As a former member of staff, I would like to formally offer my congratulations to the little science centre that could. Ten years of operations is no small feat, which I’m sure you all know, having operated it during some of the most turbulent times to run a public engagement project.
Let’s back up for those of you who don’t know. Oriel Science is a science centre that brings the work happening in Swansea University (and other local spaces) to the residents of Swansea in Wales. It is entirely free for anyone to walk in when it’s open and spend some time exploring all of the local science. It started as a small pop-up in a rented space in 2016 and now exists as a permanent instalment in the city, directly between the train station and town centre.
Oriel Science was able to survive the COVID lockdowns and was able to survive losing its main source of funding when Swansea University ended its support, forcing the science centre to become a non-profit. I was employed during that transition from university owned to entirely self sufficient, and things were incredibly dicey. No one was sure how long it would stay open with permanent closure always seeming a month away.
I’m not sure I can stress this enough, it’s free. Despite the cost of rent, electricity, and staff (I greatly appreciated being compensated well above minimum wage), it is free for everyone. Oriel Science even offers free field trips to local schools with half of a day of teaching and activities, opening up and bringing staff to do exactly this. They provide all activity materials themselves. The fact this is in any way possible just from grants and donations is astounding.
My memories of working there are truly some of the best I’ve experienced. All of my coworkers were incredibly passionate about science, outreach, and fulfilling the organisation’s goals. The children who came by almost always left with a smile on their face, often asking when they could come back. “We’re open every weekend from 10 to 4!” I’d say with a smirk to their adult, knowing that the whole way back home the kids would be asking to visit again next week. The adult visitors who came in and talked had wonderfully unique perspectives and were almost as excited to learn as the kids were. Every work day when I woke up, I wasn’t filled with lethargy as many are when going to work. I truly looked forward to it every weekend.
Dr. Chris Allton, the founder and member of the board of trustees, is the one responsible for everything that has allowed Oriel Science to stay up and running. His passion to get science to where people actually are remains one of my greatest inspirations. When he isn’t at some conference in Switzerland or Australia, he’s in the venue doing repairs, or talking with funders, or planning future exhibits. It is because of him that any of this is possible in the first place.
The next people to thank are the Visitor Engagement Facilitators, the ones who you will talk to on a day to day when visiting. How Dr. Allton maintains the venue on the large scale, the VEFs keep it running on the day to day. Troubleshooting the VR headsets, fixing minor damage, and ensuring that everyone is able to engage with the exhibits is only scratching the surface of what they all do.
I continue to tell people that I feel like working for Oriel Science ruined me for any other job. I felt so supported by management and my coworkers, I knew that I was making a difference in the community, and I was given the privilege of seeing people’s faces light up when they learned something or when a concept finally clicked with them. I was entrusted with designing several aspects of the venue for my last summer there, including guiding the theme, making the presentations, performing the presentations, training others to perform them, and being the main contact point for many of our collaborators. I felt valued for my experience and abilities, and for who I was as a person. I do not believe there is another employer that could come close to the satisfaction I had in my role there.
A venue like this still requires a lot of funding to maintain itself, so I ask you today to send your support to Oriel Science. Even small donations show to larger funders that people think the work being done is important to them, so truly any bit counts. You can find the donation link here.
And once again, congratulations Oriel Science. Thank you for providing such a valuable service to the people of Swansea and Wales.
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