Academic Narratives

1. What do you study and where? How did you end up studying this field?

My name is Leo and I am currently studying biochemistry at the University of Turku.

2. What is it about your studies that excites you?

The most inspiring part of my studies has certainly been learning more about the various processes and reactions of cells at both the tissue and molecular level. Biochemistry studies the functioning of organisms, e.g. how environmental factors affect the expression and transcription of genes.

3. If the sky was the limit, where would you like to work in the future?

I hope I can stay at university after graduation as a PhD student and pursue a research career. However, my greatest desire is to be part of the university’s teaching staff and thereby advance on the academic path.

4. Which global or everyday challenge would you like to solve with the help of chemistry/your work?

Chemical sciences have enormous potential to solve many of today’s and tomorrow’s problems. My own interest is directed more towards human health, where I am particularly interested in disease mechanisms, such as the development and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

5. What do you think is an interesting innovation in the chemical (industry) sector?

The field of chemistry has been constantly evolving and moving forward. One of the most interesting innovations in chemistry have been the different imaging methods and substances used in them, for example PET imaging, which makes use of short-lived radioisotopes, making it possible to obtain accurate diagnostic data on the activity of different human tissues.

1. What do you study and where? How did you end up studying this field?

My name is Milja Virtanen, I study chemistry at the University of Turku and I have just started my master’s studies in drug development chemistry. I didn’t know what I wanted to study after upper secondary school, but I had always been interested in science. During my gap year, I found out about the courses I was interested in, and in the end, chemistry was one of the study programmes I applied to. I decided to study chemistry because of the very broad, meaningful and diverse work opportunities offered by it. My studies have proved to me that I chose a field that is interesting, genuinely forward-looking and right for me.

2. What is it about your studies that excites you?

Chemistry studies are versatile, and chemistry is an applied science, which offers many opportunities for specialisation. The further my studies have progressed, the more my enthusiasm for chemistry has grown. Personally, I am particularly interested in drug development, where you can specialise in bioanalytical, bio-organic or radiochemistry studies. One of the best things about my studies, in my opinion, is that they open up opportunities for many different kinds of jobs. However, in contrast to professions such as being doctor or class teacher, a certain job function does not define your whole career.

3. If the sky was the limit, where would you like to work in the future?

I would like to be able to work for an international company that does valuable work worldwide. It would be great if my own work was universally relevant, thereby increasing well-being globally. I would also like my work to be as enjoyable as my hobbies.

4. Which global or everyday challenge would you like to solve with the help of chemistry/your work?

It would be great to be involved in addressing challenges related to access to medicines, especially for developing countries.

5. What do you think is an interesting innovation in the chemical (industry) sector?

In my opinion, an interesting chemical innovation is the utilisation of nanoparticles in drug development, as they open up new possibilities in the transport of pharmaceutical molecules to the target, for example. RNA vaccines are also very topical and provide new ways of combating diseases.

1. What do you study and where? How did you end up studying this field?

I am in my first year of studies of materials engineering at the University of Tampere. Through my studies in materials technology, I will be able to create solutions that enable people and nature to co-exist safely and sustainably in the future. It seemed important to combine these possibilities and that is why I ended up studying materials engineering.

2. What is it about your studies that excites you?

I am at the beginning of my studies, so I have only scratched the surface of the field in my studies. However, it is interesting and inspiring to get a closer look at the career paths of other students in the same field and to hear about the different opportunities brought about by the studies. The opportunities offered by university life and the city are also exciting from someone who grew up in a small village!

3. If the sky was the limit, where would you like to work in the future?

I would like to work for a company that is looking for solutions to the problem of plastic debris in the world’s seas, either in Finland or abroad.

4. Which global or everyday challenge would you like to solve with the help of chemistry/your work?

I hope that with the help of chemistry and materials technology, solutions can be found to reduce the amount of everyday plastic waste and to develop new, more sustainable solutions for different materials.

5. What do you think is an interesting innovation in the chemical (industry) sector?

I follow with interest all the new innovations in cellulose-based materials. I am particularly interested in and excited about innovations in the recycling of fibres from old clothes into new clothes.

1. What do you study and where? How did you end up studying this field?

Hi, I’m Sara and this is my second year of studying chemical engineering. I started my studies at the University of Aberdeen in the UK last year, but because of coronavirus pandemic, I started my studies at Aalto University last autumn.

2. What is it about your studies that excites you?

With regard to the studies, I am excited about laboratory work, coding and the freedom to choose inspiring courses from different places. Perhaps the best thing is that you are constantly gaining new skills and knowledge that can be put to good use in solving the problems of the world.

