King Edward Terrace Canberra ACT
PO Box 5322 Kingston ACT 2604
t +61 2 6270 2800 f +61 2 6270 2808
www.questacon.edu.au
Transcription of ‘Questacon - We Don’t Leave Inspiration to
Chance’
The video for this transcript can be found on the Questacon website at:
http://www.questacon.edu.au/about
Transcription from video:
[ Music in background, female Science Communicator Bernie Hobbs, standing on
stage at Questacon Japan Theatre ]
Bernie
I wasn't that into chemistry in Year 12. But one day, Mr. Tang was explaining how
electrons don't really orbit the nucleus of an atom like planets orbiting the sun.
They're whirring around the nucleus in this cloud, but we've got no way of
knowing exactly where they are at any one time.
He said it was kind of like a ceiling fan. When it's spinning really fast, you don't
know where the blades are. But if you stick your hand in there, you're going to
lose a finger.
And I was hooked.
[ View of the back of Bernie looking towards a dark empty theatre with only a few
bright lights showing ]
The idea that science can let us imagine and understand things that we can
never see...
[ Front view of Bernie on stage again ]
I was drunk with power. I was inspired. But what if I'd missed school that day?
Isn't inspiration too important to be left to chance?
[ Text on screen ‘Questacon, Australia’s National Science and Technology Centre’
]
[ Looking down at balcony where Bernie is standing, next to it is a large steam
punk clock on a white wall ]
How can we tell when someone is inspired?
[ Primary school child hold cardboard tubes to here eyes ]
Making science fun and relevant for everyone
1
King Edward Terrace Canberra ACT
PO Box 5322 Kingston ACT 2604
t +61 2 6270 2800 f +61 2 6270 2808
www.questacon.edu.au
I think inspiration means that you get to have lots of fun.
[ Primary school child holding spoon against nose and looking through green
magnifying glass ]
[ Primary school girl sitting in a gymnasium ]
Girl
You can really feel being inspired and it's something really massive that just goes
on inside of you.
[ Small girl holding a cup of water and a woman placing a stick into the cup ]
And it gets bigger and bigger.
[ Two boys holding glass tube with blue fluid in it ]
Boy
It feels like a rush of emotion through my brain.
[ Questacon presenter making bubbles in front of audience ]
I feel happiness and excitement at the same time.
[ Children playing with magnifying lenses ]
Girl
When I feel inspired, it's just the best thing.
[ Girl playing with cup and string telephone ]
Girl
It's like "Yes, I feel smart!" and you just see this big smile come on my face.
[ Girl talking to camera and points to smile on her face ]
[ Children holding kaleidoscopes up to their eyes ]
[ Bernie is in Mini-Q gallery, sitting on a toy car next to red petrol bowsers ]
Bernie
Science is not about mad scientists or crazy experiments.
Well, o.k., it is, but it's not just about that.
[ A super imposed second Bernie appears on screen and begins to write the
words in the air “Science is about understanding our world.” They appear
backwards to the camera ]
Science is about understanding our world.
[ A 3rd superimposed Bernie appears from right of screen ]
It's about solutions to problems. It's about the future.
Making science fun and relevant for everyone
2
King Edward Terrace Canberra ACT
PO Box 5322 Kingston ACT 2604
t +61 2 6270 2800 f +61 2 6270 2808
www.questacon.edu.au
[Text on screen ‘Professor Peter Doherty, Nobel Prize Winner’ ]
Prof Doherty
The natural world is under considerable threat.
[ Time lapse vision of a dark sky at dusk then a day view of a remote town with
buildings in background and children running between trees ]
And the future rests with the young.
[ Text on screen ‘Professor Graham Durant, Director Questacon’ with vision of
Professor Durant]
Prof Durant
Questacon was set up with the aim of inspiring, exciting and motivating,
particularly young people, with science and technology,
[ various images of children exploring and having fun in Questacon science
galleries ]
and we offer real time experiences through hands-on exhibits.
[ Text on screen ‘Rhona McDowall, Team Leader Production’ ]
Rhona
Questacon creates and designs and builds its own exhibits.
[ Vision of workshop staff welding, cutting and lathing metal ]
We start off with metal bars. We start off with sheets of plastic.
[ Vision of woodworking and painting of exhibition pieces ]
Out of all that we create the wonderful, bright coloured, attractive, interactive,
durable exhibits that you see at the Centre.
