Arje Scheinin

Arje Scheinin (1923–2003) served as Professor of Cariology at the University of Turku from 1961 to 1987 and as the University’s Rector for two terms in 1981–1987. Scheinin graduated from the University of Helsinki as a Licentiate in dentistry in 1950 and earned his doctoral degree eight years later. He was appointed Docent of Cariology in 1959 and Professor of Cariology at the University of Turku in 1961. He also served as the Institute of Dentistry’s director for fourteen years. During his career, Scheinin studied, for example, blood circulation in the dental pulp as well as xylitol’s positive effects on dental caries prevention in an internationally acclaimed project in the 1970s. As Rector, Scheinin is remembered for developing cooperative relationships between academia and industry and as a strong-minded leader.

The bronze bust of Scheinin in the University’s art collection was made by sculptor Raimo Äijälä (b. 1941). Äijälä, also known as Roope, studied at the School of the Fine Arts Academy of Finland in 1964–1968, where his teachers included sculptor Heikki Nieminen (1926–2016). Äijälä, in turn, worked as a sculpture teacher at the Turku Drawing School from autumn 1968 to 1974. He held his first solo exhibition at Kunsthalle Turku in 1970 and retired at the turn of the millennium.

Emma Vuolaslempi 2024