3. If the sky was the limit, where would you like to work in the future?

It would be insanely cool to work on an innovation project funded by Bill Gates and come up with some world-class environmental solutions.

4. Which global or everyday challenge would you like to solve with the help of chemistry/your work?

I would like to solve the global waste problem through chemistry by finding better technologies to get new benefits out of the waste we produce.

5. What do you think is an interesting innovation in the chemical (industry) sector?

A good example of innovative waste treatment and recovery is the urine powered toilet developed a few years ago, where human waste is used to generate energy and useful material.

1. What do you study and where? How did you end up studying this field?

I study food chemistry, food safety and organoleptic assessment in the master’s programme in food sciences at the University of Helsinki. I have not taken the usual route through upper secondary school to university; instead I first trained as a dairy specialist at Häme Vocational Institute. After dairy school, I continued my studies as an engineer in biotechnology and food technology. Because of my engineering studies, I could go straight into the master’s phase of university.

2. What is it about your studies that excites you?

I am excited about those occasions when I am able to combine theoretical knowledge with practical situations. For example, the chemical reactions occur when a bun bakes golden brown in the oven.

3. If the sky was the limit, where would you like to work in the future?

I would like to work as a quality manager in the food industry in the future. I would like to carry out tasks where I can use the know-how that I have already learned and that I will learn in the future in the areas of chemistry, microbiology and organoleptic evaluation of foodstuffs.

4. Which global or everyday challenge would you like to solve with the help of chemistry/your work?

Chemistry could be used to reduce food waste. In Finnish households, 120–160 million kilos of food are thrown away each year. Most often, this is because of food spoilage, the expiration of the use-by-date, or the unwillingness to take a risk, even if the food does not look spoiled. Food waste is both a global and everyday challenge.

5. What do you think is an interesting innovation in the chemical (industry) sector?

I recently became familiar with Ioncell technology, which allows textiles to be made from wood fibres. It is great that we are looking for more environmentally friendly production alternatives.

1. What do you study and where? How did you end up studying this field?

I’m studying chemistry for the fourth year at the University of Eastern Finland in Joensuu. I became interested in chemistry, in particular, in upper secondary school when a lot of new interesting things were discussed, albeit superficially. So, it was the thirst for knowledge that attracted me to university. Thanks to my good exam results, I was accepted to study natural sciences.

2. What is it about your studies that excites you?

The best thing is that chemistry is, in my view, the most visible natural science. It is the study of matter and how it can change. Chemistry is everywhere and it can be used to explain both natural phenomena and everyday things. Complex chemistry can be behind things that seem obvious, and understanding it is rewarding.

3. If the sky was the limit, where would you like to work in the future?

The best thing is that chemistry is, in my view, the most visible natural science. It is the study of matter and how it can change. Chemistry is everywhere and it can be used to explain both natural phenomena and everyday things. Complex chemistry can be behind things that seem obvious, and understanding it is rewarding.

4. Which global or everyday challenge would you like to solve with the help of chemistry/your work?

Mobile devices are an integral part of modern human life, but the energy technology related to them has so far been almost invariably environmentally harmful. I would like to develop more environmentally friendly methods of energy storage and, for example, study some biological technology that would even allow the human body to be harnessed to produce energy for mobile devices.

5. What do you think is an interesting innovation in the chemical (industry) sector?

I think that one very important, and hopefully also fast-growing, innovation are environmentally friendly packaging materials made of natural fibres, including wood, especially to replace plastic packaging materials.

1. What do you study and where? How did you end up studying this field?

My name is Tiia Tuomaala and I am a sophomore studying laboratory analysis at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences. My upper secondary school offered a couple of courses where you could carry out laboratory work in practice. They inspired me to apply to study in this field.

2. What is it about your studies that excites you?

It has been nice to get to the lab to try out in practice the things we have learned in class. It makes things easier to remember and studying is more motivating.

3. If the sky was the limit, where would you like to work in the future?

It would be really interesting to be able to work in some sort of field lab at some point.

4. Which global or everyday challenge would you like to solve with the help of chemistry/your work?

It would be great to find some way to collect plastics from the sea and the environment in general.

5. What do you think is an interesting innovation in the chemical (industry) sector?

It is interesting to observe how many different plastic substitutes and other solutions are being invented to reduce the use of plastic.

1. What do you study and where? How did you end up studying this field?

I am a third-year student at Aalto University, majoring in chemistry and minoring in information technology.

2. What is it about your studies that excites you?

In my studies, I am inspired by many different things! The field itself, having a say on my own studies, friendships created during the studies, and motivated teachers.

3. If the sky was the limit, where would you like to work in the future?

I would definitely like to work somewhere where I can combine my knowledge of chemistry and information technology! At the moment, I am most interested in process simulation and automation.

