ORIEL SCIENCE MUSEUM OPENING SOON
By Sophie Sadler
Swansea University’s Oriel Science will soon be opening the doors to its new venue in the city centre.
The museum will be a hub for interactive science exhibitions, beginning with Movement and Motion and Swansea University’s Response to Covid-19, and will be completely FREE to visit. Modern scientific advances will be brought directly from the University straight to the general public, in a fun and engaging setting. Amongst other things, visitors will be able to show off their skills on the Swansea University Race Car Simulator; measure their arms’ length against the wingspan of a condor; learn how particles can be levitated with ultrasonic speakers; and get an understanding of what goes on inside a hospital during the Covid-19 pandemic by interacting with 3D printed visors and a ventilator. Many other surprises will be contained behind the venue’s doors!
In the past, Oriel Science has already been responsible for exciting interactive public science. In 2016/17, a 100-day exhibition on Time featured a mock-up of the Large Hadron Collider and a Back to the Future themed DeLorean sports car, attracting almost 16,000 visitors.
A student ambassador team will be another key feature of the museum. This is a fantastic opportunity allowing current students to gain experience sharing their knowledge of science in a public setting, and to showcase the work of the university. This will also provide the inspiration for aspiring young scientists who visit the venue to follow in their footsteps.
The Director of Oriel Science, Professor Chris Allton, said: “It is truly wonderful to open our new city centre venue to showcase the University’s research to people living in and around Swansea. Oriel Science uses this amazing research, packaged into fun and interactive exhibits, to inspire the younger generation so that they can become our future engineers, doctors, technologists and innovators.”
Professor Martin Stringer, Pro-Vice Chancellor at Swansea University added: “It is great to welcome the opening of Oriel Science’s new city centre venue. This is an important event, especially in this most difficult of years. The University has, in many ways, been at the forefront of work to tackle the social and medical impacts of COVID-19, as will be shown in the exhibition at the new venue, but more than that, the opening of this venue demonstrates a commitment to Swansea, and particularly to the next generation of budding scientists in the Swansea region that looks beyond COVID-19 and on towards the future.”
The venue will be open from 10am-4pm on weekends as well as during school holidays. Further information about Oriel Science can be found on the website: http://orielscience.co.uk
Photography By Cat Daczkowski
