AYY Blogi

Are you a solver of climate change?

14.5.2019, ottobergius

Espoo’s goal is to be permanently Europe’s most sustainable city and carbon neutral by the year 2030. To reach this goal, we need the whole of Espoo and its citizens to participate in taking Espoo, Finland and, more broadly, international cooperation towards a sustainable future.

Of the climate emissions produced in Espoo, the majority results from heating apartments, transport and electricity consumption. To support the sustainable growth of Espoo, we are implementing and developing significant new solutions for smart and clean technology together with our partners. The Fiksu Assa [Smart Station] event is coming to the Aalto University metro station on 13–15 May. This is an easy opportunity to test climate-smart solutions and things that ease the everyday in the vicinity of the metro station. Station areas are clusters of large crowds, housing and transport with growing potential for various service solutions.

Smart and low-carbon solutions support the smoothness of everyday life. Important solvers of climate change are probably moving through the Aalto University metro station in other weeks as well, however. Cities, the state, companies and other organisations need skilful people with a strong interdisciplinary understanding both now and in the future. It is not enough to be skilled in just one perspective, whether it be technological, societal, economic, administrative or natural-scientific. You have to be able to see for what the different disciplines and skills are needed in order to accomplish the big and desperately called-for changes.

The change towards carbon neutrality, in particular, requires different types of people to be able to work together. I believe that scientific studies alone do not prepare you for this but that you need student life as well. Doing things together and enjoying the shared life journey are constantly developing your interaction skills. Of course, this journey will continue after your studies as well, but your student days are an excellent opportunity to enjoy cooperation. In addition to completing coursework together, I encourage you to spend evenings and face the mornings together. Students are needed as change-makers, as part of the cooperation network and as drivers of change. You are solvers, both now and in the future!

Writer: Niina Nousjärvi works as
the Coordinator of Sustainable Development for the City of Espoo.

The Fiksu Assa project aims to improve the service offering at train and metro stations and, through that, to ease the everyday of citizens and to promote low-carbon means of transport. HSY and the cities are organising the Fiksu Assa event on 13–18 May 2019 at the Aalto University metro station and the Malmi, Myyrmäki, Riihimäki and Hämeenlinna train stations, where new and climate-smart services are being introduced.

Aalto University metro station, Mon–Fri 13–17 May, see the programme (in Finnish)

Riihimäki train station, Mon–Tue 13–14 May

Hämeenlinna train station, Mon–Tue 13–14 May

Myyrmäki train station, Wed–Sat 15–18 May

Malmi train station, Thu–Sat 16–18 May

Detailed schedule and information about services at www.fiksuassa.com and the Facebook event (both in Finnish), where you can also come up with new services for stations.

Read the report Analysis of the development of station areas as trade locations especially for low-carbon business (in Finnish).

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Wappupuhe 1.5.2019

06.5.2019, heikkiisotalo

Dear Wappu crowd!

I want to remind us all of Wappu being an international day of celebration.
Our generation has grown up in an integrating Europe and an internationalising Finland. This is all the more reason to be puzzled by the public discussion of recent years.

It has even been claimed that the nation could cope by curling up and closing its borders.

But it doesn’t!

Globalisation and international competition over skills are too tough for us to manage with only five and a half million heads, no matter how bright they are.

At my home university Aalto, I have seen how much of a strength a genuinely international community is.

World-class innovations, research and art can only be created if we participate in a global exchange of thoughts. We must welcome the builders of the future from elsewhere as well.

If internationalisation stops proceeding, it may start to take steps backwards. It has been with a heavy heart that I have listened to stories about the anxiety of British exchange students whose futures have been lost to Brexit.

Yet there is still much to do here in Finland as well.

Some of the obstacles to internationalisation are legislative. Finland’s residence permit system is bureaucratic, and the universities’ tuition fees are not tempting people from outside the EU to be educated here.

Some of the obstacles are cultural, and these are something we can all do our share for.
Your share might be, for example, interfering with any racism you encounter or learning about unfamiliar cultures.

Before I wish you a happy Wappu, I would like to advertise the fact that the Wappupotti appeal collecting funds for mental health work is ongoing until tomorrow.

Happy international Wappu!

