3 - 9 August 2000

Former doctor appointed general manager of Bay Street's Discovery Centre

by a staff reporter

Dr Tony Buttigieg, a medical doctor, has been appointed general manager of the Bay Street Science Discovery Centre.

In his new role, Dr Buttigieg will be responsible to oversee the smooth running of the operations within the Discovery Centre and the theatre as well as the coordination of all the exhibitions that will be put on show at the centre. Dr Buttigieg is currently in the final stages of preparation for the first exhibition which will feature insects and bugs. The exhibition will be inaugurated with the opening of Bay Street in November.

"One of the main challenges and attractions to this new post, was my involvement in the setting up of a new type of entertainment involving education in a fun environment. In fact the Discovery Centre will be introducing for the first time in Malta the concept of edutaiment - linking learning with entertainment. All effort has been made to ensure that all exhibits are of an interactive nature," Dr Buttigieg said.

"Each exhibition will run for a three-month period and thereafter changed to introduce a new subject. We have opted to hold specialised temporary exhibitions rather than a permanent one, because the variety of exhibits which can be brought over from overseas is so vast that we can ensure continuous change in exhibits and a changing environment overall, always adding an additional dimension to learning," he said.

The theatre within the Bay Street complex is expected to be one of the busiest of its kind in Malta, with daily shows spanning every aspect of the performance arts all year round. During the mornings, the theatre will be showing a variety of audio-visual productions including the popular War-Time Experience, while in the evening the theatre will be used by a number of drama groups for different theatrical performances. On specific days the theatre will be transformed into a lecture room making it an extension of the Discovery Centre.

Dr Buttigieg has over 13 years experience in the medical profession. During his career he worked for over seven years at the St Luke's and for four years in a private hospital. He has also worked voluntarily in Albania during the Kosovo conflict and accompanied the Maltese contingent during their participation in the Small Games of Europe on three occasions.