Postmodernism and its problems with science

Lecture given in Helsinki at the invitation of the Finnish Mathematical Society.

Science-täydennyskoulutusohjelman merkitystä tutkittiin Pohjois-Karjalassa : Luokanopettajien tarpeet ovat yksilölliset ja suhteessa uraan

Summary: Research methodology and its development in the study of the relationship between a teacher's practical theory and teaching practices

Intercultural Competence of Masters of Science in Business Administration and in Technology

Tutkielman tavoitteena on selvittää minkälaista kulttuurienvälistä kompetenssia Lappeenrannan teknillisestä yliopistosta vastavalmistuneilla kauppatieteenmaistereilla sekä diplomi-insinööreillä tulisi olla työnantajien näkökulmasta. Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena on myös tarkastella, että voidaanko kaikkia Lappeenrannan teknillisestä yliopistosta valmistuvia kutsua Kansainvälisiksi Huippuosaajiksi sekä kuinka Lappeenrannan teknillinen yliopisto voisi parantaa vastavalmistuvien kulttuurienvälistä kompetenssia. Teoreettinen osa tarkastelee kulttuurienvälisen kommunikaation tärkeimpiä elementtejä, kulttuurienvälistä kompetenssia ja vastavalmistuneiden kauppatieteenmaistereiden sekä diplomi-insinöörien tarvitsemaa ammatillista osaamista. Empiria koostuu kymmenen työnantajien teemahaastattelun tuloksista. Lopuksi johtopäätöksissä empirian tuloksia verrataan teorian löydöksiin. Tulokset osoittavat että kulttuurienvälinen kompetenssi koostuu kolmesta dimensiosta: henkilökohtaisista ominaisuuksista, tiedosta ja kommunikointikyvystä. Henkilökohtaisiin ominaisuuksiin sisältyvät empaattisuus, epävarmuuden sietokyky sekä avoin ja utelias asenne. Tieto - ulottuvuus koostuu yleisestä ja erityisestä kulttuuritiedosta, kielitaidosta sekä ammatillisesta osaamisesta. Kommunikointikykyyn puolestaan sisältyvät hyvät vuorovaikutustaidot. Työnantajat olettavat nykyään vastavalmistuneilla olevan ammatillisen osaamisen ja kielitaidon lisäksi, kulttuuritietoutta sekä kansainvälistä kokemusta. Lappeenrannan teknillinen yliopisto voisi parantaa vastavalmistuneiden kulttuurienvälistä kompetenssia tarjoamalla kulttuurienvälisen kommunikaation opetusta.

Aspects on Process Engineering in the Finnish Pulp and Paper Industry : Thesis for the Degree of Licentiate in Science of Technology

Process development will be largely driven by the main equipment suppliers. The reason for this development is their ambition to supply complete plants or process systems instead of single pieces of equipment. The pulp and paper companies' interest lies in product development, as their main goal is to create winning brands and effective brand management. Design engineering companies will find their niche in detail engineering based on approved process solutions. Their development work will focus on increasing the efficiency of engineering work. Process design is a content-producing profession, which requires certain special characteristics: creativity, carefulness, the ability to work as a member of a design team according to time schedules and fluency in oral as well as written presentation. In the future, process engineers will increasingly need knowledge of chemistry as well as information and automation technology. Process engineering tools are developing rapidly. At the moment, these tools are good enough for static sizing and balancing, but dynamic simulation tools are not yet good enough for the complicated chemical reactions of pulp and paper chemistry. Dynamic simulation and virtual mill models are used as tools for training the operators. Computational fluid dynamics will certainlygain ground in process design.

Kvinnor och messiasgestalter i science fiction-film

Recension

Natural Science in the Bothnian Sea During 1975-2008: A Review

The Baltic Sea is one of the most studied areas in the world. However, parts of its northernmost reach, the Bothnian Sea, seem to be under represented in the natural scientific literature compared to other parts of the Baltic. The Bothnian Sea represents a unique inland sea environment for the scientific community to study due to its shallowness and low salinity. The natural sciences research carried out on the Bothnian Sea has been reviewed between 1975 and 2008. This time period was chosen to continue on from an earlier review paper ending in 1974. Along with the number of papers published the goal was also to review the content of the papers, indentifying dominating themes to evaluate gaps in the current knowledge on the Bothnian Sea and provide recommendations for topics of future research focus. In a classification into specific research topics biodiversity was the leading research focus followed by chemical and physical oceanography, pollution and toxins, and fish biology and fisheries. The current good condition of the Bothnian Sea is highly valued with its historically less eutrophic and clearer waters when compared to the Baltic. However, today the Bothnian Sea is facing eutrophication resulting from nutrient-rich water transported by the many rivers draining into it from Sweden and Finland making it an area in need of protection and preservation. More human activity will also concentrate on the Bothnian Sea in the future. Therefore the use of the sea and its coastal areas must be planned carefully to minimize the harmful effects of this increasing human activity. To achieve this more information is needed for the basis of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) and maritime spatial planning (MSP). For example, for the Bothnian Sea the information on the underwater nature which is essential for ICZM is so far missing to a large extent. Specific biological, chemical and physical oceanographic information is needed to combine with economic analyses and environmental policies regarding this region. More research of a multidisciplinary nature is required on the unique Bothnian Sea environment and this we feel is best achieved through a joint Finnish-Swedish research strategy.