According to the Board of the Marcus Wallenberg Foundation, “The 2012 Marcus Wallenberg Prize has been awarded to Mika Severi Viljanmaa for his ground-breaking development of metal belt calendering technology resulting in better paper print surfaces with less fiber materials and higher production efficiency”. Furthermore, the invention also paves the way for applications in other paper machine sections with the opportunity of becoming a wider platform technology expected to substantially enhance production efficiency, competitiveness and sustainability of paper and board making.

Metal belt technology improves quality and efficiency, with less raw materials and energy

Metal belt technology has made a major breakthrough as a revolutionary new calendering concept for papermaking. Calendering is done to improve the paper surface and thus print quality. Compared with conventional calendering, advanced long nip metal belt calendering technology enables manufacturing of paper and board with better surface properties at a desired level of stiffness and bulk, but with 3-10% less fiber raw material; in addition it decreases energy consumption and yields higher production efficiency.

It is also suitable for low-cost fibers such as recycled fibers and thus enables development of new cost-competitive paper and board products. The new concept is compact, making it ideal for rebuilds to increase capacity by removing existing production bottlenecks such as yankee dryers or wet stacks.

Mika Viljanmaa

Mika Viljanmaa graduated from the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the Helsinki University of Technology in 1997. Viljanmaa started his career in Valmet Corporation (now Metso) in 1996 as a development engineer. Since 2003 Viljanmaa was in charge of calendering research and development at Metso Paper and since 2009 he has been responsible for R&D in surface treatment technology.

Viljanmaa is a highly prolific innovator, with a total of 120 protected inventions. 57 of these are related to metal belt technology and Viljanmaa is the sole inventor in 12 of them. Mika Viljanmaa has guided several thesis works related to metal belt calendering and has presented conference papers on the subject.

The Marcus Wallenberg Prize

The Marcus Wallenberg Prize is an international prize that was established in 1980. Each year the prize recognizes a single research breakthrough by one scientist or a small group of collaborating scientists. The selected breakthrough will have a significant effect on the forestry and forest products industries.In addition to rewarding the winner, the prize is also intended to encourage further research around the world.

For more information, please visit  www.mwp.org.

Photo: Metso Oyj

The programme combines sector-specific and cross-disciplinary mentoring and networking.The application is ongoing in AlumniNET (https://alumninet.aalto.fi/AlumniBenefits/Mentoring__.aspx).

Mentoring highlights the induction of students into Finnish working life and development of prerequisites to working life. The heart of mentoring is in one-to-one meetings, however themed small group meetings and corporation visits play a strong role in the programme. The program lasts from September 2012 to May 2013.

International mentoring is open to foreign degree students in the MA stage. As a mentor both Finnish and international alumni of Aalto University are most welcome to apply for mentoring. Mentor applicants are expected to speak English fluently and have no less than five years of working life experience after graduation.

The application period is from 15 March to 15 May.

Teacher of the Year prize was awarded on the basis of students’ proposals on AYY’s 2^nd anniversary on 4 Feb 2012. The selection criteria included, for example, the content of teaching, taking account of students and the student’s guidance both in and outside of teaching.

Teacher of the Year winner receives Teacher of the Year general bravery medal in AYY’s colours. In addition, the teacher’s picture will be added on the University’s Teacher of the Year photo wall.

- Teacher of the year prize was a surprise to me, says Mamdouh El Haj Assad. Such a prize gives motivation to any teacher to perform his teaching methods in a more efficient way.

In his teaching career Assad has considered the following points:

• Motivation: I motivate the students by teacher behavior, teaching style, structure of the course, nature of the assignments and interactions with students.
• Using blackboard will help the students to follow the lecture thoroughly.
• Help students to find the importance of the course material.
• Creating atmosphere that is open and positive.
• Make students feel that they are valued members of the learning community.
• Ensure opportunities for students’ success by giving assignments that are neither too easy nor too difficult.
• Asking questions during the lecture will help students participate in the lecture.

The main idea of teaching is to give all the information needed out of the course to the students without hiding any small part of such information and make sure that every student understands such information.

- In such a way, students feel happy and successful because such information will stick in their mind and memory, knows Assad. At the end of the course students learn basic skills to execute tasks related to the course, learn to think critically.

- The most important factor in teaching is that the teacher should be helpful and kind to students, Assad reminds.
 

Teacher of the Year prize

The cornerstones of a good university include good teaching, which is based on the continuous development of teaching both by the university and individual teachers. AYY wants to support the development of teaching and give recognition to teachers who have distinguished themselves in teaching and its development.

