Felix the Robot was specially designed for the Re:generation gallery and shows empathy. It recognises people’s facial expressions and recreates the movements
“Perhaps the Polish are so interested in science because we struggled with modernisation for so long. Now we’re very willing to learn and move forward”
ing number of initiatives in the east, which I hope will be heard at this conference.” Firmhofer also feels that Ecsite’s theme
this year of freedom makes Copernicus the ideal venue. “Freedom is one of the most important notions of modern Poland and Warsaw is the city of freedom,” he says. “The country’s history – the Warsaw uprising in 1944, the Solidarity Movement – was all about striving for freedom for many years. Now it’s about how to tackle free- dom and how to use it for our development. “Also, the science centre movement is about freedom,” he continues. “At Copernicus, there’s no set route to follow;
AM 2 2011 ©cybertrek 2011
visitors conduct their experiments and are free to succeed or fail. We don’t give them too many answers, instead we provide inspiration and opportunities and allow them to reach the solutions. So, freedom represents both Copernicus and Warsaw.” Despite such an impressive start,
Firmhofer’s already looking to evolve and develop the science centre. “There will be a constant improvement in what we do,” he says. “We’ve begun to enhance the programmes and exhibits we have. We want our programmes to infl uence the formal education system and for students to expect teaching to be an involving and
The science centre’s 450 interactive exhibits and shows have attracted 250,000 visitors in its fi rst four months of opening
engaging process.” Another area being looked at is social media. “We have 20,000 fans on Facebook and are working out how we can get them actively involved.” This dedication to sharing, enthusing and engaging people has helped the sci- ence centre become so popular so quickly. “Copernicus is regarded as a symbol of modernisation in Poland,” says Firmhofer.
“This is exactly why we built it – to present science and technology as the main means of modernisation of the country, and to provide a good, modern scientifi c education. We’re not just an attraction – we’re here to infl uence society.” ●
Read Attractions Management online
attractionsmanagement.com/digital 25
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