The unique and enduring partnership at the heart of the Science Circus has allowed it to expose countless students in rural and remote Australia to the joy of science. The anniversary will be marked with a special event and the launch of a birthday publication at Parliament House in Canberra. “When Shell, ANU and Questacon joined forces 21 years ago, no one foresaw the incredible impact that the Science Circus would have on rural communities around Australia,” said Graham Durant, Questacon Director. The Science Circus was the brainchild of Professor Mike Gore, Questacon’s founding Director. When Questacon was established, under the auspices of ANU, as Australia’s national science and technology centre, he recognised that it “should not simply be another building but that it must develop programmes that will reach out to all Australians – both in our cities and in the remote rural areas”. With the support of all three partners, the Science Circus has grown from its somewhat humble beginnings to its current position as a world benchmark for science outreach programmes, producing an annual cohort of highly trained and sought after science communicators through the ANU Centre for the Public Awareness of Science. “The principal strength of the Science Circus, and the reason it has remained as one of the world’s leading science centre outreach programmes, is because of this partnership between two national institutions and the private sector,” said Graham Durant. This is confirmed by Russell Caplan, Chairman Shell Companies in Australia. “'We are proud of the inspirational educational programme that the Science Circus has delivered over the past 21 years. Even after all this time, the Science Circus is still a great fit with Shell’s overall social investment programme which has a focus on environment, health and education. “It is with pleasure that Shell commits to the future of this programme for the next three years so that it can continue to bring groundbreaking science experiences to regional and remote Australia,” he said This sentiment was also supported by ANU Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Chubb. “More than 250 science communicators have graduated from the programme via ANU to make a contribution in media, government and the private sector. The ANU Science Communication course at the Centre for the Public Awareness of Science is very much at the heart of the Science Circus,” said Professor Chubb. “I’m pleased to make the commitment on behalf of ANU to continuing our active role and support for the Circus.” This ongoing support from the partners will mean that the Science Circus will continue to engage more than 100,000 people and 150 communities around Australia each year. “With the support and encouragement from our key partners the Science Circus is sure to continue for many more years. I look forward to wishing it a happy 50th birthday,” said Graham Durant.
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