Photo: AYY

As a result of this project, a research infrastructure of urban environment, civil engineering and environmental informatics will emerge in Lahti to complement the existing environmental sector research infrastructure in the area. Parties involved in this research cooperation are Aalto University, the University of Helsinki and Lahti University of Applied Sciences.

Environmental information management brought to a new level: an entire urban area as a test laboratory

The project will facilitate research cooperation between research teams in Lahti area and elsewhere associated with urban environments. In the initial stage, a test area network and an environmental information laboratory will be set up in Lahti. These will collect and produce data on changes in the urban environment, water and material flows and ecosystem services produced by the urban ecosystem.

In the future, new research teams from other parts of Finland can become involved in the urban laboratory activities. The project will produce experience and skills in the areas of environmental measurements and informatics.

–The network will consist of 3–5 test areas representing different types of urban environments. Information produced by the test areas will be fed into a knowledge infrastructure to be built up during the project, in which it will be combined with other data, models and planning tools for the area, explains Professor Ari Jolma from the Aalto University Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Key indicators of the status of an urban environment include material and energy flows on the interfaces of the city, water systems and the atmosphere.

– The study measures factors and variables relevant to water circulation and air quality in an urban ecosystem, explains Professor Heikki Setälä from the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Helsinki.

– In particular, by studying the flows and quality of urban stormwaters, we can glean information on the urban environment and gain a better understanding of the way sustainable urban environments work, Setälä adds.

More intensive cooperation between environmental experts in Lahti area

In recent years, a significant cluster of environmental expertise and businesses has emerged in Lahti area. The research project Urban laboratory for sustainable environment will establish in Lahti area a platform of multidisciplinary research cooperation and an infrastructure to back it up, which will support analysing and managing the processes of sustainable urbanisation.

– The research project will offer students at Lahti University of Applied sciences an excellent setting for traineeships and themes for development projects, explains Principal Lecturer Silja Kostia. Every year, some 40 new engineers graduate from the Degree Programme of Environmental Technology, and a Master’s degree programme in sustainable urban planning will be launched in autumn 2012.

The core of the cooperation platform consists of the University of Helsinki’s Urban Ecosystems Research Group, the Professorships of Environmental Informatics and Water Resources Engineering at Aalto University as well as the technological field of education at Lahti University of Applied Sciences. The platform also involves the decision-makers and authorities responsible for urban environment development in Lahti area, local environmental sector companies and the Lahti University Consortium.

The Urban laboratory for sustainable environment project is coordinated by Aalto University and it will be implemented in the period 1 January 2012–30 June 2014. Third-party funding outside the universities and the University of Applied Sciences will be coordinated by the Regional Council of Päijät-Häme through the EU Structural Funds and the City of Lahti.

Further information:
Professor Ari Jolma
Aalto University, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
ari.jolma@aalto.fi
tel. 050 347 6463

Professor Harri Koivusalo
Aalto University, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
harri.koivusalo@aalto.fi
tel. 050 570 9864

Professor Heikki Setälä,
University of Helsinki, Department of Environmental Science, Lahti Environmental Campus
heikki.setala@helsinki.fi
tel. 050 540 8094

Principal Lecturer Silja Kostia,
Lahti University of Applied Sciences
silja.kostia@lamk.fi
tel. 050 387 1901

In his newly published dissertation for the Aalto University School of Engineering, Juhana Hiironen presents effective farmland consolidation as a solution to the problems scattered farm structures cause to the Finnish agricultural industry. EU subsidies could also be put into more efficient use if they were targeted to land consolidation.

In the process of farmland consolidation the fields of a landowner are restructured and assembled together to the vicinity of the actual farmhouse. Consolidation reduces overall costs, diminishes the need for farming vehicles and traffic, and saves farmers’ time. Hiironen’s research shows that overall land consolidation can cut the number of fields in half, and double the area of each individual lot of field. This leads to significant decrease in expenses.

Landowners and farmers are in fact in great need of land consolidation. 

– There is now more demand than the National Land Survey of Finland (NLS) is able to meet. Cutbacks in our resources have become a bottleneck in our operation recently, tells Hiironen, Chief Expert at the NLS.

– If we had more resources, we could advertise our services and create further demand in new areas. Now we have to focus on discovering and repairing areas in the most acute need of help.

Making the most of the subsidy euro

The ineffective targeting of EU’s agricultural subsidies cut the ground from under the feet of economically sustainable operation. Instead of increasing the income of farms, the subsidies should rather be aimed at reducing the costs of farming.

