in the WA Industry and Export Awards in the Education and Training category in 2012 and 2014.[14]
  • Scitech won the ASTC Roy L. Shafer Leading Edge Awards in the Visitor Experience category for its Aboriginal Educational Program in 2012.[15]
  • Scitech Outreach won the Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Promoting Understanding of Science in 2009.[16]
  • Scitech was the inaugural inductee into the Western Australian Science Hall of Fame in 2007.[17]

  • Woodside Scitech Science Award, presented to graduating primary school students who "demonstrate passion and enthusiasm for science".[18]

Tourism

  • Scitech has been inducted into the Western Australian Tourism Awards Hall of Fame as a major tourist attraction (1998).[1]
  • Scitech is ranked on Trip Advisor as 8th most popular attraction in Perth (March 2014).[19]

Memberships

Scitech is a member of these associations of science centers:[5][20]

  • ASPAC (Asia Pacific Network of Science and Technology Centres)
  • ASTC (Association of Science-Technology Centers)
  • ECSITE (The European Collaborative for Science, Industry and Technology)
  • NAME (The Network of Australasian Museum Exhibitors)

See also

List of science museums

References

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External links

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