[ Vision of a girl playing with water exhibition ]
Prof Doherty
I just love seeing the kids playing with the various gadgets and having fun with it
and maybe as you look at them some times you see a light go on.
[ Vision of various children playing with exhibitions ]
Prof Durant
I'll call them the "Eureka!" moment where you see the light switch on.
[ Children in audience ]
Prof Doherty
I think I've had that experience myself at Questacon.
[ Bernie walking down Sideshow gallery with children at left of screen playing with
exhibits ]
Making science fun and relevant for everyone
3
King Edward Terrace Canberra ACT
PO Box 5322 Kingston ACT 2604
t +61 2 6270 2800 f +61 2 6270 2808
www.questacon.edu.au
Bernie
The future's in the hands of these young people. But what if they stop asking
questions?
[ Small girl looking up at camera ]
Girl
Why?
[ Two older girls looking up at camera ]
Girls
What?
[ Small girl looking up at camera, standing on colourful matt ]
Girl
How?
[ Two older girls looking up at camera ]
Girls
How?
[ Small girl opens window inside of cubby hut ]
Girls
Why?
[ Bernie walking through purple Wonder Works exhibition ]
[ Presenter performing in front of audience of children ]
[ Text on screen ‘David, Questacon Science Squad’ ]
David
Sometimes, after a show, kids will come up to us and they'll ask us a question.
When they come up and you see that look in their eyes where they're hungry for
more knowledge, you know you're really gone through to them.
[ Text on screen ‘Clare and Linden, Shell Questacon Science Circus’ ]
Claire
Once we start explaining something, there's that trigger effect,
[ Claire in red shirt performing to audience of children and holding wire frame
that makes a square bubble ]
and it's sort of that, like, a little switch goes off in their heads.
[ Vision of children placing balls in Sideshow clowns mouths, Bernie at left of
screen ]
Bernie
We know one thing: kids aren't often excited by homework, textbooks, or chalk
dust.
Making science fun and relevant for everyone
4
King Edward Terrace Canberra ACT
PO Box 5322 Kingston ACT 2604
t +61 2 6270 2800 f +61 2 6270 2808
www.questacon.edu.au
They like to do stuff!
[ Bernie writes ‘DO’ in the air and yellow large words appear on screen ]
[ Text on screen ‘Anna Questacon Science Play’ ]
Anna
Children learn through playing and having fun.
[ Vision of secondary students engaging with presenters in different science
demonstrations ]
If you make something fun, then kids aren't going to realise that they're learning,
they're just going to absorb it like a sponge.
[ View of Bernie left of screen standing at top of winding ramp in Questacon main
foyer ]
Bernie
The discoveries that change our lives are the ones we makes for ourselves.
So, inspiration depends on experience.
[ Bernie writes in the air ‘Inspiration’ underscored by ‘Experience’ in reverse in
yellow writing on screen, then turns it 180 degrees towards camera ]
Prof Durant
We do a lot of science shows, we do a lot of workshops, and we do that work
here in Canberra
[ Vision of Questacon presenters engaging with audience in large theatre (Japan
Theatre) ]
[ Vision of outback Australia ]
but we also do it through our outreach programs travelling right across Australia.
[ Bernie standing in front of robotic dinosaur ]
Berne
This is a big country. We can't let experience depend on location.
[ Vision of a large truck painted orange, black and yellow driving to left of screen ]
So you come to us, or we'll come to you.
[ Vision of various science demonstrations by Shell Questacon Science Circus
presenters ]
[ Text on screen ‘Russell Caplan, Chairman Shell Companies in Australia’ ]
Making science fun and relevant for everyone
5
King Edward Terrace Canberra ACT
PO Box 5322 Kingston ACT 2604
t +61 2 6270 2800 f +61 2 6270 2808
www.questacon.edu.au
Russell
Shell's been involved with Questacon now, sponsoring the Science Circus for
almost 25 years.
[ Vision of various science presentations ]
Russell
A relationship of which we're extremely proud.
[ Vision of various outback areas ]
[ Text on screen ‘Steve, Shell Questacon Science Circus’ ]
Steve
Our main job is to just go out there and inspire enthusiasm and an appreciation
for science.
