Aalto University

Aalto University Magazine

Aalto University's stakeholder magazine focuses on science and art, technology and business – we describe how they converge and write about the people behind our stories.
Lehden suomenkielisiä ja englanninkielisiä irtonumeroita kuvattuna ulkona vihreän varvikon päällä. Kuva: Anni Kääriä.
Photo: Anni Kääriä

Printed copies are distributed to Aalto alumni community members and other stakeholders.

Facsimile copy of the latest issue

A selection of Aalto University Magazine articles

Metsähovin tutkimusaseman alue rakennuksineen kuvattuna ylhäältä päin syksyisessä maisemassa metsän keskellä.
Aalto Magazine Published:

Unravelling the mysteries of space

Located in Kirkkonummi, southern Finland, Metsähovi Radio Observatory collects information on the Sun, quasars, and black holes, while training space scientists of the future.
Some copies of Aalto University Magazine in Finnish and English displayed on the running track of the Otaniemi sports field.
Aalto Magazine Published:

The new Aalto University Magazine showcases the makers of the impossible

The theme of the September issue aligns with the exhibitions opening on campus.
Kristjana Adalgeirsdottir photographed against a stone wall of a light pink house with a window in the background.
Aalto Magazine, Research & Art Published:

Everyday choices: Kristjana Adalgeirsdóttir, what does an architect do in a war zone?

This doctoral researcher responds to the need for a home, not just a shelter – amid the most complex humanitarian crises.
Valkoiseen laboratoriotakkiin pukeutunut Juho Uzkurt Kaljunen seisoo harmaan seinän edessä ja on levittänyt kätensä.
Aalto Magazine, Research & Art Published:

‘Running a business isn’t so bad after all’

Juho Uzkurt Kaljunen founded NPHarvest Oy based on his doctoral thesis with the aim of improving the nutrient cycle by recovering minerals from wastewater. The company’s first round of funding was a success.

Each issue has its theme presented by the main story

How does trust occur in our networked everyday lives? What happens when we exceed the limits of the body? What is wise failure like?  We have covered these themes in the issues of Aalto University Magazine. In the main story, the reader is introduced to the theme of the magazine by an interesting group of experts from different fields.

Illustration where a fetus is inside a water bubble.

The weight of water – Finland is a powerhouse in water diplomacy

Experts explain how the scarcity of water impacts both global politics and the economy

News
Kuvituskuvassa suuren valkoisen pilven keskeltä nousee kevytrakenteinen pyramidi, joka koostuu toistensa sisällä olevista pienistä sinisistä pyramideista. Kuvitus: Iikkamatti Hauru.

Human, animal, machine: How three researchers reveal the dynamics of power across disciplines

Whenever humans interact – with other humans, animals or technology – there are always power dynamics at play. Three researchers from different disciplines explain how they bring to light the hidden ways power is used in human interactions.

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Kuvituskuva

The world’s lightest revolution

Green hydrogen promises to turn Europe into an energy heavyweight, make traffic emission-free and replace carbon in steel manufacturing. But can it actually deliver – and how?

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Piirroskuvassa on kuvitteellinen vihreän ja sinisen sävyinen kaupunkinäkymä, jossa ihmishahmoiset suunnittelijat siirtelevät eri osia, kuten teitä ja puistoja, paikasta toiseen kuin pelissä.

Urban planning in an intersection of a thousand wishes

How can we make a city flourish when one resident hopes for more forests and another wants parking lots? Data and keen listening can help, say urban planners and researchers.

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Kuvituskuvassa on vaaleanpunaisella pohjalla mustavalkoiset ihmiskasvot ja niiden yläpuolella sinisävyinen piirroskuva aivoista. Kasvojen ympärillä on yksittäisiä sanoja kuten "jungle" ja "tomato" sekä aivosähkökäyrää symboloiva aaltoviiva.

Artificial intelligence to assist the brain

Neuroscience and neurotechnology are gaining a fresh ally in the form of artificial intelligence, which can assess dementia risk and enhance the effectiveness of depression treatments.

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Piirroskuvitus Aalto University Magazinen kansista. Kuvassa on kaksi ihmishahmoa kävelemässä, taustalla erilaisia ympäristöjä mm. kaupunki, metsä, vuoristo. Kuvittaja: Satu Kettunen.

