Meet Jim Marchbank

Since 1987, Jim Marchbank has been the CEO of Science North, one of Northern Ontario's most popular tourist attractions. Science North, the IMAX® Theatre, Virtual Voyages and Dynamic Earth are an educational and entertaining experience rolled up in one package.

Jim Marchbank tells Vaahteranlehti that for Science North international cooperation is a must. So, how does Finland play into this equation?

Evolution in the international world

Science North opened its doors on June 19, 1984. In October of the same year, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip officially opened the science centre in a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Since then, Science North has become Sudbury's premier tourist attraction and one of the most popular attractions in Northern Ontario with thousands of visitors a year, including more than 40,000 school-aged kids.

Marchbank has been with Science North since 1982; he started as the Director of Development and added the portfolio of Administration in 1984. Except for a very brief period, Marchbank has lived in Sudbury since 1969.

Science North has been an active member of the Canadian Association of Science Centres over the last few years. According to Marchbank, the key goals are securing on-going funding from the federal government, developing the collaboration between Canadian science centres, measuring the impact of learning in science centres, and improving professional development and communication between science centres.

Marchbank reports that international work is essential as well. International contacts and on-going relationships with science centres abroad are key to Science North's evolution as a world-class science centre.

To serve this purpose, Science North is active in several international associations, including the Association for Science-Technology Centres and the Giant Screen Theatre Association. Science North also has contacts with science centres in the United States, Denmark and Sweden.

Heureka—the Finnish connection

Its most important international relationship, however, is with the Heureka Science Centre in Vantaa. Cooperation between Science North and Heureka has been flourishing for over 15 years. In fact, Marchbank and Heureka Director Per-Edvin Persson have become good friends, meeting several times a year.

"The science centre world is not huge," Marchbank says, "and communication is easy." The last time the two met was at the opening of the new Robotics exhibition at Heureka in March of this year. Marchbank took a slight detour to Finland on his way to Estonia, where he and Persson were serving as part of an international advisory panel for a science centre in Tartu.

Interestingly enough, on that same visit, Marchbank met an Estonian student who is completing her master's degree at a university in Sweden. She was looking for a place to serve her internship in and wound up at Science North. "I met her on Friday and she was in my office on Monday morning," Marchbank recalls. "She will be with us for three months and then head back to Sweden to finish her work."

On the education front, Science North has a close but informal working relationship with Laurentian University. Many LU grads work at Science North, and there are several projects and consultations on the go in the science departments, including geology and physics. Marchbank proudly states that 2005 will see the launching of a new program, a one-year postgraduate diploma in science communication.

When asked about the most interesting part of his job as CEO, Marchbank states that he enjoys the international work the most. "It is always interesting to see the similarities and differences between other science centres around the world."

As far as the significance of Science North goes, Marchbank says that we should consider two things: its impact on young people, especially those who pursue careers in science, and its role as a tourist attraction, especially when you consider its economic role and image impact for the city of Sudbury.

Free your mind at Science North!

Science North, the IMAX® Theatre, Virtual Voyages and Dynamic Earth are the premier attractions of this science super centre, which is open year round. People can even become members of Science North, making them eligible for additional savings for the whole family.

You can free your mind at Science North by visiting the science centre with the Inco Cavern, which screens several films daily. You can have a blast with the interactive exhibits, featuring weather, the human body, robotics and many other things. Or you can examine Northern Ontario wildlife, see a beaver up close, or even hold a snake!

In the 200-seat IMAX® Theatre, you can see films on a 26 m x 20 m screen. Incidentally, IMAX® is a Canadian invention.

Virtual Voyages takes you on an adventurous ride. You can see the latest action-packed film feature, while rocking and rolling in synchronization on a motion simulator. SimEx is a Toronto-based company and a pioneer in motion simulation technology. SimEx technology can also be found in Toronto, Ottawa, New York and Paris, and in Japan and Korea.

Science North is not merely a tourist attraction, it also operates on the business side, selling its products and services under the auspices of Science North Enterprises. Science North Enterprises specializes in the production of multimedia attractions, exhibit design, exhibit consulting and film production. Science North Enterprises has produced three films in the last five years.

Happy birthday, Science North!

Science North is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and Jim Marchbank can certainly be proud of Science North's achievements over the past two decades. He has been there since the beginning, and he has seen Science North develop into a world-class science centre.

Cooperation with other science centres, Laurentian University, the City of Sudbury, MCTV (a local television station and one of Science North's main supporters) and other agencies has helped Science North evolve into what we know it as today. Congratulations!

By Carmen Boudreau-Kiviaho