Science East, a New Brunswick nonprofit science education organization housed in a historic prison, is preparing to celebrate its 25th anniversary. Staff hope it won't be the last.
"Time is running out, that's for sure," said Michael Edwards, the sole employee when the science centre moved to its current location on Brunswick Street in Fredericton on Aug. 9, 1999.
He is now one of three permanent staff members left from the 11 former employees who have been active since the centre closed to the public in February due to lack of funds.
According to him, the reduction in scale does not reflect the value of what Science East does.
"It's important that everyone has a working knowledge of science," Edwards said.
"New Brunswick needs Science East. Canada needs science centres. And we need to make sure that we fight to keep both of those things happening."
These are strange times for science centers, he said.
The Ontario Science Centre in Toronto is going through a similar process and is also trying hard to maintain visibility, he said.
According to Edwards, the lack of a permanent practice center is "a real challenge."
Science East staff continued to visit schools and, with the help of three summer students, organized as many pop-up events as possible around New Brunswick, at farmers markets, summer reading clubs, and other events.
WATCH | Interactive science exhibits like this one will be featured at pop-up events in New Brunswick this summer:"Science East continues to operate and provide opportunities for informal science and technology education throughout New Brunswick," said Jennifer MacDonnell, the executive director, in an email response to a request for an interview with a member of the board of directors.
Since February, Science East staff have given presentations to 4,500 young people at 36 locations, MacDonnell said.
Despite the closure to the general public, the center has remained open for organized tours and 1,200 people have participated in on-site programs since February, her email said.
These tours honored previous bookings, Edwards said. When asked if the organized tours would continue next school year, he declined, saying the programming would be delivered to students and teachers across the province.
Science East also hosted a successful provincial science fair program this spring, MacDonnell noted.
Seventeen students from New Brunswick went to the national fair, MacDonnell said. Five entries won awards:
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Aalyzha Ferrer, Dr. Losier Middle School, third-year astronomy excellence student, for her research on plant growth in space.
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John Neilson, Marshview Middle School, junior gold, for his research on improving memory through listening to music.
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Jack D'Entremont and Onkit Saha of Fredericton High School, silver, for a project on the reuse of high-altitude weather balloons.
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Kevin Cornell, Riverview High School, bronze, for a project on generating carbon-negative electricity from burning scrap metal.
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Alexia Tomasello, École Carrefour Beausoleil, senior bronze, for her research into a filtration system to purify seawater, inspired by the biology of basking sharks.
MacDonnell declined to comment on plans for the upcoming anniversary, nor would he say whether the board would be interested in reopening the science center in the old prison to the general public.
The building dates from the mid-19th century and has been designated a provincial historic monument for its architecture, which includes granite walls and prison cells, and for the prison artifacts displayed alongside the scientific exhibits.
MacDonnell did say that new financial support is being actively sought.
According to Edwards, the majority of operating revenues in recent years have come from program execution.
A physical building for Science East is not strictly necessary, but it does give it legitimacy, he said.
He would like to see stable funding to cover operational costs, more staff at the center, teachers able to travel around the county, and vehicles available for them to travel in.
He hopes that reconstruction will be easier the second time around.
According to him, Science East was founded 30 years ago by a "weird collection" of people who thought hands-on science centers were important. Science East started as a small, grassroots group.
Edwards was a doctoral student in biology at the University of New Brunswick when he first became involved with the project in 1996.
He offered to help with something and "got totally sucked into it."
He is now the scientific director of Science East.
Over the years he has seen it grow and move several times before it finally ends up in its current location.
Science East's first location was in the National Exhibition Centre in the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame building. It then moved to King's Place and Brookside Mall, before settling in the old jail.
By Edwards' count, Science East staff have collaborated with more than a million people, including teachers, students and the general public, to share scientific knowledge in a fun and engaging way.
Some who attended the center as children have returned with their children, and others who attended Science East summer camps have later become staff members, Edwards said.
It's exciting that it's been around long enough to have such an impact, he said.
Edwards would like to celebrate the 25th anniversary with an open house.
He hopes that people will come and see the center for the first time or that they will want to share what Science East has meant to them.
With any small nonprofit, there's a chance that things will look very different from year to year, he said.
"We don't want to just disappear," Edwards said.
MacDonnell, the executive director, was not aware of any past grants that went toward operations or administration. Many school workshops have been supported by funding from the federal Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development since 2022, she said.
The science fair was organized with the help of Youth Science Canada, school districts, volunteer facilitators, donors and sponsors, including ABO Wind, C-Therm, Dillon, LuminUltra Technologies, McKenna Institute, NBCC, Smartskin Technologies and Teledyne Caris, she said.
"We expect Science East to continue to be a place of discovery and imagination," said MacDonnell.
"We are proud of our record of bringing science education to many communities and groups. We believe we can navigate the negative impacts of the recent restructuring in February 2024 and emerge as a stronger and more impactful organization."
