Scitech

:"This article refers to the Australian science organization. For other uses, see SciTech."

Scitech is a not-for-profit organisation whose mission is to increase interest and participation by Western Australians in science and technology. Scitech aims its programs at children aged 0-12, and its sole purpose is to entertain and educate children in that age group.

Scitech Centre

Scitech's most prominent activity is running a science centre located in Perth, Western Australia. The centre (formerly known as Scitech Discovery Centre) features many interactive exhibits relating to science and technology, predominantly built by the in-house workshop.

Every visit is an adventure with hands-on discovery items to touch, switch, climb, crank and explore. Scitech's feature exhibitions are also a ‘must see’. The centre also includes live theatre science demonstrations, puppet theatre shows and Discoverland (a designated area for 3-7 year olds).

Feature exhibitions

Large feature exhibitions are rotated every few months, with a variety of science and technology exhibits pertaining to a particular theme, storyline or concept. These feature exhibitions tour nationally and internationally to places including Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Singapore, Mexico, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Philippines, Dubai and New Zealand.

Past feature exhibitions have included "Top Secret" (surveillance equipment and codes) and "Eaten Alive" (predators; on loan from Questacon).

The current feature exhibition is "Amazing Backyard Adventures", which features a variety of predominantly interactive exhibits, where visitors can explore the science in their very own backyard.

Admission and opening Hours

Scitech is open every day of the year except Christmas Day (December 25).

*Open 10am-5pm weekends, school holidays & public holidays
*Open 9.30am-4pm Monday-Friday school days

Admission prices including entry to the science centre, entry to Horizon and science theatre and puppet shows:
* Adults (before 3pm): $14.00 AUD
* Adults (after 3pm): $10.00 AUD
* Concession: $10.00 AUD
* Children (4 to 15): $9.00 AUD
* Children (under 3): FREE, but children under 4 will not be admitted to any horizon show.

Staff

Notably, the floor staff that most visitors will interact with fall into two categories.
* "Science Squad" staff (who wear distinctive red golf shirts), who are responsible for general operational duties, running theatre shows, and helping visitors interact with exhibits.
* Unpaid volunteers, known as "SciGuides" (who wear distinctive red golf shirts), who are predominantly on the floor to help facilitate visitors interacting with exhibits

Funding

Funding for the centre comes from generous grants from government, corporate sponsorship, admission and membership fees, and other supporting services.

Notable sponsors include Lotterywest (who have naming rights on the Lotterywest Science Theatre), Western Power (who have naming rights on the Western Power High Voltage Show), and the CSIRO (who run the science laboratory within the centre, which aims to provide hands-on experience to school-aged students).

Horizon

In 2004, Horizon - The Planetarium was opened. Horizon is a major new facility adjacent to the science centre, and is a state-of-the-art planetarium screening multimedia space shows on an 18m domed screen. Horizon is housed in the domed area of the City West complex that was formerly the Omni Theatre IMAX cinema.

Scitech Digital Studio

Scitech Digital Studio (until 2006, The Sound House) is an area attached to the Scitech centre that provides a variety of multimedia resources and equipment, allowing visitors to experiment with audio and video production.

Scitech Outreach

Scitech's Outreach program takes exciting, engaging and educational science and maths programs to people all over Western Australia.

Awards and notes

* Scitech was the inaugural inductee into the Western Australian Science Hall of Fame in 2007.
* Scitech has been inducted into the Western Australian Tourism Awards Hall of Fame as a major tourist attraction.
* Scitech is mentioned in the Lonely Planet's guide to Australia as a notable tourist attraction.
* Horizon's 18m domed screen is the largest in the southern hemisphere.
* Approximately 2.5 million people have visited Scitech since its opening in 1988.
* 250,000 general public visitors and 75,000 school children visit Scitech annually.
* Scitech was the first Australian science centre to build large-scale interactive exhibitions.

External links

* [http://www.scitech.org.au/index.html Scitech website]