Visitin Heureka

Heureka - the Finnish science center

It was really nice to see the science center filled with kids.

"The roots of the Finnish Science Centre Heureka can be traced back to the University of Helsinki and scientists, who had become acquainted with different science centres located around the world. The initial spark was lit by Adjunct Professors Tapio Markkanen, Hannu I. Miettinen and Heikki Oja. It all began with the Physics 82 exhibition held at the House of the Estates in Helsinki on 20–26 May 1982. During autumn of that same year, the science centre project was launched with the initial support of the Academy of Finland, the Ministry of Education, and various foundations. The project led to the establishment of the Finnish Science Centre Foundation during 1983-1984. The original founding members of the foundation included the University of Helsinki, the Helsinki University of Technology, the Federation of Finnish Learned Societies, and the Confederation of Industries." (from their website).

I was mostly interested of the "Heureka goes crazy" exhibition.

"The first-ever science centre exhibition on mental health, Heureka Goes Crazy, is to dispel prejudices associated with mental health problems and to encourage people to take care of their own well-being. Heureka aims to start public discussion on mental health as both a personal and social issue.

In the exhibition, visitors can test simulations of mental disorders and feed their troubles into the worry shredder. The exhibition also encourages visitors to fool around a little and surprise themselves—to take care of their own mental health and well-being. Some of the exhibits have been designed especially for children. Furthermore, visitors can take part in touching and comforting accounts of people suffering from mental health disorders, or take a look at the history of insanity." (from their website).