Four years and lots of tears – three experts tell how they succeeded in making the change

Many entrepreneurs and researchers set their goals based on a realisation that something needs to be done differently. The change they envision might be a new product or material, or it can be a new way to do things. Implementing change isn’t always easy, however, and it demands a stomach for uncertainty, say Professor Michael Hummel and entrepreneurs Annu Nieminen and Richard Nordström.

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Piirroskuva ihmisestä digimaailmassa, piirros: Sanni Wessman

The builders of digital trust

A society gone online needs encrypters, white hats and appropriately suspicious citizens.

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Teemajutun kuvitus, kuva: Noora Typpö

Weak signals bring messages from the future

Weak signals help us see the present more precisely and build better futures.

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Valokuvassa on kaksi talitiaista oksalla, toinen lintu seisoo toisen päällä. Kuva: Sanna Kannisto.

Try, fail, try again, fail better

Failure is an unavoidable part of life, but does failure have to be all bad? How about failing upwards and forwards?

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Arnevi Rautanen etummaisena ja Juha Utriainen hänen takanaan tummasävyisessä muotokuvassa, taustalla sininen verho.

Aalto’s alumni tell their career stories

Every year, 2 000 students graduate from Aalto University. Where do they end up in their careers? In each issue of the magazine, we interview an interesting alumnus/alumna who tells, ‘how I became me’.

Sini-punasävyisessä henkilökuvassa on dramaattinen tunnelma ja vahvat varjot. Alma Muukka-Marjovuon ilme on vakava. Kuva: Aleksi Poutanen.

Echoing a kindred spirit from a century past

Counsellor of Education Alma Muukka-Marjovuo grew up surrounded by art. Now she works to ensure that all children and young people in Finland have access to top-notch art education.

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Arnevi Rautanen etummaisena ja Juha Utriainen hänen takanaan tummasävyisessä muotokuvassa, taustalla sininen verho.

Returning to the roots

Arnevi Rautanen and Juha Utriainen gave up their careers to take up farming in the village of Joroinen in Eastern Finland. At their family farm, values are more than just empty words — they are principles that the couple lives by every day.

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Siniseen asun pukeutunut Maija Jokela istumassa pyöreän pöydän ääressä neuvotteluhuoneessa, taustalla suuren sohvan oranssi selkänoja.

Alum Maija Jokela’s work is displayed around town

The construction industry is more diverse than its reputation, realised Ramboll Finland’s Managing Director Maija Jokela during her first summer job.

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Muotoilija Lincoln Kayiwa työhuoneensa ovella

Designer Lincoln Kayiwa wants to create heirlooms

Finland seemed a bit like destiny for this Ugandan-born entrepreneur and Aalto alumnus.

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Kasvokuva Sini Merikalliosta, hänellä on yllään tumma villapaita, jossa on raitoja. Kuva: Aleksi Poutanen.

Alum Sini Merikallio and the makings of an astronaut

Veterinarian and former space researcher turns her gaze back to the stars.

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Sami Marttinen kuvattuna Swappien tehdastiloissa.

Conquering the world with refurbished phones

Sami Marttinen bought a phone through an online flea market, but never actually got the device. This incident spurred the creation of used iPhone refurbisher and seller Swappie, which is growing rapidly across Europe.

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Henkilökuvassa Helsinki Design Weekin perustaja Kari Korkman. Kuvaaja: Aleksi Poutanen.

Design emissary

It is possible to cooperate with any and every person, Kari Korkman believes. The founder of Helsinki Design Week is inspired by brainstorming.

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Tiina Tuurnala kuvattuna toimistossaan, kuva: Aleksi Poutanen

For her beloved Baltic Sea

As a little girl, Tiina Tuurnala would take her family’s motorboat around nearby islets to catch ship wakes. Now, she is at the helm of the Finnish Shipowners’ Association and is steering the maritime industry towards a low-emission future.

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Aallon alumni Ksenia Avetisova katsoo peiliin järven rannalla, kuva: Aleksi Poutanen

Alum Ksenia Avetisova is a human at the heart of technology

Ksenia Avetisova moves around the virtual world as part of her job, but what brought her to Finland was a live rock gig.

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Kuvassa Pasi Herranen, Orvokki Ihalainen ja Panu Miettinen

On the go

Our feature story takes you on a journey.

Two researcherss drilling ice

The ice whisperers

Professor Jukka Tuhkuri studies ice in Otaniemi and around the world. Ice has fundamentally changed – we’ve messed up, he says. Now we need to understand what that means for humanity.

