To spot the Cambridge Science Centre, look for a lively, welcoming entrance where you can see families and children peering in through the windows or bustling in and out, eager to explore hands-on exhibits inside.
Now, as you stand in front of the Cambridge Science Centre, imagine stepping into a place buzzing with curiosity-a place where it’s actually encouraged to touch everything! When it first opened its doors on Jesus Lane in 2013, this wasn’t just any old museum. Oh no, this was Cambridge’s very first interactive science hotspot, the kind where you could hear the boom of laughter and the zap of experiment after experiment springing to life. In its earliest days, the air inside practically crackled with electricity as children raced to solve puzzles about light, sound, and the secrets of hearing.
You might picture Dr. Chris Lennard and Dr. Katia Smith-Litiere, the founders, nervously hoping their dream would fly, while a crowd of scientists and curious folk waited on opening day. And of course, the Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University himself cut the ribbon-no pressure there! But just as things got rolling, in 2016, the Centre had to pack up shop and move out, leaving behind only echoes of excitement. For a while, the science moved onto the streets-a bit like Einstein running wild in the marketplace. But, in 2018, the Science Centre burst back to life, giving everyone young and old a place to experiment, wonder, and maybe, just maybe, accidentally launch a ping pong ball across the room. Science really is more fun when you’re right in the middle of it-don’t you think?