Chair of the Board Tapio Hautamäki on Wappu day 1 May 2019

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The future of the Aino magazine looked into

04.4.2019, heikkiisotalo

The current Editor-in-Chief of Aino magazine, published by Aalto University Student Union, is resigning from her position after the publication of Aino’s May issue. In its meeting tomorrow, the AYY Board will propose to the Representative Council – who decides upon the future of the Aino magazine – that there will be a break in publishing the Aino magazine until the end of the year. It will be clarified during the publishing break what the future of the Aino magazine will be like. Discussions have already started among the community on what this proposal means.

Aalto University Student Union is a responsible employer. We do not want to end up in a situation where the existence of the magazine is speculated on while a new Editor-in-Chief is being recruited. We have not wanted to bring the preparations that have taken place over the past month into public discussion as discussions with the current staff of the Aino magazine have not yet been completed.

The situation in which the Editor-in-Chief’s position has not been filled offers an opportunity to genuinely figure out how the membership fee funds collected in the form of the membership fee can be used in a way that is ideal for the members. At least the following will be looked into: i) whether the magazine is continued in its current form, ii) whether the journalistic duty is carried out in a different format or iii) whether something else is done with the resources allocated to the magazine. These matters have not been investigated yet, so we do not know what the end result will be.

The final decision on the publishing break will be made by AYY’s highest decision-making body, the Representative Council. The Representative Council represents the entire Aalto community, and it is also the right place in terms of our Constitution to address matters related to the Aino magazine.

Tapio Hautamäki

Hallituksen puheenjohtaja

tapio.hautamaki (ät) ayy.fi, 040 757 9629

Tags: Aino-lehti
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Greetings from Mikkeli!

13.3.2019, hennapalonen

In Mikkeli, the new year has started with speed as the clubs’ new Boards have taken up their positions and got used to their new responsibilities. I have now been studying in Mikkeli for half a year. During this time, it has become clear that our well-knit community has a strong identity of its own. Despite the small size, we are proud and unapologetic, and the regard for tradition is at its peak in our community.

In Mikkeli, connections to other schools are considered important and worth looking after. I don’t think I am the only one who thinks that the basic nature of studying is seeking out the new and challenging the old. This is why I believe that getting acquainted with other student organisations and cities of study makes your student years as rich an experience as possible for yourself as well as others.

The winter is soon nearing its end, but before we let out a sigh of relief and turn towards the spring, we have the ultimate acid test of new operators ahead of us: Mikkeli Road Trip, taking place on Saturday 9 Mar.

Mikkeli Road Trip is a two-hundred-participant event, and around a third of the campus’ students take part in one way or another in making it happen: one by manning a checkpoint, another by guiding the guests who brave the conditions through the winter storms, a third by accommodating the weary heroes. This, the third-biggest event of the year on the smallest university campus in Finland, invites students from around the country to visit Mikkeli and have a taste of the local student culture.

The event encompasses the identity and spirit of Mikkeli in many ways. The already clichéd but yet so meaningful pair of words, the Mikkeli Spirit, is at the core of this event. We can no longer remember when the event was organised for the first time, but we are certain that every one of us hopes for it to continue long into the future.

Let this blog entry act as a small window into Mikkeli for the people of Aalto University. We hope these are not the only greetings you will get to read from Mikkeli, as the year is only beginning. There is a lot more to tell ahead, from the culmination of students’ connection, the First of May, via the summer through to the freshman-filled autumn. But we’ll get back to those later on. Right now, let’s head towards Mikkeli Road Trip and the spring with a will!

Simo Halme, Editor-in-Chief of Probba ry

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Political super year is ongoing – what should be discussed?

04.3.2019, rosavaisanen

The ongoing year of 2019 could be described as a political super year. In April, there is a parliamentary election ahead, and straight afterwards in May, the European Parliament election takes place in all EU member states simultaneously. The latter half of the year might also see the first ever provincial election organised if the Finnish parliament approves the establishment of 18 new provinces related to the comprehensive health and social services reform.

The EU will be firmly at the core of societal discussion. This is guaranteed by the upcoming election discussions, the intense ongoing Brexit situation as well as Finland’s EU presidency period beginning in July. Finland will be steering the European Council representing the member states at a time when the new Commission’s composition and working programme are being formed.

