2019-11-04
The Beijing International Week for Science Literacy started at the Beijing Science Center on November 4,2019.
The Beijing International Week for Science Literacy started at the Beijing Science Center on November 4, 2019.
Among the attendees were Ma Lin, secretary of the Leading Party Members’s Group of the Beijing Association for Science and Technology, Cheng Donghong, president of the Chinese Association of Natural Science Museums, Ren Fujun, president of the National Academy of Innovation Strategy (NAIS) of the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST), Liao Hong, deputy director general of the CAST Department of Science Popularization and deputy curator of the China Science and Technology Museum, and Su Bensheng, vice president of the Beijing People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.
Thematic activities such as keynote speeches, roundtable meetings, forums, salons, and seminars were participated in by experts including Lim Tit Meng, president of the Asia Pacific Network of Science and Technology Centres, Philippe Pypaert, programme specialist for natural sciences of the UNESCO Beijing Office, John Durant, director of the MIT Museum, Bernard Schiele, professor at University of Quebec at Montreal, and Annette Klinkert, director at the European Science Engagement Association.
Twenty-two countries including Australia, Canada, Iceland, India, Poland, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Thailand and the United States, as well as the Macao Special Administrative Region, sent 55 representatives to the Week’s four major activities-Science Museum CEO’s Dialogue, Beijing International Science Festival Roundtable, Beijing International Science and Technology Film Festival and Beijing Science Festival World Science Exhibition, along with representatives from 36 overseas science popularization institutions and science and technology organizations, including the Asia Pacific Network of Science and Technology Centres, the European Science Engagement Association and the Latin American and Caribbean Network for the Popularization of Science and Technology, and representatives from the UNESCO Beijing Office.
Being held for the first time, the Science Museum CEO’s Dialogue was a major part of the 2019 Beijing International Week for Science Literacy. With the theme of “Cooperation for Joint Development”, the event explored the innovative practice and sustainable development of science museums with the objective of building an international platform for exchanges and cooperation among science museums and their leaders. 15 representatives from 14 science communication institutions and science museums of 11 countries and Macao Special Administrative Region attended the event and discussed the future development trends of science museums from the perspective of science culture communication, focusing on the social and cultural functions, innovation, and exchanges and cooperation of science museums.
Organized by the Beijing Association for Science and Technology, the Beijing International Week for Science Literacy is designed to be an international platform for science communication, based on Beijing’s strategic development positioning and focusing on enhancing public science literacy. It aims to boost international exchanges and cooperation in science communication, promote mutual learning and sharing of resources, pool global strengths of science communication, and tell the world stories about Beijing’s science communication activities. Attendees had in-depth discussions on the issues relating to science communication, science education and science culture to deepen international cooperation in the fields and expand the scope of science communication supply of the capital city of China. The Week program is part of Beijing’s efforts to become a center of national science and innovation and a center of an international exchange.
The Beijing International Science Festival Roundtable initiated by the Beijing Association for Science and Technology is an important annual program for an international union oriented network for science popularization. A total of 26 organizations hosting science festivals from 14 countries in five continents signed a memorandum of understanding to deepen cooperation and establish a long-term working mechanism. As an annual meeting of the Beijing Global Network of Science Festivals, the event was attended by 20 representatives from 19 overseas science popularization organizations and focused on the difficulties and development trends of science communication.
The seventh Beijing International Science and Technology Film Festival with "Beauty of Science" as its theme, presented 37excellent science and technology films introduced from 14 countries including China, Canada, Mexico, the UK, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Australia, South Korea and Thailand. The films, including 3D movies, fulldome movies and 4D movement digital films, were screened at several science and technology centers, including the Beijing Science Center, the Beijing Planetarium, the Paleozoological Museum of China, the Beijing Museum of Natural History, and the Chaoyang Museum of Urban Planning, from Nov. 2 to 10. A cluster of activities such as the opening ceremony, movie premieres, interviews with major members of the cast, international seminars and movie screenings, push forward cultural exchanges and science communication, provided the film making professionals with an opportunity to explore the integrated creation of science-themed films, science popularization films and science fiction films. It is intended that in this way the Film Festival will contribute to the innovation in the industry.
The World Science Exhibition was part of the ninth Beijing Science Festival’s international science popularization activities. It comprised exhibitions, stage performances, science lectures and workshops for science popularization. With the theme of “Environment and Elements”, the event saw 14 science communication organizations and science and technology centers from Germany, Poland, Switzerland, Italy, Israel, Singapore, the United States, Australia, Thailand, Russia, the Philippines and Spain presenting over 100 exhibitions and interactive activities for science popularization.