Rector’s overview

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ANNUAL REPORT

EDITORS

Liisa Harjula Kirke Hassinen Tanja Heikkinen Ulla Helimo Kirsi Häkämies Arto Ikonen Anitta Kananen Reetta Mikkola Anu Mustonen Petra Thurén Kati Valpe Iiro Vuori Martta Walker

PHOTOGRAPHS

Auli Dahlström Nina Huisman Tarja Jakobsén Anna Kajander Petteri Kivimäki Kristiina Korjonen-Kuusipuro Eerika Koskinen-Koivisto Siiri Koutola Anniina Liimatainen Päivi Lyhykäinen, OAJ Tuukka Luukkonen Martti Minkkinen Ministry of Education and Culture Finnish Defence Forces Hanna Salomäki Suomen Ilmakuva Oy Andre Vandal Mikko Vähäniitty

STATISTICS

Helena Maukonen

CONCEPT AND DESIGN

Avidly

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University Printing Services RECTOR’S OVERVIEW

Master’s degree education in technology begins in Jyväskylä

The COVID-19 pandemic, which started to spread in Finland at the beginning of March 2020, significantly affected the University. The first coronavirus infection in a Finnish citizen was found on 26 February. At the beginning of March, the University of Jyväskylä launched measures and preparations due to the worsening situation. In Finland, the Emergency Powers Act was invoked for the period from 17 March to 15 June 2020. As a consequence, the University shifted to remote working and teaching. As 2020 progressed, the University continually adjusted to the pandemic situation.

On 23 July, the Government changed the Government Decree on University Degrees so that JYU would receive educational responsibility for bachelor’s, master’s, licentiate and doctoral degrees in technology. Building up the new education programme calls for multidisciplinary expertise.

The expansion of educational responsibility had been pursued by JYU for about twenty years and is a strategic achievement. Achieving this goal required strong support from the region’s members of parliament, the Chamber of Commerce, the local business network and other key parties.

During the year, the University prepared for the audit conducted by the Finnish Education Evaluation Council (FINEEC), and the audit visit took place on 2–3 December 2020. The audit looked at the ways in which the University maintains and develops the quality of its activities. The audit also covered all basic duties of the University: education, research and innovation activities as well as societal interaction.

The number of completed degrees increased considerably in 2020. JYU had 174 doctorates (127 in 2019), 1,863 master’s degrees (1,576) and 1,416 bachelor’s degrees (1,235).

The number of international peer-reviewed publications increased from the level of previous years and the total number of scientific publications reached a new record.

In June, the University commenced cooperation negotiations at the Kokkola University Consortium Chydenius, aiming to balance the Consortium’s financial situation and develop its operations. As a result, the University laid off eight employees of the Kokkola University Consortium Chydenius.

The University actively contributes to regional cooperation. The EduFutura Jyväskylä cooperation with JAMK University of Applied Sciences and the Jyväskylä Educational Consortium Gradia became concrete through an extensive joint education offering. In addition, JYU has also actively participated in the strengthening of KEHO, the Central Finland Health and Wellbeing Ecosystem.

The experiences of the last year have highlighted how universities provide long-term sustainability in society. People expect a lot from universities, requesting answers and solutions for a range of problems. We want to contribute to ensuring planetary wellbeing, and that contribution begins here at home.

Crises and troubles force us to focus on what is essential and leave unnecessary things aside. JYU has a strong foundation of values, and during difficult times these remind us of what is really important.

Yours sincerely, Keijo Hämäläinen RECTOR

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NEW GRADUATES IN INFORMATION AND SOFTWARE ENGINEERING WILL MAKE TECHNOLOGY MORE HUMAN-ORIENTED

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EMOTIONS IMPACT THE ATMOSPHERE AND RESULTS OF THE WORKPLACE

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JSBE TAKES THE LEAD IN CLIMATE ISSUES

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WEIGHT CONTROL GOVERNS FEMALE ATHLETES’ LIVES TO A SURPRISING DEGREE

CONTENTS

4 Rector’s overview 6 Planetary wellbeing as our goal 7 The pandemic highlights JYU’s societal impact 7 The pandemic shows in annual costs

FACULTY OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES 8 Courage and curiosity, but no fear 12 Why do some objects become so important? 13 The community of literacy and communication skills researchers grows stronger 13 Record year for doctoral degrees 13 Language skills testing for adults

FACULTY OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 14 New graduates in information and software engineering will make technology more human-oriented 18 Markus Salo is the information system scientist of the year 18 Faculty of Information Technology reaches a record in degrees 19 Global online conference about education during the COVID-19 crisis attracts more than 12,000 visitors 19 Cybersecurity startup launches from the IT faculty

FACULTY OF EDUCATION AND PSYCHOLOGY 20 Emotions impact the atmosphere and results of the workplace 24 Clinic provides quality for work at the Department of Psychology 24 Subject teachers most exhausted from work 25 New VR Campus enables novel modes of learning 25 Research expands our picture of maternity

SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS 26 JSBE takes the lead in climate issues 30 Towards a 3R society: research on the circular economy in Finnish companies 30 Four arguments why a company should shift to the circular economy 31 Researchers partner with MPs to strengthen the relationship between universities and decision-makers 31 Success in various rankings FACULTY OF SPORT AND HEALTH SCIENCES 32 Weight control governs female athletes’ lives to a surprising degree 36 Faculty publishes its strategy 36 Faculty ranks in the global top 10 37 Older people have become younger: physical and cognitive functioning have improved meaningfully in 30 years 37 Mihaly Szerovay selected as professor of practice in football

FACULTY OF MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE 38 Researcher’s keen eye on the enterovirus finds molecules against the coronavirus in nature 42 Industrial scale in sight for metal recovery 43 Escaping viper’s zig-zagging confuses predators 43 X-ray laser provides atomic-level data on the mechanisms of phytochromes 43 Physics competition inspires upper secondary school students FINNISH INSTITUTE FOR EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH 44 Survey reveals Finnish teachers’ multiple skills 44 FIER garners recognition on World

Teachers’ Day 45 Skill levels cause worry but also raise hopes 45 PISA 2018 Financial Literacy: Finnish adolescents have robust financial skills and support from school for skills development

OPEN SCIENCE CENTRE 46 Good data management improves science 46 Support for open and responsible science

CENTRE FOR MULTILINGUAL ACADEMIC COMMUNICATION MOVI 47 Internationalisation in the year of the coronavirus

OPEN UNIVERSITY 48 Know-how and scientific knowledge for increasingly more people

KOKKOLA UNIVERSITY CONSORTIUM CHYDENIUS 49 A significant new research area connects research in social work and sustainable transition

50 2020 NEWS 54 2020 FIGURES