Scholars from Aalto and University of Helsinki got together for a common ICT Research Day
ICT Research Day was held in Dipoli on the Otaniemi campus on Wednesday 31 January. The event attracted over 200 registered participants working on different fields of information and communications technology.
Building on a tradition of the annual CS Research Days organized by the Department of Computer Science at Aalto University, this was the first time that the event took place as a joint activity between the Departments of Computer Science and Information and Communications Engineering at Aalto University and the Department of Computer Science at University of Helsinki. The launch of new ICT Research Day was especially targeted for research groups combined by the umbrella organization of HIIT.
The focus of the event was to provide an opportunity to get to know what other researchers in the field are doing across the university boundaries as well as help master students connect with research groups they might be interested in.
Starting with lunch and continuing through afternoon filled with talks and research group presentations, the day culminated in a poster exhibition where academic discussions went on in a relaxed atmosphere.
Petri Myllymäki, Director of HIIT, opened the event in the Dipoli’s Kaleva hall, followed by greetings of the organizing team and the plenary talk by CSC Director of Science and Technology Pekka Manninen. Manninen was proud to shed light on the story, technical architecture and early scientific examples of the use of LUMI, ‘Europe’s flagship supercomputer’ whose high performance computing some research groups operating in Aalto have also already familiarized with. After that Heads of Departments Jussi Kangasharju (CS, University of Helsinki), Juho Rousu (replacing Janne Lindqvist of CS, Aalto) and Tapio Lokki (DICE, Aalto) gave short department presentations.
As the high point of afternoon, some 40 research groups showcased their research activity through a series of 3-minute elevator pitches.
While it is not always clear for researchers what people in other groups and departments are currently working on, the program allowed an easily approachable way to get an overview of the research carried out in the neighboring scientific units.
As such the Research Day was successful in reaching out to the local ICT research community. The event also helped build connections, promoting HIIT's mission of supporting research quality, visibility and impact – as stated by Professor Myllymäki in the opening remarks.
This news item was originally published on the Aalto University website on 7.2.2024
Read more news
New research: Reliable electricity can no longer be taken for granted – the green transition may require fossil fuel as backup
Although Finland's electricity system has been exceptionally reliable, this may not necessarily be the case in the future. A recent study by Aalto University warns that without further investment in flexible production and demand management, the security of the electricity supply could deteriorate significantly as early as the 2030s.
New information on the spread of gut bacteria that cause bloodstream infections
Gut bacteria that cause bloodstream infections can spread as quickly as influenza epidemics. The good news is neither the antibiotic-resistant nor the highly virulent strains are the most transmissible.
Three new Academy Professors at Aalto University
Professor Tuomas Hytönen from the Department of Mathematics and Systems Analysis, Professor Mikko Möttönen from the Department of Applied Physics and Professor Aki Vehtari from the Department of Computer Science have been appointed as Academy Professors for the term 1 January 2026–31 December 2031. Congratulations to all!