Bits from TAMK's International week in RDI

TAMK's 3rd International Week in Research, Development and Innovation took place in Tampere, Finland, on 10-13 February, 2014. The international week was aimed at RDI staff of TAMK's partner universities as well as for other partner organisations involved in RDI activities with TAMK. The overall theme of the week concentrated on "Sharing views and ideas at the dawn of Horizon 2020".

Here are some selected photos from the week!

Our International Week for Research, Development and Innovation 2014 gathered participants from 13 countries.

During our international week we had workshops in the following themes: Ageing Europe, Entrepreneurship and Light & Health.

Our guests from Czech Republic and Germany found the most relaxing place from the entrepreneurship campus (Y-kampus).

 

Some people dared to dip in to the icy lake and made even snow angels after the lovely smoke sauna experience.

We finished our innovative week in Demola.

Photos: Essi Kannelkoski

TAMK’s Blog Award 2013 to Finnish Language and Culture for Foreigners Blog

The blog Suomea oppimaan! - Finnish language and culture for foreigners received TAMK’s blog award of 2013. The blog was founded by Senior Lecturer Marja Oksanen, who teaches Finnish language at TAMK.

The awarded blog was selected by TAMK’s social media pioneer Cai Melakoski.

– The blog is a great achievement of a teacher who is up to speed. It helps creating a place and time independent learning environment. Students’ participation is the most important feature of Marja Oksanen’s blog. The blog is a great example of collaborative learning, Melakoski praises.

Oksanen founded the blog with the thought of inspiring foreign students to study Finnish. The blog includes Finnish language exercises and links to diverse themes students can learn by themselves.

An important part of the blog are the stories, photographs and videos of foreign exchange and degree students. The topics cover hobbies, events in Tampere, nature experiences, winter swimming, and sauna culture.

– Foreign students have so few Finnish language lessons that there is not enough time to bring up cultural issues. I was surprised by how eagerly students have shared their experiences in the blog. It is important that foreign students have a channel to tell about their experiences here. Incoming students and those considering coming to Finland can also find interesting stories in the blog, Oksanen tells.

Oksanen especially wants to thank the diligent contents producers. Anzhelika Manasheva, Russian student from the Degree Programme in Environmental Engineering, has written about her hobby, volleyball. Dumitru Coretchi from the Degree Programme in International Business is also interested in making videos. Moldovan Dumitri collected a Finnish story on celebrations in other countries into the blog together with other students.

Go to the blog Suomea oppimaan! - Finnish language and culture for foreigners

Photo: The blog is being developed continuously but every now and then there is time for taking pleasure in the successes. Dumitru Coretchi (left), Anzhelika Manasheva, Marja Oksanen, and Cai Melakoski.

New Exchange Students – WELCOME to TAMK!

Being an international exchange student at Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK) will an experience to you. You will meet new people, try new things and become acquainted with a new country - Finland. Finnish higher education institutions are known for their innovative and high quality teaching and learning and you will have a chance to experience that personally.

TAMK hosts yearly some 300 international exchange students and this spring about 100 new international exchange students will come to TAMK. The orientation week for incoming exchange students will take place 7-10 January 2014.

It's important to us that our international students are integrated with our Finnish students, giving the students at TAMK the chance to make friends and experience international cultures. The previous international exchange students have enjoyed studying in our university and I truly hope you will enjoy your stay with us too. You are very welcome to TAMK!

Kirsi Tolvanen

Head of International Services



Exchange student orientation, autumn 2013

Finnish Independence Day Reception on 3.12.2013

Unipoli Tampere's annual Independence Day Reception was organised at TAMK this year. Students from the University of Tampere, Tampere University of Technology and Tampere University of Applied Sciences gathered together to celebrate the event.
 

TAMKvoice

Festivities started with TAMKvoice (Choir of staff, students and alumni of TAMK) singing traditional Finnish music. One of the most patriotic compositions by Jean Sibelius, Finlandia, also had a verse in English in addition to the Finnish lyrics. Ievan polkka, a famous folk song, showed the audience the more rhytmic side of Finnish disposition.

Vice president Marja Sutela talks about her own traditions

Vice president Marja Sutela from TAMK had a speech about the traditions of Finnish Independence Day and how the Finns usually celebrate the day. She also told that her Independence Day is made with lighting the candles, eating good food and watching the President's Independence Day Reception live from TV. The reception is held at Tampere this year, so you might notice the special arrangements nearby Tampere Hall during the evening of the 6th. 

