BM: OK. Can we start now with a very general question. How would you
describe Techniquest?
CJ . I am just wondering. When you say how would I describe
Techniquest do you mean in terms of what it offers to its publics or what
it's like as an organisation or what do you mean?
BM. Perhaps in the first, basically, if you were talking to somebody, who
was like a nephew who had never heard of Techniquest before, what you would
tell them.
CJ: Well the term we use to describe Techniquest is the term Science
Discovery Centre. And we were originally known as a Hands-On science
centre but, of course it's much more than just hands-on science as you've
seen. There's a lot going on in the other educational spaces. And after
we'd been in this building a while I introduced the term Science Discovery
Centre with the word discovery having a marketing appeal and a broader description
of the sorts of things that people do here. And, if you were to look on
the Internet and just go into google and dial up "Science Discovery Centre" it's
Techniquest that will probably hit you first because we seem to have cornered
that particular name. Ec-Site UK, the national network of science and discovery
centres has that term built in "national network of science and discovery
centres" because there are discovery centres to do with history or archaeology
or flight or whatever which wouldn't necessarily be calling themselves
science centres as such.
Going back to the nephew. So what do we say? Well, it's a place to visit
where you can have a go at lots of sciency things, a cross between a museum
and a fun fair ((laughing)) or is the sort of phrase that people sometimes
use. The more mature description is that it it's an exhibition containing
an opportunity to explore scientific phenomena, scientific principles, scientific
applications and ideas. And backing up that exhibition you have a range of
education opportunities from an entertaining show to a practical activity
in a lab to - listening to a scientist telling you about his work - or her
work - or engaging in debate, or finding out that latest thing off the Internet
as to whether they've really get chemical weapons in Iraq or whatever it happens
to be.