– Direct subsidies will not fix the problems in our agricultural industry, or encourage farms to improve their profitability. Direct payments only make it more attractive to acquire more fields. Land is mostly available in the outskirts of villages, ever further away from the farmhouses. Thus the field structure becomes even more scattered, exemplifies Hiironen.

A euro spent on cutting back expenses – on land consolidation – carries a lot further than a yearly euro extra to a farmer’s income. Land consolidation is thus the most beneficial option for both farmers and the system of subsidies.

– Farmland consolidation is the only subsidy that tackles the structural problems of Finnish agriculture industry and does not only strive to cover for the damage they cause, assures Hiironen.

Although the effects of field structures on profitability of farming and on the ways fields are used have both been extensively studied, only two studies on the profitability of land consolidation have been conducted in Finland – in 1948 and 1913. Also according to Hiironen, the effects have been assessed with a too varied array of methods to be of practical use in political decision making.

– When knowledge about the profitability of land consolidation accumulates, it is also easier for politicians to estimate the best possible target for subsidies.

Further information:
Juhana Hiironen
Tel. +35 850 347 7562
juhana.hiironen@nls.fi

Juhala has worked at the University of Technology since 1973, at which time he started in the position of a machine design assistant. Juhala completed his doctoral thesis in 1993. In 1996 he was appointed Professor of Vehicle Engineering, and in 2008 Director of the Department of Engineering Design and Production.

Profeesor Juhala has generously and openly shared his broad expertise with society as a whole, while working at the Aalto University School of Engineering Vehicle Laboratory and before this at the Helsinki University of Technology Vehicle Laboratory. Juhala is known as someone, one can turn to with confidence with even the most difficult questions in the field of technology. He has participated in teaching and research in the field of technology with great enthusiasm, but has also shown commitment to administrative duties. Professor Juhala holds a significant number of positions of trust in both Finnish and foreign organisations, and his role as a networker is noteworthy.

Juhala’s active participation within the automotive industry has brought together enterprises, experts and students. He has highlighted Finnish expertise abroad and acted as a bridge builder in the early phases of numerous research and commerce projects. His merits as an influential figure in Finnish vehicle technology expertise and research are significant.

The safety of cruise vessels usually becomes a public issue only in the aftermath of catastrophes. The more severe the accident the more acutely arises the need for better ships and better science. The research on ship safety does not however proceed in clear-cut breakthroughs. Safety and stamina of ships in accidents is a sum of numerous uncertainties, and to control them takes wide-ranging and cross-disciplinary research.

The recently finished project FLOODSTAND studied thoroughly the safety of cruise ships and freight transport vessels in flooding scenarios. The three-year project covered topics from ship design, measuring and modelling the flooding caused by damages, and predicting the capsizing of ships, to managing crises situations and rescue operations. 

The Aalto University Department of Applied Mechanics coordinated the vast project of 17 international partners comprising universities, research institutes, shipyards, classification agencies and companies from ten European countries.

From hindsight knowledge to risk prediction

One the most critical worries for a ship facing an accident is water flooding in from the damages in the haul. If the water spreads unevenly through the ship’s compartments, the ship will start to capsize. In the worst-case scenario the capsizing will lead to the ship collapsing and sinking.

In FLOODSTAND the effect of flooding on ships was studied in accord with the methods of measuring and controlling the flooding. The risk and the process of capsizing and collapsing was both numerically and analytically modelled and simulated with statistical probabilities.

– There was a lack of knowledge on the progress of flooding and capsizing and on structural failures on board, so we did a lot of experiments in the project, says coordinator Risto Jalonen from the Marine Technology unit of the Department of Applied Mechanics in Aalto University.

– The aftermath of accidents is not a good starting point for research. In FLOODSTAND we aimed to focus on risk prediction instead.

Covering accidents from A to S

Water flooding in from damages of the haul in or below the water level usually does not spread from one compartment to another. This is precisely the point of the compartmentalisation of ships. To prevent the ship from capsizing, the flooded water needs to be distributed evenly into both sides of the ship. Thanks to the experiments conducted in the water technology laboratory in Aalto University, the progression of the flooding in the flooding channels can now be accurately modelled. (IMG)

The mathematical modelling and simulation of the probability and the progress of capsizing require experimental research as well.

– The major source of uncertainty in predicting capsizing is the information on the extent of flooding, says Andrzej Jasionowski from the University of Strathclyde who calculated the probabilities of capsizing in FLOODSTAND.

There are numerous uncertainties affecting the capsizing process: wave height, weather conditions, cargo on board, water tightness and stamina of the compartment structures, to name only a few. To get hold of these and render them as calculable risks, complex calculation of statistical probabilities is needed.

