Utu Life and Science 2016

RESEARCH REVEALS

THE POWER OF NORDIC BERRIES

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7 Faculties

Over

130 subjects

Each year nearly

5,000 scientific publications

1,700 higher university degrees per year

Humanities Mathematics and Natural Sciences Medicine Law Social Sciences Education Turku School of Economics

Students from over

100 countries

UTU – LIFE & SCIENCE MAGAZINE Chief Editor Tuomas Koivula Subeditor Mari Ratia Translations Mari Ratia and Lingsoft Layout Hanna Oksanen

CONTENTS

Contact information University Communications, FI-20014 University of Turku, Finland, (communications@utu.fi)

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MOST INTERNATIONAL IN FINLAND

A LOOK INTO CLASS

MODERN UNIVERSITY RISES TO FUTURE CHALLENGES

SCIENCE BITES

MODERN EXPLORER MAPS NEW SPECIES

BATTLING POVERTY WITH FUTURES RESEARCH

URBAN ARCHAEOLOGIST CAN HELP IN PLANNING NEW IDEAS

EVERYDAY EXPERIENCES

RECIPE FOR GOOD HEALTH

RESEARCHERS MUST INTERVENE IN SOCIAL PROBLEMS

MASTER YOUR FUTURE WITH US!

EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS

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MOST INTERNATIONAL IN FINLAND THE UNIVERSITY OF TURKU, founded in 1920 and situated in the city of Turku in Southwest Finland, was the first Finnish-language university in the world.

Today, the University of Turku cherishes Finnish science and education, but is at the same time increasingly international and multidisciplinary. The University has over 20,000 students and 3,600 graduates each year, and our researchers participate in the writing of nearly 5,000 scientific articles and publications annually.

In 2016, the Times Higher Education ranking placed the University of Turku among the top 200 universities in the world in international outlook. Of the Finnish universities, we were the only one to make the list.

In addition, internationality is one of the comprehensive themes in the he University’s new Strategy. We aim to make the University the best possible learning and working environment for our international community.

Turku - convenient and multicultural student city:

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MODERN UNIVERSITY RISES TO FUTURE CHALLENGES THE UNIVERSITY OF TURKU has a new strategy for the period of 2016–2020. The University’s selected main goals are effective research, responsible education, a catalyst for social well-being and the economy as well as community well-being.

According to the emphases in our new strategy, we are increasing the effectiveness of research and highlighting responsibility in our education. We are producing knowledge that can be utilised by the future society and educating sought-after experts.

In many sectors of society, the need for new knowledge and expertise is more immediate than before. It is important for us to participate more strongly in the development of the region, the Finnish society and the global community.

As a new strategic initiative, we have brought transnational education strongly to the forefront.

For the past few years, we have developed our readiness in transnational education and our goal is to be the leading Finnish university in this area.

Our new strategy is based on collaboration. This includes co-operation and interaction on many levels: within the University community as well as with regional, national and international partners. We strive to make internationality local and make local international.

The University of Turku is a creative science community and an encouraging learning environment. Our activities are based on the lasting, common values of the University: ethicality, criticality, creativity, openness and communality.

With these values, the University of Turku maintains it connection to the past and looks into the future.

Kalervo Väänänen The Rector of the University of Turku

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text jenni valta | photos hanna oksanen and valter weijola

MODERN EXPLORER MAPS NEW SPECIES VALTER WEIJOLA TRAVELLED TO PAPUA NEW GUINEA TO STUDY MONITOR LIZARDS NATIVE TO PACIFIC ISLANDS. HE DISCOVERED A NEW MONITOR SPECIES AND – TO HIS SURPRISE – A NEW RAT SPECIES THAT WAS FEARED TO BE EXTINCT.

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I

n February 2012, Doctoral Candidate in Biology Valter Weijola walked on a beach on Mussau Island. He was mapping the monitor lizard species on the islands of Papua New Guinea as part of his doctoral dissertation.

– Before you see a monitor, you can usually hear how they run across the ground, describes Weijola.

On that February day, there was only one monitor lizard around the beach. When he heard it running, Weijola knew to watch the nearby trees as monitors often like to climb them.

Soon he saw a lizard peeking from behind a tree. Because of its colouration and scales, he believed that he had discovered a new species unknown to science. However, he could not catch the lizard at that time.

– Monitors are fascinating, intelligent and energetic. They resemble mammals and are the apex predators on the Pacific islands. The islands don’t have any big cats as they have not been able to cross the ocean in order to spread there, says Weijola.

The discovery did not come as a complete surprise. While visiting the American Museum of Natural History in New York, Weijola saw a young monitor lizard that had been caught during the Second World War in Papua New Guinea. it did not resemble any known species living on the islands so Weijola knew to look for an unknown species.

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NEW RAT SPECIES DISCOVERED WITH THE HELP OF LOCALS

In addition, Weijola has discovered a new monitor lizard species once before. While writing his Master’s thesis in 2009, he discovered a monitor lizard species Varanus obor with a red face and black body from the Maluku Islands in East Indonesia.

In his research, Weijola concentrates on monitor lizards, but during his trip in 2012 he discovered something else as well.

After the observation he made on Mussau Island in February, it took Weijola a few days to catch a specimen of the new species. Later, the species was named Varanus semotus. Semotus means isolated and the Latin name refers to the distant location of the species’ volcanic home island. These monitors can measure over a metre in length and they have lived in isolation on the island for approximately 1–2 million years.

– Before travelling to the islands, I had by chance read a book by an Australian Professor Tim Flannery. In the book he talks about rat bones that were found on the Manus Island in Papua New Guinea. It was feared that the rat had become extinct before it was even described, recounts Weijola.