The EU has great significance to Finns and the international companies operating here. A significant part of the legislation implemented in Finland has its origins in Brussels. EU-level regulation aims to create common rules and a common market throughout the Union as well as to ensure the free movement of people, goods, services and capital between member states. This way, e.g. the heavy permit and customs procedures can be avoided.

The international trade contracts, the regulations determining operations in the internal market and the measures to counteract climate change agreed upon by the EU can create a new market for others, but for some businesses, the new regulation can mean their traditional business models reaching the end of their life cycles. The recognition of political risk and influencing this has become a factor in the competitiveness of companies.

The influence of politics and regulation on the everyday of companies is on the increase. For this reason, also students of the economic field should pay attention to the regulation and political risk. Knowledge of the regulation will certainly be beneficial in future work duties as well. A good example of this is Aalto University Student Union, who got acquainted with lobbying in Brussels in the summer of 2018, for example, by visiting the international number-one office of influencing and lobbying, FleishmanHillard. In Finland, the chain is represented by Eurofacts Oy.

Ahead of the elections is a great place for influencing. You should keep the topics you consider important on the table and influence the election discussions this way, whether you are a businessperson or a student. The people with a relevant message and justified arguments will certainly be heard!

Simo Hiilamo

Senior Consultant

Eurofacts Oy

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A Quick Dive into the Diverse World of Healthcare Information Systems

22.2.2019, ottobergius

Sanni Pajarinen is an interdisciplinary student at Tampere University who works as a Technical Documentation Specialist at Tieto Healthcare and Welfare unit in Tampere. Her job focuses on translating the contents of Tieto Lifecare patient information system and other healthcare documentation into English for international markets. Sanni also helps to create uniform and effective terminology for everyone working in the healthcare domain of Tieto.

Gaining insight

Tieto – as we all know – is an incredible combination of different expertise and talent. Not only that, Tieto brings together people from different nationalities and cultures. I myself have gained personal insight into Tieto’s healthcare business and company culture since I started as a Technical Documentation Specialist summer trainee this year. In fact, healthcare forms a unique cluster of professional diversity inside Tieto – one where nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals can meet programmers, ICT professionals and business experts. For me, the interesting question was, what happens when all these individuals are teamed up and what language do they use professionally and culturally?

Testing is caring

Still, no matter how serious the condition or emergency is, misunderstandings cannot be avoided in the language of the healthcare branch. To test the usability of any healthcare system, you need to create test patients and simulate real-life procedures on them. This can be really intense, because healthcare software development testing includes making new babies, terminating test patients and having patients bouncing here and there, trying to make it to the operation room with no luck. No wonder, s

Humor aside, there has always been a profound sense of caring and humanity present in my work. The people working in Tieto Healthcare spend countless hours trying to provide even better systems and functions for the healthcare professionals out there in the field.

And I was always amazed by how my team tested the system relentlessly to improve a single application, whether it was home care, emergency care or maternal care. I never saw them become frustrated or give in. Instead, they tackled every programming challenge as if they were dealing with a new patient arriving for a doctor’s appointment. What made this especially impressive is that not all my colleagues are healthcare professionals.

Healthy teamwork

So far, my experience at Tieto has been about combining the two worlds of tech and healthcare, as well as witnessing remarkable multi-professional teamwork. When I started at the beginning of the summer, I wanted to complete my internship richer in experience and knowledge.

Now, as I continue working part-time at Tieto, I feel like I’ve definitely reached my goal. Tieto has taught me to believe in myself and embrace all my qualities, because not everyone has to be a tech expert – or a doctor. That’s why we work together.

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The strength of the Aalto community are the people from many different backgrounds

17.12.2018, hennapalonen

Student communities have always been important to me, and they have a big significance in students’ lives. They have been places where you can grow as a person, learn new things and get to know new people, as well as experience a unique sense of togetherness. During this autumn, I have had a chance to get to know the Aalto community in connection with the community structures project. I have immersed myself in how this community has been formed, what kinds of structures are currently holding it together and, above all, what kinds of people make the Aalto community just as unique as it is. It has been a great joy and honour to meet members of the Aalto community, learn new things from them and spend the entire autumn doing important work among this community.

