Experience Québec
Fun with science
“Eureka!!”
“Eureka! I’ve found it!” That was the immortal line uttered by Archimedes who, stepping into his bath and seeing the water level rise, grasped a physics principle that still applies some 22 centuries after his death. How do you get your head around science and technology? By dealing with them head-on. The Montréal Science Centre lets you do just that without even making you jump in the bath. Six rooms to test your brainpower. And guess what: it feels pretty good!
Science is not rocket science! It’s everywhere. From sunup to sundown, you’re surrounded by science. Brushing your teeth, going about your business, moving a chair, cooking—everything up to and including the passage of time are just regular old applications of physics, biology or chemistry principles. As my dear father, a devotee of Blaise Pascal, was fond of saying: “My son, you might detest math, but you should know that, without math, you wouldn’t be able to detest it!” Yes, Dad, I know: everything is just a matter of calculation and probability, and my birth is proof.
Putting it all into perspective
What the Montréal Science Centre sets out to do, and succeeds very well at doing, is bringing science to teens (and adults too!) in a fun but educational fashion. If you think that’s an oxymoron, our friend Blaise tells us: “Without examining every particular pursuit, it is enough to comprehend them under diversion.” Remember that Archimedes discovered the basis for his theorem while in his bath. Not while he was working, either. He was relaxing!The MSC demands nothing and offers everything. On that note, it has two free exhibitions, a gift shop for Inspector Gadget nerds, and above all, four extraordinary rooms of discovery and adventure where the accent is on understanding, dreaming, acting and thinking. Just like in real life!
Say “26”!
Twenty-six activity areas like so many letters of the alphabet. From A to Z, discover 26 scientific principles that underpin daily life. 26 words serve as the structure for as many “islands.” Think O for Optics, and you’ll see the light. Go to K and multiply your image by 100, using a kaleidoscope. Invest the knowledge you’ve gained into the rooms that follow. Movement, animation, fun: it all adds up to Science 26!Imagine a better world
Is reality virtual? Less and less so, it would seem. Imagine! offers up an immersive experience. Immer-what? You know, a place where you’re submerged in multimedia like… Archimedes in his bath. Science fiction, or fictional science? See for yourself! 
Get a taste of tomorrow. This is where science and technology plunge into the future. Projected on fog screens, six young dreamers guide you through your voyage of discovery. Half-real, half-virtual, each inhabits one of six particular zones: Understanding the World Around Me, Understanding the Human Machine, Reshaping My Living Environment, Living in Harmony with Nature, Going Beyond the Body’s Limits and Increasing Mind Power. Imagine! is the power of every “eureka” combined. Welcome to the edges of the human brain.
See the world…
…from a sustainable standpoint. Your next-to-last challenge is considerable. You have to do better than Charlie Chaplin in The Great Dictator and rule the entire planet, with its billions of inhabitants: a world in which you can apply the notions encountered in the previous rooms. 
The game unfolds over three periods, during which 21 teams endeavour to save the planet. Players at each of the 21 game tables have a set time in which to choose solutions for the environmental, economic or social issues they’re faced with. The goal? Maintain an equitable balance and ensure humanity’s survival. The combined efforts of all 21 teams are what determine the fate of the blue planet. Mission Gaia is where you give 110%.MyTube
You’re in the idTV newsroom—a huge television production studio. Seated at your editing station, alone or in a team, you must produce a report on one of the major issues of the 21st century.
Using a variety of data sources (clips from interviews with scientists or experts, documentary excerpts, an image bank), you compile a television news report. And if you find that a certain point of view is still lacking, record your own and incorporate it into the report. Having trouble? Your virtual news editor will guide you through the production chain. When you leave, you’ll receive a CD of your report signed idTV, the television for people with ideas!
Time flies…
…when you’re having fun! From ages 9 to 16, they don’t even notice when it’s time to eat. It takes a good three hours to do a quick tour of all four rooms at the MSC. But why not just prolong the enjoyment? Your bracelet is valid all day long. Get something to eat on the Quays of the Old Port, enjoy the view of the river, then come back for more!
André Quenneville
2010-02-11