When mapping the monitor lizards on Manus Island, he asked the locals if they had seen any big rats. The locals told him that they sometimes catch them when hunting.

– The lizard climbed a tree where I could catch it. It is usually a difficult task as the lizards can climb quickly to the canopy, tens of metres above the ground. I caught it with a long stick that has a loop at the end. You have to approach the monitor quietly from behind so that you can catch it and not scare it off, instructs Weijola.

– I asked them to bring me a rat if anyone caught one. After a couple of days, two boys came to me with a big specimen.

The new rat species is unusually large. The female rat caught by the boys was 26 centimetres in length when measured from nose to the base of the tail, and the males of the species probably grow even larger. Later, genetic exams showed that the species is evolutionarily one of the oldest living genus Rattus rats living in Papua New Guinea. The species lives in the rainforests of Manus Island and avoids contact with humans.

Weijola returned to Mussau Island in September and collected three Varanus semotus specimens for study. Altogether, he saw 16 individuals. For formal description, there has to be at least one holotype that carries the name of the species. However, the more specimens are caught, the better the variation within the species can be recorded.

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After recognising that the rodent belongs to a new species, Weijola tried to find more specimens. However, he never found any.

Because I travel and

conduct my research alone, I have been completely dependent on the help and good will of the locals.

I’ve learned a great deal from them and I greatly value their knowledge and company.“

– We looked for the rats for three weeks.

We found tracks and nuts that had been clearly opened by a rodent, but not the rats themselves. An Australian research group studied the same area in 2014 and did not find any traces of the animal. It seems that the rat species is either few in number or its way of living is very mysterious. It can be endangered, but it can also be typical for the species that it is rare or difficult to find. Hopefully someone continues the study from here and makes more discoveries about this species, says Weijola.

The new rat species is easy to recognise due to its large size, short tail, and long and rough hair coat. Flannery came up with the species name Rattus detentus. The name detentus means detained and refers to the species’ ancestor that lived isolated on the Manus Island.

– Flannery wanted to also criticise the actions of former Prime Minister Tony Abbot’s conservative government.

The Australian government started to transfer asylum seekers to refugee centres on Pacific islands, for example, on the very same Manus Island, tells Weijola.

INTELLIGENT MONITORS ARE MASTERS OF NAVIGATION

As he did not find more rats, Weijola himself has not seen a single specimen of the species alive. The rat the boys had caught had died a couple of hours earlier.

Even though there are many unknown animal species on the planet, most of the mammals, birds, fish and reptiles have already been discovered. Therefore finding new rat and monitor lizard species is exceptional news that was extensively covered by Finnish and international media.

The first person Weijola told about his discovery was Flannery, who is a famous mammalogist, explorer, environmentalist and author in Australia. Flannery was excited about the discovery and wanted to write the species description together with Weijola and five other researchers.

Worldwide, there are about 90 known species of monitor lizards and they live in tropical and desert areas in Africa, Asia and Australia. The

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species living in Southern Asia and Africa are quite well known, but the monitors in the Pacific islands and Australia are less known even though most of the lizards live in these areas.

females knows how to choose the most direct route to the next female, whose territory can be far away.

When working on the field, Weijola not only catches the animals but also observes them.

For example, he studies monitors’ living areas and what kind of environments they need in order to survive.

The islands of Papua New Guinea are a treasure trove for a monitor lizard researcher as there are not many experts who are eager to map the species on the islands. The islands are remote, the area is large and moving from one island to another is difficult.

– Because I travel and conduct my research alone, I have been completely dependent on the help and good will of the locals. I’ve learned a great deal from them and I greatly value their knowledge and company. They often think that my work is peculiar and cannot understand why someone would come to the island to study lizards. Sometimes people think that it is a cover story for seeking gold, laughs Weijola.

– I’m interested in studying monitor lizards as they are fascinating and intelligent animals for many reasons. Monitors are very active and their territories are often large which requires knowledge of the terrain as well as navigation skills. It has been studied with radio transmitters that a monitor lizard male visiting several

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text erja hyytiäinen | photos hanna oksanen

URBAN

ARCHAEOLOGIST

Can Help in Planning New Ideas LIISA SEPPÄNEN, THE FIRST DOCENT OF URBAN ARCHAEOLOGY IN FINLAND, WANTS TO BRING THE KNOWLEDGE OF ARCHAEOLOGISTS FOR

L

THE USE OF URBAN PLANNING.

iisa Seppänen is not content with archaeologists just linking findings from the past to the past. She wants archaeology to have a wider application.

– How can archaeologists participate in urban planning, Seppänen summarises.

Seppänen does not just ask but also acts. She is part of the network that was founded by a professor of architecture in Florence in 2013, where 60 professionals of archaeology, architecture and modern urban planning are thinking about how these different fields could help one another.

– For example, in Finland, urban archaeology digs are done according to the terms of urban planning.

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The most central duty of archaeology is to expand how we understand things and to increase cultural tolerance through this process.”

We dig, salvage and hand over the information to the builder, but the archaeologists are not part of the planning. How could we integrate archaeology into the first phases of the projects? How could we include the past and the identity that springs from that into urban planning, Seppänen asks.

identity. The archaeologists became friends.

Seppänen is convinced that if the archaeologists could have participated in the planning stages of the market square plans, the end result would have been even more successful.

– With small choices, we could’ve emphasised the identity and history of Lahti. For example, the market square’s surface could’ve been marked with stone lines showing the old plots and buildings, and so the findings could’ve been used to decorate the market square, says Seppänen.

She also has answers and part of them are based on her own experiences. During 2013-2014, she led the largest urban excavations in Finland in the city of Lahti in South Finland, whose population is over 100,000 people. They had to dig up a 1.2 hectare market square, and as often happens with market square digs, emotions were running high.

