The Ostrava Science and Technology Center Innovation in Education

STYLE The Ostrava Science and Technology Center Innovation in Education, Technology and Industry Popularization There is no question about the fact that the Science and Technology Center in Dolní Vítkovice is one of the most innovative projects of the Moravian-Silesian Region. The construction, whose opening ceremony on the premises of Dolní Vítkovice took place in September 2014, welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors yearly and ranks among the members of the prestigious Czech Association of Science Centers, and is generally also considered to be one of the most modern science centres in Europe. The Science and Technology Centre methodology has bet on the interactive approach in informal education. “On an area of more than 14,000 m2 the visitors find hundreds of interactive exhibits, a 3D cinema, Children’s World for the youngest as well as labs and workshops with modern equipment serving as a shared space for the schools from the Moravian-Silesian Region”, explains Jakub Švrček, the Science and Technology Center director. As a centre of informal education, the Science and Technology Center has gone even further in its programme content. To meaningfully respond to the needs of the region, it has joined forces with a number of the most significant companies of the Moravian-Silesian Region and hand-inhand with them created new educational projects not only for all the school-grade pupils but also for the wider public. Today what we find here is an exposition of the largest producer of steel in the country -- the ArcelorMittal company the famous energy firm innogy. All the expositions are part of the educational activities every day and the Science and Technology Center lecturers use them in their classes for schools. One of the projects the Science and Technology Center holds annually, in conjunction with the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic, is the Living Library of Jobs event. Here, elementary school pupils (especially 8th and 9th grades) are able to directly meet the representatives of mostly engineering companies from the region and discuss the possibilities of future employment on the market. “The Living Library of Jobs is getting more and more popular for its recruitment potential of future employees. It is up to the companies themselves how entertaining or to the point their presentations of the given professions are, and over the years the event has only proved it is a great model”, adds Jakub Švrček, stating that every year both the schools and the existing and new partners are becoming more and more interested in participating. For their educational activities the Science and Technology Center was awarded the OKD Foundation Prize in November 2018. An ultramodern building, designed by the renowned architect Josef Pleskot, is characterised by a striking mirror façade. It is located in the very centre of the industrial Dolní Vítkovice and one of its aims is to promote and educate in the areas of science and technology. The Science and Technology Center is open daily in every season, apart from the Christmas holidays. POSITIV ǀ 4/2018 57