TAMK continues roadshowing in Russia

TAMK was busy roadshowing again in St Petersburg. TAMK participated in the ICIEP International Education Fair on Sunday 7 October for the 3rd time, and shared the stand with the other two Tampere universities, University of Tampere and Tampere University of Technology.

At the Study in Tampere stand, the visitors were welcomed by Anna-Maria Viitala and Mikhail Tulin from Tampere University of Technology, Noora Maja from University of Tampere and Riku-Matti Kinnunen from TAMK.

The St Petersburg area with its ca 5 million inhabitants is within easy reach from Finland offering a great potential for student recruitment to Finnish higher education institutions. The Russian fair visitors often brought up the extra bonus that Finland offers with its high-quality education and attractive location. According to the preliminary estimate, the number of visitors to the ICIEP Fair this time exceeded 3.000 visitors.

The four Bachelor’s Degree Programmes conducted in English at TAMK caught the eye of the visitors, and many were surprised to learn that TAMK would organise the entrance exams for the Degree Programmes in International Business and Environmental Engineering in St Petersburg, too. Further information can be had at www.tamkadmissions.fi.

Text and pics: R-M. Kinnunen

TAMK celebrates 100 years of Finnish engineering education

Photo: Provincial Archives of Hämeenlinna

The Finnish engineering education started 100 years ago at Tampere Institute of Technology that we nowadays know as Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK).

First building of Tampere Institute of Technology

TAMK celebrated the 100th anniversary on 1-5 October 2012. The programme included e.g. a two-day pedagogical forum and exhibitions. 

The week culminates today Friday 5 October in a national jubilee at the Tampere Hall and a reception at the Tampere Town Hall, where the keynote speakers are Ms Henna Virkkunen, Minister of Public Administration and Local Government; and Mr Jorma Ollila, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Royal Dutch Shell Plc.

TAMK’s engineering students have had a week full of events on the theme of “strengthening working life connections”: special lectures, company visits and networking opportunities.

Japanese exchange student Masaki Ishiguro from Hokkaido University saw dozens of old NMT, GSM and mobile phones: the first Salora SRP 24 was produced until 1976, and the first Nokia Mobira Talkman, pruduced in 1985, weighted 5,5 kilos! 

The price of either one is no longer known, but the early versions were as expensive as 4000-5000 euros!

Sasaki Ishiguro has an Apple, not a Nokia!

- I think that the engineers are the main important people in the world! I wish all your staff and students of the university great success in your study life and in your civil life, says Elena Nikonchuk, Deputy Director of International Educational Projects Office, St Petersburg State Polytechnical University, Russia, in her video.

Text and photos: Mirja Onduso, TAMK International Services

 

Erasmus 25th Anniversary Photo Competition

The Finnish Centre for International Mobility (CIMO) launches a photo competition in honour of the 25^th anniversary of the Erasmus programme from June to October 2012.

The best photos will be rewarded and published on CIMO's website.

Subject: My Erasmus Exchange

For whom: The competition is open to all students studying in a Finnish University who have participated in Erasmus student exchange or Erasmus work placement abroad, and for international students who have completed their Erasmus student exchange or Erasmus work placement in Finland, or are currently on their exchange period.

What: The photos should be connected to Erasmus student exchange or work placement, for example to intercultural situations, studying, working, accommodation and free time.

When: The competition ends on 31 October 2012. The winner of the competition will be announced in December 2012. The winners are personally contacted by e-mail.

Submisssion: Please return the photos as an attachment by email together with your full name(s), contact information (email and postal address), home University, host University (in case of student exchange) and exchange year to erasmus-kuvat@cimo.fi by 31 October 2012. You may also add a few thoughts of the photo or a photo text.

Instructions and rules:

• Remember to ask a permission to use the photo and inform the persons in the photo where it will be used.
• Avoid photos and situations which can give a stereotypical impression of people, or which are offensive.
• Write down the names of the persons in the photos and where it was taken.
• Participants have to own rights to the photos provided for the competition.
• The photos can be taken individually or in groups.
• Each student/group can return a maximum of 3 photos.
• The photos will not be returned to participants.
• By sending the photos to the competition, the participants give CIMO the right to use and publish the photos on line and in print. The photos can be used for example on CIMO's website, brochures and information and training sessions. The name of the photographer will be published together with the photo. The participants remain a right to use the photos freely.

