Distinguished staff members awarded at JYU’s Annual Celebration 2024
The Good Teacher Award (nominated by the Student Union and students) was given to Senior Lecturer Bonn Juego (Jyväskylä University School of Business and Economics /Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences). Bonn Juego is an open-minded, enthusiastic, and diligent teacher. He encourages students to challenge his thoughts and to learn something new every day.
The Good Leadership Award was granted to Digital Director Ari Hirvonen (University Services/Digital Services). Ari Hirvonen leads by coaching and through his own example, while listening, communicating, and involving others. Hirvonen trusts in his staff, giving them room and opportunities to act and work independently as well as to develop new and innovative solutions. His positive approach to development has produced clear results and increased the teams’ and the whole unit’s cooperation, mutual trust, and professional quality.
The Good Dissertation Award was given to Virpi Mesiäislehto, PhD (Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences). Her doctoral dissertation “Sexual and reproductive health and rights through the lens of belonging: Intersectional perspectives on disability, gender, and adolescence in Tanzania” is an academically strong theoretical and methodological study. The qualitative material she has collected on girls with disabilities and its analysis help in developing a rights-based approach to expanding the social model for disabilities built on the sense of belonging, which is pivotal in African philosophy.
The Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Corporate Collaboration Award was given to Vesa Kupari, Senior Advisor, CEO (University Services, Financial and Facility Services / Unifund Oy). Kupari’s efforts in encouraging researchers and promoting the utilisation of research results are outstanding. He has built the special Unifund model to support and promote potential research-based companies. In this model, the research results, innovations, and possible immaterial property rights thereof are evaluated in tripartite discussions between the prospective entrepreneurs, the University, and Unifund, after which the rights are transferred as an investment in the company to be established. Alongside Unifund, Kupari has created an extensive network of investors, by means of which research-originated companies have been able to expand their ownership base and business.
The Developer of Teaching Award was granted to Senior Lecturer Johanna Rantanen (Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology). She has inspired in an unprecedented way the entire department staff and students to strive for common goals in curriculum planning. Rantanen has also worked to ensure that students’ own voices are heard, and she has developed a new contact teaching course, where exchange students can learn together with our undergraduates. Rantanen’s pedagogical thinking includes sharing the wisdom of students, supporting self-confidence, and giving guidance at the right time.
The Science Communication Award was granted to the Migratory Birds Spring (Muuttolintujen kevät) project group: Academy Professor Otso Ovaskainen (Department of Biological and Environmental Science, Faculty of Mathematics and Science), Chief Enterprise Architect Ari Lehtiö and Systems Architect Jussi Talaskivi (University Services / Digital Services). The Migratory Birds Spring project was one of the leading examples of science popularisation in Finland in 2023. The app has been installed by 200,000 users and has produced more than 4 million confirmed bird sightings. While people also learn to recognise bird species, the comprehensive data provided by citizens using the app helps researchers find out, for example, how climate change affects birds.
The Scientific Breakthrough Award was given to Doctoral Researcher Henna Kokkonen (Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Science). One of the questions we attempt to answer in the basic research of nuclear physics is, “Which proton and neutron number combinations can form an atomic nucleus with a measurable half-life?”. In 2023, Henna Kokkonen was analysing data for her master’s thesis from a test performed in 2005 and found a clear observation of a new isotope of astatine, the atomic mass of which is 190 (190At). This was a significant discovery, and Henna Kokkonen’s work received significant attention globally.
The Influencer Award was granted to Professor Vesa Linnamo (Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, Vuokatti Sports Technology Unit). As the head of Vuokatti Sports Technology Unit, Linnamo has contributed to the visibility and impact of our University in the Kainuu region as well as on a national level. He is one of the driving forces behind the sports data strategy, coordinating cooperation between wellness and sports, especially for Nordic skiing, in research, training and corporate collaboration. He has promoted the dual career training of athletes and services for sports tourism as well as the development of sports technologies, measurement methods and analytics in numerous projects.
The Community Builder Award was given to Lecturer and Chief Shop Steward Erja Kosonen (Department of Music, Art and Culture Studies, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences). As a long-standing Chief Shop Steward and as a member of work groups that support a sense of community, Kosonen has promoted the University’s sense of community in a range of ways. She has persistently enhanced and developed collaboration at the University. It is through her contribution that the University’s traditional Christmas celebration continues to thrive. Already for decades, she has planned and arranged the Christmas celebrations and Christmas carol events on campus.
The Ellen and Artturi Nyyssönen Foundation was established to promote research at the Ģֱ. The Foundation’s Award was granted to Associate Professor Riikka Kivelä (Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences). Kivelä’s research is focused on cardiovascular and cardiomuscular diseases. During her research career, she has gained an exceptional combination of research experience in vascular biology, exercise physiology and molecular biology. She has extensive expertise regarding explanatory factors for the influence mechanisms involved in the promotion of performance and health. In her current research, she uses this expertise to reveal the molecular mechanisms of exercise-related health benefits in cardiovascular diseases, concentrating on the role of the vascular system and endothelium cells.
