Science World is celebrating 30 years of wonder at the Telus World of Science on Monday, May 6 with a cake-cutting ceremony and demonstration.

From Stephen Hawking to Queen Elizabeth to Mikhail Gorbachev, the science centre has welcomed a number of famous guests as well as 18 million visitors and counting.

article continues below

Originally constructed as part of the Expo ’86 World Fair, Vancouver’s iconic geodesic dome opened its doors in 1989. It featured a fully refurbished 10,200 square-meter science centre with dozens of hands-on exhibits and the largest OMNIMAX dome screen in the world.

“At Science World, we are extremely proud of the impact we’ve had on our community through exhibits and province-wide programs over the past 30 years. We are so grateful for our talented team, generous donors, and supportive community for helping Science World become such a flourishing centre of experiential learning,” said Dr. Scott Sampson, President and CEO of Science World.

“Looking to the future, we plan to make high-quality learning opportunities accessible to children and youth throughout British Columbia, while also engaging youth and adults in crowdsourcing a thriving future.”

The OMNIMAX Theatre, which seats 400 people, is the largest of its kind in the world. Its screen is a massive 27 metres in diameter and soars 5 storeys high. What’s more, the length of the ramp leading to the Theatre is equal to the length of two football fields.

The impressive beaver dam in the Search: Sara Stern Gallery is a re-constructed, real beaver dam from the UBC Malcolm Knapp Research Forest near Maple Ridge, BC.

The public is invited to celebrate the 30th anniversary at the following events:

30th Anniversary Kick Off – On Monday, May 6 at 2:20 pm, Science World staff will attempt to pull off 30 science experiments in 5 minutes at the Peter Brown Centre Stage. This will be opened by a cake-cutting ceremony and a welcome message from President & CEO, Dr. Scott Sampson.

80s Themed Science World After Dark (SWAD) – Taking place on May 16, this After Dark event will be 80s themed to celebrate the decade that launched Science World at TELUS World of Science.

Starting on May 4, TELUS World of Science will feature Limitless, a large participatory installation by Tangible Interaction that grows in size as more people contribute to it. Visitors will write down ideas from their imagination onto paper and see them fly up more than 40 feet into a net above the Peter Brown Centre Stage at TELUS World of Science.

Have a look at some of the incredible historical images taken at Science World:

Source: Science World

Source: Science World Source: Science World Source: Science World Source: Science World Source: Science World Source: Science World Source: Science World Source: Science World Source: Science World Source: Science World Source: Science World