– Still, even for the finest of models, something remains out of reach – simply because models always oversimplify reality, reminds Risto Jalonen.

On the other hand, thanks to the achievements of project FLOODSTAND, it is now possible to replace many arduous and time-consuming experiments with mathematical calculations.

– We have also reached a new level in the research of the safety of cruise ships; we are in a good position to proceed, confirms Jalonen.

See the website of project FLOODSTAND: http://floodstand.aalto.fi

For further information please contact:

Project manager Risto Jalonen
Tel. +358 9 470 23477, risto.jalonen[at]aalto.fi
Aalto University
Department of Applied Mechanics, Marine Technology

Professor Pentti Kujala
Tel. +358 9 470 23484, pentti.kujala[at]aalto.fi
Aalto University
Department of Applied Mechanics, Marine Technology 

Professor Jerzy Matusiak
Tel. +358 9 470 23480, jerzy.matusiak[at]aalto.fi
Aalto University
Department of Applied Mechanics, Marine Technology

- We do ground breaking land use research, which has an impact on society, comments Professor Kauko Viitanen, the new Head of the Department of Surveying and Planning. The Department brings together skills in technological-economic-legal methodologies, as well as planning and social science, producing new breakthroughs in the future, Professor Viitanen argues.

There will be three research groups in the Department: real estate economics, geomatics and land use planning & urban studies (YTK). The common focus areas of the research groups include Smart and Liveable Cities, as well as Modelling and Managing Climate Change Impacts. The merging of the departments was anticipated in the establishment of the international Master’s programme Managing Spatial Change. The programme also involves the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and will educate experts with integrative skills in urban planning, engineering and economics.

- We will continue to educate creative and technologically skilled individuals who will be able to make decisions regarding our communities and  strategically manage land use issues. In the field of urban planning the opportunities for cooperation with the Department of Architecture are significant, states Raine Mäntysalo, Vice Head of the Department.

- The department reform is historically important and it was expected, notes Petri Varsta, Dean of the School of Engineering. The Department will strengthen research in its field, as well as university level education in the area of urban and land use planning.  

There are eight professors in the Department of Surveying and Planning. The staff  totals about 130 people. New website of the Department will be published during the spring of 2012. Until then the existing websites http://maa.aalto.fi and http://ytk.tkk.fi. will still be accessible.

Further information:

Professor Kauko Viitanen, kauko.viitanen@aalto.fi
Head of the Department of Surveying and Planning
Tel. +358 50 560 3873

Professor Raine Mäntysalo, raine.mantysalo@aalto.fi
Vice Head of the Department of Surveying and Planning
Tel. +358 50 512 4525

In their article, the researchers propose that the impact of urban structure, especially that of density, on greenhouse gas emissions caused by people is slight or nonexistent. According to the study, the carbon footprint of a person living on the countryside could well be significantly lower than that of a city dweller. The results of the study challenge the conclusions of many earlier studies according to which urban dwellers produce less carbon dioxide than countryside residents. Heinonen and Junnila point out that carbon dioxide emissions accelerating the climate change depend mostly on the amount of goods and services people consume and not on the place of residence.

Environmental Research Letters is a free open access journal. It publishes scientific articles in a relatively broad front and is among the best recognized environmental papers.

The selection criteria included novelty, scientific impact, readership, broad appeal and wide media coverage. A media release that Aalto University published concerning the research received a lot of media attention both in Finland as well as internationally.

Article: "Implications of urban structure on carbon consumption in metropolitan areas" (iopscience.iop.org)

Environmental Research Letters (iopscience.iop.org)

News: City dwellers produce as much CO2 as countryside people do (aalto.fi)

Applicants for Master's degree studies should apply via our online application system. In the field of economics and art and design the target programmes are degree programmes and in the field of technology the target programmes are master’s programmes instructed in English and major subjects of degree programmes. The application deadline is 15 February 2012.

Aalto University offers altogether approximately 150 target programmes in Finnish, Swedish or English during the application period 2012. There are also two cross disciplinary programmes: Creative Sustainability and International Design Business Management.

• Link to the online application system: http://apply.aalto.fi

New high strength steels reduce the weight of machinery, but welding of even thinner materials is challenging.

- When the component walls become thinner, new joining methods are needed, researcher Ahti Oinonen points out.

Crane components and forestry equipment components are continuously subjected to changing loads. A small crack originating from a stiff welded joint advances quickly, as the machinery is operated almost round the clock.

