Meet Per-Edvin Persson

Heureka Director Per-Edvin Persson holds the distinction of being the first non-North American president of the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) in its 30-year history. Persson tells Vaahteranlehti about the significance of this appointment and of Heureka's involvement in the world of science centres.

The big bang

The Heureka Science Centre in Vantaa has attracted some five million visitors since opening its doors to the public in 1989. Heureka features a permanent main exhibition and two temporary exhibitions. The Verne Theatre screens IMAX® films and other forms of multimedia on its 500-square-meter surface.

The Galilei Science Park, featuring outdoor science exhibits, is only open from April to September. Per-Edvin Persson refers to the Galilei Science Park as a place for exhibits that are "difficult to handle inside", and can be classified as "loud" or "messy".

Overall, Heureka appeals to kids and adults alike because of the scads of interactive exhibits. The science centre employs 65 full-time employees and also has an impressive number of volunteers (more than 100) to help out.

Heureka's main stakeholders include the entire Finnish scientific community; the City of Vantaa; the Finnish industry community; several trade unions, including OAJ (The Finnish Teacher's Federation); and the Finnish government.

Heureka receives funding through the Ministry of Education and has some corporate sponsors as well; Kesko Oyj is Heureka's main sponsor for the next three years. More than half of Heureka's budget is generated through its own activities, so that shows us the economic pull this place has!

Mr. President

Persson says he has been at Heureka for "ages"; in fact, he was there right from the beginning. He was on the Board of Foundation, which started operations in 1984, and "worked his way down". The idea for a science centre in Finland came from the scientific community, and the centre is currently run by a foundation. Persson has been the director of Heureka since 1991.

Persson was elected to be the president of the Association of Science-Technology Centres for a one-year term. Based in Washington, DC, the ASTC has more than 500 members in over 40 countries worldwide.

When asked what this appointment would entail, he reports that he was to "lead the work of the board of the ASTC" and to develop strategies and policies with the ultimate goal of making the ASTC appeal to a wide audience. In addition, it is essential to heed the opinions of the ASTC stakeholders. Persson's term as president could be extended for another year, he laughs, "If my colleagues will take me!"

He states that the most interesting part of his work is that things never stand still in the world of science. New and unexpected things happen all the time. He says that things are under constant development at Heureka and that he takes great pleasure in the team of people he works with.

"Everyone has such a different background. It is kind of like herding cats," he claims. "The team is so creative, motivated and dedicated." Creativity abounds—he sometimes has to bring them back down to earth.

Heureka in Finland

Heureka is pretty much in a class of its own. It is the premier science centre in Finland, but cooperates heavily with educational institutions and other science centres and museums in Finland. Some of the other players on the stage include Tietomaa in Oulu, the Arctic Centre in Rovaniemi, and the University of Helsinki.

Heureka, unlike Science North in Sudbury, Ontario, is not involved in film production, but develops high-quality multimedia programs.

Heureka goes global

Heureka features exhibitions from other countries, while at the same time, numerous Heureka exhibitions are currently on tour. Its very own communications exhibit was featured at Science North for several months. The exhibition is currently in Mexico and will move on in the coming months. In addition, Heureka exhibitions are currently showing in France and Portugal.

Just to get an idea of how much Heureka works internationally, consider these facts: The science centre's exhibitions have been featured in 24 different countries on four continents, and they have been seen by some 13 million people.

The time that Heureka houses different exhibits and screens films varies from three months to a year. In that time it is possible to see and do a lot at Heureka!

Science North and Canada are close

Persson says that cooperation with Science North has been there since the beginning. He and Science North CEO Jim Marchbank are great friends and meet several times a year.

Heureka and Science North have participated in staff exchanges, and share information and resources for films and exhibitions. Persson believes these things are the basis of cooperation; moreover, he comments that long-term relationships are also key. In addition to Science North, Heureka has had a long-term relationship with the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto. Heureka has also cooperated with science centres in Montreal and Vancouver.

When asked about the significance of Heureka, Persson answered that it has considerable influence in many areas, including education, culture and tourism.

Lifelong learning at Heureka

Persson believes in lifelong learning and Heureka is the perfect example of a place where people can go to learn! 25 percent of Heureka's 300,000 visitors a year are school-aged children, so its impact on the choices children make career-wise cannot be dismissed. It is also has a huge economic impact on the City of Vantaa.

Heureka has extensive cooperation with many scientists at both the University of Helsinki and the Helsinki University of Technology. Persson says that they work with the best expertise they can find, including research institutes and enterprises.

"This is the way we work when we develop a project," he reports. Do the scientists enjoy working with Heureka? "They sure do," he says, "for them, Heureka is like a platform to present their own work. We act like an 'editor' for these scientists in order to present the information in layman's terms."

Heureka features the temporary exhibitions Hair until September 12, 2004, and Easy Life until March 6, 2005. Bears, a Science North production, and Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure will be featured at the Verne Theatre until August 24, 2004 and February 6, 2005, respectively.

By Carmen Boudreau-Kiviaho