Selection and criteria: The photos should be of good photographic quality and suitable for publishing online. Emphasis is also given to originality, cheerfulness and intercultural aspect.

The winners will be selected by a jury which consists of CIMO's and ESN-Finland's representatives

 and photographer, MA Satu Haavisto.

Award: The winners of the competition will be awarded.

More information:

Centre for International Mobility CIMO

Erasmus programme

erasmus-kuvat@cimo.fi

Europe Day in St Petersburg

The ’Europe  Day’ was celebrated in St Petersburg on Saturday 22 September 2012. All those interested in the European Union had the chance to visit the embassies and consulates of the EU member states for more information of the countries and their current status in the Union. The ’Europe Day’ also opened the doors of the Consulate General of Finland in St Petersburg where the Finnish higher education institutions were presented to the potential applicants and their families. The event was most successfully coordinatd by CIMO. The estimated number of visitors during the five-hour event was ca 600 – an all-time record!

When the doors opened to the Consulate General at noon, the event hall was quickly full of locals busy finding their future place of study. TAMK introduced its four degree programmes conducted in English at the event together with the University of Tampere and Tampere University of Technology. The Unipoli universities were met with lots of enthusiasm and a flood of questions from the young Russians.
 

Minna Peltola (above right) from the University of Tampere and Riku-Matti Kinnunen (left) from TAMK met the visitors at the stand.

The four degree programmes conducted in English that will start at TAMK in the Autumn Semester 2013 will offer studies in Media, International Business, Nursing and Environmental Engineering. More information can be had at www.tamk.fi/en. The application period for the Degree Programmes in English will run from 7 January till 12 February 2013. The on-line application can be filled in at www.admissions.fi.






Text: R-M. Kinnunen
Photos: Minna Peltola & R-M. Kinnunen

Rethinking education at EAIE

It was a truly inspirational week taking part in the 24th Annual EAIE Conference in Dublin, Ireland. TAMK representatives from the International Services, Language Services and the School of Art, Music and Media enjoyed a very full programme of networking and learning.

Kirsi & Sohvi at the exhibition booth 

The week commenced with a special keynote address from “Global Education Superstar”, Sugata Mitra. Professor of Educational Technology at Newcastle University and Visiting Professor at MIT, Sugata is well-known for his “Hole in the Wall” project. What started in 1999 with an internet-connected PC installed in a hole in a wall bordering an urban slum in New Delhi is an experiment that has come to challenge some of the key assumptions of formal education, demonstrating that an environment that stimulates curiosity can cause learning through self-instruction and peer-knowledge. His work inspired the book Slumdog Millionaire that went on to become the Oscar winning film of 2009.

Our focus in the conference this year was to deepen and renew our links with existing partners, and we certainly did so by hosting a joint reception under the “INland Finland” theme together with JAMK University of Applied Sciences. International activities have been a spearhead in collaboration between the two UAS’s and we once again proved that by linking our partners with each other’s partners.

TAMK & JAMK hosts at the reception 

At the Closing Plenary we heard from an award winning social entrepreneur and international advocate for persons with disabilities, Caroline Casey. Over the past ten years, Caroline has brought a unique blend of leadership and vision to the business and political world by promoting the abilities of those with disabilities on a national and international level. Founder of Kanchi and the O2 Ability Awards, she continues to look past limits and affect change through positive solution based thinking.

The week was filled with dozens of more than valuable meetings with colleagues from all over the world and will serve as a priceless tool for quality assurance in everyday activities with partners. We want to thank all the partners who attended our reception and came to exchange views and experiences at our booth at the exhibition.

Hope to see you again in Istanbul in 2013!

Kirsi Tolvanen – Head of International Services
Camilla Kalevo – International Coordinator, Mobility Projects
Piri Hiltunen – International Coordinator, Outgoing Students
Sohvi Sirkesalo – International Coordinator, School of Art, Music and Media
Tarja Haukijärvi – Head of Language Services

Text: Piri
Photos: Kirsi & Nina