As a Docent of Urban Archaeology, Seppänen now has the chance to speak on behalf of her topic. In addition to her students in Turku, she has lectured at the Museum of London Archaeology on the role of archaeology in modern urban construction and planning, as well as on the values contained in archaeology and cultural heritage.

– We were warned in advance not to tell anyone that we were archaeologists and that we’re coming to dig in the market square. However, I chose a different route. I told about the digs and their progress as much and as openly as possible, Seppänen says.

– The most central duty of archaeology is to expand how we understand things and to increase cultural tolerance through this process.

The response changed. The citizens of Lahti realised that they had their own history, their own

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text erja hyytiäinen | photos and illustration hanna oksanen

A RECIPE FOR GOOD HEALTH [ 12 ]

WE OFTEN SAY THAT WE WANT HEALTHIER, MORE NATURAL AND MORE DELICIOUS FOOD. WE KNOW THAT WE SHOULD EAT MORE VEGETABLES AND BERRIES, AND LESS RED MEAT AND SALT. BUT WE FAIL TO DO SO. IN DOING SO, WE OPEN THE WAY FOR DISEASE.

Professor Sari Mäkelä knows that obesity and inflammation in the fatty tissue promote the onset of post-menopausal breast cancer.

P

rofessor Sari Mäkelä sits in front of her laptop in her office. Her microscope, which is just one meter away, can rest in its protective bag, as microscopy has moved to the digital cloud. Mäkelä clicks on the files, and after finding a suitable picture, she magnifies it with a flick of a finger.

There it is: a sign of inflammation.

inflammation that is happening in the organs.

– We know that obesity and inflammation of the fatty tissue increase the risk of post-menopausal breast cancer, Mäkelä says and points towards the dots in the picture. They reveal the

Sari Mäkelä notes how just a few decades ago research on the link between food and cancer focused only on the factors that were harmful to the organs. Poisons, moulds, and carcinogens.

Inflammation is one aspect that Mäkelä’s group is researching while assessing the effect of nutritional factors on the development of hormonal cancers. The central research area is how obesity alters the production and activity of sex hormones, and thus promotes the development of prostate and breast cancers.

WE ALL HAVE THE PRELIMINARY STAGES OF CANCER

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Eventually, researchers noticed that the puzzle was far more complex than what they had anticipated.

– We now understand that, instead of individual factors, we must research the joint effect of multiple harmful and protective nutritional factors. We aim to find out what factors contribute to the onset of cancer and what factors either stop or hinder it, Mäkelä says.

The World Cancer Research Fund International published a report at the end of 2015 noting that a third of the most common cancers could be prevented if people monitored their diet, nutrition, weight and got enough exercise.

– There are many cancers that could be significantly hindered if we could fix our diet and weight. However, the situation must be addressed before the person gets the cancer, Mäkelä says.

She notes that everyone’s organs contain the preliminary stages of cancer. The mystery is knowing whose cancer will become clinical.

– The links between lifestyles and cancer risks can be seen on the population level, but the individual level is a completely different story.

Therefore, we can’t say that if you have these and these factors that you will then get cancer or be able to avoid it, Mäkelä says.

LIFESTYLE AFFECTS SOME CANCERS But how is this link born? Why, for example, does highly processed red meat promote the onset of cancer?

Sari Mäkelä reminds us that there are different types of cancer. Cancers are multifactorial by nature, and most of the time the complex joint effect of both hereditary factors and lifestyle and environmental factors affect the formation of cancer.

Some cancers are not significantly affected by lifestyle, while in others lifestyle is a critical risk factor. And when we talk about lifestyle, nutrition is one of the most significant factors.

– For example with prostate cancer, post-menopausal breast cancer and cancer of the large intestine and rectal cancer, there is a clear connection to lifestyle. Credible evidence exists that nutrition, lifestyle and obesity have an effect on these cancers, Mäkelä says, and begins to describe the connection that the group has proved with animal modelling.

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Baoru Yang (right), as well as Niina Kelanne, a student at the Department of Food Chemistry, (left) and University Lecturer Marika Kalpio know that berries do wonders for a person’s health.

In the study, a group of animals eat a healthy diet, while another group is fed what Mäkelä describes as a cafeteria diet which we can all imagine. Sugary, fatty, enticing to indulge in.

– We have identified new factors related to diet, obesity and inflammation that control the production of oestrogen in the fatty tissue. It has long been known that continuous increased exposure to oestrogen increases the risk of breast cancer. We hope that our research results will help in finding new ways to prevent breast cancer, Mäkelä says.

The risk is increased by the join effect of obesity and inflammation. It is easy to spot obesity, but how can we know if there is inflam-

mation in the organs? Mäkelä notes that by inflammation, she does not mean an infection that is caused by pathogens, but the sort of irritation of the tissue that can be caused in many ways. Obesity is almost always linked to a chronic low-level inflammation of the fatty tissue which contributes to the onset of cancer as well as to other general diseases.

– It’s almost inevitable that if a person is obese, they will have some sort of inflammation in their organs. This does not mean that everyone who is greatly obese will get sick or that someone will be saved from cancer if they have no extra weight, Mäkelä says.

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Along with obesity, the onset of inflammation of the fatty tissue is affected by other factors such as the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory phenol compounds of eatable plants that restrain the inflammation reactions and can thus protect from the harms associated with obesity.

WHAT SHOULD WE EAT, THEN? Less red meat, especially highly processed red meat, salt, and alcohol. In other words, there is no exciting miracle food that could undo the hazards of a bad diet.

