Science World at TELUS World of Science

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'Science World At Night' by Ivan Lam

TELUS World of Science, Vancouver is a science centre run by a non-profit organization in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is located at the end of False Creek, and features many permanent interactive exhibits and displays, as well as areas with varying topics throughout the years.

The building's former name was Science World, still the name of the organization. The building's name change to the TELUS World of Science became official on July 20, 2005 following a $9-million donation to the museum from TELUS.^[1] The official name of the science centre was subsequently changed to "TELUS World of Science", although it is still routinely referred to as "Science World" by the public.

1 History
2 Related links
3 Notes
4 External links

[edit] History

In 1977, Barbara Brink ran mobile hands-on exhibits known as the Extended I around the Lower Mainland. Later, the temporary Arts, Sciences & Technology Centre opened on January 15, 1982 attracting over 600,000 visitors. Another 400,000 benefited from the centre’s outreach programs, which were delivered around the province.

Science World, Vancouver, B.C.

Following the Expo 86 World’s Fair, an intensive lobbying campaign was launched to secure the landmark Expo Centre building for Science World. With much government backing, the geodesic dome, designed by Buckminster Fuller, was obtained from the province and a massive fund-raising campaign ensued. Donations from the federal, provincial and municipal governments, the GVRD, the private sector, foundations, and individuals contributed $19.1 million to build an addition to the Expo Centre, redesign the interior and fabricate exhibits. In 1988, in a four month preview, over 310,000 visitors came to see the new building. A year later, a 400 seat OMNIMAX theatre in the upper section of the dome was opened. ^[2]

The centre entered its first title sponsorship agreement with Alcan Inc. in 1996, renaming its OMNIMAX Theatre the Alcan OMNIMAX Theatre. Alcan has since decided to sponsor the organization in different ways and the theatre has returned to its original name, the OMNIMAX Theatre. In January of 2005, the building was officially renamed "TELUSphere" as part of an agreement where TELUS gave a $9-million donation in return for the "naming rights" of the building. This new name proved universally unpopular. In the summer of 2005, TELUS and Science World officially changed the name of the building to the TELUS World of Science. This maintained consistency with other "TELUS World of Science" centres in Calgary and Edmonton that were named in the meantime. This name change has not affected the nearby Skytrain station and the general public still refers to it as Science World.