Govt funds gained for museum projects

THE Otago Museum has gained about $75,000 through three government grants, after a more difficult year last year in which only limited contestable state funding was gained.

The museum also learned last week it had won the University of Otago Business School Award for Innovation at the Westpac Otago Business Awards.

The award was for the museum’s continuing projects to develop its audience appeal, including for the opening of the Tuhura Otago Community Trust Science Centre and its innovative public programmes.

These programmes included ‘‘A Synthesised Universe’’, a collaboration between the Otago Museum and former Dunedin musician Anthonie Tonnon.

The museum’s science centre manager, Samantha Botting, was also a finalist in the Future Business Leader category.

Museum director, visitor experience and science engagement Craig Grant was yesterday ‘‘extremely pleased’’ with the funding outcome.

After considerable success in 2016, the museum received little contestable funding from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s Unlocking Curious Minds funding last year.

‘‘We didn’t lose too much heart from not getting funding last year,’’ Mr Grant added.

The museum’s science engagement team gained funding last week from the Unlocking Curious Minds fund for three ‘‘new and exciting projects’’, he said.

Building on the success of the Otago Museum and University of Otago DoddWalls Centre’s recent science engagement expedition to the Chatham Islands, the museum has gained $30,000 to support ‘‘Extreme Science II’’.

This project will extend science outreach experiences to Stewart Island, Great Barrier Island and New Zealand’s most remote mainland rural schools and communities, including Fiordland, West Coast, East Cape and Northland.

Another project, Science Journeys: From Ship to Showcase ($28,700), will guide a team of young people from low decile schools to develop their own climatethemed science showcase for public display.

A third project, ‘‘Science Showoffs’’ ($16,500), will use everyday objects to carry out intriguing handson science demonstrations and explorations at school playgrounds, sports fields, skate parks, cafes and shopping malls.