Erasmus IP Program of Forestry - Bazas, France

TAMK just took part in an Erasmus Intensive Programme of forestry in Bazas, France. Six fourth-year students of forestry and one teacher joined a group of French, Spanish and Romanian partcipants getting to know the local forestry and especially the local storms and effects of storms in forestry.


Photo: Lecturer Manne Viljamaa and students of Erasmus IP project observing french forest

The programme was organized in a local school of agriculture and forestry in the town of Bazas in south-western France, 60 kilometers from Bordeaux. The hospitable hosts and the surrounding massive forest area of Landes gave an excellent setting to explore the case! The first week of the programme was spent mostly in lectures and field trips lead by local professionals. To ease the understanding the lectures were translated in two languages, english and french.

On the second week the participants were divided in six groups with a specialized task for each group. On the weekend the participants were able to visit the beautiful city of Bordeaux and also the Atlantic dynes nearby.

Thanks again to our hosts - next year in April 2011 we will meet in Rovaniemi!

The participants of TAMK:
Manne Viljamaa
Anne Haukkovaara
Markku Laine
Jonna Ritala
Anne Pöyhönen
Sonja Nurmi
Tuomas Kähö

Text: Tuomas Kähö

Happy Festive Season

TAMK students and lecturers have holidays until January 3rd, when our spring semester starts.

January 3rd is also the kick off date of the application period of our international Bachelor's programmes.

All details about application

The blog wishes everybody happy holidays. See you next year!

Tutors tutors tutors!

As every year, TAMK again organises training for students who want to become tutors for international students. Riika Poikela, a present tutor and Student Union TAMKO's board member, advised the tutors-to-be on how to take care of new students and how to help them.

Mr. Brown Onduso, a guest lecturer, talked a bit about culture shock and how it affects people who travel abroad, in this case, how exchange students experience it. Mr. Onduso has himself a lot to tell about experiences in Finland and the stages he went through when he arrived in Finland. Also Kirsi Tolvanen, Head of International Services, and Mirja Onduso, International Coordinator responsible for incoming exchange students were in the meeting.

The tutor training is an absolute "must" for those who want to take the plunge and become tutors. Before helping anyone, the new tutors need to be trained on how to deal with any problem or issue that exchange students might experience. There is no problem too small or too big - students are the best group to help students!

In addition to information on how TAMK and Tampere works, tutors are able to provide the new students with many good tips and - of course - friendship and understanding. Since life abroad can be a tough one for those who haven’t ever been abroad, a tutor is an important person exchange students can turn to.

TAMKO provides a lot of support services, including pick-up services for new arrivals, "survival kits" with linen, kitchenware, towels, and so forth. These have received high praise from all the students, who have benefitted.

Want to become a tutor? Want to get a tutor? Contact TAMKO.

Text: Felipe Ludeña Vaquerizo

Innovative technology solutions interested audience in the opening seminar of TAMK’s new learning environment

In the roof visitors got to see the wind and solar energy systems.

TAMK’s new learning environment is ready for action. Opening seminar was held on 10th December in the main campus. Environmental friendly and unique learning environment combines energy- and environmental technology targeting to create more sustainable environment and future. Learning environment includes geothermal heat system, two different kinds of wind power systems to generate electricity, two solar collectors for heat and electric production and monitoring systems for these all. There is also Finland’s first public indoor dry toilets and water saving toilets as well as grey water purification included to the learning environment.

The aim of the learning environment is to serve students from diversified technical study programs and to provide professionals of new energy- and waste water technologies for companies and municipalities. This is now the genuine moment to study right at own school premises not only in theory, but also in practice by monitoring, trying and maintaining the different energy and environmental technology systems.

'Opi enempi' project is funded by European Regional Development Fund.

After the seminar lectures, the audience was taken into the learning environment to know more about the installed energy systems and ecological toilet solutions. In the picture, group getting to know the greenhouse.

For more information see projects webpages or contact aino-maija.kyykoski[at]tamk.fi

Tampere - the Focal Point of Northern Europe

Where is Tampere? At the edge of the tundra? Why should one bother to move to Tampere to study or to do business?

Tampere is actually the central spot of Northern Europe. If you draw a circle with a radius of 1000 km, including the Baltic sea, Scandinavia, Finland, and northern Russia, your circle will hit the Russian capital Moscow, the Polish capital Warsaw, Rostock in Germany and Hammerfest in northern Norway. And there it is, the centre of this circle, Tampere in Finland.

This 1000 km circle includes other capitals like Copenhagen (distance from Tampere 913 km), Oslo (726 km), Stockholm (394 km), Helsinki (160 km), Tallin (235 km), Riga (505 km), Vilnius (762 km) and Minsk (873 km). St. Petersburg (396 km) is really close.

Tampere is really accessible: Direct flights from Riga, Kaunas, Milan, Bremen, Frankfurt, London, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo, Tallin, Alicante, Edinburgh, Malaga, Pisa, Gdansk and Helsinki, train from St. Petersburg and Helsinki, ferry + train from Tallin, Stockholm, Gdynia, Travemünde and Rostock.

Tampere is an attractive and international centre for students, 200 000 inhabitants and 40 000 students of higher education in four universities. The cultural life is rich, and the city is surrounded by beautiful lakes and forests.

Application period for our international degree programmes run in English January 3 - February 15
All details about application
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Photo: The traditional Christmas Market at the central square Keskustori
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Story and photo: Cai Melakoski
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