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A woman dancing in front of a big building

A deep dive into radical creativity

Aalto University has produced a film to highlight its creative culture.

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Tiiliseinä, jonka vieressä vaaleanpunaisia kukkia, taustalle korkeita, vanhoja taloja.

A human-friendly, giant insect hotel emerged in the middle of the city

Alusta, built from clay and populated by plants, is a sanctuary for pollinators and a meeting place for all living things

News
A boy jumping on a mixed reality trampoline in Superpark

A lighter path to exercise

The psychology of motivation coupled with mixed reality games can get kids moving

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Camilla Inkeroinen ja Hanna Vanhanen

Researchers develop the perfect recycled fertilizer for forests - saves 88% of energy normally used but still not legal

Finnish forests are typically nourished with fertilisers containing energy-intensive nitrogen and phosphorous mined in Morocco. Researchers have now developed an ecological alternative with ingredients sourced from a waste processing plant. It is good for forests and the environment – but legislation has to change first.

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Kolme miestä pelaamassa rugbyä, kuva: Aki-Pekka Sinikoski

A sport for gentleman thugs

Rugby is a tough contact sport that requires players to absorb constant hits while maintaining absolute trust in their teammates in every situation – not unlike research work.

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Kuvassa Pasi Herranen, Orvokki Ihalainen ja Panu Miettinen

Anything but an ordinary greenhouse

A wood-structured windowless greenhouse consumes only half as much energy as a traditional glass greenhouse. In addition to producing food, Pasi Herranen’s invention could generate electricity and excess heat in the future.

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Aallon alumni Riikka-Leena Leskelä seisoo purjevenetaulun edessä. Kuva: Mikko Raskinen

Aalto alum returned to the university bench - 'The discussions held at lectures were amazingly smart and beneficial'

Aalto alum Riikka-Leena Leskelä returned to the school bench to find new directions for her management work. One thing she learned was that she’d been doing exactly the right things all along.

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Everyday choices

This column focuses on the personal choices experts make related to their field of research.

Kristjana Adalgeirsdottir photographed against a stone wall of a light pink house with a window in the background.

Everyday choices: Kristjana Adalgeirsdóttir, what does an architect do in a war zone?

This doctoral researcher responds to the need for a home, not just a shelter – amid the most complex humanitarian crises.

News
Kenneth Dooley on aloittanut viisivuotisen kautensa työelämäprofessorina lokakuussa 2022 Aalto-yliopiston sähkötekniikan ja automaation laitoksella. Kuva: Aalto-yliopisto / Nita Vera

Everyday choices: Ken Dooley, what makes a building smart?

This professor of practice wants to solve frustrating problems with simple tools.

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Russel Lai on kuvassa puettuna mustaa miekkailuasuun, pitää kädessään suurta miekkaa ja katsoo etuviistoon ylös kuin kohti vastustajaa. Taustalla näkyy miekkoja telineissä.

Everyday choices: Russell Lai, what do swordsmanship and cryptography have in common?

Assistant Professor Russell Lai wields mathematical symbols and German longswords.

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Punaiseen kukkamekkoon pukeutunut Eliisa Lotsari katsoo hymyillen kameraan, taustaseinällä on suuri sinisävyinen lasitaideteos

Everyday choices: Eliisa Lotsari, do you ever go ice swimming?

This academy research fellow and assistant professor delights in cold water, both in nature and in the lab.

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Researcher Ayush Bharti jumps and smiles in a hallway

Everyday choices: Ayush Bharti, can AI fix a dropped Wi-Fi connection?

This postdoctoral researcher boosts wireless communications with signal interaction models.

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Kaie Kubjas katsoo lähikuvassa sivulle, hänet on kuvattu lasiseinän läpi, jolloin seinälle kirjoitetut matemaattiset kaavat heijastuvat hänen ylleen.

Everyday choices: Kaie Kubjas, why does mathematics feel safe?

For a professor of mathematics, logical thinking is as important as the provability of results.

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Professori Nitin Sawhney istumassa rannalla, kuva: Veera Konsti

Everyday choices: Nitin Sawhney, how do we cooperate in times of crisis?

Professor of Practice Sawhney examines the role of technology and cooperation in crisis using transdisciplinary human-centered design practices.

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Professori Caterina Soldano pitelee käsissään sähköpiuhojen muodostamaa vyyhtiä. Kuva: Jaakko Kahilaniemi.

Everyday choices: What’s your favourite gadget, Caterina Soldano?

