Anneliese Dodds MP visits the Science Oxford Centre
Monday 28th September 2020
Anneliese Dodds MP took time out to visit our Science Oxford Centre recently with her daughter for one of our Family Open Days. During the week, the Centre is open for school visits but every other Saturday we welcome families to our Family Open Days, where they can try the hands-on exhibits in the Exploration Zone and afterwards explore the several kilometres of trails in the surrounding woodland. Anneliese and her daughter had lots of – socially distanced – fun in the Exploration Zone with the super-fast Scarf Shooter and kept discs spinning for an impressive amount of time on the Turntable.
When asked about her visit Anneliese said: “It is wonderful to see the Science Oxford Centre open again for school and family visits. The Oxford region is one of the UK’s most significant centres for science-based research and enterprise so investing in and inspiring future generations in science and technology is critical to maintaining the county’s – and the nation’s – position at the forefront of research and innovation.”
Science centres – like the Science Oxford Centre – cultivate a positive attitude towards science and lay the foundations for science learning to encourage young people to choose science subjects in school and, ultimately, to follow a STEM career.
I fully support the ask to Government to take measures to protect this vital STEM sector. Once lost, these centres cannot be easily replaced. We are now in more need than ever to create a local pool of science talent to step into science-based jobs in our region: home-grown talent for home-grown jobs.”
Science centres deliver inspirational and inclusive science programmes for schools, families and children across the UK. Young people will often have their first experience of science thanks to these much-loved local centres. Science Oxford has been running science centres for nearly 30 years and we have seen the positive impact it makes on thousands of children that have been through our doors. However, many are now at risk of closure due to measures they’ve had to take during the COVID-19 pandemic, which have left a huge funding gap. The Science Centres For Our Future campaign supports ASDC’s ask to Government for Emergency Resilience Funding to secure the future of the whole network of UK science centres. We would ask anyone involved in science and tech to support the campaign. Find out more here.
If you are interested in coming to one of our Family Open Days, you can book here. We have a special Science of Magic day on 3rd October to celebrate our 30 years and several Spooky Science Days for Halloween over half term. Remember to book ahead!