[ Continued vision of outback landscape, roads, towns and science presentations
]
Anna
Science Play is a touring exhibition. We travel to regional, rural, and remote areas
of Australia, and we take science toys and equipment to children and let them
just play with them for an hour, and the kids just love it.
[ Small girl holding with both hands, a clear soft drink bottle filled with water and
a red object inside of it ]
Girl
My favourite thing is this. Once you squeeze it, it goes down.
[ Vision again of foyer of Questacon, with Bernie on upper levels writing the words
‘challenged, inspired, enjoy’ in the air ]
Bernie
Young people respond when they're challenged. If they're not talking or laughing
or squealing, it's not working. We're inspired by what we enjoy.
[ Text on screen ‘Sarah and Amy, Questacon Smart Moves’ ]
Sarah
It's really important to inspire students that they can do these things - they can
come up with new innovations.
Older girl
And the people from Questacon have given us the chance to do something with
our ideas and make them evolve.
[ Text on screen ‘Mark, Assistant Principal, Bordertown High School’ ]
Mark
We find that the students get to see some things that people around Australia
are doing that are innovative.
[ Vision of secondary students watching a science demonstration ]
It expands what they get exposed to in their local community.
Making science fun and relevant for everyone
6
King Edward Terrace Canberra ACT
PO Box 5322 Kingston ACT 2604
t +61 2 6270 2800 f +61 2 6270 2808
www.questacon.edu.au
[ Text on screen ‘Jane, Teacher, Waratah West Primary School’ ]
Jane
I think my students have discovered that science is really fun.
[ Vision of primary school children watching and engaging with Questacon
presenters ]
They'll look forward to having science lessons.
[ Vision of Bernie in main foyer of Questacon ]
Berne
What if we don't leave the excitement and challenge of science to chance? We
can bring science to young people so they're hungry for more. We know we can. It
already happens.
[ Text on screen ‘Liz, Teacher, Gunbalunya School, Arnhem Land’ ]
Liz
The Questacon people had them totally engaged and just had them in the palm
of their hand.
[ Vision of children engaging in science demonstrations with Questacon
presenters ]
They inspired me to get my science books out, dust them off and start using
them again.
Prof Durant
Questacon's got a very bright future.
[ Large white building (Questacon in Parkes, Canberra), as well as various
galleries of Questacon ]
Science centres will always play a role in interpreting and communicating the joy
and the love of science.
[ Vision of different Questacon activities ]
Russell
Questacon appealed to us because of its focus on science, its focus on
education, and all of those are really important for the nation.
Boy
Today I was really inspired.
Girl
If you're lucky enough you might get to go up and go into the future.
Prof Doherty
If we're going to have a bright future for human beings, then we need young
people to engage with all the things that science stands for.
Boy
You actually get to do things that are in science like gravity, friction...
Making science fun and relevant for everyone
7
King Edward Terrace Canberra ACT
PO Box 5322 Kingston ACT 2604
t +61 2 6270 2800 f +61 2 6270 2808
www.questacon.edu.au
Girl
...and it's awesome, like, you can't miss it.
[ Bernie standing outside of main Questacon building. Building is large white
cube in shape with yellow writing superimposed over it ]
Bernie
How exciting is the idea of a world where things you can't see can have a terrific
effect?
You can't see motivation, you can't see inspiration.
[ Sound effect and writing on building disappears in a yellow flash of light ]
But I've learned that just because you can't see things, doesn't mean you should
leave them to chance.
It's up to us.
[ Text on screen ‘we don’t leave inspiration to chance’, followed by ‘Questacon,
Australia’s National Science and Technology Centre’ ]
[Text on screen ‘Phone 02 6270 2800 www.questacon.edu.au copyright
Australian Government 2009’ ]
[Text on screen ‘Questacon would like to thank Professor Peter Doherty, Beverly
Hills Public School, Bordertown High School, Gunbalunya School, Jabiru Area
School, Port Elliot Public School, Waratah West Public School’ ]
[ Logos at bottom of screen, ANU, SHELL, TENIX, RAYTHEON ]
[Small child standing on red sand, and looking up at camera and playing with a
red toy guitar ]
Child
Rock on, Questacon! Rock on, Questacon!
[ Logos and text on screen ‘Australian Government, Department of Innovation,
Industry, Science and Research’ and ‘Questacon, The National Science and
Technology Centre’ ]
Making science fun and relevant for everyone
8