– The same measures help in preventing cancers, diabetes, metabolic syndromes, heart and vascular diseases, and many other illnesses.

But when we say this, people are disappointed. “There’s nothing new about this”, Mäkelä says.

During her interview, Yang munches on some tangy sea buckthorn berries. The age-old healthy berry has been eaten in China for centuries, and during the last few decades, it has been scientifically proven to contain many excellent components for health. Sea buckthorn is not, however, the only berry that has been proven to be beneficial for the body.

– You should eat different berries, as each contains different phenols. Sea buckthorn, blueberries, lingonberries, currants. Each berry contains different sorts of benefits, Yang says.

She tells us how the Food Chemistry Unit that is part of the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Turku has produced dozens of papers that have demonstrated the beneficial effects of whole and diced berries and diets containing lots of berries for the treatment of chronic illnesses such as metabolic syndromes, diabetes, vascular diseases, and allergies.

For example,

GOOD FOOD IS AGE-OLD INFORMATION

sea buckthorn and lingonberries have been proven to level the rise of blood sugar after a meal”

Professor of Food Development Baoru Yang spreads the same message that Mäkelä and many other researchers: more vegetables and less red meat. Yang completes the picture by emphasising that adding berries to a diet has health benefits.

– For example, sea buckthorn and lingonberries have been proven to level the rise of blood sugar after a meal, Yang says.

Even though we know very well what we should and should not eat, we find it very hard to follow this advice. Sari Mäkelä asks what we should do if a person does not want to lose weight or to increase the amount of exercise.

– Could we control the inflammation? Could we

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use anti-inflammatory drugs to prevent inflammation? According to the current information, they don’t seem to work very well.

NIGHTLESS NIGHT INCREASES HEALTH Sea buckthorn is a berry that brought Yang from China to Turku in the 1990s. After completing her Master’s degree, she worked at a company that developed functional foods from sea buckthorn. Professor Heikki Kallioinen and his group from the University of Turku visited the company. Yang wanted to continue her studies and travelled to Turku.

ferent latitudes and weather conditions, Yang says.

The research group was able to show that buckthorn that was grown in Kittilä in Lapland contained a notably greater amount of flavonoids that promote health than berries of the same species that were grown in other parts of Finland. This knowledge could even be utilised by the food industry.

– We must also offer applications for society, Yang says and reminds us that in Finland, the food industry is the fourth largest industry in revenue and third largest as an employer.

THE TRUMP CARD OF NATURALNESS

After Kallio retired, Yang is now the one who advances research and collaboration with the Chinese. She emphasises that in food science, alongside the health benefits of berries, another equally important research topic is the effect of the northern growing conditions on the composition and quality of the berries.

People’s interest towards healthy eating is increasing all the time. It is very telling that many want to avoid, for example, any E’s in products’ labelling, even though Yang ensures that the E food additives are carefully studied and known to be safe.

– We use sea buckthorn and currants as model plants when we research how the place of growth affects the phenols that promote health in the berries. In our research, we compare for example berries that have been grown on dif-

– People want products that feel more natural.

In one project funded by Tekes and the Technology Ministry of India, together with the India Central Food Technology Researcher Institute (ICFTRI) we sought for a natural preservative.

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Consumers are more

interested in their health and in maintaining it. They want more information on how food, diet and lifestyle can affect their health.”

The project also included Finnish food industry companies and the Technical Research Centre of Finland. We did manage to create a mixture from traditional herbs which prevents the growth of microbes and protects fish from oxidation, Yang says.

– We are also aiming to bring vegetable proteins to substitute animal proteins, such as broad beans and soy. In India, the food situation for children and the elderly is bad, as animal proteins are too expensive or are not eaten for religious reasons, Yang says.

Their success with preserving fish encouraged them to seek for a preservative made from herbs for chicken, and they found it: the main ingredients are oregano and rosemary.

Some people are driven towards a healthier diet due to worry about the planet, some for the ethical values related to animals, and some for health reasons. Sari Mäkelä’s words put the minds of those searching for solutions to rest: the same methods work in all cases. More vegetables, less red meat, alcohol, and salt.

– Now we have to find a dose where the herbs protect the meat without altering its taste, Yang says.

The project has also another goal: finding a natural pesticide for stored grains. Pests need to be kept away from crops so that food safety is maintained. The researchers are working on a method that does not kill the insects but drives them away with its stench. This is another softer method.

– In India, insects destroy a third of the crops and pose a risk for food safety. We are developing a product as an export for business, Yang says.

– As our standards of living have increased, eating is not just about survival, but food is about something else, Mäkelä says.

Yang has also noticed the change in people’s attitudes.

– Consumers are more interested in their health and in maintaining it. They want more information on how food, diet and lifestyle can affect their health. This is an international trend, says Yang.

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MASTER Your Future with Us!

THE UNIVERSITY OFFERS INTERNATIONAL MASTER’S DEGREE PROGRAMMES IN ENGLISH IN ALL OF ITS FACULTIES. THE PROGRAMMES PROVIDE HIGH-QUALITY EDUCATION BASED ON RESEARCH AND PREPARE THE STUDENTS FOR WORKING LIFE OR AN ACADEMIC CAREER. READ MORE ABOUT OUR STUDY OPPORTUNITIES:

www.utu.fi/masters

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The passion for electronics and technology has always been in me. In Finland, engineering is a technologically advanced field and I want to contribute something to it in the future. There are many start-up groups that help resourceful students to start a business or create a service. “ Victor Kathan Sarker, student in the Embedded Computing Master’s Degree Programme

text ilkka hemmilä |photo hanna oksanen

DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS BENEFIT THE STUDENTS OF LAW AND INFORMATION SOCIETY Gail Maunula has had a unique path in becoming a degree student at the University of Turku. During her studies, Maunula has discovered that the students’ different backgrounds and home countries complete each other and have become a great asset in studying.

