The 2017 Science Centre World Summit is currently taking place at Miraikan ‐ the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Tokyo, Japan (15-17 November). The theme is “Connecting the World for a Sustainable Future.”
Stay on top of things
- Re-discover our "Re-enchanting the SDGs" interviews and Dr Mamoru Mohri's invitation.
- Get familiar with the Tokyo Protocol On the Role of Science Centres and Science Museums Worldwide In Support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, developed in the lead up to #SCWS2017. It reflects science centres' commitment to sustainable development.
- Follow happenings with the #SCWS2017 Twitter feed.
- Stay tuned: the December Spokes issue will include a series of interviews with Summit speakers.
A little more background
The Science Centre World Summit (SCWS) is a global meeting convened once every three years, bringing together science centre leaders from around the world, as well as delegates from the education, policymaking, and corporate sectors. At the summit, delegates discuss and put forth recommendations about civic involvement in science and technology, as well as the role science centres should play in a rapidly changing society.
Discussions at the 2017 edition will cover a wide range of regional to global issues, outlining strategies to develop a new science centre model, working in collaboration with a diversity of stakeholders. As they demonstrated a few days ago during the second edition of the International Science Centre and Science Museum Day on 10 November, science centres are positioned as an important platform toward the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations in 2015. This Summit aims to consider ways of deepening understanding and generating creativity as an approach to problem‐solving. Speakers include world-renowned architect Tadao Ando; Physiology or Medicine Nobel Prize Shinya Yamanaka; or sustainability researcher Johan Rockström - as well as dozens of contributions from science communicators.