I have encountered dozens of volunteers, association operators, Representative Council members and alumni and heard a lot about how important and unique the Aalto community is and how much it means to people. At the same time, I have also heard about the challenges experienced in the community, which are hoped to be resolved by way of the community structures project. Based on the surveys, interviews and discussions I have conducted, the biggest challenges are seen to be the experiences of inequality in the community, the illogicalities related to the volunteer field’s structure and the inadequacy of the association classification.

My goal has been to have as many community members as possible participate in the project, and during the autumn, I have been pleasantly surprised by people’s courage to speak out loud about difficult subject matter, too, about prejudices as well as experiences of inequality. I am especially thankful for people daring to discuss different matters constructively and honestly at various events.

I find the Aalto community unique as it brings together different kinds of student cultures, each of which has its own fine traditions and important events. When talking with members of the community, I have noticed that many do not have enough information on the others’ cultures, yet everyone is eager to get to know other people and cultures. There is a simultaneous wish to both create a common culture and to hang on to and showcase the unique features of their own culture, but perhaps there are not yet enough places that genuinely bring together different cultures and people.

Next spring is a special time for the Aalto community, as this is when also the Master’s-level students of Economics are moving to the same campus in Otaniemi. After that, there will only be Aalto University students studying on the Otaniemi and Mikkeli campuses. A large common campus for the majority of students and the resolutions from the community structures project will shape the community to make it even more unified. The project has progressed at a gallop through the autumn, but there is still much to do, which is why my work among the community structures will continue into the spring.

The undeniable strength of the Aalto community are the people from many different backgrounds who want to have their unique input into creating the Aalto community. People who want to actively develop their own community are constantly coming up with new ideas and taking action to accomplish them. I am excited about being able to continue this project with such people and to be part of developing this community.

Text: Elina Nieminen

Elina Nieminen. Kuva: Aino Korpinen

You can read about the project’s progress so far in here: (https://inside.ayy.fi/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=40468584&preview=/40468584/40468656/2018_11_L13_EN_ratkaisuvaihtoehdot_taustamuistio.pdf )

The goal of the community structures project is to discover via surveys, interviews and discussions how the cooperation of the Student Union and the associations within it and the structures of the Aalto community could be developed in a way that would result in an even more unified student community in which the students of the different schools will be taken into account as equals better than before. The community structures project started at the beginning of August and continues into the spring.

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Kulttuuri on taidetta, elämyksiä ja ainutkertaisia kokemuksia

07.12.2018, ottobergius

Tervetuloa Espooseen artsilaiset ja pian myös kauppakorkeakoulun maisteri- ja jatko-opiskelijat.

Ryhmänne tulee varmasti sopeutumaan hyvin monikulttuuriseen kaupunkiimme. Espoossa voi kuulla jo nyt puhuttavan kaikkiaan 122 eri kieltä, ja runsaan kymmenen vuoden kuluttua joka kolmas vastaantulija puhuu äidinkielenään muuta kuin suomea tai ruotsia. Meidän onkin jatkuvasti opiskeltava asukkaidemme ja asiakkaidemme tarpeita sekä kehitettävä palveluita monimuotoisuutta ja tulevaisuutta ajatellen. Espoolla on pitkät perinteet kumppanuuksien kautta toteutettaviin palveluihin. Yhteistyön ja kumppaneiden kanssa toteutetaan myös iso osa kaupungin kulttuuripalveluista.

KulttuuriEspoo 2030 on kaupunginvaltuuston hyväksymä ohjelma, jossa linjataan kaupungin tekemistä ja tavoitteita kulttuurin ja taiteen kautta. Ohjelman visio: ”Vuonna 2030 Espoo on luova ja rohkea kulttuurikaupunki, joka tukee kestävää elämäntapaa. Eri sektoreiden välinen yhteistyö toimii ja kaupunki menestyy kokeilevalla ja uteliaalla asenteella. Kulttuuri ja taide ovat läsnä kaupungin hengessä, asukkaiden arjessa, fyysisessä kaupunkiympäristössä ja espoolaisessa identiteetissä”.

Meille kulttuuri on taidetta, elämyksiä ja ainutkertaisia kokemuksia. Se on yhdessä oppimista, vaikeiden asioiden käsittelyä ja historiaa. Haluamme edistää kulttuurin ja taiteen saavutettavuutta kaikille asukkaille, sillä uskomme, että kulttuuri lisää hyvinvointia ja luo turvallisuutta sekä edistää yhteisöllisyyttä. Kulttuurin ja taiteen tulee olla läsnä niin arjessa kuin juhlassakin.

