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 mu ...

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 List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

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

False Creek False Creek () is a short narrow inlet in the heart of Vancouver, separating the Downtown Vancouver, Downtown and West End, Vancouver, West End list of neighbourhoods in Vancouver, neighbourhoods from the rest of the city. It is one of the four ...

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 Communicatio ...

world's fair A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition, is a large global exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specific site for a perio ...

. 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 is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

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 the Fraser Valley. Home to approximately 3.05million people as of the 2021 ...

. 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 more t ...

–inspired geodesic dome was designed by Expo's chief architect Bruno Freschi 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. In January 2005, the building was officially renamed "Telusphere" as part of an agreement where Telus gave a $9-million donation in return for the

naming rights Naming rights are a financial transaction and form of advertising or memorialization where a corporation, person, or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, object, location, program, or event (most often sports venues), typical ...

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 a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

and

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

. 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 The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Vancouver 2010 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held from February 12 to 28, 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with ...

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

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, hosts of the

2014 Winter Olympics The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially called the XXII Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Sochi 2014 (), were an international winter multi-sport event that was held from 7 to 23 February 2014 in Sochi, Russia. Opening ro ...

. 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 MLA from Surrey-White Rock, Tracy Redies, would be resigning her legislature seat and taking over as the CEO of Science World, from September 14, 2020. The new CEO would be replacing the interim CEO, Janet Wood. Dr. Bonnie Henry was named as a "Friend of Science World" in 2021. In January 2022, Science World entered a long-term partnership with Acuitas Therapeutics, developers of the lipid nanoparticle technology used in the

Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine The Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, sold under the brand name Comirnaty, is an MRNA vaccine, mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine developed by the German biotechnology company BioNTech. For its development, BioNTech collaborated with the America ...

. In September 2022,

Teck Resources Teck Resources Limited is a diversified natural resources company headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, that is engaged in mining and mineral development, including coal for the steelmaking industry, copper, zinc, and energy. Secondary ...

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

antimicrobial An antimicrobial is an agent that kills microorganisms (microbicide) or stops their growth (bacteriostatic agent). Antimicrobial medicines can be grouped according to the microorganisms they are used to treat. For example, antibiotics are used aga ...

properties of

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) 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 pinkish-orang ...

. 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 most commonly refers to: * Plant stem, a structural axis of a vascular plant * Stem group * Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics Stem or STEM can also refer to: Language and writing * Word stem, part of a word respon ...

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 (), formally His Majesty's Government (), is the body responsible for the federation, federal administration of Canada. The term ''Government of Canada'' refers specifically to the executive, which includes Minister of t ...

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. A vaccine typically contains an ag ...

. 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; ; IRSC) is a federal agency responsible for funding health and medical research in Canada. Comprising 13 institutes, it is the successor to the Medical Research Council of Canada. CIHR supports ...

(CIHR),

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC; , CRSNG) is the major federal agency responsible for funding natural sciences and engineering research in Canada. NSERC directly funds university professors and students as ...

(NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (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). Knowledge about the structure and func ...

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 Buildings and structures in Vancouver Geodesic domes World's fair architecture in Vancouver Expo 86 1989 establishments in British Columbia