Gail Maunula moved to Finland from the United States when she was 38. After three years of working in an English-language preschool, she applied to the Law and Information Society Master’s Degree Programme at the University of Turku.

– I realised that it was still my dream to work in the legal field. I found this programme, which happened to be in Turku where I had lived for three years, so it was a perfect fit.

– The programme deals with intellectual property and information society, which are extremely important and current topics. That was the draw. I was already fully employed, so I didn’t have to leave my career unless it was for something really powerful.

The programme seemed really great and it has lived up to the expectations. ›››

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The students’ different backgrounds and versatile experiences help the entire student group to support one another.

– My group in this Programme has been really close.

We are studying issues that are so global and new that we have to rely on each other in finding the correct information. We feed of the different places we come from and the different ages that we are. The diversity is really important.

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Good Reception Encourages to Keep Going All new students are offered guidance by a tutor, an older student. In the second year of her studies, Maunula became a tutor to the new students starting in the Programme.

– I had an amazing tutor myself. Even though I was already living in Turku, the idea of being a full-time student again was a major adjustment. My tutor walked me through everything and made me feel comfortable with the classes.

In addition to other students, the University staff helps newcomers in adapting to student life. According to Maunula, students particularly praise the project coordinator of the Master’s Degree Programme, who is always helpful and finds answers to their answers.

Because of her great experiences in the Programme, Maunula has considered a career as a researcher in the Faculty of Law. – I didn’t consider staying as a doctoral candidate when I started the programme. However, I’ve enjoyed the programme very much, and the doctoral candidates here seem to have good camaraderie.

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There is a great deal of self-reflection and student participation within the studies. People compare the Finnish education system to their home countries. Here teachers have more freedom to plan their lessons, classes are smaller and there is less homework than in other countries. On the university level, students are considered equal to teachers.“ Ioanna Frangou student in the Learning, Learning Environments and Educational Systems (LLEES) Master’s Degree Programme.

text erja hyytiäinen | illustration samuli siirala

A LOOK INTO

CLASS

SOCIAL CLASS RESEARCH. THE TERM HAS BEEN USED BY MANY RESEARCHERS ALL

AROUND THE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS IN TURKU. WHAT IS IT ALL ABOUT? WHY HAS SOCIAL

CLASS BECOME AN INTERESTING SUBJECT AGAIN? PROFESSOR OF SOCIOLOGY JANI EROLA KNOWS THE ANSWER.

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It’s due to the major change in our society. Social class research, which began in the early 1900s, fizzled out in the West as social inequality decreased by the end of the 1980s. However, when social inequality started to increase during the 1990s, it also strengthened class research, says Erola.

factual data about social mobility, for example.

We have an obligation to contribute to society, Erola says.

Social inequality. It sounds like politics. It is precisely this association that has incensed the opponents of social class research. The term alone takes one’s mind back to the time, when the pioneers of social class research such as Max Weber and – even worse – Karl Marx developed their theories.

– Whenever you’re researching power and the distribution of resources, it’s political. And it’s of primary importance that the scientific community is a part of this, in the middle of these societal events, producing knowledge that’s based on research. It’s important for democracy that we highlight these disputes, says Salmenniemi.

The Weberian perspective focused on the meaning of the individual’s market capacity, such as their profession, income, and education. Marxism emphasised the role of production, i.e. power and possessions.

Jani Erola sees and acknowledges the burdens created by Marxism, but passes it off by saying that class research has the same principles as all scientific research.

– The role of researchers is to bring societal topics up for discussion.

We have so much pure

His colleague, Associate Professor of Sociology Suvi Salmenniemi takes a step in the other direction. According to Salmenniemi, all research is political.

EXPERIENCE IN SOCIAL MOBILITY SUPPORTS RESEARCH Docent of Sociology Anu-Hanna Anttila goes even a step further. She admits that they have an agenda. She is on the side of the weak, as, according to her, it is the duty of a sociologist.

She also admits to utilising her own findings and experiences in her research. Anttila, who grew up in an industrial community in Kymenlaakso, has seen the class hierarchy herself, as her school class in Karhula had children from both rich and poor families.

– My generation is one of the last ones that could truly ascend to a higher social class through education. Now, most parents of students in higher education are highly educated themselves, says Anttila.

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– Until the 1970s, all schools were fairly equal when it came to the quality of teaching. Nowadays, there are no unified teaching plans and schools are developing focused curricula. The primary school system is in the process of splitting up, Rinne says.

MOBILITY HAS TAPERED OFF Anttila notes that the results of current research are a rough read: a child is spared from all societal evil only if their mother is highly educated.

Professor of Education Risto Rinne has the proof. The University of Turku has researched how, for example, the choice of primary school affects an individual’s entire career in education.

– Since the beginning of the 1990s, Finnish school policy has moved towards the global mainstream and its “choose your own school” ideology. Choosing a school has led to the division of pupils into classes with special emphases and successful pupils, and normal classes with ordinary pupils, says Rinne.

To put it bluntly: those parents with the skills and power to do so will make sure that their children are placed in those better schools that will eventually lead to a university degree.

Those parents who do not know the academic world and who do not possess the knowledge, skills and power to find a specific school send their children to a nearby school.

WHO SHOULD PAY? – Social class research is a rewarding subject for a researcher. Everyone is interested in this, says Erola.

His first social class study, conducted together with Pasi Moisio, focused on social mobility. Now he is working on the change of social class in situations where the child is missing a central resource in their family background.

