Media Room Information – Main
Fifth Science Centre World Congress in Toronto: June 15th to 20th, 2008
RELEASES:
Science Centres as Agents of Change—Locally, Nationally, and Internationally
Toronto, Ontario – June 16, 2008 – The Ontario Science Centre is hosting the Fifth Science Centre World Congress (5SCWC) taking place June 15 to 20 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. This international meeting takes place every three years, bringing together scientists, educators, journalists and science centre leaders. The Congress is not only for science centres – sessions are of interest to anyone who is involved in increasing public engagement with science. Held for the first time in North America, delegates from more than 40 countries have registered to date.
Members of the media are invited to register by visiting www.5SCWC.org and clicking on the Media Room drop-down menu to the left. Registration is also be available on-site.
Keynote Speakers
- Social Responsibility and Science Centres: Stephen Lewis, former UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa and one of the world’s most influential speakers on human rights and social justice.
- Creating the Future: Jennifer Corriero, founder of TakingITGlobal, a non-profit organization that fosters youth involvement in global issues through the use technology
- Planet Earth: Dr. Mohamed H. A. Hassan, Executive Director of the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World and Sheila Watt-Cloutier, Inuit leader, climate change activist and nominee for the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize
Each day of the 5SCWC will launch with an exciting, provocative program of keynote and plenary sessions. These are uniquely designed to stimulate discussion - keynote speakers are selected from outside the science centre field while plenaries involve leaders within the field responding on the same topics.
In each of the fifty parallel sessions, speakers from at least three continents will provide varied perspectives on topics related to science engagement. The opportunities to learn from a diverse range of people are immense.
Green Congress
The Ontario Science Centre has made a commitment to environmental sustainability by delivering a green congress. Delegate registration fees include a “green levy” to be applied to the cost of carbon offsetting. Other measures include using electronic communications whenever possible, selecting post-consumer paper goods and vegetable inks, and selection of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre as the venue; a facility that is designed for energy efficiency and waste reduction, and situated near public transit.
FACING MARS
Delegates and journalists will have the opportunity to experience FACING MARS, the Ontario Science Centre’s newest interactive exhibition that explores the question of whether humans should travel to the red planet, and what challenges we would face on such a quest. Among the 30 exhibits, visitors will be able to feel simulated microgravity, experience space motion sickness, and fly over a Martian landscape that uses real data from Mars orbiters.
Sponsors
The government of Ontario is the lead sponsor of this congress. Other partners come from an impressive range of leaders in innovation, including Presenting Sponsors Nortel and Siemens Canada; Plenary Sponsor Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada; and IMAX Corporation as a Keynote Sponsor.
The theme for the Congress is ‘Science Centres as Agents of Change – locally, nationally and internationally. Approximately 500 delegates from six continents are expected at the triennial conference being held for the first time in North America. The program will engage delegates with an extensive array of keynotes, plenaries and parallel sessions beginning June 15th. http://www.5scwc.org/
The Ontario Science Centre uses science as the lens to inspire and actively engage people in new ways of seeing, understanding and thinking about themselves and the world. The Centre is also a leading developer of interactive exhibitions for science centres around the world. The Ontario Science Centre is an agency of the Government of Ontario.
For further details or to arrange interviews please contact:
Anna Relyea
Associate Director
Strategic Communications
416-696-3273
anna.relyea@osc.on.ca
Christine Crosbie
Media Relations Officer
416-696-3191
christine.crosbie@osc.on.ca