Project Description

Thinktank is Birmingham’s award‐winning science museum. It is run by Birmingham Museums Trust (BMT), an educational charity with a mission to showcase outstanding collections and venues and to inspire learning, creativity and enjoyment for citizens of Birmingham and visitors to the region. Welcoming annually over 250,000 visitors, Thinktank proposes four floors of hands‐on exhibits and science and industrial collection displays, providing a unique, informal and fun environment where visitors of all ages experience and learn about science, how science is used in everyday life, and how scientific developments change the way we live. Moreover, a dedicated learning and access team delivers a range of school sessions onsite and on outreach including workshops, science shows, handling sessions and planetarium experiences. Its public, family-oriented programme includes science shows and Meet the Expert sessions, special events such as sleepovers, community open weekends and brownie and guides take‐over days on site, and a range of outreach events at local festivals and larger science events around the country.

Contact: Laura Smith, Laura.Smith@birminghammuseums.org.uk

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A family weekend of activities To launch our Lab off, we planned a weekend of packed activities at Thinktank Science Centre which involved family crafts, science busking and workshop to our visitors. However, this event was cancelled due to COVID-19. Due to staff on leave and our science centre closing, we had a rethink what we could do. Thinktank, March 2020 Food and Vacuum - what's the link? Testing an educational module with students Schools in England were closed for the remainder of the academic year but during a window of opportunity in September we contacted a local school who were interested in trying out the module 'Food and Vacuum' developed by our fellow City Lab in Tartu. In September, the teacher tested the experiment out and the kids loved it! Birmingham, September 2020 What do our volunteers think about food systems and waste streams? A citizen mandate workshop on Food 2030 pathways for change We delivered three Citizen Mandate workshops with our science centre volunteers to learn about what was important to them about food systems and waste streams. Not only did it gather relevant views for the project, it also got everyone thinking about their own consumption. Online, October 2020 The future 'Our Changing Planet' gallery At Thinktank we will be opening a new gallery in 2021; we will be using the knowledge acquired through the Lab and consultation with our audiences for the Our Changing Planet gallery and the impact we have had on our planet. Thinktank, 2021