Professor Soldano wants to develop less intrusive devices, but believes that the best way to manage electronics overuse is to turn off your smartphone’s notifications.

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Zero-energy Luukku house. Photo: Montse Zamorano Gañán

This is how science can revolutionize our daily lives

The science stories shed light on current top-level research at Aalto.

Illustration: Juuli Miettilä.

Avatars and genuine interaction

Aalto University’s researchers are contributing to the creation of redesigned maternity and child health clinics and positive childbirth experiences in their research projects. The visions seize the potential of technology, such as childbirth simulation in a 3D-video conference using an avatar, a virtual character. On the other hand, the researchers would also like to hold on to the best practices from the past, such as the traditional child health clinic card, genuine human interaction and the rotina tradition, visits by family and close-ones to meet the newborn and bring foods as a gift.

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Vihreä-musta-valkoisessa piirroskuvassa on silmälasipäinen henkilöhahmo, jolla on päässään tohtorinhattu, jonka päällä on elektroniikasta tuttu virtanäppäimen symboli.

Smart buildings make life easier and use less energy

In a smart building, the lighting system learns how occupants move throughout the building, transport robots talk to lifts, and users are guided to available workspaces by a mobile app. A new doctoral school at Aalto University is set to boost development in the field of smart buildings.

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Olli Ikkala ryhmäkuvassa portaikossa viiden tutkijan kanssa, Ikkala seisoo portaikon edessä ja katsoo tutkijoita, tutkijat seisovat rappusilla peräkkäin.

Material can be trained like a Pavlov dog – Professor Olli Ikkala and his team develop new materials

The sharpest tip of materials science is coming up with answers to questions such as can materials ‘learn’ new properties or how to keep a cancerous tumour alive outside the body.

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InteraktiiQuantum Garden on interaktiivinen elektroninen valotaideteos, jota koskettamalla teoksen värit muuttuvat. Tummasävyisessä kuvassa kaksi kättä kurkottaa eriväristen valoantureiden päälle.

Quantum literacy for all

What do computers, cell phones and GPS navigation have in common? And what about digital cameras, solar panels and fibre optics? The answer is that the functioning of these devices is based on quantum phenomena.

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Älyhanskat henkilön kädessä, kuva: Mikko Raskinen

Technology to guide rehabilitation patients by the hand

Smart gloves, virtual goggles and artificial intelligence will be part of the health care of the future.

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Biodesign, kuva: Kalle Kataila

Precision solutions for healthcare

Biodesign Finland projects utilise biomaterials to repair tissue damage and support the recuperation of mental health patients with environmental design. Identifying needs correctly forms the point of departure for all this.

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Zero-energy Luukku house. Photo: Montse Zamorano Gañán

Creating zero-energy houses, non-toxic glitter and fossil-free glue with wood

Building wisely with wood is an efficient way to combat climate change. It’s possible to build almost anything with wood if we develop our expertise and adjust our attitudes, an expert says.

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Illustration of various ALD applications by Ida-Maria Wikström.

A layer just a few atoms deep can work wonders

The atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique developed by Tuomo Suntola revolutionised information technology in the 2000s. Now researchers are using it to make better catalysts, solar cells of record efficiency and hybrid materials that transport medicines and generate electricity from bodily waste heat.

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Tohtorikoulutettavat Noora Yau ja Konrad Klockars seisovat vierekkäin valkoista taustaa vasten. Heidän välissään on pystysuora puinen levy, joka on pohjaväriltään musta, mutta pinnassa on kirkkaita sinisiä ja keltaisia kuvioita. Kuva: Jaakko Kahilaniemi.

Two experts, the same object of passion

Sharing the interest makes a good conversation.

Jaana Vapaavuori and Anne Louise Bang photographed in front of a bright green brick wall.

Threads of tomorrow – textiles that react to light and heat

A joint Nordic project is developing light- and heat-reactive textiles. In the future, curtains will regulate room temperature, clothing will help monitor blood pressure, and cotton will clean itself in sunlight.

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Jani Romanoff ja Maria Joutsenvirta seisovat hymyillen ja rinnakkain pienen välimatkan päässä toisistaan valkoisen seinän edessä. Kuvan yläosassa näkyy kuparipintainen portaikko. Joutsenvirta näyttää heiluttavan oikeaa kättään, josta lähtee kuvanmuokkauksella luotu sähkövirtaa muistuttava vaaleansininen viiva kiertäen yläkautta kohti Jani Romanoffin päätä. Kuva: Jaakko Kahilaniemi.

