NAMES 2024 Conference is hosted by Konya Science Center, Turkey.
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 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), a planetarium, educational laboratories, children's library, and an observatory.
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.
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 2 million visitors since its opening. 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 is located near Konya Airport)