Scitech
Encyclopedia
- This article refers to the Australian science organization. For other uses, see SciTechSciTechSciTech may refer to:* SciTech High, an alias for The Harrisburg University of Science and Technology High School* An abbreviation for the Science and Technology Facilities Council in the UK...
.
Scitech is a not-for-profit organisation whose mission is to increase interest and participation by Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
ns in science and technology. Scitech generally aims its programs at children aged up to 12, but it does provide activities for children and adults of all ages.
Scitech operates the Scitech Centre, a permanent science museum and exhibition, and Horizon, a planetarium
Planetarium
A planetarium is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation...
, both located in West Perth, Western Australia
West Perth, Western Australia
West Perth is an inner suburb of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia. It is part of the inner mixed zone, and has predominantly office blocks which have displaced residential buildings. There is a high proportion of miners and consultants, and particularly medical specialists, compared to...
.
Scitech Centre
The Scitech Centre opened in 1988. It features a number of exhibitions designed to inform and educate visitors on a myriad of subjects concerning science and technology, in addition to regularly scheduled live shows presented by staff.Large feature exhibitions are rotated every six months, with a variety of science and technology exhibits pertaining to a particular theme, storyline or concept, most of which are built in-house by Scitech's design, graphics, and workshop departments. Scitech was the first Australian science centre to build large-scale interactive exhibitions. In addition, the exhibitions Scitech creates have also toured nationally and internationally to places including Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Singapore, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Finland, Portugal, and Estonia.
Approximately 2.5 million people have visited Scitech since its opening in 1988. 250,000 general public visitors and 75,000 school children visit Scitech annually.
Staff
Notably, the floor staff that most visitors will interact with fall into two categories.- Science Squad staff (who wear distinctive blue golf shirts), who are responsible for general operational duties, running theatre shows, and helping visitors interact with exhibits.
- Unpaid volunteers, known as "SciGuides" (who wear distinctive blue golf shirts), who are predominantly on the floor to help facilitate visitors interacting with exhibits.
Funding
Funding for the centre comes from grants from government, corporate sponsorship, admission and membership fees, and other supporting services.Sponsors include Lotterywest
Lotterywest
Lotterywest, formerly the Lotteries Commission of Western Australia, is an Australian lotteries corporation run by the State Government of Western Australia. Lotterywest sells lottery tickets and "instant win" scratchcards through a network of newsagents and other authorised retailers...
(who have naming rights on the Lotterywest Science Theatre), BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton is a global mining, oil and gas company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and with a major management office in London, United Kingdom...
Iron Ore (who have naming rights to the feature exhibitions created by Scitech, Western Power
Western Power
Western Power Corporation , owned by the Government of Western Australia, was Western Australia's major electricity supplier from 1995 through 2006...
(who have naming rights on the Western Power High Voltage Show), and the CSIRO (who run the science laboratory within the centre, which aims to provide hands-on experience to school-aged students).
Horizon
In 2004, Horizon: The Planetarium was opened. Horizon is adjacent to the science centre, and is a state-of-the-art planetariumPlanetarium
A planetarium is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation...
screening multimedia space shows on an 18m domed screen. Horizon is housed in the domed area of the City West complex that was formerly the Omni Theatre IMAX
IMAX
IMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems...
cinema.
The planetarium is currently the largest domed screen in the Southern Hemisphere, using a digital projection system to accurately depict not only the night sky but fully 3-dimensional renders of astronomical phenomena. Visitors are taken on a virtual tour of the solar system and beyond with an emphasis on interaction with the live presenter who has full control over what is displayed.
Scitech Outreach
Scitech's Outreach is a program that takes Scitech's educational science and maths programs to over 170,000 people across Western AustraliaWestern Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
.
Scitech's Technology Program
Catering to Years 8-10, Scitech's Technology program motivates, encourages and inspires students in new technology and new media. Using state-of-the-art learning tools to develop and complete tasks, students gain an insight about the importance of techno-literacy in their future careers.
The program is delivered using a specially-equipped ‘Techno Truck' that visits schools throughout Western Australia to get students buzzing with all the latest gadgets on the market.
Technology Program at Scitech
New Media Video
Robotics Video
Example Videos
Awards
- Scitech won the Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Promoting Understanding of Science in 2009.
- Scitech was the inaugural inductee into the Western Australian Science Hall of Fame in 2007.
- Scitech has been inducted into the Western Australian Tourism Awards Hall of Fame as a major tourist attraction.
- Scitech is mentioned in the Lonely PlanetLonely PlanetLonely Planet is the largest travel guide book and digital media publisher in the world. The company is owned by BBC Worldwide, which bought a 75% share from the founders Maureen and Tony Wheeler in 2007 and the final 25% in February 2011...
's guide to Australia as a notable tourist attraction.