Author Archives: Sami Vuori

IMC & hackmanite in the main national TV news

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Mika, Sami, and Hannah in the main national TV news 25/4/2022 at 20:30.

We have now been in the big news headlines about our hackmanite research. First, there was a big deal in Turku Sanomat’s print paper and website (https://www.ts.fi/tiede/5625235), and yesterday we got nationwide coverage when we were on Finnish Broadcasting Company’s (Yle) main news broadcast at 8:30 pm! Yle’s story can be found at https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-12365153

We were at the end of the main national TV news at 20.30:

https://areena.yle.fi/1-50931640 (from 18:35 onwards)

Yle also published the same in their radio:

https://areena.yle.fi/audio/1-1440981 (from 7:50 onwards):

Yle visits to make a story about hackmanite

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From left to right: Roosa, Hannah, Cecilia, Yle’s Markku and Samuli and lastly Sami grinding some hackmanite. Photo taken by Mika Lastusaari.

Today was an interesting day when Finland’s national public broadcasting company Yle visited our lab for a couple of hours. Journalist Markku Sandell interviewed us asking good questions about hackmanite research and patterns of cooperation with the European Space Agency. There is no exact information yet on when the thing will air, but we’ll notify when we know.

MSCA PF 2022 Applicants – Apply with University of Turku, Finland, as host institution!

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The University of Turku in Finland is now looking for young and talented researchers to apply for MSCA PF with the University as host institution. We are interested in hosting postdoctoral researchers from across the globe, across SSH and STEM disciplines. We will provide access to state-of-the-art research facilities and a comprehensive career development opportunity to successful candidates. Researchers who commit to applying to Turku will be assisted and guided on every step of the application process until deadline on 14 September 2022 by the Research Funding Unit and the Supervisor. Only those who are funded through European Commission’s MSCA PF program will be admitted to Univ. of Turku.

There are two ways of applying:
1) Find a project by one of the Supervisors @ Univ. of Turku and send us an application if you have previous experience in the field of the project
2) Find a Supervisor yourself and contact him/her to propose a project of your own

1) Existing projects looking for MSCA PF applicants

Go to https://www.utu.fi/en/research/MSCA-PF-applicants to see several projects that are looking for MSCA applicants. There you will also find all necessary info for applying.

To apply, applicants must choose one of the projects (our project is named Photochromic sensors, which can be found under Chemistry (CHE)) and send the following filled forms as PDF files to researchfunding@utu.fi at the latest on 23 March 2022.

• CV and list of publications
• Letter of motivation
• Eligibility Self-Declaration

All forms are compulsory.

Candidates will be pre-selected based on their expression of interest, CV and motivation.

There are 3 main requirements of eligibility:

• Applicants must have a PhD and no more than 8 years of full-time research experience
• Applicants can be of any nationality but must not have lived or worked in Finland for more than 12 months during the 3 years up to the closing date of the call 14 September 2022 (mobility rule)
• Applicants must choose University of Turku as their Host Institution

The Research Funding unit will verify candidates’ eligibility and send the applications to the Supervisors taking into consideration the choice expressed by candidates in their application forms.

Supervisors will select only one candidate per project.

The selected candidates will be contacted by the Research Funding unit to inform of the following steps and the process of preparing an actual MSCA PF application jointly with the Supervisor.

Please contact researchfunding@utu.fi for any questions on the funding scheme and the MSCA program.

2) Finding a Supervisor by yourself

If you didn’t find a suitable project but would still like to apply to University of Turku, go to https://www.utu.fi/en/research-search to search for a Supervisor with experience that matches your project idea. Then contact that Supervisor as soon as possible to see whether collaboration could be possible.

Pasi interviewed for the news about the Post Docs in Companies (PoDoCo) program

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PoDoCo is a matchmaking program supporting long term competitiveness and strategic renewal of companies and employment of young doctors in the private sector. IMC’s PhD Pasi Salonen was interviewed for the news about the program:

“In his own PoDoCo project, the recent PhD Pasi Salonen from the University of Turku is developing a method for the treatment and recovery of rare-earth elements (REEs), especially from electronic scrap and industrial by-products. Demand for REEs have increased because they are being used in many new solutions to combat climate change, such as wind farms and electric cars.

In his project promoting the circular economy, Salonen is developing 4D-printed filters for metal capture together with Weeefiner Oy in Jyväskylä. They are 3D-printed filters that are chemically functionalized.

In addition to the academic research world, I have always been interested in the industry, and PoDoCo combines both. The PoDoCo project with 4D REE catchers in cooperation with Weeefiner Oy is interesting and important to me, it enables the utilization of the knowledge and skills obtained in my dissertation in the face of a practical challenge. Through the PoDoCo program, the door is open to both the academy and industry, Pasi Salonen says.”

The news (in Finnish):

https://intranet.utu.fi/fi/ajankohtaista/uutiset/Sivut/vaitoskirjantekijoita-ja-yrityksia-yhdistavan-PoDoCo-ohjelman.aspx

Meet Max, our new X-ray diffractometer

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It is with great delight that we introduce the latest addition to the line of instruments at our group’s disposal, the Aeris Research Edition powder X-ray diffractometer, namely “Max”, manufactured by Malvern Panalytical in Holland. Max is a compact benchtop instrument for the structural analysis of polycrystalline powders, and bears the name of the discoverer of X-ray diffraction by crystals as well as the 2021 Dutch Formula 1 champion.

The new instrument will be of great importance in the characterization of materials synthesized in our group and we would like to give a huge thanks for the Department of Chemistry for making the acquisition possible!