NARRATOR: Questacon is Australia's
National Science and Technology
Centre,
tasked with ensuring
the ongoing prosperity of our country
by inspiring the next generation
of scientists, technologists,
engineers and researchers.
We create opportunities
for young people and families
to engage in the process of design,
imagination, creativity -
the skills that are really needed
to help Australia go forward.
GARRY WATSON: What Questacon
has been able to do
is transcend from being
just a science centre
into an iconic tourist attraction
that brings science to all
Australians.
NARRATOR: For over three decades,
the Questacon Centre
has been an iconic feature
of Canberra's Parliamentary Triangle,
featuring eight galleries
with over 200 interactive exhibits,
complemented by science shows,
guest lectures and special events.
Questacon is a place for kids and
adults
to come in and get excited
about science.
SALLY D'ADDIO: Questacon always
strives to engage in different ways,
run different programs,
tell different stories,
and it's about putting that story out
there and engaging with people.
(Audience gasps, cheers)
NARRATOR: The ongoing success
of the Questacon Centre
has led to the recent opening
of a new facility
with its focus on the technology and
creativity of the innovation process.
Here in the Questacon
Technology Learning Centre,
we offer a suite of workshops themed
around the idea of innovation
and get students thinking
with their hands
and building
and playing with technology.
That look when they finally
understand something
and you've been able to explain that
to them, it's quite amazing.
NARRATOR: The Questacon
Technology Learning Centre
leads by example,
with Questacon's world-class
permanent and touring exhibits
designed and manufactured on site.
Here at Questacon,
we've got a unique capability.
We come up with our ideas
for our exhibitions.
We develop that through, design it,
and then actually build it.
GARRY WATSON:
Every great scientist in our country
will one day remember fondly
the moment they visited Questacon.
NARRATOR: One important aspect
of Questacon's work
in championing
Australian science and technology
is its leadership role
in the national science communication
initiative, Inspiring Australia.
The Inspiring Australia program
is the national strategy for
engagement with the sciences.
We're bringing together all
Australians around one vision
for science communication.
Inspiring Australia includes
activities
such as the Prime Minister's
Science Prize,
which is a prestigious annual prize
that's awarded to scientists and
teachers of science within Australia.
It includes National Science Week,
which is Australia's largest festival
which brings together people
across the nation
and has them involved
in all sorts of science activities.
PROFESSOR DURANT: It requires
everyone working together cohesively
within the science sector.
Questacon plays a very important
leadership role in that regard.
NARRATOR: Questacon delivers
experiences right across Australia.
This is achieved through its touring
and videoconference
national outreach programs,
the most enduring
and recognised of which
is the Shell Questacon Science
Circus,
which operates with postgraduate
Science Communication students
from the Australian National
University.
The Science Circus
is essentially a science show
that travels around Australia,
and we visit rural
and remote communities,
bringing science to them
and letting them experience
what larger cities have
with their science centres.
WOMAN: We follow a big semitrailer
packed full of interactive exhibits
around Australia,
and basically set up little
science fairs in all different towns.
NARRATOR: Another important aspect
of the Shell Questacon Science Circus
is its teacher development program,
which seeks to reinvigorate the way
science is taught in the classroom.
What we really like to do during our
professional development workshops
with teachers is to bring them
a couple of examples
of exciting science
that they can work into
their science curriculum.
DANIEL CRAIG: A lot of people
think that science is boring,
it's only done by old men in Coke
bottle glasses and white lab coats,
and that's not the case, so if we can
try and get students to think about
what science is like in the real
world,
hopefully they'll go into that
sort of profession later on in life.
NARRATOR: Since its beginnings in
1985,
the Science Circus has been operating
with the support of Shell.
We really like the Science Circus
'cause it's got a number of
different components
so it works with the kids,
it really helps the professional
development of the teachers,
as well as now it really looks at
career development opportunities
and showcasing them to kids
in secondary school
who are thinking about
what they do next.
Partnerships are essential
to everything we do
and we have a strong track record
of working with a whole raft
of different partners
right across Australia.
WOMAN: Raytheon Australia has a long
and enduring partnership
with Questacon.
We really see the partnership as
an ability for us to play our part
in inspiring the next generation
of engineers, scientists,
and all of those essential skills
that the nation needs for the future.
It's a fantastic alignment for Shell
to be so closely associated
with Questacon,
and our staff are really proud of the
involvement that we have as well.
It's not just about
an exchange of money.
It really is a much deeper
partnership.
We can really get the companies and
their staff engaged in what we do.
(Children cheer)
NARRATOR: By offering new
experiences,
leading strategic initiatives,
and reaching out to communities,
Questacon is giving all Australians
a chance to explore science
and its place in our lives.
So we're using different methods
to communicate science.
We're creating different
opportunities
to engage with different audiences,
so it's critically important
to evolve
and grow as an organisation.
I see Questacon as being the best way
to connect Australian kids to
science,
because it provides benefits, not
just through their schooling time,
but for their entire careers.
NARRATOR: Science continues to change
with new breakthroughs
and new discoveries.
As Australia's National Science
and Technology Centre,
Questacon's commitment to connecting
all Australians to science
remains critical
for today's prosperity
and for the scientists of tomorrow.
