Technology Innovator Awards 2020

Jun20155 Best Science & Technology Discovery Centre - Benelux Science and technology is an incredibly exciting part of our world on a daily basis, with advancements being made all the time that push forward innovation, research, and development to astronomical new heights. The Luxembourg Science Center is pushing that excitement even higher, as a fun and entertaining discovery center of science and technology for people of all ages. Join us on a journey into the wonders of science as we take a closer look at this fantastic center. The beauty of science lies in its breadth and depth, of both answers and questions. There is never cause to stop exploring, or to stop pushing the boundaries of what is possible in this exciting world of ours. From the depths of the ocean, to the farthest corners of the Milky Way galaxy, science has opened up new ways to experience that which is on our doorstep. Now, the Luxembourg Science Center has made itself into a hub of fun and excitement, showing off the world’s adventures and exploits. The center comes complete with a large exploration room where visitors can discover more than seventy interactive stations, spectacular science shows, and daily workshops that allow them to observe and play with the wonders of the world at their fingertips. Since opening, the Luxembourg Science Center has specialized in showcasing the wonders of many different fields of science, including robotics, artificial intelligence, liquids, optics, materials, mechanics, electricity, mathematics, chemistry, magnetism, and so much more. Built with the idea that science should be for everybody, the Luxembourg Science Center’s goal has always been to offer educational content and experiences that are fun, entertaining, and unforgettable for each and every visitor. Not content to stop there, the center is constantly on the lookout for new ideas and approaches to diversify and renew the visitors’ exploration of science from the past, present, and future. Whether visitors want to lift a car with one hand, play a game of table football against a robot, melt steel in mere seconds, or take part in a molecular cooking workshop, the Luxembourg Science Center has it all. In this sanctuary of scientific splendour, amazement and enthusiasm are guaranteed to be in abundance. The mission of bringing technology and science closer to the general public has been well and truly achieved, and the ongoing mission to make it more approachable and fun for audiences of all ages is seeing more success every single day. The Luxembourg Science Center is open to the public, but an interactive collaboration exists with schools. Scientific mediators are always on hand to seek out new ways to adapt and optimize the experiences, science shows, and workshops in relation to the schoolchildren and wider public. Indeed, at the Luxembourg Science Center, mediators and teachers alike have access to developed tools and stations allowing them to highlight the subjects that students will have already studied in class; tools that schools often do not have readily at their disposal. Science is often approached in a very academic way, with stringent guidelines and clear-cut answers to questions. However, the Luxembourg Science Center has specialized in presenting science to its audiences in ways that express the creativity in science, and in ways that are both practical, yet familiar. The integration of the aforementioned science shows and science workshops cover a large variety of topics, whilst the hands-on, do-it-yourself exploration stations allow visitors to get amongst it and be a part of ground-breaking science themselves. Visitors have the option to interact and explore the experimental stations, or attend the shows which are offered live in four different languages for maximum accommodation. Amongst the extraordinary stations that visitors can go hands-on with are some of the biggest and best science experiments in Europe and the wider world. Perhaps a visitor wants to encounter the largest plasma ball in the world, or witness the most powerful publicly accessible electromagnet in Europe, representing unforgettable moments and exclusive experiences. Virtually all of these ground-breaking and state-of-the-art experimental stations are built in-house. However, the journey does not end there for visitors, as the Luxembourg Science Center is working together with industrial partners on a permanent basis in order to develop new and innovative concepts for visitors. In Luxembourg, as is the case in many other regions and countries, the technology industry is suffering from a talent gap of qualified people. This unfortunate lack of talented and knowledgeable individuals was the main reason for the development of the Luxembourg Science Center’s “future skills” project. Launched together with private sector industry and government partners, this venture actively encourages young people to embrace future technology skills and professions in a bid to boost the talent in the coming generation. Luxembourg is also a deeply multicultural environment, with short distances to major European powers such as France and Germany. Therefore, there has been great need to optimize the exploration stations and make them accessible in multiple languages. The result is every interactive station being presented in five languages, and every science show and workshop being delivered in four languages. On an institutional level, the Luxembourg Science Center has focused on instilling a quintessential team spirit and collegial relationship between both its own employees and the general public. Everyone in the team at Luxembourg Science Center is encouraged to develop new ideas and approaches, and share them with peers. Any suggestions to improve experiences, interactive stations, services, and deliveries to visitors are highly appreciated, welcomed, and greatly rewarded. The team, and its embedded collaborative culture, is not only representative of science in the world today, but is the hallmark of the Luxembourg Science Center. The future of the Luxembourg Science Center is just as exciting as both its past and present, with a vast array of future projects lined up that will make this innovative attraction even more entertaining and exciting for visitors of all ages. The current premises will be expanded to include restored heritage buildings across the street. There, visitors will be able to see preserved pioneering energy technologies of the early twentieth century as a showcase of technological development, an ideal background topic to receive the new premises of the Luxembourg Science Center. Coupled with the further development of the “future skills” project, a multi-purpose restaurant, an objective approach to AI technology, and the integration of live stream technologies, the Luxembourg Science Center is set to become even more innovative and exciting to science lovers everywhere. Science is truly astounding, and should be available for everyone to experience in the ways they want to. Visitors to the Luxembourg Science Center can witness the magnificence of science in innovative and entertaining ways, whether it be the magnitude of technological and scientific equipment, or the intricacies of tiny microscopic life on Earth. There is always more to explore and understand, and the Luxembourg Science Center will be there to capture every moment in thrilling ways. Company: LSC – Luxembourg Science Center Contact: Nicolas Didier Website: www.science-center.lu