Science Interpretation, Hosting,
and the Ontario Science Centre

On a bright spring day in 1986, I got into some trouble that remains with me to this day. That trouble was, collectively, the Ontario Science Centre. If you've never been there, follow the link. If you remember the place, stay with me.

Science Centre School students from 1989 and 1987.

Did you know you can go to school at the science centre? Yep, there is a 1-semester school open to anyone going to high school in Ontario. They offer a unique course in science and society plus the usual physics, chemistry, biology, calculus courses. You can email the school coordinator at Judith_Arrowood@fcgate1.osc.on.ca. It's hard to express what going to school at the science centre is like; most of us found it to be rather... harrowing. In a good way. You can find out lots more about OSCSS from David Rebello's site, the Sem 11 home page, or the official Science School homepage.
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Science Center Hosts: Blossom, Rosy, Andy, Geoff.

Of course, the only thing better than getting to play at the science centre as a student would be getting paid to play there. (The catch is, you have to play with the visitors!) So, that's exactly what I did.
HostsPic2:

Science Centre Hosts: Chris, James, Gina, Dawn, David, Nancy.

These are pictures of Ontario Science Centre "Hosts." Whassat mean?
Host
A host is one who opens minds to science. A host brings out the playful, the curious, and the bold side of every visitor to the science centre. Hosts can show you how lasers work, help you fly a rocket sled, and they can tell you where the nearest bathroom is. Some hosts are actors, some scientists, others philosophers or writers. Some hosts are even on TV every damn week, right Persis?
PunkHosts:
Of course, Hosting at the science centre is just a special case of what is called "science interpretation." There are science interpreters in the Provincial and National Parks, in Natural History museums like the Royal Ontario Museum, and in mainstream media ventures like TVO's Inquiring Minds. (If you work at it, you can interprete on the web - like Ivan does.) Even science teachers and professors occasionally manage to interprete something!
Here you can see Royal Ontario Museum's Kevin interpreting the Cretacious period Albertosaurus for some frightened-looking children. Now at the ROM you can check out this Albertosaurus' bigger cousin, T. rex.

Kevin with ROM's Albertosaurus

In the summer of 1999, I was contracted to write about space science for CBC for Kids. Not everything there is mine, but a lot is. Check it out.

Please mail me if you have something to add to this page. (Ernie!) One of these days I intend to start a mailing list discussion for interpreters, so let me know if you want to play.



File: http://www.interlog.com/~dwarf/osc/
Created: Sat Feb 03 12:00:00 EST 1996
Updated: Sat Sep 23 14:51:42 EDT 2000