Science Circus International recognised for bringing science beyond the classroom all around the world
“… We don’t need beakers and test tubes. We can do amazing, engaging science with stuff that we can find locally.”
Congratulations to Graham Walker and the team and partners that make up Science Circus International (SCI) for winning Excellence in International Engagement at the Engagement Australia Excellence Awards!
Low- and middle-income countries face challenges related to climate change, the environment, education, health, the economy, labour markets, youth heavy demographics, and gender, disability and other equity issues. STEM can play a key role in addressing these issues – but accessing engaging STEM experiences and resources can be challenging, particularly in regional and remote areas. Many schools lack equipment, provide limited practical learning, and have a shortage of qualified teachers. This limits students’ academic performance and affects motivation to learn and pursue STEM careers or apply it in everyday life.
Working together with local partners, SCI brings science to life and inspires future STEM professionals. Where STEM is usually taught as theory only with few practical experiences, SCI uses everyday items to make science fun, interactive, accessible, relevant to everyday life, and hands-on.
Graham says that bringing these out-of-classroom experiences to these communities is an experience like no other. “I love my hands-on science and so to share that with people across cultures, particularly with the kids we work with, it’s just magic.”
Engagement Australia champions the unique role universities have with society to address contemporary global challenges and trends through teaching, learning, research and partnerships. Their Excellence Awards identify and celebrate the most exciting and impactful engagement activities undertaken by Australian and New Zealand Universities. Their website lists the Award for Excellence in International Engagement in particular as "Recognising outstanding international collaborations that raise the profile of tertiary education and make a substantial difference to communities both overseas and in Australia and New Zealand".
SCI more than fits the bill in creating that lasting, tangible difference all throughout the world -- it started operating in Southern and East Africa in 2013, and has since grown its reach to the Pacific, Myanmar, and India. The project has directly engaged 88,285 people and trained 383 partner staff through in-country programs.
To maximise engagement and impact, SCI co-designs programs and methodologies with local partners, tapping into partners’ expertise, cultural nous, and understanding of their communities to create systematic, long-term change.
These partners include:
- Imagine Science Samoa
- Fegne Globe
- Science Centre Kenya
- Africa Science Buskers Festival
- Department of Museums and Monuments - Malawi
- Rajiv Gandhi Science Centre
- Unizulu Science Centre
- Science Safari Tanzania
- The Innovation Village – Science Discovery Centre Uganda
- University of Limpopo Science Centre
- The University of the South Pacific
- Fiji National University
- The University of Fiji
- University Of Yangon
- Botswana International University of Science & Technology - BIUST
- Sci-Enza Science Centre – University of Pretoria
- Questacon
- Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Graham says that these local champions are the beating heart of SCI, and are what make it so impactful and locally relevant. It is the local partners who best understand what science means in their regions and communities and culture.
“Seeing how that culture and science engagement kind of get stirred up in that big pot and what comes out is really quite amazing.”
SCI has supported partners to establish the first interactive science centres in Samoa, Uganda and Kenya, while locally-led programs have extended reach to more than 200,000 people.
Through local engagement and fun, SCI turns an ambivalence of STEM into inspiration. Congratulations again and thank you to all who have made and continue to make such life-changing, community-building work possible!
