Science Centre, Singapore to widen reach with new displays

Straits Times 8 Dec 07;
Name change and exhibits that deal with hot-button issues part of plans

IN A bid to dust off its sometimes stodgy image, the Singapore Science Centre unveiled plans yesterday to tackle hot-button issues like climate change, viral pandemics and euthanasia.

As part of what officials called a 'rebranding', the 30-year-old centre has taken on a new name - Science Centre, Singapore - and broadened its focus beyond its stalwart base of students and families.

Its chief executive, Dr Chew Tuan Chiong, said the centre wants to attract a wider demographic, including those in the 18 to 25 age bracket.

'(We hope) those who love science grow to love it more, and those who don't will find something special in it,' he said.

The difficulty in reaching out to those in their late teens and early 20s is a worldwide phenomenon, he said. 'This is the age they start to have a very wide range of interests and they see the science centre as a place of intellectual enrichment.'

To reach out to increasingly savvy visitors, the centre will promote science that is relevant to today's world, he said.

It hopes to use science to educate and inspire, without resorting to pure entertainment.

To make good on its promise, it will have new displays that deal with real-world issues, beginning next month with an exhibition on viruses.

Features on climate change and water scarcity are scheduled to follow.

And the centre is even considering tackling divisive social issues such as euthanasia.

The objective, Dr Chew said, will be to add a human element to science, increase interaction and provoke an emotional reaction - all while people learn.

Education Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said the Science Centre faces the challenge today of reaching out to a more sophisticated audience.

'That requires finding ways of exciting children,' he said.

'The quality of the exhibitions is no longer about touching a fake crocodile. The new generation of exhibitions are both entertaining and provoking.'

Mr K. Mano, a 24-year-old a civil servant, said he visits the Science Centre with friends.

'I'd like to see a whole month on aerodynamics and physics, or even neuroscience would be good,' he said.

Science Centre officials are not yet sure how much the changes will cost.

Close to one million people visit the Science Centre annually.