The head of education at Aberdeenshire Council has been appointed to the board of Aberdeen Science Centre.
Laurence Findlay, who is director of Education and Children’s Services at Aberdeenshire Council, will bring many years of experience in the field of education to the role.
He was a teacher of Modern Languages and held leadership and teaching roles with Moray Council, where he was Corporate Director for Education and Social Care before moving to Aberdeenshire Council in 2018.
Bryan Snelling, chief executive of Aberdeen Science Centre, welcomed Mr Findlay to the board.
“We are delighted to have Laurence on our board. His vast experience in education will be extremely valuable as STEM education underpins everything we do at Aberdeen Science Centre, both in the centre itself and in our outreach work in the community and with schools. “
“We welcome thousands of pupils to the centre every year and our links with schools and community education providers are key to our aspiration to inspire and instil a lasting love of STEM in everyone who engages with the centre,” he said.
“We look forward to working with Laurence and the board as we move into 2023 and continue to build our programme of events, workshops and corporate engagement.”
Mr Findlay said: “Aberdeen Science Centre is a fantastic facility which offers so many opportunities for people of all ages, but particularly the young, to develop a lifelong interest in science.
“STEM plays a key role in the North-east’s economy and I am really looking forward to joining the board of Aberdeen Science Centre and playing a key role in the centre’s future at such an exciting time of innovation for the North-east.”
Recently awarded 5-star status by VisitScotland, Aberdeen Science Centre reopened to the public in November 2020 after a major project to create an aspirational science centre which reflects the STEM priorities for both industry and education.
The centre’s exhibits are aimed at all ages and are themed into six zones: Energy; Space; Life Sciences; Make It, Test It; and the dedicated area for the under-6s, as well as the Shell Learning Zone, where science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are brought to life.
Aberdeen Science Centre’s £4.7million redevelopment was made possible by generous support and funding from the Inspiring Science Fund – a partnership between the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Wellcome – with additional funding provided by Opportunity North East (ONE) and Aberdeen City Council.
The project secured a further £1.5million from funders and sponsors including OPITO, Shell, Equinor, bp, The Robertson Trust, TAQA and CNOOC International to deliver quality exhibits and programmes to enhance the overall visitor experience at the venue, as well through outreach work.
For more information on Aberdeen Science Centre, visit www.aberdeensciencecentre.org
