Salloum majors in Complex Systems, a discipline that literally focuses on researching complex systems. Students in this major learn use of data processing tools, mathematics, and modelling complex phenomena in general. In the future, they can make use of these skills in many fields. ‘Simple equations or trivial models are no longer enough. You need to know machine learning and chaos theory in order to model complex phenomena and break them into smaller pieces.’
Interest in internationality and performing
Salloum’s mother is a midwife and his father a mechanic and they have always appreciated education, encouraging their children to study. ‘If my Mum didn’t know how to help me with my homework, she took me to our neighbour. Then, she asked the neighbours whether they could help. She always wanted to ensure that I find the right answers to my questions.’
In school, Salloum enjoyed especially mathematics and mother tongue education. He also liked to perform, which encouraged him to join a theatre club as a kid, study expression skills in secondary school, and act as a compere in school events.
All this experience helps him now in the academic world. His friends at the university know that, when their study group needs to give a presentation, Ali is ready to speak in front of an audience. When Mikko Kivelä asked whether Salloum would like to come along with him to the Ministry of Justice and present the results of ELEBOT project, he was surprised – he thought it was obvious that he would be there.
‘I have learned to perform since a little kid and practice on stage, which has endured to this day. I’m very confident when performing.’
During his bachelor’s studies, Salloum spent one semester as an exchange student in Singapore, and in spring 2020, he will move to Lisbon for the same reason. In the future, he would love to live in another Nordic country and work in, for example, education export as a link between Finland and another country.
Social issues are still close to Salloum’s heart and he hopes to inspire people to think and understand, how much there is to learn and how few things are simple. He believes that the humankind needs to have good tools to explore the world, in order to take another step forward.
For that to happen, everyone needs to understand causal relationships, socio-economic factors, and complexity of different phenomena. In practice, some kind of knowledge of mathematical and logical reasoning skills are essential. When a person, group, or a nation works in a certain way, one needs to understand what types of socio-economic factors lie behind.
Moreover, it is crucial to acknowledge that one can always learn more about any matter. Science helps in all this. ’I feel sad that some people are so cynical, have given up on the world, and think that the world can’t be fixed. I’m fully against such way of thinking.’
Read more about studies in Complex Systems: "Mathematics is a bridge between different disciplines"