Oinonen's solution for critical joints is adhesively reinforced friction joint. Adhesive combined with high strength bolts as a substitute for a welded joint sounds weak, but that is not so. The glue creates an elastic joint in which loads are distributed more evenly than in a welded joint. Bolts ensure that the joint is secure.

- Adhesive improves the strength of the friction joint 2.5 times, Oinonen says.

Friction joints are bolt joints tightened with high-strength bolts. The operation of these joints is based on the friction between the joined parts. If the joint slips and the load is transferred to the bolts, the joint starts to suffer damage.

- There has been a lot of research on adhesive joints, but almost none on combining high-strength bolts with them.

Gary Marquis, Professor of Strength of Materials at Aalto University, was the inspiring force behind Oinonen's research. The dissertation research started under his supervision at Lappeenranta University of Technology in 2007. When Marquis was nominated as a professor at Aalto University, Oinonen followed him.

In three years, the research progressed from the development of a testing method for friction joints to the construction of a mathematical model describing the damaging process that joints are subjected to. In his dissertation, Oinonen also investigated how the bolts that tighten the glued joint should be positioned.

First, Oinonen did experimental research on the shear strength of glued joints with different surface roughnesses, adhesives and compression loads. Based on the experiments, Oinonen calculated the material parameters that are used in a numeric calculation program running on the screen of the researcher's work station.

Oinonen tightens bolts with mouse clicks. The head of a bolt on the screen penetrates slightly into metal.

Load is gradually added to the virtual joint. Finally, the glued joint fails.

Oinonen zooms on the joint interface where the bonded seam starts to slip.

- The displacement is 0.7 millimetres.

With the modelling method developed by Oinonen, engineers are able to design bonded joints and model any potential damage.

The new joining method is not yet used in mechanical engineering, and it cannot yet be found among standards in the field. There is potential, undoubtedly, especially for critical fatigue-related targets.  In the aerospace industry, adhesive-bonded structures are already widely used. We will soon have more accurate research data on the fatigue strength of friction-adhesive joints. The expectation is that the fatigue strength is excellent.

- The joining method would be suitable, for example, for the attachment brackets of the hydraulic cylinders in forestry equipment and cranes. In shipbuilding also the trend is towards lighter structures.

The research was partially funded by FIMECC, a research network for Finnish mechanical engineering industry.

Image caption: Based on the research, the optimal bolt pattern for an eccentrically loaded friction joint is semicircular.   

The doctoral dissertation of Ahti Oinonen, M.Sc (Tech), titled ”Damage Modelling Procedure and Fastener Positioning Optimization of Adhesively Reinforced Frictional Interfaces” was examined at the Aalto University School of Engineering on Monday 28th November 2011.

For further information please contact:
Researcher Ahti Oinonen
Aalto University Department of Applied Mechanics
ahti.oinonen@aalto.fi
Tel. 040 524 8654

Text: Petja Partanen/Tarinatakomo

- Mostly this change is about establishing a long partnership, says Antti Ahlava, Head of the Department of Architecture. We have traditionally had more in common with the fields represented by the School of Art and Design than with those represented by the School of Engineering. We continue and update together the Nordic design and architecture tradition.

Ahlava points out that the work of an architect is closer to the work of a designer than that of a Master of Science in Engineering. Projects in the fields of design, media and architecture all typically employ experts from various fields and require visionary individuals who see the big picture. In addition to an understanding of several fields, extensive knowledge of culture is also required.

- The School of Art and Design has built a good basis and a number of functional methods for multidisciplinary cooperation, Ahlava says. I believe that the cooperation with architects will also benefit students of design and media.

- Architecture is a field that has characteristics of both arts and technology. It is important that multidisciplinary cooperation skills are practised at university, since students will need them as soon as they begin their career. Mastering rare media skills is also increasingly important in today's world, Ahlava says.

Better architects and designers

The formation of the new school supports cooperation in the spirit of Aalto University, but there is more to the process than just cooperation between the Department of Architecture and the School of Art and Design.

- We have previously had limited cooperation with the engineering sciences, but the process concerning the School of Arts, Design and Architecture has resulted in a significant number of working groups, seminars and initiatives on how cooperation with both engineering and commercial fields could be developed, Ahlava says.

- In August, we launched a vast surveying and planning operation concerning new forms of collaboration between the engineering sciences, architecture and the fields represented by the School of Art and Design. In mid-November, we gathered to take a look at the current situation. The aim is to finish the well advanced work and proposals during December.

According to Ahlava, the fear that being moved to the new school would weaken the professional skills of architects is based on a misunderstanding.

