Science World is a

science centre A science museum is a museum devoted primarily to science. Older science museums tended to concentrate on static displays of objects related to natural history, paleontology, geology, industry and industrial machinery, etc. Modern trends in m ...

run by a not-for-profit organization called ASTC Science World Society in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. ...

, British Columbia, Canada. It is located at the end of

False Creek False Creek (french: Faux ruisseau) is a short narrow inlet in the heart of Vancouver, separating the Downtown and West End neighbourhoods from the rest of the city. It is one of the four main bodies of water bordering Vancouver, along with Eng ...

and features many permanent interactive exhibits and displays, as well as areas with varying topics throughout the years. Prior to the building being handed over to Science World by the city government in 1987, the building was built as Expo Centre for the

Expo 86 The 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication, or simply Expo 86, was a World's Fair held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from May 2 until October 13, 1986. The fair, the theme of which was "Transportation and Communicat ...

world's fair A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition or an expo, is a large international exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specif ...

. Following the end of Expo 86, the building was re-purposed as a

. The science centre opened on May 6, 1989, as Science World. From 2005 to 2020, the museum was branded as Science World at Telus World of Science, before it reverted to its original name.

History

In 1977, Barbara Brink ran mobile hands-on exhibits known as the ''Extended I'' around

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, for ...

Lower Mainland The Lower Mainland is a geographic and cultural region of the mainland coast of British Columbia that generally comprises the regional districts of Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley. Home to approximately 3.05million people as of the 2021 Cana ...

. Later, the temporary ''Arts, Sciences & Technology Centre'' opened in downtown Vancouver on January 15, 1982, attracting over 600,000 visitors. Another 400,000 benefited from the centre's outreach programs, which were delivered around the province. When Vancouver was chosen to host the transportation-themed 1986 World's Fair (

), a

Buckminster Fuller Richard Buckminster Fuller (; July 12, 1895 – July 1, 1983) was an American architect, systems theorist, writer, designer, inventor, philosopher, and futurist. He styled his name as R. Buckminster Fuller in his writings, publishing ...

–inspired geodesic dome was designed by Expo's chief architect

Bruno Freschi Bruno Freschi (born 1937) is a Canadian architect and an officer in the Order of Canada, known for his role as chief architect for Expo 86 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Some of his notable works include Science World in Vancouver, the ...

to serve as the fair's Expo Centre. Construction began in 1984 and was completed by early 1985. After Expo closed its gates in October of the following year, an intensive lobbying campaign was launched to secure the landmark building, relocate the "Arts, Sciences and Technology Centre" into the post-Expo dome, and convert the Expo Centre into Science World. With much government backing, the dome was obtained from the province and a massive fund-raising campaign ensued. Donations from the federal, provincial and municipal governments, the GVRD, the private sector, foundations, and individuals contributed $19.1 million to build an addition to the Expo Centre, redesign the interior and fabricate exhibits. In 1988, in a four-month preview, over 310,000 visitors came to see the new building. A year later, the 400-seat Omnimax theatre in the upper section of the dome was opened, extending upon the 3D IMAX theatre which was built in 1986 for the Expo "Transitions" film series. The centre entered its first title sponsorship agreement with Alcan Inc. in 1996, renaming its Omnimax Theatre the Alcan Omnimax Theatre. Alcan later decided to sponsor the organization in different ways and the theatre returned to its original name, the Omnimax Theatre. Science World, Vancouver, BC (2012) - 3

In January 2005, the building was officially renamed "Telusphere" as part of an agreement where

Telus Telus Communications Inc. (TCI) is the wholly owned principal subsidiary of Telus Corporation, a Telecommunications in Canada, Canadian national telecommunications company that provides a wide range of telecommunications products and services ...

gave a $9-million donation in return for the

naming rights Naming rights are a financial transaction and form of advertising or memorialization whereby a corporation, person, or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, object, location, program, or event, typically for a defined period of ...

to the building. This new name proved universally unpopular. In mid-2005, the name of the science centre was changed to "Science World at the Telus World of Science". The brand "Telus World of Science" was used for several other science centres in

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, maki ...

and

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city an ...

. The naming rights agreement ended in 2020, with the science centre dropping "Telus World of Science" from its name. During this period, the name change did not affect the nearby Main Street–Science World SkyTrain station. During the

2010 Winter Olympics )'' , nations = 82 , athletes = 2,626 , events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = February 12, 2010 , closing = February 28, 2010 , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy Greene Wayne G ...

