Jun
18
Written by:
5th World Congress Blogger
6/18/2008 2:34 PM
Over 150 delegates embarked on buses hosted by OSC (Ontario Science Centre) staff, who engaged their guests with activities designed to get them thinking about innovation and the future of science centres.
Upon arrival, the delegates had an opportunity to visit Teluscape, the OSC’s outdoor exploration area, They were able to try their hands at several interactive experiences, including a water-driven musical sculpture called “FUNtain” by Toronto artist Steve Mann.
Lesley Lewis (CEO, Ontario Science Centre), Heather Farnworth (Associate Director of International Sales) and Julie Bowen (Associate Director, Design and Development) provided their guests with a brief introductory presentation and overview of the OSC’s recent Agents of Change initiative.
Delegates then had an opportunity to wander the building and speak with OSC staff about its myriad offerings, including: new art installations created through the Project Art initiative, the KidSpark children’s museum within the Ontario Science Centre, the OSC’s educational programs and in-house science school for secondary students, the Weston Family Innovation Centre and current science Hot Zone, and the new Facing Mars exhibition that opened last week to the public. Guests were also able to tour the OSC’s shops and production facilities, essential to the creation of exhibits and touring exhibitions.
As part of Project Art, several exciting new pieces have been recently added to the OSC experience. Cloud is a kinetic sculpture that greets visitors when they first enter the Great Hall. Created by a renowned Canadian artist David Rokeby, it represents the complexity of the constant natural changes in state around us, from solid to liquid to gas. Stecey Levy’s Lotic Meander is an installation that works in the context of the OSC’s beautiful outdoor environment. It depicts a meandering river and contemplates the connection between humans and the environment.
In the OSC’s Hot Zone, a space dedicated to the communication of current science news, delegates were able to experience a “Hot Spot” presentation by guest speaker Jim Freemantle, one of the researchers involved in the Canadian-made Phoenix Mars Weather Station. Adjacent to the Hot Zone is the Innovation Centre, which gave visitors the opportunity to try out new virtual aging software, that would let them see how environmental and lifestyle factors such as UV exposure and smoking can affect the aging process. The software uses sophisticated algorithms to age a photograph to approximately age 90.
Located in the Innovation Centre, is the Challenge Zone. This space is dedicated to providing visitors with a creative and challenging group experience. Participants are given a challenge related to real-world problems and issues, and are asked to come up with creative and innovative solutions.
In Facing Mars, guests were able to explore the Ontario Science Centre’s latest exhibition, and confront the challenges of traveling to the Red Planet. Scheduled to tour throughout North America in 2009, the exhibition features new experiences such as “Walking on Mars”, which lets visitors experience what it might be like to deal with the different gravity of another planet; “Design a Rocket”, in which participants can design, build and test a rocket; and “Puffy Face”, which explores the physiological changes brought on by extended space travel.
The final stop on the tour was a wine and cheese reception in the Challenge Zone, where delegates had an opportunity to network and view the results of their "innovation" assignment on the bus. One group challenged their assumptions through an activity that involved coming up with 42 different uses for a clothes peg, while other groups used the discussion as a jumping off point for thinking through new ways to encourage innovation in their own institutions.
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