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Hope is not just awaited – it is studied, questioned and created at Aalto University

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.

What will tomorrow’s infrastructure be made of?

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.

Will future experts be educated with fewer euros?

Universities struggle with shrinking funding while expectations continue to rise. New revenue streams and broad societal support are more critical than ever.

The weight of water – Finland is a powerhouse in water diplomacy

Experts explain how the scarcity of water impacts both global politics and the economy

How an Aalto alum uses data to help replace fossil fuels

Yuri Kroyan, an energy industry associate, develops advanced statistical models to describe and predict how the world can move away from fossil fuels.

Alum Maija Itkonen shapes food and businesses: ‘I want to do things that I can direct my passion towards’

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.

Alum Salla Vainio: An exceptional generalist

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.

Echoing a kindred spirit from a century past

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.

Returning to the roots

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.

Life inside the rock: Otaniemi’s ‘catacombs’ as a living lab for research and education

Building underground calls for research and expertise from many fields. We descended into a tunnel right from the Aalto University campus.

On the go: A new life for an old blade

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.

The ice whisperers

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.

A human-friendly, giant insect hotel emerged in the middle of the city

Alusta, built from clay and populated by plants, is a sanctuary for pollinators and a meeting place for all living things

Everyday choices: Frank Martela, should we take happiness seriously?

Insights from an assistant professor and philosopher who studies human well-being and motivation.

Everyday choices: Talvikki Hovatta, what is a relativistic jet?

Senior Scientist Hovatta explores the mysteries of the universe at Aalto University’s Metsähovi Radio Observatory.

Everyday choices: Viktar Asadchy, how do you control light?

This Associate Professor of Electromagnetics manipulates and directs light with materials.

Everyday choices: Kristjana Adalgeirsdóttir, what does an architect do in a war zone?

This doctoral researcher responds to the need for a home, not just a shelter – amid the most complex humanitarian crises.

Wool electronics and orange peel clothing being created in Bioinnovation Center

Doctoral researchers at Aalto University Bioinnovation Center discuss accelerating the sustainable bioeconomy, the importance of collaboration and bold entrepreneurial dreams.

Unravelling the mysteries of space

Located in Kirkkonummi, southern Finland, Metsähovi Radio Observatory collects information on the Sun, quasars, and black holes, while training space scientists of the future.

Avatars and genuine interaction

Aalto University’s researchers are contributing to the creation of redesigned maternity and child health clinics and positive childbirth experiences in their research projects. The visions seize the potential of technology, such as childbirth simulation in a 3D-video conference using an avatar, a virtual character. On the other hand, the researchers would also like to hold on to the best practices from the past, such as the traditional child health clinic card, genuine human interaction and the rotina tradition, visits by family and close-ones to meet the newborn and bring foods as a gift.

Smart buildings make life easier and use less energy

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.

Quantum literacy for all

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.

Creating zero-energy houses, non-toxic glitter and fossil-free glue with wood

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.

Threads of tomorrow – textiles that react to light and heat

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.

Dialogue: Let’s make resilience a community resource – not an individual obligation

Is there any skill more important in today’s work world than the ability to cope during challenging times and bounce back quickly?

Art challenges established truths in the health and social sectors

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.

Launching autonomous vessels in our waters

In years to come, autonomous ships could reshape the entire maritime industry, say marine technology experts Mashrura Musharraf and Sauli Eloranta.

Women's networks build on many strengths, from having a clear focus to an absence of masculine energy

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.

Insulation from old jeans, walls from waste concrete – less guilt and more solutions are needed for construction

The biggest environmental act would be not building at all. But a circular economy can also mitigate the environmental impact of construction.

Parallel paths: Designer and materials scientist conjure up glimmering colours out of wood

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.