”Space sciences gave perspective and food for thought”

Who are you, what  do you study and why did you choose multidisciplinary courses?

I’m Ellen Heikkilä from the School of Arts, Design and Architecture where I study architecture. I’m a bachelor and a fourth-year student. I used to study at the School of Engineering where I chose the Aaltonaut minor. I did many courses about product design that was fun. However, they don’t count in my present degree. In addition, I had to choose a compulsory course for which I picked Astronomical View of the World (Aalto ELEC).

How did you find information on multidisciplinary courses and what was best about the courses?

I heard about it from a friend of mine who had completed this course when I was thinking which compulsory course to pick. I also had the opportunity to choose Esa Saarinen’s mega courses. The Astronomical View of the World course was a lecture-based one that was all right, different from the ones I had completed before.

How can you benefit your new know-how?

Space sciences are a bit challenging. You may not be able to utilize them in your own life, but they can give you perspective. It would be important to enable having interdisciplinary courses. Of course, it’s in the making and there are obstacles such as five and six credit systems, compulsory attendances, and challenging schedules.

The concept of university-wide studies (UWS) provides a multidisciplinary perspective on a form of studying where engineering and art can meet business and management. The concept began as a response to the need for new ways to combine disciplines and make them a creative part of the university’s curriculum. aalto.fi/uws