AYY:n uudet poliittiset linjaukset antavat kuvan aktiivisesta, rohkeasta ja älykkäästä toimijasta. Otaniemessä tarvitaankin energistä paikallista otetta alueen elävöittämiseksi, ja sen uuden identiteetin kehittämiseksi. Uskon, että AYY ja sen jäsenet voisivat myös tuoda oman tärkeän lisän espoolaiseen kaupunkikulttuuriin laajemminkin. Mitä jos yhdessä kehittäisimme yliopistokaupunki Espoota ja meidän kaikkien tulevaisuutta?

Espoo on paljon muutakin kuin Otaniemi. Se koostuu viidestä kaupunkikeskuksesta, jotka kaikki ovat keskisuuren suomalaisen kaupungin kokoisia. Tunnetuin on varmasti Otaniemen vieressä oleva Tapiola, mutta myös Leppävaaraan, Espoonlahteen, Matinkylään ja Espoon keskukseen kannattaa uskaltautua vierailemaan. Kaikilla keskuksilla on oma identiteetti ja niiden jatkuva kehittäminen tapahtuu yhdessä asukkaiden kanssa.

Sukeltakaa rohkeasti Espooseen ja käykää tutustumassa Karakallion ulkotaidealueeseen tai Ison Omenan monipuoliseen kirjastoon ja palvelutoriin. Tai menkää Sellosaliin kuuntelemaan poppia. Kun kesä tulee, hypätkää saaristoveneeseen ja käykää upouudessa Pentalan saaristomuseossa tutustumassa luontoon, lampaisiin ja saaristoelämään.

Olkaa kuin kotonanne ja kotiutukaa Espoossa.

Susanna Tommila

Kulttuurijohtaja, Espoon kaupunki

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Giant Leap -projct – Rainmaker

04.12.2018, ottobergius

“Are you our rainmaker for the upcoming summer, literally?” was the humorous question that drew me in last spring. The task was to analyze, prototype, and test different methods in order to create a proposal for rain measurement reference. At the university, I was fascinated by the cloud physics course, and this was the perfect Giant Leap -project to develop even deeper understanding of the topic.

Having a background in meteorology gave me a strong basis on cloud formation theory, rain and its measurement. However, the practical setup construction created a new aspect to the topic. The project challenged me to think beyond the limits of meteorology and to utilize my technology-related skills and even my personal life experience. This project pointed out that know-how of different fields can lead to surprising outcomes.

In the picture above, you can see one of my highlights in Vaisala. After the Giant Leap summer I continued to work as Master’s thesis worker in Vaisala and constructed the rain generator with the help of an automation expert. The power of cooperation is clearly present in different projects in Vaisala. The community has a tremendous set of people with different backgrounds. In Vaisala’s interdisciplinary environment, I can learn something new every day. And that’s not all – from time to time there are possibilities to visit our customers and learn their needs for the future.

Climate change and climate change adaptation are the key factors to be acknowledged when planning business for future. Since climate change and the atmosphere are themes that impact everyone globally, Vaisala is part of different international instrumentation projects. Vaisala’s solutions help tackle some of the most crucial issues our time – topics that are very important to me personally as well – and enable companies and decision makers to make better-informed decisions based on reliable measurement data.

The Giant Leap -project itself felt really meaningful for me, because the need for artificial rain to test, maintain and develop rain measurement instrumentation was evidenced especially during this summer – the driest summer in decades. So I literally became the rainmaker for the summer! All in all, it has been a pleasure to work with a meaningful Giant Leap project and develop it even further with a growing research network.

Giant Leap is Vaisala’s internship program for students in a university or polytechnic. We’ll hire up to 20 students for a period of three months over the summer to our head office in Vantaa Finland and our US head office in Louisville, Colorado. As a Giant Leap intern, you’ll work either individually, in pairs or together with experienced Vaisala employees on real-life projects that have genuine business relevance.

Challenging but also rewarding, the program is designed for students with a variety of skills, qualities and educational backgrounds. To us, motivation and intellectual curiosity are more important than specific achievements or your line of studies. We don’t expect you to have all the answers but we hope you have lots of questions. Application period for Giant Leap 2019 is from January 10^th until February 10^th. Come as you are, as long as you are curious!

