Rio Tinto Innovation Central space provides new experiences for Scitech visitors

Within the Rio Tinto Innovation Central (RTIC) space of the Scitech Discovery Centre, pop-up events are providing new experiences for visitors and the chance to meet real life scientists and innovators. 

Every school holiday program includes a pop-up activity in the RTIC space, with a focus on hands-on building and creative activities that encourage experimentation and team work.   

The September school holidays featured a Collision Course Challenge, a new activity that engaged participants in an exercise to minimise the impact of a crashing vehicle. The activity explained how modern technology allows us to capture data and respond in real time, and how we can learn from data collection to find effective solutions to problems. 

“Creative and innovative pop-up activities allow us to engage people in science, digital technologies and maths, similar to our wider educational programs extended through state-wide outreach and teachers’ professional development. It’s great that we can also give our visitors to the Discovery Centre the opportunity to access these activities,” Scitech Content Producer Michael Sequeira said. 

The school holiday program also features Meet the Scientists, where scientists and science professionals present on diverse topics within RTIC and respond to questions from the audience. Guest speakers included sports scientists, bushfire spatial analysts and guide dog trainers. Meet the Scientist allows visitors to learn how science is applied in the real world and the opportunity to discover career pathways that require science skills. 

 Special event days provide the opportunity for visitors to gain a deeper understanding of special topics. An example was World Bee Day on May 20, when beekeepers and honey experts Wendy McIntyre and Helen Humphreys described how bees interact with pollen and nectar to create honey and their importance to the planet. 

During National Science Week, we ran a pop-up activity and Meet the Scientist event in RTIC, both around the theme of space to coincide with the launch of our new space debris exhibit. 

The Lunar Landing Challenge allowed participants to test their design skills to land a Lego luna rover in one piece on the moon’s surface. For two Meet the Scientist sessions, we were privileged to welcome Deputy Associate Administrator for NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Science Mission Directorate, Sandra E. Connelly. She gave a fascinating presentation about the diverse science and research being done at NASA and went through some of their recent missions and discoveries. 

“Normally our Meet the Scientist sessions last about 15-20 minutes, however on this day both sessions lasted around 45 minutes including lots of questions at the end. Both sessions were extremely popular and attracted 70-75 attendees, well beyond the average grandstand capacity.” Michael said. 

“Scitech welcomes collaboration with WA organisations, local experts and international visitors, who contribute to Meet the Scientist sessions. The program provides visitors with an insight into the science industry, research and opportunities to get involved.”