- The School of Art and Design is not an art school, but a school that educates most of all designers, for whom collaboration with industry is vital. The integration process is about cooperating with designers and strengthening the multidisciplinary nature of our activities. This also benefits the departments of the School of Engineering.

- The School of Arts, Design and Architecture will make us even better professionals in practical building projects, since we will have experience of multidisciplinary cooperation with experts from various fields, Ahlava guarantees. Engineering students will also be warmly welcomed in these collaboration projects.

The technology student of the School of Arts, Design and Architecture

For Aalto students of architecture, becoming part of the School of Arts, Design and Architecture entails a cultural change.

- The Otaniemi artists will suddenly become the technology students of the new school and have to rebuild their profile in the creative field, Ahlava smiles.

Antti Ahlava

• Senior Lecturer in Urban Design
• Head of the Department of Architecture since 1 September 2011
• Graduated from the Department of Architecture of Helsinki University of Technology in 1996
• Doctor of Arts in spatial design (Architecture in Consumer Society), University of Art and Design, Helsinki, 2002
• Born in Tampere
• Enjoys sailing, but does not wear Marimekko shirts

Text: Riitta Särkisilta
Photo: Mikko Raskinen 

In particular, the English version of the name received plenty of feedback and criticism from the Aalto community. As a result of this, the jury, which consisted of representatives of Aalto management, students, alumni and external experts, wanted to review its earlier decision.

According to the jury’s final decision, the English name of the school will be Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture, and its name in Swedish will be Aalto-universitetets högskola för konst, design och arkitektur. The Finnish name announced earlier will remain the same.

The English and Swedish names are illustrative and easy to understand both internationally and within Finland. These names combine the internationally recognized and renowned expertise of the school’s disciplines. The names reflect the strong traditions and identity of the competence areas of arts, design and architecture in the current entities. 

- The names for Aalto University’s new school sparked a lively debate within our community. For us on the jury, it was important to listen to and react to this message. A university community that is passionate about the identity of its schools is a valuable asset to be nurtured. I am delighted that the Aalto community wants to be so concretely involved in building our future, says Helena Hyvönen, Dean of the Aalto University School of Art and Design.

From 1 January 2012, the names of Aalto University’s schools will be as follows:

School of Arts, Design and Architecture
School of Chemical Technology
School of Economics
School of Electrical Engineering
School of Engineering
School of Science

For further information, please contact:
Dean Helena Hyvönen, School of Art and Design, helena.hyvonen@aalto.fi, tel. +358 50 324 3657

Communications Director Tapio Hedman, chairman of the jury, tapio.hedman@aalto.fi, tel. +358 40 516 2396

Doctor Tuomas Paloposki from was awarded the Best International Teacher prize based on descriptions collected from students. The Best International Teacher prize is awarded to a teacher or instructor teaching in a language other than Finnish or Swedish.

Paloposki was particularly applauded for getting the Finnish and international students to work together and for his skills in using the diversity of a group as an advantage. Students also praised him for combining theory in practical exercises, initiating lively discussion, his captivating teaching manner and exemplary use of feedback to develop teaching.

The International Act of the Year prize was awarded to Pamela Spokes working in the international relations team, who acted swiftly and decisively to achieve health insurance for international students. The unavailability of a comprehensive and affordable insurance has been a major problem for many international students coming from outside the EU and EEA countries. The Finnish student movement has promoted the group insurance-based solution for several years. AYY is particularly pleased that Aalto also invited other Finnish universities and universities of applied sciences to participate in the process. This has improved the situation of international students in a number of higher education institutions across Finland.

AYY granted both prizes this year for the first time. ”With these prizes, AYY wishes to draw attention to the importance of high-quality internationalisation of Aalto students. The quality of teaching in English and the well-being of international students require continuous effort from the University”, emphasises AYY's Chairperson Saara Hyrkkö.

The prizes will be awarded in the international celebration at Aalto Design Factory on 12 Nov, 7pm.

Aalto University Student Union AYY is the service and advocacy organisation for approximately 15,000 Aalto University students. AYY acts as the advocate of its members in academic and social affairs, in particular. 

Further information:

Hanna Sauli, Specialist, International Affairs. international@ayy.fi, tel. 050 520 9446.

Doctor Tuomas Paloposki, Department of Energy Technology, School of Engineering. tuomas.paloposki@aalto.fi, tel.  +358 9 470 23605.

Pamela Spokes, Manager, International Student Recruitment, Aalto University. pamela.spokes@aalto.fi, tel. +358 401843391.