Myrskyluodon Maija performed by Nelli and Tiina

TAMK music students Nelli Korhonen and Tiina Puumalainen performed more sentimental Finnish music with violin and piano, and TAMK Tourism student Annika Dillenburger had a speech about her Finland. Annika, who is just graduating and returning to Germany, told her story and what these five years have given to her. She ended her speech by compacting the Finnish experience: "You can leave Finland, but Finland will never leave you!"

My Finland by Annika Dillenburger

The official part of the Reception ended with Maamme, the National Anthem of Finland, sang together. The party continued with coffee, discussion, laughter and Finland's Birthday Cake, as well as using the Photobooth organised by the Art and Media students Iina Kuula and Oona Seppänen. More pictures can be seen here.

Cake and karjalanpiirakka

Photobooth in operation

Guys from Unito and a fan

Guests were also treated with the Martial Arts Tricking show by Unito, whose energetic moves lit the audience! 

Happy Independence Day wishes from Marika and Krista

TAMK International Services wishes everyone Happy Independence Day! We thank you all for a warm-hearted evening and togetherness!

Text: Krista Merikoski
Pictures: Marika Kyllönen, Krista Merikoski and TAMK students Oona and Iina.





 

 

Erasmus Adventurers at TAMK and Turning Forty in Fabulous Finland!

Birthday girl Nicole!

Several years ago whilst I was working as a temp, my manager asked me to meet and greet some international guests. On asking the group of friendly ladies where they were from, their reply was Tampere in Finland. I had never heard of the place and knew nothing about the country. So from that moment I knew that one day I wanted to visit.

Fast forward to the present day and I’m extremely happy to say that I finally got to visit Tampere and Finland. And it was by doing Erasmus as a Staff member at Anglia Ruskin University that made one of my dreams come true!

I am passionate about travelling and meeting people from different countries and cultures, so doing Erasmus also gave me the chance to do something I love! Plus have the chance to visit a university abroad, meet some lovely people and exchange information about the way we work – benchmark. It’s also a great way to build relations between other partner universities.

I chose to go to Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK), Finland for a week in October and what an amazing time I had! My programme was prepared by Matti Pietilä, one of the International Coordinators at TAMK. Wow! - It was certainly a packed itinerary; it looked and felt like I was meeting the whole of Finland in a week! But everyone I met was so friendly and eager to talk about their work and ask about mine.

Nicole visited many of the TAMK Services during her visit

My Erasmus programme allowed me to see and learn about a wide variety of things, for example, I learnt about ‘SoleMOVE’ the TAMK mobility tool; an online programme that eliminates papers and forms and makes the Erasmus application process simpler. ‘Kykylaakso’ – the virtual learning environment used by the TAMK School of Business and Services, as a method of teaching entrepreneurship in the Business Administration programmes. Plus I visited ‘ProAcademy’ which helps students set up and run their own real businesses in teams with some guidance from their Coaches. As well as meeting some lovely Study Secretaries and various nice people whom work in the International Services.

TAMK Library and origami birds

I loved seeing the colourful, paper origami birds suspended in the library as if they were flying. And I enjoyed sharing a break with the other TAMK staff members in their new staff room situated along the student Service Street. It was proof no matter if you are English or Finnish, we all laugh and chat about similar stuff and enjoy having a nice cup of tea and eating a yummy piece of cake or chocolate!

Centre of Tampere is known for it's old factory buildings

Shopping at Helsinki

Luckily during my visit, I also had some free time to check out Tampere, Helsinki and enjoy a unique sauna experience at the oldest public sauna in Finland ‘Rajaportti’ in Tampere.

I gained so much from my fantastic Erasmus trip! As well as discovering:

Salty Liquorice, also known as ‘Salmiakki’ is popular in Finland, as is the physical activity of Nordic Walking, walking with poles.

Nordic walkers

Ice Hockey at Hakametsä Ice Stadium

Ice Hockey is the most popular sport in Finland and I was lucky enough to be taken to watch a game one night with my host.

Team Ilves 

The Moomins was created by a Swedish-Finn illustrator and writer Tove Jansson in Finland. There’s a Moomin Museum in Tampere which I visited.

Saunas are a part of the Finnish everyday lives, they’re places to relax and socialise and many have saunas in their homes. In fact, I bought some chanterelle mushrooms that were handpicked and dried in the sauna of one of my newly made Finnish friends.

I want to thank everyone I met so much for making me feel so welcome. It was a pleasure to meet you all!

Finland will always have a special place in my heart and the fact I got to celebrate my 40th birthday there and even visit Helsinki for the day on my actual birthday was totally awesome!!

WOW! Forty in Fabulous Finland! What more could I have wished for!

Text and Pictures: Nicole Tomlin
Receptionist & Administrator
Lord Ashcroft International Business School
Anglia Ruskin University, Chelmsford, England