Bigger and better: Technopolis science centre

At the opening of the new extension at Technopolis last month, all eyes were on the guests of honour, Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilde, as they tried their hands at one of the many new experiments and activities at the science and technology centre. It might have been more pertinent, however, to wonder what their three children might have made of the new installations. Because the aim of Technopolis is to introduce scientific and technological concepts to children.

Technopolis was opened in 2000 by the government of Flanders as a hands-on centre. It’s anything but a museum: Not only are you not forbidden to touch the exhibits, you’re practically obliged to. As a result, the place is in a regular state of pandemonium, as children who have been forced to sit still in class the rest of the week are suddenly cut free to muck about with stuff to see how it works. The very definition of scientific endeavour.

One-third more

In the years since, Technopolis has honed its approach, introducing specific sections for particular age-groups – notably the 'Kinder-doe-centrum' for four- to eight-year-olds. This latest extension, which has added 33% more space, includes Xplora, a zone specially for eight to 14-year-olds; Inspirience, for the general public but concentrating on those aged 14 to 18; and the STEM centre specially for teachers of STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

Xplora aims to catch children just when they’re thinking more seriously about the future direction of their education – the very time when an attraction to STEM subjects is created and nurtured. So visitors have a chance to experience a number of real-life situations that depend on science and technology: making animated films, designing race cars, investigating a crime, studying the climate or designing an amusement park.

“It gives me great pleasure to see how (…) Technopolis is creating the means for children to test their initiative, enterprise, curiosity, inventiveness and creativity,” said Flemish minister-president Kris Peeters. “It is crucial for the future of our industry that more and more young people opt for a challenging technical or scientific occupation. That is also one of the goals of the Flemish government’s New Industrial Policy.”

The cost of the extension came to €7 million, of which €3 million came from the Flemish government and €2.7 million from the European Regional Development Fund. The province of Antwerp also contributed.

Creating interest

In Inspirience, older students (and adults) have the opportunity to work with high-speed cameras to create pictures with light; to study the interior of the human body, including their own; to bring inanimate objects to life with music and rhythm; and to take part in a remote arm-wrestling contest against an opponent in another country.

“Technopolis’ approach of explaining the world in terms of their own daily life-experience, and thereby making them enthusiastic about science and technology, is moving successfully forward,” commented Flemish innovation minister Ingrid Lieten, also present at the opening. “It’s extremely important for the choice of their higher educational  direction to equip them with the necessary knowledge, skills and motivation.”

There’s also a new section called The Lab, which offers a number of workshops for youth from schools that don’t have access to the equipment needed. Those include turning paper into bio-ethanol, investigating plant DNA and creating lactose-free milk or sunscreen using nano-particles.

A new chapter

Technopolis, said chairman Luc Van den Brande, “is becoming not only bigger but, more importantly, different: made more to the measure of its visitors. This is the start of a new chapter for Technopolis.”

The new Technopolis counts among its partners 18 companies, including BASF Antwerp, Bayer, Solvay and Total, as well as Essencia, the federation for the chemicals, plastics and life-sciences industries. “For the chemical industry, Technopolis is the perfect partner for getting young people excited about the wonderful world of science and chemistry,” said Essencia managing director Frans Dieryck. “We hope through this partnership to inspire hundreds of thousands of young people to go after jobs in a sector that has a bright future in Flanders (…) The sector in Flanders will need about 2,000 new people just to make up for the loss of colleagues to retirement.”

www.technopolis.be

This article first appeared in Flanders Today