The new School of Arts and Creativity will be a school of design, media, architecture and arts bringing together areas that focus on designing and implementing human-oriented environments. The basic philosophy of the school will be close to a humanist world view, which will be reflected in the human-centred and user-oriented nature of its research, teaching and other activities.

The English name of the new school was selected to reflect this humanist world view. The Swedish name of the school, on the other hand, will be Högskolan för konst och kreativitet vid Aalto-universitetet. The translations differ slightly from the Finnish version of the name – Aalto-yliopiston taiteiden ja suunnittelun korkeakoulu - as the concept ’art and design’ in the current name has strong associations with the past. As they stand, both names convey the idea of change more powerfully than direct translations.

”All the versions of the new school's names are new, thus describing the change brought about by the amalgamation and the multi-disciplinary nature of Aalto University. Art combined with design and creativity is an apt description of the activities and perspective of the new school. These are the common denominators to all aspects of the new school”, Dean Helena Hyvönen from the School of Art and Design justifies the choice.

In the future, the new school will produce specialists and innovators of design, arts and architecture with not only strong artistic skills but also competence in user-driven design.

”For these professionals of the future and developers of our built environment, links with construction technology will play a key role. The term ‘design’ in the school’s Finnish name embraces an important link with all fields of Aalto University – technology as well as economics”, explains Antti Ahlava, Head of the Department of Architecture.

The name for the new school was sought in a competition that was open to the entire Aalto community, including stakeholders and the general public. Almost 800 suggestions were received, reflecting not only a lively interest in the matter but also the communal way of operating that is typical of Aalto University. The final choice was made by a jury consisting of the management, experts and students of Aalto University and the new school, as well as an alumni representative.

From the beginning of next year, the School of Arts and Creativity will be a community of some 2,100 degree students, 300 post-graduate students and 500 personnel members. Also in the future, the students of the school will be able to complete a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science degree as well as a Master of Arts degree or a Master of Science degree in Architecture or Landscape Architecture. The new university will offer 12 study programmes in Finnish leading to a Bachelor’s degree, and 23 Master’s degree programmes and Doctorate programmes in English, in the fields of art, design and engineering. The departments of the school will continue to operate at their current facilities at Arabianranta in Helsinki and Otaniemi in Espoo until the new premises needed by the school are completed at Aalto University’s shared campus in Otaniemi. This is estimated to take place in 2015.

For further information please contact:

Dean Helena Hyvönen, tel. +358 50 324 3657
Head of Department Antti Ahlava, tel. +358 50 324 1179
Communications Manager Anne Tapanainen, tel. +358 50 5319180
E-mail addresses are in the format firstname.lastname@aalto.fi

Researcher Jani Romanoff bends a sheaf of copy paper into a S-shape. Power is not needed. Another, still wrapped pack does not bend in researchers hands.

This is also how a closed, foam-filled steel structure works. Filling the steel panel with special foam makes it up to seven times more rigid. At a same time, weight of the structure will increase only 15 percent.

- Foam effectively prevents local bending of the surface and the core plates. Sandwich panels stiffness is increased multiple times,  says Romanoff.

Today, ships decks are made from heavy duty, 6 millimeter thick steel plate, stiffened with welded vertical beams having height 100mm. Using a lightweight foam-filled sandwich structure, thickness of the deck is less than 5 centimeters instead of over 10 centimeters. 

- The weight saving may be as much as 40 percent. Thinner decks means lower center of gravity. Ship becomes more stable, naval architect Romanoff lists the benefits.

Jani Romanoff has studied the foam filling for over 10 years. Finally this summer, persistence was rewarded. In recent SUTERA-project researchers found a feasible filling method and –materials. Stiffness of the structure improved several-fold. Also corrosion resistance proved to be excellent in tests where panels were immersed in seawater for two years.

Romanoff says that the new structure is ready for use for example as lift decks on car ferries.
- The space and weight saving would give a significant competitive advantage.

In order to be suitable for all the ship's decks and bulkheads, researchers still have to resolve how the panels are connected together.

- Welding of the closed structures is difficult, says Romanoff.


