[Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are warned that the following programme may contain images or voices of deceased persons]
[Vision of the Questacon building]
[NARRATOR]
Questacon is Australia's National Science and Technology Centre tasked with ensuring the ongoing prosperity of our country by inspiring the next generation of scientists, technologists, engineers and researchers.
[PROFESSOR GRAHAM DURANT AM – Director, Questacon]
We create opportunities for young people and families to engage in the process of design, imagination, creativity - the skills that are really needed to help Australia go forward.
[GARRY WATSON – Manager, National Capital Educational Tourism Project]
What Questacon has been able to do is transcend from being just a science centre into an iconic tourist attraction that brings science to all Australians.
[NARRATOR]
For over three decades, the Questacon Centre has been an iconic feature of Canberra's Parliamentary Triangle, featuring eight galleries with over 200 interactive exhibits, complemented by science shows, guest lectures and special events.
[Various events inside the Questacon building]
[PROFESSOR BRIAN P. SCHMIDT AC – Astrophysicist & Nobel Prize Laureate]
Questacon is a place for kids and adults to come in and get excited about science.
[SALLY D'ADDIO – Design and Development Manager, Questacon]
Questacon always strives to engage in different ways, run different programmes, tell different stories, and it's about putting that story out there and engaging with people.
[Audience watches a performance at Questacon]
[NARRATOR]
The ongoing success of the Questacon Centre has led to the recent opening of a new facility with its focus on the technology and creativity of the innovation process.
[The Questacon Technology Learning Centre]
[ANNA PAULL – Education Coordinator, QTLC]
Here in the Questacon Technology Learning Centre, we offer a suite of workshops themed around the idea of innovation and get students thinking with their hands and building and playing with technology. That look when they finally understand something and you've been able to explain that to them, it's quite amazing.
[NARRATOR]
The Questacon Technology Learning Centre leads by example, with Questacon's world-class permanent and touring exhibits designed and manufactured on site.
[SALLY D'ADDIO – Design and Development Manager, Questacon]
Here at Questacon, we've got a unique capability. We come up with our ideas for our exhibitions. We develop that through, design it, and then actually build it.
[GARRY WATSON]
Every great scientist in our country will one day remember fondly the moment they visited Questacon.
[Scientists in their labs]
[NARRATOR]
One important aspect of Questacon's work in championing Australian science and technology is its leadership role in the national science communication initiative, Inspiring Australia.
[ANNA-MARIA ARABIA – General Manager, Strategy and Partnerships, Questacon]
The Inspiring Australia programme is the national strategy for engagement with the sciences. We're bringing together all Australians around one vision for science communication. Inspiring Australia includes activities such as the Prime Minister's Science Prize, which is a prestigious annual prize that's awarded to scientists and teachers of science within Australia. It includes National Science Week, which is Australia's largest festival which brings together people across the nation and has them involved in all sorts of science activities.
[PROFESSOR GRAHAM DURANT AM – Director, Questacon]
It requires everyone working together cohesively within the science sector. Questacon plays a very important leadership role in that regard.
[NARRATOR]
Questacon delivers experiences right across Australia. This is achieved through its touring and videoconference national outreach programmes, the most enduring and recognised of which is the Shell Questacon Science Circus, which operates with postgraduate Science Communication students from The Australian National University.
[DANIEL CRAIG – Presenter, Shell Questacon Science Circus]
The Science Circus is essentially a science show that travels around Australia, and we visit rural and remote communities, bringing science to them and letting them experience what larger cities have with their science centres.
[A crew unload the Shell Questacon Science Circus semitrailer]
[SARAH MASON – Presenter, Shell Questacon Science Circus]
We follow a big semitrailer packed full of interactive exhibits around Australia, and basically set up little science fairs in all different towns.
[NARRATOR]
Another important aspect of the Shell Questacon Science Circus is its teacher development programme, which seeks to reinvigorate the way science is taught in the classroom.
[SIAN KEYS – Presenter, Shell Questacon Science Circus]
What we really like to do during our professional development workshops with teachers is to bring them a couple of examples of exciting science that they can work into their science curriculum.
[DANIEL CRAIG – Presenter, Shell Questacon Science Circus]
A lot of people think that science is boring, it's only done by old men in Coke bottle glasses and white lab coats, and that's not the case, so if we can try and get students to think about what science is like in the real world, hopefully they'll go into that sort of profession later on in life.
[NARRATOR]
Since its beginnings in 1985, the Science Circus has been operating with the support of Shell.
[JENNY ODGERS – Country Social Investment Manager, The Shell Company of Australia Limited]
We really like the Science Circus 'cause it's got a number of different components so it works with the kids, it really helps the professional development of the teachers, as well as now it really looks at career development opportunities and showcasing them to kids in secondary school who are thinking about what they do next.
[PROFESSOR GRAHAM DURANT AM – Director, Questacon]
Partnerships are essential to everything we do and we have a strong track record of working with a whole raft of different partners right across Australia.
[SARAH VALENTINE – Corporate Affairs & Communication Director, Raytheon Australia]
Raytheon Australia has a long and enduring partnership with Questacon. We really see the partnership as an ability for us to play our part in inspiring the next generation of engineers, scientists, and all of those essential skills that the nation needs for the future.
[JENNY ODGERS - Country Social Investment Manager, The Shell Company of Australia Limited]
It's a fantastic alignment for Shell to be so closely associated with Questacon and our staff are really proud of the involvement that we have as well.
[PROFESSOR GRAHAM DURANT AM – Director, Questacon]
It's not just about an exchange of money. It really is a much deeper partnership. We can really get companies and their staff engaged in what we do.
[Kids enjoy a science show]
[NARRATOR]
By offering new experiences, leading strategic initiatives, and reaching out to communities, Questacon is giving all Australians a chance to explore science and its place in our lives.
[PROFESSOR GRAHAM DURANT AM – Director, Questacon]
So we're using different methods to communicate science. We're creating different opportunities to engage with different audiences, so it's critically important to evolve and grow as an organisation.
[PROFESSOR BRIAN P. SCHMIDT – Astrophysicist & Nobel Prize Laureate]
I see Questacon as being the best way to connect Australian kids to science, because it provides benefits, not just through their schooling time, but for their entire careers.
[NARRATOR]
Science continues to change with new breakthroughs and new discoveries. As Australia's National Science and Technology Centre, Questacon's commitment to connecting all Australians to science remains critical for today's prosperity and for the scientists of tomorrow.
[A group of people holds the letters Q-U-E-S-T-A-C-O-N]
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