We need a 21st-century family science centre – and based in the youthful village of Lynn Valley, not West Van
Dear Editor:
Thank you for publishing the commendable letters on the hot debate regarding a possible new arts centre in West Vancouver.
I belong to an engineering-oriented Old Codgers Group that meets periodically in Lynn Valley Village at the excellent family-friendly Delany’s and at the wonderfully amiable hostelry The Black Bear. Our discussions often turn to the challenges of the dual pandemic and climate emergencies – and to the view that this is an optimistic age of science/STEM much more than art.
Our unified tri-municipal community needs not so much an arts centre on the glorious beach in Ambleside, but a 21st-century family science centre – and based in the youthful village of Lynn Valley rather than the seniors-oriented West Vancouver.
The dominant world challenges of the climate emergency (with global COP26 in November in Glasgow and G7 in Cornwall last week) – and of future pandemics – of artificial intelligence, geo-engineering, oceanography, green energy, a secure cyberspace, neuroscience, and equality (the list goes on) surely require us to follow the example of the globally successful collaboration in science during these remarkable times: creating effective vaccines to address COVID-19.
And to use our progressive ideas and community resources to encourage future generations to be oriented to science, technology, engineering, entrepreneurship, materials, medicine, mathematics so that we can STEEMMM ahead positively into this extraordinary 21st century and solve the galaxy-sized challenges of humanity in science.
Let us establish a STEEMMM-Ahead Family Centre in Lynn Valley Village – as a beacon to awaken our young to meet this century’s great challenges of science – rather than establishing a possibly questionable arts centre on Ambleside Beach.
By all means let this imaginative centre also cover art, poetry, theatre, music as well, but make this a strongly focused science centre and in child-oriented Lynn Valley.
David Taplin, PhD Dsc
North Vancouver
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