4. Which global or everyday challenge would you like to solve with the help of chemistry/your work?

I would like to see a solution to how the side streams generated by industry can be used to make the circular economy a reality.

5. What do you think is an interesting innovation in the chemical (industry) sector?

The use of hydrogen as an energy source for the steel industry, instead of coal and coke, because the global steel industry currently produces 7–9% of the world’s CO2 emissions. Such solutions are already being piloted in Sweden!

1. What do you study and where? How did you end up studying this field?

I study chemistry at the University of Jyväskylä. So, I’m going to be a chemist. I have always been interested in science and I think I first thought of working in chemistry in the seventh grade. After upper secondary school, I considered studying nutrition or chemistry. The scale and versatility of chemistry swayed the decision in its favour, and I was accepted to the University of Jyväskylä on the basis of my exam results.

2. What is it about your studies that excites you?

I like the fact that chemistry is practical and that the more I learn about it, the more I understand the world around me. Chemistry is everywhere and it is unbelievable how much small molecules and different bonds affect our everyday lives!

3. If the sky was the limit, where would you like to work in the future?

In future, I would like to work on sustainable development and the circular economy. I would like to be involved in developing the sustainable use of natural resources and ways to recycle as many valuable raw materials as possible. Our society needs raw materials, but their availability is limited.

4. Which global or everyday challenge would you like to solve with the help of chemistry/your work?

In the future, I want to use my chemistry skills for the benefit of society. I am interested in natural resources and their use and recycling. That is why I would like to solve the problem of the sustainable and efficient use of the earth’s raw materials through chemistry. Chemistry plays a decisive role in the development of the circular economy and the well-being of the environment, and promising circular economy methods have already been developed with the help of chemistry.

5. What do you think is an interesting innovation in the chemical (industry) sector?

I am excited about chemical innovations related to the circular economy, such as the reuse of waste materials, recycled plastics and the recovery of valuable metals from wastewater.

1. What do you study and where? How did you end up studying this field?

I am in my third year of laboratory technology studies at Tampere University of Applied Sciences. I hope to go on to do a master’s degree in Chemical Engineering. After upper secondary school I ended up working in retail for four years. I took a break from my studies to travel, but four years of working at a checkout desk in a shop gave me the motivation to apply to Tampere University of Applied Sciences. I got into the laboratory engineering training programme, which was my first choice, based on my exam results. I’ve always been interested in science and chemistry in particular. Based on the description, laboratory technology seemed very interesting, and the training focused not only on theory but also on practical training. We could carry out lab work already during our first year of studies and we were able to apply what we had learned during an internship after the second year of study.

2. What is it about your studies that excites you?

A practical approach and emphasis on sustainability and eco-friendliness are the most exciting aspect of my studies In addition, versatile and changing laboratory courses are always inspiring as the analysis techniques we have learned through theory can be tested in practice. This covers everything from design and method development to implementation, including the use of devices and reporting the results. In my opinion, one of the most interesting courses (during the 3rd year) was the Contaminated Soils course, taught in English, where we studied soil, groundwater and surface water treatment techniques, with the focus on natural and environmentally friendly methods. During the course, we also heard presentations by top professionals in the field where they introduced new, ground-breaking purification technologies and practical applications.

3. If the sky was the limit, where would you like to work in the future?

In the future, I would like to work in a forensic crime laboratory or, for example, in a research group. The career opportunities in laboratory technology are highly diverse and varied, and with the help of some optional studies, you can aim for a wide variety of tasks, from an employee in the Defence Forces’ testing laboratory to a foreman at a paper mill or a professional in the laboratory’s sales and marketing.

4. Which global or everyday challenge would you like to solve with the help of chemistry/your work?

With my knowledge of chemistry and the industry, I would like to solve problems relating to packaging materials, among other things. I would like to develop packaging materials that are more rapidly degradable and/or more recyclable, so that problems related to plastic, which is a burden on the world and our seas, can be solved in the future. My other dream is to be involved in solving the energy shortage that is already looming as fossil fuels are running out. Among other things, I am particularly interested in the development of biofuels and the reuse of waste energy in the manufacturing industry.

5. What do you think is an interesting innovation in the chemical (industry) sector?

I was really interested in the method for using mineral waste as a raw material for geopolymers (Keko geopolymers Oy, University of Oulu), which was one of this year’s finalists for the Chemical Industry Innovation Prize. One of the main advantages of the method is that mineral wool waste, which was previously disposed of in landfills, is now 100% recyclable. This type of innovation is exactly what I, too, would like to be involved in. The chemical industry is the industry of the future, where we can make the world a better and more sustainable place for ourselves and for later generations.