Awards to merited JYU community members
“During its long history, the university has seen, for example, wars and other societal upheavals, which have temporarily affected the institution’s operations in many ways,” says Rector Keijo Hämäläinen. “Even in this perspective, the past year will be historical. The year has not only been exceptional, but it has also changed many established practices.”
| The Good Teacher Award was granted to Senior Researcher of General History Simo Mikkonen on the basis of proposals from students and the Student Union. He was lauded for his expertise in remote learning as well as his ability to build a positive atmosphere and spark discussion. |
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The Good Leadership Award was handed to Head of International Services Tuija Koponen from University Services. She is a capable and easy-to-approach supervisor who supports her team and also values recreation. She gives encouragement and her proficient approach also inspires others. |
| The Good Dissertation Award was given to Julius Telivuo. Telivuo’s world-class dissertation is the first comprehensive presentation of the philosophy of Gilles Deleuze, a French philosopher who still fundamentally affects both new metaphysics projects and the development of political thinking. It also has applications in arts research as well as mathematical sciences and technics. |
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The Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Corporate Collaboration Award was granted to Postdoctoral Researcher Ilkka Pölönen from the Faculty of Information Technology. Pölönen, a specialist in computational sciences and data analytics, has established a research group and a spectral imaging laboratory for top-level research and new innovations. |
| The Pedagogy Developer Award was granted to Senior Lecturer Tommi Auvinen and University Teacher Elina Riivari from JSBE. This team has insightfully built a course on personnel management, utilising digital, experiential and collaborative elements alongside an orientation to the world of work. They have created, with the help of students, a digital scenario game. The game has promoted community spirit and peer learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. |
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The Science Communication Award was granted to Professor of Education Marja-Kristiina Lerkkanen. Lerkkanen specialises in the development of reading and mathematical skills as well as the importance of motivation and quality of teaching for learning. She has produced learning materials and books and communicated topical research results in different media channels locally, domestically and internationally. Through her outreach and communications work, she has ensured that research-based knowledge reaches pupils, teachers, parents and students. |
| The first Scientific Breakthrough Award was handed to Professor of Gerontology and Public Health Taina Rantanen. Rantanen’s research compared the differences in functional ability between 75- and 80-year-old people now and in 1989–1990. When compared to people of the same age born earlier, the muscle strength, walking speed, reaction speed, word fluency, reasoning ability and memory of both men and women is nowadays noticeably better. |
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The first Influencer Award was granted to Professor of Sociology Terhi-Anna Wilska. She is a merited researcher of consumption and economic sociology and an active influencer who is heard in decision-making, media, companies and organisations. Wilska is a persuasive debater and a sought-after speaker in various forums. |
| The Community Builder Award was granted to University Teacher Heli Hämäläinen from the Centre for Multilingual Academic Communication Movi. Hämäläinen, a university teacher in written communication, has efficiently promoted community spirit in her working environment. Her positive attitude, creative ideas, commitment, and taking care of the community’s wellbeing has been highlighted during the pandemic and has radiated to the whole university. |
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The purpose of the Ellen and Artturi Nyyssönen Foundation is to promote research at the Ģֱ. The foundation’s award was handed to Associate Professor Matti Vihola for his merits as a developer of computational statistics. He has published new, more efficient calculation methods, as well as theoretical analysis related to their use, for the needs of Bayes statistics. The methods play an increasingly important role in the new applications of statistics and machine learning. |
Further information:
Representative of the Jyväskylä University Foundation Anu Mustonen, tel. 050 564 9022, anu.mustonen@jyu.fi