PRESS RELEASE
25th July 2007
New Director for Ecsite-UK
Dr Penny Fidler has been appointed director of Ecsite-uk, the body which represents around 80 science and discovery centres in the UK. She succeeds Dr Melanie Quin who left earlier in the year to take up a teaching post abroad.
The aim of Ecsite-uk is to raise the profile of science and discovery centres and to establish their role as a forum for dialogue between science specialists and the public and as an informal learning resource for learners of all ages. In addition to science centres, its membership includes aquaria, botanical gardens and museums.
Penny Fidler is no stranger to science centres. She set up several exhibitions including the ‘Your Amazing Brain’ gallery in At-Bristol and has made a major contribution to the planning of the new Miami Museum of Science. Latterly, she has worked as an independent consultant advising on both science exhibitions and neuroscience. Penny Fidler has lectured widely and has advised on a range of science and brain-related exhibitions, projects, events and films. She gained her PhD in neuroscience from Cambridge University.
Commenting on her new post, she said: “I am delighted to be joining Ecsite-uk at such an exciting time, and relish the opportunity of working closely with the talented members of both the Ecsite teams and the individual institutions. The UK’s science centres and museums represent an extraordinary resource for the future of science in this country. As a network, it is uniquely positioned to inspire large numbers of people of all ages and backgrounds, fostering a genuine and long-lasting sense of excitement and adventure in science.
“More than ever before we are relying on scientific entrepreneurship to solve some of the major challenges our society faces, from reducing carbon emissions and tackling global warming to ensuring the health and vitality of our ageing population. Science centres are already taking centre stage in the dialogue between scientists and the public. This will have an increasingly important role as society strives to address these pressing issues.”
Linda Conlon, chair of Ecsite-uk, said: “We welcome Penny warmly as the new director of Ecsite-UK. She brings a wealth of experience to the role and I am confident she will build on Ecsite’s achievements to date. There is a growing recognition that science centres have a critical role to play in engaging and enthusing people of all ages yet funding for them from central government has been, to date, fragmented and inadequate. This emerged strongly at the recent House of Commons Select Committee inquiry which explored the contribution that science centres make in the field of informal learning. I am sure that Penny will continue to emphasise the value of science centres and will strive to ensure that the sector works collaboratively to share best practice in the future.”
Penny will take up her appointment on 3rd September 2007.
Issued by: Linda Conlon, Chair, Ecsite-UK