2018 CASCADE AWARD NOMINEES 

Best Exhibit or Show – Large Institution

Curious Creatures: From the Travels of Robert Ripley – Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada

Robert Ripley set out to uncover the world’s most unusual, awe-inspiring creatures and artifacts from around the globe. Guests walk in the footsteps of this modern-day Marco Polo at Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada’s newCurious Creatures: From the Travels of Robert Ripleyexhibit.

Indigenous Ingenuity: Timeless Inventions – Montreal Science Centre

Indigenous Ingenuity: Timeless Inventionsis an interactive quest exploring Indigenous innovations from across Canada. Through a series of entertaining interactive activities, this 500 m2exhibition sheds light on the ingenuity of the First Peoples and their influence on society.

Medavie Health Gallery – Discovery Centre

TheMedavie Health Gallery​exhibition inspires visitors of all ages to enhance their mental and physical health and gain a holistic understanding of how their brains and bodies work. Self-testing, interactive exhibits, and cutting-edge technology reveal how we can thrive in today’s world.

Michelin Corporate Foundation Innovation Lab – Discovery Centre

TheMichelin Corporate Foundation Innovation Lab​provides a creative environment where young adults can imagine, build, and test their ideas using the lab’s equipment and hardware. The space evokes a “funky” inventor’s lab or bike repair shop, where ideas become real prototypes. The setting enhances personal empowerment, reinforcing the “you-can do-it” theme.

Permanent Exhibition Gallery – Canada Science and Technology Museum

The Canada Science and Technology Museum’s renewed 80,000 square foot exhibition hall explores Canada’s stories of science, technology and innovation past and present with an eye to the future. The permanent exhibition hall includes 11 exhibitions.

Planet MTL – The Biosphere, Environment Museum

Planet MTLis an innovative, educational exhibition designed to immerse visitors in learning about Urban Ecosystems. The exhibition challenges visitors to consider what they love about their city in the context of what makes their city livable, lovable and sustainable, despite modern issues such as pollution and climate change.

Ready, Set, Move! – Science North

This fully immersive, active and interactive theatre will take you on a journey into the world of healthy living. Movement-sensing technology allows your own activity to contribute to the story. You will jump, dodge, twist and play throughout the show, your actions helping our heroine, Anna, in her quest to save her family from an ominous, dark fog.

Renewal and Expansion Project – J. Armand Bombardier Museum of Ingenuity

In May 2016, after 45 years of existence, the J. Armand Bombardier Museum is undergoing a major transformation in terms of its infrastructure and content. Inspired by the work of J-A Bombardier and his successors, the J. Armand Bombardier Ingenuity Museum is now celebrating the creativity of the human spirit.

The Energy Show – Ontario Science Centre

The Energy Showis an interactive, high-energy theatrical presentation that explores the roles that potential sources of energy can play in our daily lives. It revolves around the fictional Aunt Tess, who is conducting important energy-related experiments. Visitors conduct experiments and upload data to help Aunt Tess explore different sources of energy. From solar to wind, from transformation to storage, this fun, live show incorporates the scientific method and engaging experiments to uncover the world’s ultimate source of power.

Wonder – Science World British Columbia

Wonderis Science World’s gallery for early learners. This highly interactive gallery boasts 3,300 square feet for children age 0–5 to crawl, splash, build, climb and experiment. Child development experts collaborated with the Science World team to create this space that is designed for children to learn through play.

Best Exhibit or Show – Small Institution

Circuit d’interprétation de la MRC des Appalaches : Terre-i- stoire – Musée minéralogique et miner de Thetford Mines

TheTerre-i-stoireproject is a multimedia interpretation circuit of the mining heritage of the Appalachian Regional County Municipality (RCM). The project includes a digital inventory of the 58 mine sites in the Appalachian RCM, the installation of three information kiosks near former mining sites and the creation of an exclusive visit and 360-degree video module online.  

Disheveling! A Hair-raising Exhibition – Sherbrooke Nature and Science Museum

Travelling and family-oriented,Disheveling! A Hair-raising Exhibitionis about a surprising subject: hairs! Effective in tousling even the most prude and in healing trichophobia, it shows visitors the true nature of their human hair, but also that of animals, insects and plants.

Best Program

Girls Night Out – Saskatchewan Science Centre

Girls Night Outconnected young women aged 11 to 18 with professional engineers for a night of inspiration and exploration of the world around them. This event allowed youth to be inspired by engineering while using their creativity and innovation to develop skills in problem-solving, collaboration, communication, and creativity.

Living Lab – Science World British Columbia

Universities generate scientific knowledge through research. Science Centres translate that knowledge for public consumption. Science World’sLiving Labrepresents Canada’s first partnership between a science centre and a local university that bridges these critical endeavors, providing the public with opportunities to observe, participate in, and learn directly from cutting-edge experiments.

Mental Health: The Science of Anxiety – Ontario Science Centre

Mental Health: The Science of Anxietyis a collection of 45-minute interactive presentations for middle school or secondary students, delivered onsite or via videoconference. Educational outcomes for students include an understanding of the distinction between mental health and mental illness, the neurophysiological processes involved with anxiety, and evidence-based coping strategies.