Scitech

Scitech Discovery Centre

Scitech logo
Location within Western Australia
Established	13 August 1988
Location	20 Sutherland Street Perth 6005 Australia
Coordinates	31°56′40″S 115°50′47″E / 31.944344°S 115.846523°E / -31.944344; 115.846523
Type	Science Museum
Visitors	350,000 per year
Public transit access	City West
Website	http://www.scitech.org.au

Scitech is a world renowned and multi award winning not-for-profit organisation that operates the Scitech Discovery Centre, a permanent interactive science museum which includes a planetarium, and is located in West Perth, Western Australia.^[1] It first opened in 1988 on 13 August.^[1]

It's published mission is,

Scitech generally aims its programs at children aged up to 12, but it does provide activities for children and adults of all ages. Four times a year it also runs "Scitech After Dark" evenings to allow over 18 year olds to enjoy its attractions in an adult-oriented atmosphere.^[2]

Exterior of Scitech Discovery Centre November 2016

Scitech Discovery Centre

The Scitech Discovery Centre features a number of regularly changing interactive exhibitions designed to inform and educate visitors on a myriad of subjects concerning science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). It also offers a range live science, puppet and planetarium shows presented by enthusiastic science communication staff.

Large feature exhibitions are rotated every six months, with a variety of STEM 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 to places including Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Darwin. As well as internationally to places including Singapore, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Finland,^[3] France, England, Portugal, Estonia, Norway, Kuwait, and North American venues.^[4]

Approximately 3 million people have visited Scitech since its opening in 1988. 300,000 general public visitors and 42,000 primary and secondary school children visit the Scitech Discovery Centre annually at its West Perth base, with another 200,000 people experiencing Scitech via its travelling roadshow known as Statewide.^[5]

Scitech Areas

• Discoverland (For 3–7 year olds)
• Discovery Shop
• CSIRO Lab
• Scitech Planetarium
• General Exhibitions
• Puppet Theatre
• Science Theatre
• Rio Tinto Innovation Central
• BHP Billiton Exhibition Gallery
• Tastebud
• R & D Zone

• 
  Scitech Discoverland November 2016
• 
  CSIRO Lab at Scitech November 2016
• 
  Science Theatre November 2016
• 
  Rio Tinto Innovation Central Nov 2016
• 
  Inside Planetarium RHS November 2016
• 
  Puppet Theatre November 2016
• 
  Scitech Tastebud area November 2016

Staff

Notably, the floor staff that most visitors will interact at Scitech in West Perth with fall into two categories.

• Science Squad staff who are responsible for general operational duties, running theatre shows, and helping visitors interact with exhibits.
• Unpaid volunteers, known as "SciGuides" who are predominantly on the floor to help facilitate visitors interacting with exhibits.^[6]

There is also an extensive "behind-the-scenes" operations and support team. This team comprises creative design, electronics, mechanical workshop, operations and maintenance, logistics and purchasing, IT services, graphic and multimedia design, communications and marketing and travelling exhibition support.^[7]

Funding

Funding for Scitech's programs and services comes from grants from government, corporate sponsorship, rental of travelling exhibitions, admission and membership fees, and other supporting services. Roughly 50% of funding comes from the Western Australian state government.^[8]

Sponsors include Lotterywest, BHP Billiton Iron Ore, Rio Tinto, Woodside, Chevron and CSIRO.^[9][10]

Scitech Planetarium

Outside Scitech Planetarium 2016

Inside Scitech Planetarium 2016

In 2004, Scitech leased the empty Omni Max Theatre and rebranded it as ‘Horizon – The Planetarium’ with a substantial and costly refit. Entrance to the Planetarium was not included in the ticket price for Scitech and separate tickets were needed. This was dropped a few years later.

The 70mm IMAX projector, platter system and associated Spitz spherical star map system were removed in 2004 and kept in storage (where it remains to this day). Sky-Skan were chosen to carry out the upgrades to the Planetarium by installing 6 Barco 909 projectors for high quality astronomy full dome shows and also for the live element of each presentation. The presenter would be based at the front of the Planetarium and had full control over real-time astronomy visualisations stretching all the way from inside Earth out to the very edge of the known Universe.

