TELUS World of Science installs Canada’s first Corona Exhibition

TELUS World of Science in Edmonton is not only a recent owner of the new Corona Exhibition, but also our very first customer in Canada to buy and display Inside Explorer. In order to get to know the science center better and learn all about their plans for the Corona Exhibit, we talked to Jennifer Bawden, Senior Manager of New Galleries & Research.

Telus World of Science – Edmonton

Telus World of Science is a broad-based science centre with a mission is to ignite curiosity, inspire discovery, celebrate science and change lives. It has several permanent exhibitions on a variety of STEAM topics as well as a planetarium and IMAX theatre.

Jennifer Bawden tells that over the last several years, the science centre has been in a period of renewal. “The Aurora Project is reimagining TELUS World of Science – Edmonton and redefining what a science centre can be. We are in the final phase of the redevelopment which includes a new Arctic exhibition and a renewed health exhibition.”, she adds.

“I have been with the science centre for 10 years; in that time, I’ve seen all of the gallery spaces change at least once.”

Why did you choose the Corona Exhibition for Inside Explorer?

Bawden tells that they had already identified epidemics as a topic to include in the new health exhibition when the coronavirus pandemic hit the world. “It became apparent to us quite quickly that coronavirus was a topic we would need to address too. The team at the science centre determined the messages that we wanted to convey with a coronavirus exhibit”, she says.

“Then we heard about the exhibit at Interspectral; it met many of the criteria that we wanted this exhibit to have. It was a great match.”

How will you use the Corona Exhibition at your venue?

The exhibit will be part of the Health Zone in the Allard Family Gallery. This gallery allows visitors to explore the different factors that contribute to your health: from your biology to the choices you make every day to where you live, work, and play to healthcare that supports you. According to Bawden “The coronavirus exhibit fits quite squarely in that theme bringing content that is timely and relevant to our visitors.”

How can Inside Explorer and the Corona exhibit enhance the experience while visiting you?

“This exhibit offers that blend: with the COVID-19 patient’s lung scans, visitors see real images that allow them to understand the body (and in this case the body’s interaction with the virus) in a different way. Guests can explore and dissect a model of the virus making something that’s microscopic a little more tangible.”

“We always strive for engaging, interactive exhibits that are grounded in authentic, accurate science,” adds Bawden.

Read about the Danish Science Centre, Experimentarium and get familiar with their plans to integrate the Interspectral Corona exhibit on a screen together with other educational software.

The Corona exhibition for Inside Explorer has had a worldwide reach since it was released in early September 2020. Telus World of Science is one of the organisations that will be displaying the digital exhibit on COVID-19. The list also includes: Science Centre Singapore, Experimentarium in Denmark, Norsk Teknisk Museum in Norway and Universeum in Sweden. Read our article on Science Centre Singapore here