Collaboration between general upper secondary schools and universities is important

At the final event of the Tutki-Kokeile-Kehitä competition (TuKoKe, ‘explore, experiment, develop’), which was organised jointly by Development Centre Opinkirjo and Academic Engineers and Architects in Finland TEK, a special prize was awarded for an entry involving exemplary collaboration between a general upper secondary school and a science university. The prize was given to Taavi Väänänen and Atte Kapanen from Helsinki School of Mathematics, their instructor Teppo Harju as well as their partner Joni Tammi from Aalto University Metsähovi Radio Observatory.

With this special prize, Development Centre Opinkirjo wants to encourage all general upper secondary schools to offer research courses and to bring students in direct contact with researchers in different fields.

The prize winner was chosen by Minna Riikka Järvinen, Executive Director at Opinkirjo, after interviewing the competitors.

‘Their work is an excellent demonstration of the collaboration between general upper secondary education and higher education that is included in the curriculum and science studies of general upper secondary schools,’ Järvinen explains her decision.

According to Järvinen, the teacher of the research course Teppo Harju has guided the students in an exemplary manner to collaborate with Joni Tammi, Director of Aalto University Metsähovi Radio Observatory.

‘The students had access to Metsähovi's open data and a problem to solve that no one had previously studied. At Metsähovi, the students were able to see how the devices function, familiarised themselves with the work of engineers and researchers, and saw in particular what it is like to work on a scientific project. It was great to see the enthusiasm of the students and how they developed during the project’ Tammi says.

You can read the news on the website of Opinkirjo (in Finnish)