Is the fate of a child sealed if they lose both of their parents, for example? The question is so interesting that the European Research Council granted a highly competitive grant to Erola, the first social scientist in Finland to receive it.

Erola has shown that a lack of certain resources does not fully determine a child’s fate. If there is no family support and help, society steps in.

Or at least it used to. Erola can’t help but mention that the new government’s programme has frightened him.

– As a researcher, I am extremely worried about what kind of plans there are in the making for both education and upbringing. If all of the

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The promise that

measures that have been talked about are implemented, they will only emphasise the hereditary nature of disadvantages.

WILL FINLAND BE DIVIDED? Erola has noticed a change in social mobility. In the 1970s and 80s, Finland had an interest in getting the working class out of poverty.

This was done by creating the welfare state.

During the 1980s, differences in both society and income decreased. After that, there was a new surge in inequality, but in a new way.

– Before, there were efforts to raise the lowest class towards the middle class, but during the 1990s, the upper class began

a person could rise up in society through work and education has become more fragile. Even if you’re as highly educated as possible, it still won’t guarantee a good career and a secure income”

to distance itself from the middle class. Social inequality changed its place. This happened both in the Nordic countries and all around the world, Erola says.

Salmenniemi has noticed critique towards society.

– The promise that a person could rise up in society through work and education has become more fragile. Even if you’re as highly educated as possible, it still won’t guarantee a good career and a secure income, Salmenniemi says.

In the autumn, Anttila will begin a new chapter: in his work for the Youth Research Network, he will assess the question “Is finland being divided?” in a project that is being funded by the Kone Foundation.

When talking to Anttila, you can leave the question mark behind even before the project begins.

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SCIENCE BITES SCIENCE BITES

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photo: jann kuusisaari

compiled by: mari ratia

REINDEER HUSBANDRY MITIGATES THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE TUNDRA Reindeer husbandry has a substantial effect on the environment and particularly on the tundra ecosystem. It prevents bush and tree expansion into open tundra areas and therefore slows down the predicted change of open tundra to willow scrubland and forest.

– Tundra areas with low-growth vegetation remain covered in snow later into the spring

ULTRASOUND REVEALS HOW SPEECH SOUNDS ARE FORMED

than forests, as trees absorb solar radiation and speed up thawing. In contrast, snow covered treeless tundra reflects a larger share of the solar radiation back into space and prevents its incorporation into the Earth’s climate, thereby mitigating climate change, says Professor Lauri Oksanen from the University of Turku.

The Department of Phonetics at the University of Turku is the first one in the world to combine both ultrasound technology and research on the evoked potentials of the brain in the development of language education. The results facilitate the teaching of foreign languages, as the device shows how a native speaker forms speech sounds. Knowing that, it is easier to teach students how to position the lips or tongue in order to produce the correct speech sound.

The research could also have applications in the treatment of speech disorders, as the ultrasound could reveal why speech sounds cannot be formed correctly.

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SCIENCE BITES

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NEW COMPOUND EXPECTED TO IMPROVE HAY FEVER VACCINATIONS Researchers of the University of Turku and Ă…bo Akademi University have developed a molecule that is highly efficient in preventing inflammation in allergies, e.g. hay fever.

The synthetic glycocluster molecule boosts the immunity system and mimics natural carbohydrate structures.

The compound could be used as a booster in allergy vaccinations and the researchers expect that it will significantly improve the quality of life and well-being at work for people who suffer from seasonal allergies and asthma.

CHOOSE YOUR FUTURE CHALLENGES RADICALISATION The U.S. Department of State and Facebook collaborated to organise a competition, the Facebook Global Digital Challenge, with the aim to discover new means for decreasing the attractiveness of extremist organisations, particularly by utilising social media.

AMONG THE BEST 200

The team from Turku School of Economics led

by Tommi Pirilä was awarded as the best campaign in the competition. Together with Funzi, a startup company from Espoo, the students developed the About Turku mobile application which provides asylum seekers with useful information about their new hometown in their first language.

univerities in the world in international outlook THE Ranking

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SCIENCE BITES

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BREEDING CICHLIDS RECOGNISE INTRUDERS FROM COLOUR CUES Cichlids, which are also wellknown by many aquarium owners, are masters in recognising threats. According to the study conducted by the University of Turku and Australian Monash University, cichlids, which defend their territory and offspring vehemently, can target their aggression strategically and solely on the basis of the intruder’s colouration – even when the unwanted quests are a member of another species. The researchers consider the results to be remarkable, as they prove that animals can pay close attention to the colour signals of other species and fine-tune their behaviour accordingly.

INSOMNIA AND DEPRESSION CAN CAUSE NIGHTMARES – 3–5 percent of Finnish adults have nightmares often, women more than men and the elderly more than the young. We studied which psychological and physical factors are related to having nightmares, says Nils Sandman, Doctoral Candidate at the University of Turku.

The main discovery of the researchers is the strong connection between frequent nightmares, insomnia and symptoms of depression.

Almost 20 percent of the respondents with recurring insomnia or diagnosed depression experienced frequent nightmares, whereas of the respondents who slept well and did not have any symptoms of depression only [ 28 ] 2 percent had nightmares.

text taru suhonen | photo hanna oksanen

BATTLING POVERTY WITH

FUTURES RESEARCH

THE UNIVERSITY OF TURKU HAS BEEN GRANTED A PROFESSORSHIP BY UNESCO WITH THE AIM OF MAKING USE OF TOOLS OF FUTURES RESEARCH TO ERADICATE POVERTY AND INCREASE WELL-BEING IN THE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. PROFESSOR OF FUTURES STUDIES MARKKU WILENIUS HAS BEEN APPOINTED TO THE POSITION.

