The next issue of Aalto University Magazine will be published on 1 September 2026, and its main theme is growth. If you would like to receive the September issue at your home address in Finland, please subscribe by 9 August 2026.
We are updating the magazine subscription model, and mailing of the printed magazine will become subject to a fee (€10 per year). We will provide more information about the changes well in advance.
The printed magazine will continue to be available free of charge from distribution points on the Otaniemi campus, including Väre, Marsio, Dipoli, the Undergraduate Centre and the Harald Herlin Learning Centre.
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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.
Governments demand it, companies promise it, and universities are expected to deliver it. Growth is widely seen as the answer to debt, competitiveness, and the future of the welfare state itself. But what do we actually mean by growth – and what kind of growth are we aiming for?
According to the dictionary, hope is the feeling that something desirable is likely to happen. A writer set out to search for hope on the university campus – and encountered fulfilled wishes, critical hope studies, and the kind of hope you have to create yourself.
Construction remains a major climate culprit, yet it could also hold the key to cutting emissions. Change is already underway in infrastructure materials, as researchers, cities and companies work together to find more sustainable – even carbon-storing – ways to build.
Universities struggle with shrinking funding while expectations continue to rise. New revenue streams and broad societal support are more critical than ever.
Experts explain how the scarcity of water impacts both global politics and the economy
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’.
When sound designer Pietu Korhonen walked the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival in May, it was far from his first time. Once again, cameras flashed, champagne flowed – and this time, he returned home with the Palme d’Or for Fjord.
Yuri Kroyan, an energy industry associate, develops advanced statistical models to describe and predict how the world can move away from fossil fuels.
Maija Itkonen, CEO of Onego Bio, is known for popularising the meat alternative Pulled Oats and now also for egg protein made without chickens. She believes business can change the world for the better.
Little did a young business student know that the most valuable lessons of her career wouldn’t come from lectures but from student union work. Over the years, Salla Vainio has found herself in many extraordinary situations in leadership roles around the world.
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.
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.
Our feature story takes you on a journey.
Aalto University’s campus is home to thousands of species. Nature recovers and flourishes through gentle care and room to grow.
Building underground calls for research and expertise from many fields. We descended into a tunnel right from the Aalto University campus.
Startup Reverlast repurposes discarded wind turbine blades into durable floating docks, the first of which supports a beloved community sauna on the university’s shoreline.
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.
Aalto University has produced a film to highlight its creative culture.
Alusta, built from clay and populated by plants, is a sanctuary for pollinators and a meeting place for all living things
This column focuses on the personal choices experts make related to their field of research.
Insights from an assistant professor and philosopher who studies human well-being and motivation.
Senior Scientist Hovatta explores the mysteries of the universe at Aalto University’s Metsähovi Radio Observatory.
This Associate Professor of Electromagnetics manipulates and directs light with materials.
This doctoral researcher responds to the need for a home, not just a shelter – amid the most complex humanitarian crises.
The science stories shed light on current top-level research at Aalto.
Doctoral researchers at Aalto University Bioinnovation Center discuss accelerating the sustainable bioeconomy, the importance of collaboration and bold entrepreneurial dreams.
Located in Kirkkonummi, southern Finland, Metsähovi Radio Observatory collects information on the Sun, quasars, and black holes, while training space scientists of the future.
Future maternity and child health clinics and positive birth experiences may be built on 3D-video conferences and avatars but also traditional child health clinic cards and genuine human interaction.
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.
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.
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.
Sharing the interest makes a good conversation.
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.
Is there any skill more important in today’s work world than the ability to cope during challenging times and bounce back quickly?
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.
In years to come, autonomous ships could reshape the entire maritime industry, say marine technology experts Mashrura Musharraf and Sauli Eloranta.
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.
The biggest environmental act would be not building at all. But a circular economy can also mitigate the environmental impact of construction.
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.
37 Tracing hope, February 2026
36 Acts of change, September 2025
35 Follow the money, May 2025
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
Aalto University, Communications
PO Box 11000, FI-00076 AALTO
magazine@aalto.fi
Editor-in-chief
Communications manager
Anitta Pirnes
anitta.pirnes@aalto.fi
tel. +358 50 564 4028
Managing editor
Paula Haikarainen
paula.haikarainen@aalto.fi
tel +358 50 314 1545
AD & photo editing
Dog Design
dog@dogdesign.fi
Illustration & photos
Students and alumni of Aalto University
Change of address by email: crm-support@aalto.fi
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Finnish edition 4 000 copies,
English edition 3 000 copies
ISSN 2489-6772 (print)
ISSN 2489-6780 (online)
