The Difference Engine
A idea for a hands-on Tech & Engineering Discovery Centre for Gloucestershire families – get involved to help make it happen.
Exhibit 001
The Difference Engine
A hands-on Tech & Engineering Discovery Centre
- Where
- Gloucestershire, UK
- Status
- Charity in the making
- Topics
- Coding, cyber security, electronics
- Enquiries
- hello@whatsthedifference.uk
The idea
We loved visiting hands-on science centres growing up – places like Eureka and We The Curious. But these centres tend to focus on the sciences, like physics and biology. Not so many have exhibits featuring technology or engineering topics like coding, cyber security or electronics.
There's also a gap in the Gloucestershire region – our nearest science centres are in Bristol, Cardiff and Birmingham. We have a rich history in engineering and particularly cyber security – there ought to be somewhere to celebrate that!
What you'll find
We focus on the T and the E of STEM - making technology and engineering the main event.
Technology
Computer science, coding, games, AI, electronics, robotics, wireless.
Engineering
Hardware, product design, comms and power infrastructure, industrial control, automotive.
We will feature all aspects of technology and engineering, but with a particular focus on:
Cyber Security
Staying safe in the modern online world.
Digital Arts
The tech behind music, film and art.
Sustainability
Technology that helps protect the environment.
The plan
Our plans are at the very early stages - we're really keen to hear from you to help shape things.
Start small
Create a small number of exhibits – all hands-on, interactive and fun.
Take them on tour
Bring the exhibits to local museums, libraries, festivals and more.
Find a home
If the ideas is a success, set up a permanent residence. Somewhere families and schools can explore – plus holiday workshops and code clubs.
Get involved
This is a lot of work, and we can't do it alone! We'd love to hear from…
- Anyone who's interested in the idea and might like to visit the venue in the future
- People who'd like to help us build
- Venues who'd be interested in hosting the exhibits
- Events and festivals who'd like us to attend
- People and companies who'd like to help with funding (we're planning to set up a charity for this)
Sign up to our mailing list to register your interest and get occasional updates. We promise not to spam you!
Rather chat than email? Come and say hello on our Discord.
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