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Tuition fees in Finland: My personal story

29.11.2018, rosavaisanen

Author: Kamil Marwat, Master student at Aalto University

I finished my bachelor studies in 2016 and thus my hunt for master’s degree begun. After going through several programs and universities, the master’s program at Aalto University had caught my attention the most. Finland’s excellent education reputation, her much celebrated boom in IT field and the job opportunities, Aalto University ranking — it’s one way to know, when you know nothing about a university, were all the right indicators to persuade me to choose Finland as my destination for not only next two years, but a place I would be able to call home.

I did not allow the cold, the dark and the loneliness that Finland is otherwise known for come in my way. It was an exciting idea to go to a completely new place which offers one such complete new experience.

It was year 2017 — the unlucky year when Finland had just introduced the fee for the first time for all non-EU international students, when I began my master’s studies. The concept of paying tuition fee was not new to me, even though it was a huge responsibility and a risk to be taken in the hope of better future and thus I assumed it to be a step in the right direction of my professional career development.

It is important to note that the developing countries have purchasing power of almost 3 ratio 1, meaning one can buy as a much as 3 times in my home country with the same currency in that of Finland. So despite all the enthusiasm, it was a huge amount of money that I needed to arrange. I did not only have to arrange the tuition fee, but the amount needed for my student visa approval for one year.

As I was a recipient of 50% fee waiver scholarship — scholarship? I often wonder! No fees are now called scholarships to make us feel better, but truth be told, it does not. It does not help when you know no one pays tuition fee other than you, even those who came to Finland for master studies just a year ago from the very same country. I feel like it’s just a tool to force me into completing master’s degree in 2 years and still be thankful. I had to arrange 14 220 euros for just one year, excluding the amount it takes to pay the embassy for visa processing, buying private health insurance and other costs incurred during this process.

I as a student, who just graduated with bachelor’s degree, only had my parents to look up to and my relatives to borrow loan from. Not everyone is rich enough to have this huge amount at their disposal. My parents worked their lifetime to build a house that we, me and my siblings, would eventually inherit. It was my only and last resource to pay for my tuition fee. Real estate property requires time to be sold, and I was running out of time, so for now I turned to relatives to borrow loan form with a promise to return this amount soon as our house is sold.

As I began my studies, and met more and more people, I realized how expensive it is for me to study in Finland. I did not have as much freedom to choose a course outside my study plan. Failure was not an option. I couldn’t afford taking ECTs less than 60 in the first year, less than 30 ECTs in a semester and less than 15 ECTs in one period. I had to do it at all cost, and so did I. And thus it happened at the cost of my social, mental and physical well-being. From being happy and excited, socializing and attending events during the orientation week, to restricting myself to lecture hall, the study hub and my room only. It all happened during a span of few weeks only. Having paid so much tuition fee, I felt like betraying my parents for not giving full time — all of my time, to my studies only. It was a huge responsibility. Did my friends feel as much pressure? I do not think so. With each passing month, the feeling of regret for putting so much at stake started to grow inside me.

Finland was always in the news for having an ideal education model, where students are not pressurized and yet still outperform others. It was a role model the world was to follow and learn from. Where competition was discouraged, and collaboration was encouraged. But sadly enough, my experience has been on the contrary. I was put in a tough competition against time for my money. Learning lost a meaning for me, it was all about numbers. I needed to get the right numbers on the right time in the right order.

Unsatisfied with myself, not able to find summer job, I had to fly back to my home country during my first year. It wasn’t a choice that I made happily, but forced into. Who wouldn’t want to gain experience and earn during summer, and that too in Finland? With much of what I experienced, I wasn’t sure whether it is even worth to continue my studies and pay the tuition fee for the next year.

Having set the deadline for us i.e. July 2019, I am not even sure whether I am even wanted in this country. How can I find time, as well as the motivation, to learn the Finnish language in such conditions, which in turn reduces my chances to integrate, when I will have to leave in case I don’t find a job before I graduate? And graduate I must by July 2019.

Finland does no longer seem to be a choice one could strongly enough recommend to prospective students from non-EU. But we must work together, and there is still time to change that.

Posted in International Affairs | 2 Comments »