NAMES 7th Conference, NAMES 2023, will take place 09-11 May 2023, at Konya Science Center, Turkey.
About Konya Science Center
Konya Science Center is the first truly large interactive science center dedicated to informal learning about science and technology cooperated with The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK). As a newly-founded and the first established science center in Turkey, it is a benevolent foundation that popularizes scientific issues.
TUBITAK is responsible for exhibition support, education support for staff, and funding of this project, while the building itself was funded and constructed by the Metropolitan Municipality of Konya, the largest city geographically in Turkey. The indoor area is approximately 26,000 m2; the total area (including all facilities) is 100,000 m2. The Center, which first opened in April 2014, has science exhibits (Our Bodies, Our World, Sultans of Science, Basic Steps, New Horizons, and Our Universe have been fully established), a planetarium, educational laboratories, and an observatory building.
Our exhibits are fully interactive and include many basic themes; such as: astronomy, geography, history, anatomy, technology, and basic scientific components. In every exhibition, there are workshop areas are associated with exhibit’s themes; visitors can interactively perform some scientific practices in there. The staff give visitors one course or continuing lessons and performs shows and educational demonstrations in these exhibitions, workshop areas, and educational laboratories. We have adjusted our educational direction to STEM.
The planetarium has a 14-meter-diameter dome and about 100-person-seating capacity. The planetarium ball can work as an optomechanical system in order to simulate visitors with a real sky scene. The audience can look and observe stars and other celestial objects via this simulation and can watch some scientific shows with full-dome techniques.
The Center welcomed more than 1.6 million visitors since its opening; it will expectedly attract 1 million visitors a year, making it a promising attraction for Konya and Turkey. The center is open to all ages and the goal is to bring people with different backgrounds together to transfer knowledge through experimental and practical spaces that are designed to trigger curiosity. Konya Science Center strives to not just give information, but to increase attention and draw attention to the importance of science through interaction.
Address: Konya Science Center, Buyukkayacık Mah. Ankara Cad. No: 292
Post Code: 42160
(Konya Science Center Located near Konya Airport)
After 3 years of postponing NAMES Conference, we are very excited to meet you all in person; stay tuned for more information!