Plenary: Frontiers of Science
NSERC/MRI Scientists and Science Centre Response
Boldly going where no exhibit has gone before
From the tiniest biological particles that are, literally, at our fingertips to suns and planets trillions of kilometres away, innovative Canadian cutting-edge scientific research is changing the way we understand and interact with the world around us. Scientists and CEOs alike acknowledge that science centres play a critical role in translating contemporary science and making it accessible to both children and adults, inspiring in them the curiosity and understanding that will equip them to interact effectively in the modern world and contribute to confronting the major challenges of our day.
Distinguished, award-winning researchers and scientists from some of today’s most exciting fields captivated delegates with fast-paced, engaging summaries of their ground-breaking work at Thursday morning’s plenary. They pointed to the ways their fundamental and innovative research could improve our lives and understanding of the universe around us at the same time as it equips us to confront daunting issues such as climate change, disease, pollution, and endangered species.
Cutting-edge fundamental science matters because it creates basic understanding that leads to practical applications, which can transform our lives, panellists agreed. “The cycle of discoveries is driven by curiosity. It’s about taking a force of nature, understanding it, harnessing it, and then translating it into devices and practical applications that make things better,” said Raymond Laflamme of the Institute for Quantum Computing, University of Waterloo. “The burning question is what is the next force of nature we’ll be able to use that will transform society.”
Delegates heard how biomass conversion showed promise for transforming organic waste into power and new products. They heard how understanding the genetics of some of the world’s most common parasites could lead to creating mechanisms to successfully block their effects, thereby eradicating deadly diseases like malaria, which kills one million children under the age of five each year in the developing world. They heard how innovative approaches could make things smaller, more reliable, and cheaper so that it would be possible to carry a laboratory in the palm of your hand and use it to test and improve water supplies and medical treatments.
Most important, they heard repeatedly how science centres have a role to play in being the facilitators who bring the newest and best science to the public.
Science centre CEOs from all corners of the globe acknowledged the importance of that role and spelled out some of the challenges frontier science presents and some creative ways of overcoming them. Goéry Delacôte, from @Bristol in the United Kingdom, said the key to presenting the newest science is to create exhibits that are informative, high quality, and entertaining. This requires meshing the work of scientists with communications experts and designers to create exhibits that allow the public to participate and engage in dialogue. “You have to be serious with science, not cheating with people and oversimplifying or over-sensationalizing. Provide them with the tools that allow them to discuss science in a fair and informed way.”
Science centres have a dual role, according to Mamoru Mohri of Miraikan in Tokyo, Japan. “We bring scientists to our centre not just to promote public understanding of science but also to improve scientists’ understanding of the public.” In addition to creating many opportunities for interaction, Miraikan also focuses on educating young scientists to be better communicators.
Inspiration is one of the key elements in presenting cutting-edge science, Gillian Thomas from the Miami Science Museum said. “The whole point is moving people from knowing something to doing something, [and then] to having an impact on their lives, so they need both information and inspiration.”
Beyond that, though, it’s about connections, Jaymie Matthews of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of British Columbia said. “Science centres provide the inspiration to bring people in through their portals—through their physical doors, their websites, and outreach programs in the community. But really science is about finding patterns and making connections between the seemingly disconnected, and that’s really where the inspiration comes from. For every person, there is some connection they can make because, on some level, every one of us is a scientist.”