, Science World played host to "Sochi World", a hospitality area representing the country of

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

, hosts of the

2014 Winter Olympics , ''Zharkie. Zimnie. Tvoi'') , nations = 88 , events = 98 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , athletes = 2,873 , opening = 7 February 2014 , closing = 23 February 2014 , opened_by = President Vladimir Putin , cauldron = , stadium = Fisht Olympi ...

. The attraction closed in mid-January 2010 to facilitate the transformation, and was re-opened that March. Science World underwent renovation after the 2010 Winter Olympics. The indoor renovations were completed by mid-2012 and the adjacent Ken Spencer Science Park opened in late 2012. On July 29, 2020, the organization's board of governors announced that

BC Liberal The British Columbia Liberal Party, often shortened to the BC Liberals, is a centre-right provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. The party currently forms the Official Opposition. Subsequent to the 2020 British Columbia general ...

MLA from

Surrey-White Rock Surrey-White Rock is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada. During the 2008 re-distribution of riding boundaries, Surrey-White Rock kept the majority of its existing region. Demographics ...

Tracy Redies Tracy Redies is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the 2017 provincial election.Bonnie Henry Bonnie J. Fraser Henry (born ) is a Canadian physician who is the Provincial Health Officer for British Columbia, the first woman in this position. Henry is also a clinical associate professor at the University of British Columbia. She was a fami ...

was named as a "Friend of Science World" in 2021. In January 2022, Science World entered a long-term partnership with

Acuitas Therapeutics Acuitas Therapeutics Inc. is a Canadian biotechnology company based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The company was established in February 2009 to specialize in the development of delivery systems for nucleic acid therapeutics based on lipid na ...

, developers of the

lipid nanoparticle lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), are nanoparticles composed of lipids. They are a novel pharmaceutical drug delivery system (and part of nanoparticle drug delivery), and a novel pharmaceutical formulation. LNPs as a drug delivery vehicle were f ...

technology used in the

Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine The Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine ( INN: tozinameran), sold under the brand name Comirnaty, is an mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine developed by the German biotechnology company BioNTech. For its development, BioNTech collaborated with Amer ...

. In September 2022,

Teck Resources Teck Resources Limited, known as Teck Cominco until late 2008, is a diversified natural resources company headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, that is engaged in mining and mineral development, including coal for the steelmaking indu ...

announced a $650,000 donation to Science World to increase awareness of the

antimicrobial An antimicrobial is an agent that kills microorganisms or stops their growth. Antimicrobial medicines can be grouped according to the microorganisms they act primarily against. For example, antibiotics are used against bacteria, and antifungals ar ...

properties of

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pink ...

. The contribution funded the addition of copper layers to the surface of various exhibits, door handles and countertops.

Activities

Outreach

Science World runs a variety of outreach programs all over

. Some examples include Scientists and Innovators in the Schools, a volunteer-based mentor program to inspire students' interest in

STEM Stem or STEM may refer to: Plant structures * Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang * Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure * Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...

through interactive presentations in classrooms; On the Road, where staff travel extensively throughout the province to conduct workshops and present science-themed shows in schools and communities that otherwise would not have access to a local science centre; and Super Science Club, where Science World educators conduct after-school programs in underserved schools to inspire at-risk children to become passionate about lifelong science and technology learning.

COVID-19

In July 2021, Science World received a $50,000 grant from the

Government of Canada The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown-i ...

in order to develop a programming series surrounding

vaccines A vaccine is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious or malignant disease. The safety and effectiveness of vaccines has been widely studied and verified.

. It was awarded through a grant program called "Encouraging Vaccine Confidence in Canada" jointly administered by the

Canadian Institutes of Health Research The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR; french: Instituts de recherche en santé du Canada; IRSC) is a federal agency responsible for funding health and medical research in Canada. Comprising 13 institutes, it is the successor to the M ...

(CIHR),

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC; french: Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie du Canada, CRSNG) is the major federal agency responsible for funding natural sciences and engineering rese ...

(NSERC) and the

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC; french: Conseil de recherches en sciences humaines du Canada, CRSH) is a Canadian federal research-funding agency that promotes and supports post-secondary research and traini ...

(SSHRC), intended to increase uptake and acceptance of

COVID-19 vaccines A COVID19 vaccine is a vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID19). Prior to the COVID19 pandemic, an est ...

across Canada.

Organization

Funding

Science World operates with funding from donors to the ASTC Science World Society and programming partners. Supporters for the 2021/2022 fiscal year include: Previous financial and programming partners have included:

Notes

References

External links

Official website

Science World Resources
{{Vancouver landmarks Museums in Vancouver Science museums in Canada Domes IMAX venues Buildings and structures in Vancouver Geodesic domes World's fair architecture in Vancouver Expo 86 1989 establishments in British Columbia