Dialogue: Let’s make resilience a community resource – not an individual obligation

Is there any skill more important in today’s work world than the ability to cope during challenging times and bounce back quickly?

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Laura Arpiainen ja Susanna Helke istumassa mustilla tuoleilla valkoisen tiiliseinän edessä. Arpiainen istuu tuolin selkänojan päällä jalat istuinosalla ja Helke katsoo häntä hymyillen.

Art challenges established truths in the health and social sectors

Professor Susanna Helke looks at health and social services through the lens of a filmmaker, Laura Arpiainen as an architect and professor. Both are concerned about the crisis in the care sector in Finland.

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Mashrura Musharraf ja Sauli Eloranta seisovat aurinkoisena päivänä merenrannassa. Etualalla näkyy rantakiviä, taustalla meri. Musharraf tervehtii kuvaajaa hymyillen kuten laivan kapteeni, "vieden kättä lippaan".

Launching autonomous vessels in our waters

In years to come, autonomous ships could reshape the entire maritime industry, say marine technology experts Mashrura Musharraf and Sauli Eloranta.

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Marjo-Riitta Diehl ja Miisa Mink seisovat vaaleassa portaikossa rappusilla. Diehl on heittänyt ilmaan paperilennokin, joka leijailee Minkin kasvojen yläpuolella. Molemmat hymyilevät.

Women's networks build on many strengths, from having a clear focus to an absence of masculine energy

A professor and an entrepreneur talk about what women's networks can offer: inspiration and advice, peer support, and even help landing a new job.

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Yhteiskuvassa Juudit Ottelin ja Matti Kuittinen seisovat vierekkäin ja katsovat kohti kameraa. Ottelinin kädessä on pieni musta 3d-tulostettu pääkallo, Kuittinen pitelee käsissään työmaakypärää, jossa on kuulosuojaimet.

Insulation from old jeans, walls from waste concrete – less guilt and more solutions are needed for construction

The biggest environmental act would be not building at all. But a circular economy can also mitigate the environmental impact of construction.

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Tohtorikoulutettavat Noora Yau ja Konrad Klockars seisovat vierekkäin valkoista taustaa vasten. Heidän välissään on pystysuora puinen levy, joka on pohjaväriltään musta, mutta pinnassa on kirkkaita sinisiä ja keltaisia kuvioita. Kuva: Jaakko Kahilaniemi.

Parallel paths: Designer and materials scientist conjure up glimmering colours out of wood

Designer Noora Yau and materials scientist Konrad Klockars have used wood to conjure up a colour, which is transparent yet glows like a copepod in shallow water. The pair’s good chemistry and open attitude towards asking silly questions is a great help in their work.

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Kuvassa on professori Vesa Välimäki kuulokkeet päässään ja hänen vieressään akatemiatutkija Koray Tahiroğlu, joka soittaa yksikielistä monokordia. Kuvaaja: Jaakko Kahilaniemi.

Ironing tunes

Technology can make an instrumentalist out of anyone. The brain loves music, but you need to be careful with the ears.

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Themes and published issues

Read the facsimile copies at issuu.com

34   Makers of the impossible, September 2024
33   Invisible, September 2023
32   Aspirational actions, April 2023
31   Living spaces, October 2022
30   Bodily boundaries, April 2022
29   The art of change, October 2021
28   Trust in the digital world, April 2021
27   Leaving a trace, October 2020
26   Trial and error, April 2020
25   University as an influencer in society, October 2019
24   Continuous learning, April 2019
23   Artificial intelligence, October 2018
22   Sustainability, April 2018
21   Human-centered living environments, January 2018        
20   Game changers and the new work, October 2017        
19   Multidisciplinarity, April 2017        
18   Art and creative practices, December 2016       
17   Entrepreneurship, October 2016 (in Finnish only)       
16   Materials research, May 2016        
15   Global business dynamics, December 2015        
14   Health technology, October 2015        
13   Aalto University five years, May 2015        
12   Research, December 2014        
11   Educating game changers, October 2014        
10   Big data, March 2014        
09   Health care, December 2013        
08   Energy, October 2013        
07   Creativity, May 2013        
06   Entrepreneurship, March 2013        
05   Housing and living environments, December 2012        
04   Bioeconomy, October 2012        
03   Time – solutions of a new generation, May 2012        
02   Wellbeing, February 2012        
01   Risks, October 2011       

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