He joined the staff of Science North when it opened in 1984 and worked as the science director for its companion facility, Dynamic Earth, from\u00a01999 to 2007.<\/p>\n
He then went on to open NEXT Exhibits + Creative Communication, a firm specializing in creating exhibits and experiences for museums and science centres, working with the likes of the Smithsonian Institution and the Canadian Space Agency to make science accessible, engaging and fun.<\/p>\n
In 2014, Nursall was appointed President and CEO of TELUS World of Science \u2013 Edmonton, a science centre operated by the Edmonton Space & Science Foundation, where he continues his work blending learning with entertainment.<\/p>\n
\u201cI ended up spending 35 years working science centres, an incredibly satisfying career that I never dreamed of in school,\u201d says Nursall.\u00a0\u201cBut my post-secondary education sure made it possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though he is back in Edmonton now, Nursall was a long way from his Alberta home when he came to Brock in 1975. With a few good friends and a program that excited and challenged him, he found his footing by the end of his first year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI still remember the first time someone called me Cowboy because I was from Alberta,\u201d says Nursall. \u201cI was born and raised in suburban Edmonton, but the nickname stuck, and for most of my four years at Brock, I was called Cowboy by pretty much everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nursall says the nickname still makes him smile, and still comes to mind from time to time, as it did a few years ago when he had the opportunity to take a zero-G flight, flying 15 parabolas and thus having 15 weightless episodes.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs part of the flight, you were asked to adopt a nickname,\u201d Nursall says.\u00a0\u201cI requested the nickname Cowboy, and that name tag from the zero-G flight now sits prominently in my den, a reminder of the flight, but also of my time at Brock.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nursall credits his fourth year in the Geography program as having the strongest impact on his trajectory as a science educator. He notes three key factors: his great professors, some challenging research projects and the fact that his was the first class to be assigned a weekly internship.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy internship was at the Atmospheric Environment Service headquarters in Toronto, where I took on a project under the guidance of climatologist Dave Phillips, the originator of the weather trivia calendar and now famous across the country as the Senior Climatologist for Environment Canada,\u201d says Nursall. \u201cWorking with Dave, I undertook a research project that turned into a summer job and then turned into a graduate degree.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe internship program really shaped my life, creating connections and opportunity that I never would have imagined possible.\u00a0I have deep respect and affection for the professors in the Geography department who were always looking for ways to expand our horizons beyond the textbooks and classrooms.\u201d<\/p>\n
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