The Dana Centre is a stylish, purpose-built venue, complete with a cafebar, appealing to adults. It is a place for them to take part in exciting, informative and innovative debates about contemporary science, technology and culture. No two days will be the same at the Dana Centre. It's the place for experimental dialogue events, blending the best from science, art, performance and multimedia to provoke discussion and real engagement with the key issues of the day. In the Dana Centre you'll see science delivered in a very different way, everything from Edinburgh-Fringe-style stand-up comics debunking science myths to updates on radical research, handling sessions of rarely seen objects from the Science Museum's collection and challenging debates on modern science.
I like this place in general but you need to know when to go. The best stuff I have seen there was a beatbox performance with a twist:they attached an ultrasound machine while the person was making beats and you could see his tongue on the ultrasound. Amazing!
I think Dana centre is on the edge of making science overly popular and not going deep enough. Last week I was there to see some groups discussion about extending human life, futuristic medical plasters, robots who can feed themselves and more. We had about 20 minutes to be in each group and by the time you got engaged in the conversation it was already time to move. A bit frustrating.
The staff were all wearing these wireless speakers which made them look like star trek the newest generation and also I think some of them are chosen to look 'astro' to fit with the place...
I am happy it exists but will take it in small portions.
The purpose of the Dana Centre is to promote science in a popular way. They have a packed schedule of entertaining free events in the evenings each week. The Centre consists of upstairs seminar and presentation rooms, a ground floor bar, restaurant and events area (with equipment such as video projection) and an internet lounge. During the day it is often nice and quite (busier at meal times) and an excellent place for informal and semi-formal meetings. Free wifi.
On their website www.danacentre.org.uk you will find full listings of what's on, as well as corporate hire rates and even, an Event DIY page on how to run a successful 'dialogue' event.
The centre seems very well funded by various foundations and is a collaboration between the BA (British Association for the Advancement of Science), the European Dana Alliance for the Brain and the Science Museum.
You will find the atmosphere very bright and uplifting. Lofty windows covered in a collage of transparent typography allow light to flood in. Theatrical lights and video projection add to a sense of drama, but the overall ambience is calm and collected.
The events are well worth a try. I do feel that they have been 'dumbed down' a bit since they first launched, but they are entertaining and sociable. If you have ever wanted to chat with TV science personalities like Richard Wiseman this is a great opportunity as informal discussion post event is encouraged by the friendly staff.
Examples of fascinating debates and presentations: the ethics of kidney donation; nano technology; the worth of alternative medicine... coming up 'Are fatherless children inconceivable?' and 'Angels, Demons, Antimatter'...
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