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​T

he professorship was granted by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation UNESCO. The aim of the professorship is to support futures work in the developing countries.

Spreading

education and culture widely and investing in that work has been a truly revolutionary force in the developing societies.”

The University of Turku begins the creation of a method for introducing futures work to developing countries in co-operation with UNESCO and the other partners, such as eight other universities from, for example, Namibia, Peru, China, the United States and Germany.

The aims of the four-year professorship also include preparation for the new UniTwin university network project for UNESCO.

THE PAST DOES NOT DETERMINE THE FUTURE – My own research shows that our world is moving into the next era, the Sixth Wave. The new wave will take a great deal away with it but it will also bring new possibilities as the effec-

tive forces of movement are different from before. It is possible for the developing countries to find new ways to be part of the world economy – ways, in which they can increase the value added of raw materials and leave their subordinate position as the resource base for the global economy. The tools of futures research help picture these possibilities by anticipating what needs will arise and what will disappear.

That is what we do here every day, says Wilenius.

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Wilenius, who has for more than 20 years worked in the field of futures research in Finland and abroad, talks about futures education.

– Our aim is to help people across the world to understand how important it is to anticipate the future and draw conclusions. The empowering starting point is that what has happened in the past does not necessarily determine what will happen in the future.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FOR FUTURES RESEARCH The theme of the UNESCO professorship is Learning Society and Futures of Education.

– We observe UNESCO’s principles in our work as messengers of the societal role and signifi-

cance of education. Spreading education and culture widely and investing in that work has been a truly revolutionary force in the developing societies. In the project, we also carry out research on the current educational situation and the development needs related to education, says Wilenius.

According to Rector Kalervo Väänänen, this professorship is an important acknowledgement for the work that has long been done in the field of futures research and sustainable development at the University of Turku and its Finland Futures Research Centre.

– These themes will return to the University of Turku in the coming years with the question how the knowledge pool of the whole University can in future be used in these projects.

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text erja hyytiäinen | illustration hanna oksanen

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I

n a new study, researchers from the University of Turku have identified a new predictor of fraction and decimal learning. This breakthrough evidence sheds new light on reasons why pupils have different levels of success with fractions and decimals – in that, paying attention to mathematical relations in everyday situations leads to more success with these topics.

The study, which followed 251 3rd to 5th grade pupils during two school years, identified those children who more often spontaneously use mathematical relations – such as saying “I have twice as much cake as you do” or “We’re halfway there”– without being told to do so.

- Surprisingly, these children went on to learn more about fractions and decimals in regular math class. This novel approach to investigating math learning suggests that pupils’ everyday activities are important for understanding learning, teaching, and mathematical difficulties, says PhD Jake McMullen.

Many young children count everyday objects with exuberance. What McMullen and his colleagues have discovered for the first time is that there are also differences in how pupils pay attention to mathematical relations. These findings reveal that spontaneous focusing on quantitative relations is key to the development of mathematical skills.

In this case, the pupils were asked to describe a

situation. Without knowing that the tasks were about math, some participants used mathematical relations to describe the events, while others did not. These pupils, for example, noticed that some objects had doubled in number. Over the next year and a half, those pupils who described the relations gained more fraction and decimal knowledge than their peers.

Strengthening the results of these findings, a recent replication of this study was successful in finding a similar effect among Belgian pupils.

The study was conducted in the Academy of Finland funded TULOS programme of Professor Erno Lehtinen, which focuses on how children’s everyday experiences with mathematics leads to differences in math achievement in the classroom.

Until now, researchers and educators have mostly focused on what pupils can do when they are directly asked to solve mathematical tasks. However, one of the main focuses of Professor Lehtinen’s research group on mathematics teaching and learning is to examine how, in everyday situations, students realise on their own when to use mathematical thinking.

These findings show that pupils need to take what they have learnt in the classroom and apply this knowledge in their everyday lives in order to get experience in using mathematical relations.

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text liisa reunanen | photo päivi kosonen

RESEARCHERS MUST INTERVENE IN SOCIAL PROBLEMS NO CORPORATION IS PURELY GOOD OR EVIL. THE RESPONSIBILITY OF CORPORATIONS CAN BE PROMOTED BY STRENGTHENING THE POWER OF INDIVIDUAL CONSUMERS, SAYS FREDERICK AHEN, WHO IS

A

RESEARCHING CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY.

hen, who defended his dissertation in international business last year, researches global health management and corporate social responsibility. For his distinguished research, Ahen received the Turku Finnish University Society’s dissertation award for the 2014-2015 academic year.

He believes that, as a researcher, he has a duty to participate in the debate on social injustice.

– How could I talk about responsibility without beginning with myself? Society has given me the chance to attain an academic degree, and now, as a researcher, it’s my duty to give something back. It’s important to find relevant topics that can be studied to solve social problems.

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Corporations aren’t irrational actors that are separate from people, but a group of people serving other people.”

Ahen is now writing new articles, and he is also working on a book. Ahen thinks that a researcher must actively participate in discussions.

– I don’t want to produce publications that will just gather dust on a shelf. Through my work, I want to be able to affect decision-making and build a better society.

Ahen thinks that the aspect of responsibility is needed more in economic research.

– Economic research has a tendency to assume that companies are doing the right thing. This is why international business research too often ignores the political aspects.

POWER MUST BE RETURNED TO THE GRASSROOTS LEVEL In his dissertation, Ahen assessed the responsibility of pharmaceutical companies. In the field research, he studied consumer protection from counterfeit drugs in West Africa.

According to Ahen, there are reasons for both the supply and demand for the blooming market of counterfeit medicine. There is great demand for medicine, and the supply is created by globalisation and new technologies that make the production and commercialisation of counterfeit medicine easy. Ahen states that the problem cannot be solved as long as corporations focus on maximising their profits.

