voyage of rediscovery
The Wellcome Trust has contributed to six of the 17 awards made to science centres and other institutions throughout the UK in round 3 of Rediscover – a £33 million joint venture between the Millennium Commission, the Wellcome Trust and the Wolfson Foundation. Rediscover offers grants to science/discovery centres and museums to renew and redevelop their science and technology exhibitions with the aim of supporting and promoting science education and engagement with the public.
W5 (Whowhatwherewhenwhy) at Odyssey, Belfast, received funding to expand and refurbish START, its exhibition area for children under eight years old. The renewed space will include themes on music, engineering, water works, and human biology. W5 will also develop a new themed area for children under five.
In Edinburgh, the Royal Museum will be developing a permanent interactive science and technology centre, called ‘The Zone’, focusing on five themes: living things, artificial intelligence, space, energy, power and transport.
New exhibits exploring the theme of robots will be developed and installed at Sensation, Dundee’s science centre, to create ‘Roborealm’ – a space aiming to enhance visitors’ understanding of robots and how they can sense the world around them.
In the opposite corner of the UK, the Eden Project in Cornwall plans to design and install two major new exhibitions: the ‘Mechanical Theatre’, comprising mechanically animated figures that will tell different stories on key scientific issues, and the ‘Arcade of Ideas’, which contains a wide variety of exhibits, shows and collections.
The Thinktank centre in Birmingham will be revitalising its futures gallery by installing a new digital planetarium and science theatre, developing three new ‘future of space’ exhibits and creating a new events area to discuss the potential impact of biomedical science or technology on life today.
The At-Bristol science centre received funds to redevelop Wildwalk and to launch a touring exhibition brand, which focuses on biodiversity and the Earth’s sustainability.
See also
- Rediscover: Further grant scheme details
External links
- W5 interactive centre for discovery
- Royal Museum, Edinburgh
- Sensation science centre, Dundee
- Eden Project, Cornwall
- Thinktank, Birmingham
- At-Bristol science centre