Aalto University Marine Technology laboratory: http://www.tkk.fi/Units/Ship/
Jani Romanoff’s scientific publications www.tkk.fi/Units/Ship/Personnel/Romanoff/index.html
 
Contact info:
Jani Romanoff

Professor of Naval Architecture (Acting)
Department of Applied Mechanics / Marine Technology
Tel. +358 9 4702 4171
jani.romanoff@aalto.fi

Aalto-yliopiston laivalaboratorio: http://www.tkk.fi/Units/Ship/
Jani Romanoffin tieteelliset julkaisut: www.tkk.fi/Units/Ship/Personnel/Romanoff/index.html

Yhteystiedot
Jani Romanoff

Professor of Naval Architecture (Acting)
Department of Applied Mechanics / Marine Technology
Tel. +358 9 4702 4171
jani.romanoff@aalto.fi

Text: Petja Partanen, Tarinatakomo

Teksti Petja Partanen

All sectors of climate change receive equal attention on the site: Apart from scientific background information, the site presents concrete means for mitigation and adaptation. The material on the website has been prepared by Finland’s leading climate researchers and experts, and the contents will be supplemented and developed gradually.

The website contains approximately 400 pages of reliable information about climate change, presented in an easily understandable form. The articles have been checked by an editorial board with experts in various fields.

Information about the past and future climate at regional level

In addition to information concerning the whole of Finland, Ilmasto-opas provides more specific data at regional and local levels, for instance, about temperatures and precipitation for individual municipalities. The site also includes scenarios on how climate change will affect circumstances in each region during the coming decades. Observations and models demonstrate how climate change impacts on the conditions and the environment of a selected region.

Users of the site can quickly get a general idea of the impacts of climate change throughout Finland, and they can weigh concrete measures and solutions of their choice for mitigating and adapting to climate change. Users can themselves select the region, time period and emission scenario that interest them.

Segments tailored for target groups

Ilmasto-opas also has segments tailored for specific target groups. These take into account each group’s specific needs and viewpoint. The first segment to be opened is that for municipalities and municipal residents, since municipalities play an important role in providing for and adapting to climate change. Thanks to the site, municipal decision-makers can see at a glance how climate change will affect various sectors in their municipalities, thereby enabling them to evaluate measures and solutions that would meet their local needs.

Information from research institutions

The Ilmasto-opas.fi website is produced as a three-year EU Life+ project (LIFE07 INF/FIN/000152 CCCRP) by the Finnish Meteorological Institute, the Finnish Environment Institute and the Centre for Urban and Regional Studies of Aalto University.

The website will be maintained and developed together by several bodies, e.g. the Finnish Meteorological Institute, the Finnish Environment Institute, the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Transport and Communications, and the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra. The Swedish and English versions of the site will be launched towards the end of this year.

Additional information

Researcher Simo Haanpää
Centre for Urban and Regional Studies of Aalto University
tel. +358 50 512 4557
simo.haanpaa@aalto.fi

Ilmasto-opas.fi website (In Finnish, the English version of the site will be launched later this year)

The graduate program now has five open

RESEARCH STUDENT POSITIONS

for the period 1.1.2012 -- 31.12.2015. The positions can also be filled for a shorter period, depending on the application and state of studies. The salary is according to the salary scheme of the students's home university.

The important factors in the student selection are success in M.Sc. studies (grades and time used for graduation), research plan (scientific level and relevance to engineering mechanics), study plan, publications (not expected from recently graduated), and statement of the supervising professor.

The written application should have the following appendices:

• Curriculum Vitae.

• List of publications.

• A copy of the official university records of M.Sc. studies. The weighted average of the grades should be given in the scale 1-5, if not written in the official record.

• Research plan, maximum length 5 pages.

• Study plan, with timetable for courses and publications and estimated date for thesis defence.

• Statement from the supervising professor.

Deadline for the applications is October 28, 2011.

The applications should be sent to the address: professor Jukka Tuhkuri, Department of Applied Mechanics, Aalto University, P.O.Box 14300, 00076 Aalto. Application documents will not be returned.

Additional information about the graduate program will be given by professor Jukka Tuhkuri, jukka.tuhkuri@aalto.fi, tel. 09 470 23450.

The program is coordinated by Aalto University and it is carried out in
partnership with the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, University of
Helsinki, Åbo Akademi University, University of Jyväskylä, Tampere
University of Technology, University of Vaasa, University of Oulu, and
Lappeenranta University of Technology.

Applications are invited for fifteen (15) salary positions for doctoral students for a maximum of 4 (four) years starting on 1.1.2012.

The applicants must have a MSc degree or equivalent on a suitable subject.
Those who have already advanced in their doctoral studies can apply for
1-3 years.

The major research fields of the inter-disciplinary program are
- energy technology and systems
- energy conversion and efficiency
- energy resources and environmental impacts

The deadline for applications is November 4, 2011, at 16:00 Finnish time
(UTC 14:00).

For further details see web pages at http://energia.tkk.fi/en/ees/.
Further enquiries are addressed to the EES coordinator Suvi Ojanen
(suvi.ojanen@aalto.fi).