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Maarit Korpi-Lagg: I have so few female colleagues that sometimes it’s difficult to maintain self-esteem

In this video, Professor of Astroinformatics Maarit Korpi-Lagg shares her childhood dream and how it feels to work in the midst of the many male researchers and professors.
Maarit Korpi-Lagg, photo by by Matti Ahlgren
‘My biggest dream since I was a child was to understand astronomical objects. Then, I have focused most of my career in understanding the sun,' says Maarit Korpi-Lagg. Photo: Matti Ahlgren.

'It’s of course a daunting task for a female professor to do something as great as these recognised professors. Sometimes it’s difficult to maintain self-esteem in a situation where there are so few female colleagues. Both in physics and computer science there are very few female researchers and professors. Last year we had a celebration because the first female student passed my course. It was a big thing for me,' says Professor Maarit Korpi-Lagg.

The video has been produced by the European Commission and it has been directed by Kasia and Dawid Kissinger.

Maarit Korpi-Lagg turned her childhood hobbies into a living

As a child, Maarit Korpi-Lagg was interested in the stars and coding, and now she researches the activity of the sun, which could not be done without computer science

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Nainen seisoo ja katsoo sivulle hymyillen kädet puuskassa. Hänellä on päällään musta paita ja sininen huivi ja aurinko värjää taustaa vaaleaksi.

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Minna Halme: At first, sustainability wasn’t taken seriously

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Saban Ramadani: Is it radical to create a rocket in a week?

‘When you are expected to come up with something quickly, for instance, in visual arts, is the purpose itself lost in the creative process? Is it radical to create a rocket in a week?’

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Walk in my shoes

Inspired by the saying that you should walk a mile in someone’s shoes to understand them, the ‘Walk in my shoes’ series aims to share some of the experiences, thoughts, perspectives and challenges faced by members of the Aalto community.

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Walk in my shoes, illustration by Anna Muchenikova.
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Your voice gives away valuable personal information, so how do you keep that data safe?

With speech technologies becoming increasingly common, researchers want to make sure we don’t give away more information than we mean to.
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Aalto in 2025: Quantum leaps, creative breakthroughs and solutions for a better life

Growth, technology and industrial renewal; human-centred solutions; health and everyday wellbeing; and enjoyable daily life and thriving communities.
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Research Council of Finland establishes a Center of Excellence in Quantum Materials

The Centre, called QMAT, creates new materials to power the quantum technology of coming decades.
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Awards and Recognition, Cooperation Published:

Two Unite! Seed Fund projects involving Aalto secure top EU funding

Two prestigious EU grants have been awarded to projects that were initially supported with Unite! Seed Funding. Both projects involve Aalto.