A big surge in Otago Museum science outreach activity has highlighted Dunedin's role as one of the country's leading centres for science communication, Dr Craig Grant says.
Dr Grant, who is the museum programmes and science engagement director, said the museum had gained about $400,000 in contestable science funding to support outreach activity since mid-2016.
Since he became director in mid-2015, the museum had provided science education outreach to at least 50,000 more people than usual, through externally-funded programmes, in both Otago-Southland and elsewhere in New Zealand.
'It's been a hugely busy period, but its also been hugely rewarding,'' he said.
''I think we've got the best science centre in New Zealand and the biggest team of professional science communicators.''
If New Zealand was to become a ''knowledge society'' and add much more value to our exports, many more people needed to be attracted to science and technology, and the museum's outreach programmes were helping, he said.
In a ''disappointing'' outcome late last year, three bids for Government Unlocking Curious Minds funding, to support aspects of museum outreach activities, were unsuccessful.
This had limited the extent of further outreach expansion, but the museum had since attracted some alternative funding, including $30,000 from the Lottery Grants Board, Dr Grant said.
Further funding had also been provided by the United States Embassy, to support sending the museum's successful Far From Frozen exhibition to Niue and the Cook Islands later this year.
A key part of the museum's outreach activities was staffing touring laboratory facilities through the Lab in a Box programme, developed by Genomics Aotearoa director Prof Peter Dearden, of the University of Otago biochemistry department.
Another key partnership was with the Dodd-Walls Centre for Photonic and Quantum Technologies, and its director Prof David Hutchinson, of the Otago physics department.
In the 2015-16 financial year, more than 5000 extra people had been contacted through the museum's contracted outreach, including the start of the Lab in a Box programme; and more than 20,000 further people had participated in 2016-17.
Over 25,000 further people had been contacted this financial year, including through the touring Far From Frozen show and Science Playground, he said.