After some time, the projectors and computers became increasingly unreliable and it was decided in 2013 to close the Planetarium for another major overhaul. A $1.4m grant was received from LotteryWest and the Planetarium closed in September 2013. New chairs, colour scheme, projectors, servers, lighting, wiring, carpet and various communications devices were included in the upgrade and in January the ‘Scitech Planetarium’ re-opened. Due to wider seats being installed the capacity dropped from 198 to 176.

The Scitech Planetarium has a diameter of 18m and still remains the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. It has 2 Sony TX –T420 projectors using ultra wide angle lenses designed specifically for Scitech. These projectors fill the full 180* of the night sky in stunning 4K 60fps detail. The Scitech Planetarium is one of the only remaining Planetaria still using an azimuth speaker channel for ceiling effects and has an impressive 8.4KW sound system using 6.1 surround sound.

It is popular with passing tourists, members of the public, private events and school groups ranging from Pre-Primary all the way up to Grade 12. It has approximately 135,000 visitors a year. During term time it usually has 5 shows a day then ramping up to approximately 15 shows for Toddlerfest.

Scitech Statewide

Scitech's Statewide department is the travelling arm of the organisation that takes Scitech's educational early childhood, science, technology and careers programs to over 200,000 people across Western Australia. In the 2015-2016 Fiscal year Scitech Statewide visited 154 communities across Western Australia ^[5][11]

Scitech Professional Development

Scitech’s Professional Learning team are experienced teachers in the STEM learning fields who model the latest in pedagogy and provide support to teachers with interactive workshops and classroom collaboration. Working across WA they also host events that feature leading-edge teaching practices and exemplary teachers. The team offer a range of interactive workshops in science, design technology, coding, robotics, maths, and the integrated curriculum. Their workshops are flexible to suit the needs of any group, and may be recognised as professional learning with the Teacher Registration Board of Western Australia.

Awards

Received

• Scitech won the Creative Industries Export Award at the WA Industry Export Awards in 2016 ^[12]
• Scitech won the Creative Exhibit Award at the Asia Pacific Network of Science and Technology Centres conference for its Rio Tinto Innovation Central exhibit in 2016. ^[13]
• Scitech won the Creative Industries Export Award at the WA Industry Export Awards in 2015 ^[14]
• Scitech won the creative science exhibit award at Asia Pacific Network of Science and Technology Centres conference in South Korea, in 2013 and 2014.^[15]
• Scitech was named as a finalist in the WA Industry and Export Awards in the Education and Training category in 2012 and 2014.^[16]
• Scitech won the ASTC Roy L. Shafer Leading Edge Awards in the Visitor Experience category for its Aboriginal Educational Program in 2012.^[17]
• Scitech Outreach won the Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Promoting Understanding of Science in 2009.^[18]
• Scitech was the inaugural inductee into the Western Australian Science Hall of Fame in 2007.^[19]

Sponsored

• Woodside Scitech Science Award, presented to graduating primary school students who "demonstrate passion and enthusiasm for science".^[20]

Tourism

• Scitech has been inducted into the Western Australian Tourism Awards Hall of Fame as a major tourist attraction (1998).^[1]
• Scitech is ranked on Trip Advisor as 10th most popular attraction in Perth (November 2016).^[21]

Memberships

Scitech is a member of these associations of science centers:^[5][22]

• ASPAC (Asia Pacific Network of Science and Technology Centres)
• ASTC (Association of Science-Technology Centers)
• ECSITE (The European Collaborative for Science, Industry and Technology)
• NAME (The Network of Australasian Museum Exhibitors)

Expansion and Relocation

Expansion

The Scitech Discovery Centre has remained in its current location of City West for 29 years. The centre is currently undergoing a major expansion with the majority of the administration staff moving to another building 400 metres away. The now vacant areas are undergoing a redevelopment with a larger floor space area for exhibits, a new ‘rest and reflect’ area with a direct view of the Perth CBD skyline, a new CSIRO Lab, new exhibit area and a new Science Theatre.

Relocation

An announcement was made in August 2016 confirming that Scitech will be moving to the Perth Cultural Centre in 2021 along with a newly built Perth Museum.^[23][24]

Hon. Colin Barnett MEc MLA said of the relocation:

See also

List of science museums

References

External links

• Scitech website
• The Sonic Silence Exhibit: Demonstrating the Consequences of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss and Tinnitus Edith Cowan University, February 2013.
• 2015-2016 Annual Report
• ScitechWA's "Instructables"
• Hon. Colin Barentt MLA Announcement at Science Premier Awards