The University of Eastern Finland has updated its natural sciences curriculum to better meet the demands of modern business. In August 2023, 55 engineering students began their studies in the new Sustainable Technologies graduate program on the Joensuu campus.

Read the article in Finnish here.

Besides the obvious goal of increasing cooperation with the region’s businesses, the program also hopes to inspire more women to study technology. The university is also forging connections with universities of applied sciences to facilitate applications to its graduate programs.

Newly appointed professor pleased with the enthusiasm of North Karelia’s companies

-Companies appear pleased that the University of Eastern Finland has set out to promote the green transition in technology. This master’s program in engineering has an overarching theme of sustainability that interconnects material and process sciences, says Henrik Heräjärvi, who began his new professorship in wood product technology in August. – Increased climate awareness has also increased the demand for forestry education.

Heräjärvi’s professorship is a 5-year position established with funds donated by the city of Joensuu. He is tackling this new challenge after a 25-year research career at the Natural Resources Centre, which he joined right after graduating from university.

Known for being a good presenter, Heräjärvi is in his element as a professor, but the university world also brings him face to face with a new global phenomenon: artificial intelligence. It is here to stay and its future effects on higher education are still a mystery. To his students, Heräjärvi intends to highlight the importance of understanding the basic mechanisms of wood. When they enter the work force, they will need to understand the effects of humidity and other aspects of long-term durability to weed through any nonsense solutions produced by AI. -The current era demands healthy values, such as honesty, hard work, and critical thinking, says Professor Heräjärvi when speaking about his students.