TAKING OUR SCIENCE WITH A GIANT DOSE OF HUMANITY
Centres inspire tomorrow’s science leaders, say Tracy Calogheros and Mary Anne Moser.
Canadians are, by and large, a curious group, eager to learn, experiment and grow. Fifty years ago, the Canadian science centre industry emerged to support that curiosity.
Before science centres existed, science was the exclusive domain of scientists and schools. But the country changed in the 1950s as the Cold War settled in and the race to encourage more mathematicians and scientists drove an enthusiasm for all things scientific. Science centres were created as mainstream cultural venues that could throw open the doors to science and engineering for everyone.
They worked. Science centres are now known and loved as highly interactive attractions that stimulate a love for science among children from all walks of life.
But this is not the main gig. Science centres also lead reasoned cultural conversations about science in society, broadly. Over the past decades, science centres have been a reliable source of scientific knowledge, pivoting between the laborious world of research and volatile realm of the media. A 2018 survey of Canadians about their attitudes toward science showed that science centres are one of the most trusted sources for accurate, fact-based information.
Science centres have always moved with the times as leaders in science communication. And now, there are two new drivers of change.
The COVID-19 pandemic has pulled into sharp focus the stabilizing role of science centres in conversations about science and collective action.
Equally, the Black Lives Matter movement has sharpened the need to proactively and purposefully expose and fix the biases in how science centres help people from all backgrounds and beliefs make sense of the world.
Science as a human enterprise is at the heart of public health, the economy and our collective well-being as a species. There are literally millions of scientific papers published every year. An everyday citizen cannot possibly make sense of it all, and know what to trust. Add in safety and equity for Homo sapiens writ large, and science communication emerges as an essential service for humanity.
Canada’s commitment to communicating science has protected us as we navigate this pandemic.
Back in March, as Canadians followed the directive of top medical scientists and retreating to the relative safety of our “bubbles,” science centres leaped online to provide free content for families that could be trusted as up-to-date and accurate, unbiased and non-partisan. As parents were learning how to be educators, science centres stepped up to provide virtual programs, downloadable lesson plans and live interactive science demos.
Locally, Telus Spark was a model to colleagues across the country in support of at-home learning by offering curriculum-connected online content to keep children engaged in science at a time when it was needed most. With the barriers of geography and costs suddenly lifted, Spark reached out to communities not typically engaged in the science centre.
Both COVID-19 and equity have come together to open up exciting paths ahead. Some 10 million Canadians — a third of the country’s entire population — engage with a science centre each year, and millions more have connected with them online since March. Spark is one of the big science centres in Canada, along with, for example, Vancouver, Edmonton, Sudbury, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax. While 10 million is a huge number, who are we missing?
The challenge now is how to properly resource our science centres to continue their work, while rethinking what experiential learning and hands-on discovery look like in a POST-COVID and proactively equitable world.
No child wakes up at 18 and decides that they want to be an engineer or an epidemiologist unless they have grown up excited about the scientific endeavour. Science centres are the incubators for tomorrow’s science leaders — think astronauts like Chris Hadfield and medical professionals like Dr. Deena Hinshaw.
If we are to weather the next pandemic or have a hand in shaping global approaches to issues like pollution, we need our science centres now more than ever. Just as scientists have been quietly and reliably been predicting global pandemics, they are predicting other possibly more devastating scenarios that require our collective action.
We are fortunate in Canada that elected leaders set aside partisan politics and followed the guidance of top scientists to flatten the curve. Inspiring action based on science for all humankind requires planning, effort, time and expertise.
Science centres help weave science culture into the fabric of our society. They are uniquely positioned to advance excellence in science communications and science engagement in the critical decades to come.
Spark is not only a popular family destination and trusted part of the education network, it’s also poised to play a larger role in Calgary’s recovery and future growth.
There are many reasons to be excited about our future, even as we stare down this virus that is working so hard to divide and isolate us. Canada’s science centres are standing shoulder to shoulder to provide the science communication leadership that must and will grow in this country.
You could even say that science culture is one of our superpowers in Canada.
Please visit your local science centre whether in person or virtually. We are here for you to explore, learn and imagine a stronger and safer future. Here comes science, with a giant dose of humanity.
The thing about Jock was this: he respected everyone. Allies and opponents alike were treated with the same respect, courtesy and generosity of spirit. He regarded everyone he worked with as a colleague.
Lee Richardson, former Conservative MP and friend to the late Jock Osler
Science centres help weave science culture into the fabric of our society.