Also the structural inefficiency of corporations

and governments and their attempts to maintain their own status quo rather than wanting to produce any real value to consumers sustain the problem.

In the global economy, the corporate responsibility is a complex question. Ahen emphasises that corporate responsibility depends on the institutional environment where the companies operate. For example, counterfeit drugs have been found in Finnish hospitals as well, but Ahen thinks the problem is marginal when compared to developing countries.

– The Nordic countries have strong institutions and mechanisms for upholding the law. Officials can’t be bought out, the law is respected, and consumers have a choice, Ahen notes.

– In these kinds of developed societies, corporations are more dependent on the choices that consumers make and thus operate responsibly, for the most part. In another kind of environment, the same corporations can operate in a completely different way, Ahen explains.

He emphasises that no corporation is purely good or evil.

– Corporations aren’t irrational actors that are separate from people, but a group of people serving other people. I believe that most people and employees in any corporation are aiming to do good.

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Frederick Ahen has embraced the cycling culture in Turku and bicycle is his way to commute – without compromising his style!

public on the significance of how they treat their environment is a very important and inexpensive way to prevent illness, Ahen says.

FINNISH EDUCATION IS HIGHLY VALUED

According to Ahen, corporate responsibility could be promoted by strengthening the institutions of those countries where corporations operate. For example, Ahen mentions counterfeit malaria drugs that are a widely spread problem in many African countries. Weak healthcare institutions, great burdens caused by illnesses, and a poor availability of medicines as well as expensive prices maintain the market for counterfeit drugs.

Ahen admits that institutional change is difficult and slow. As an alternative, he recommends value-based corporate leadership and empowering individual consumers.

– The prevention of both infectious and chronic illnesses are the easiest ways to empower consumers. If people don’t get sick, they aren’t dependent on the pharmaceutical industry. For example, there are simple ways for preventing malaria that can significantly help the poor to reduce their risk of getting sick. Educating the

Ahen was born and raised in Ghana, but has now lived over half of his life in different parts of Europe. Ahen completed his Bachelor’s degree in Italy, after which he continued his studies in Germany and Great Britain. Becoming a researcher was a clear goal for Ahen ever since he began his studies.

Finally, he ended up in Finland, which was already a familiar country back from his Erasmus exchange days.

– This is a good place to live in, and Turku School of Economics has provided an excellent working environment. The education is of high-quality and also highly valued abroad.

I’m thankful for all that I’ve received here, Ahen says with a smile.

The Finnish winters do not slowe his pace, either. He cycles to work all year round, usually wearing a suit. Ahen loves to ski and hopes for white winters, as he likes the cold climate.

– But I didn’t come here to watch the snow. I want to do work that has real meaning. My plans are clear. Here comes a future professor.

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EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS PhD ELIZABETH WHITNEY IS A VISITING RESEARCHER AT THE DEPARTMENT OF MEDIA STUDIES FOR THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2015-2016. IN HER RESEARCH, WHITNEY COMPARES AMERICAN AND FINNISH ARTISTS’ EXPERIENCES ON ARTS FUNDING AND FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION. DURING HER STAY, SHE HAS MADE A GREAT DEAL OF CONNECTIONS AND ENJOYED THE NORDIC WAY OF LIFE.

P

hD Elizabeth Whitney’s stay in Finland has been short but productive. She came to Finland by the request of Professor of Media Studies Susanna Paasonen. Whitney and her Finnish colleagues share

an interest in digital storytelling.

– Finland has been very welcoming to me.

Once I got here, people have been incredibly generous in connecting me to the networks of academics and artists, says Whitney cheerfully.

Whitney came to the University of Turku through the exchange programme of the Fulbright Center that aims to promote research collaboration between Finland and North America. At the United States, she is a teacher in the Borough of Manhattan Community College of the City University of New York.

In Turku, Whitney has participated in teaching at the Department of Media Studies and organised courses in her areas of expertise. Students of the small Department have been welcoming towards the visiting lecturer.

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– The students have been very responsive to the assignments I’ve given them, even though teaching in Finland is very different compared with any place I have taught in the U.S. There are three reasons for the differences: classes are smaller, I have more freedom over my class schedule, and the classes meet for shorter periods of time than in the U.S.

– After seven years in New York, this is fantastic. I was really looking forward to living in a place where I could just walk everywhere.

DELIGHTINGLY SHORT DISTANCES

– Certainly one of my favourite things in Finland, when compared with the U.S., is the size – not just Turku, but also the rest of the country. I’ve travelled between Helsinki and Turku a great deal, and Finnish public transportation is very efficient and clean.

Arriving to Finland caused no problems for Whitney. The Department organised her housing near the University.

The apartment has been pleasing in every way. Whitney, who enjoys bathing, is thrilled for having a sauna in the apartment. In addition, the location near the compact University campus is a refreshing change to the researcher used to the bustle of the largest city in the United States.

When conducting her research, Whitney uses public transportation to reach other parts of the country. For example, travelling to Helsinki is easy.

– I feel I’ve made an incredible amount of connections during my stay. It exceeded my expectations, actually. I’ve also done a couple of invited talks at other universities, and people have been really interested in my research.

FULBRIGHT CENTER

BRINGS SCHOLARS TOGETHER The Fulbright Center’s mission is to expand Finnish-North American collaboration through exchanges of talent and knowledge.

The Center offers different kinds of scholarships and grants to Finnish and American students, researchers, and professionals.

In addition, the Center provides information, advising and consultation on educational possibilities in the United States, Canada and Finland for Finnish and North American audiences.

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