Personal success stories

I am deeply grateful for the financial support provided by CNESS, which enabled my fieldwork in Iceland in October 2022. During this period, I visited the Institute of International Affairs (IIA) at the University of Iceland for two weeks and spent an additional week with the Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network (IACN) in Akureyri. The key focus of my fieldwork was the Icelandic green energy transition boosted by its well-developed geothermal sector and international cooperation on geothermal with Iceland. I conducted many informal and semi-structured interviews with researchers at Icelandic institutes, specialists and managers from energy companies—such as Arctic Green Energy, Icelandic politicians, and staff members from Arctic Council Working Groups. Additionally, I actively promoted the visibility of Tampere University and CNESS to different stakeholders in Iceland.

Last spring, CNESS research visit funding made it possible for me to attend a 6 ECTS course , ‘Particles and Health’, at Lund University, Sweden. As my PhD thesis focuses on ultrafine particles in different urban environments, this course offered me a valuable perspective on the health issues related to aerosol particles. The course covered themes such as global health, non-exhaust aerosols, exposures, and occupational safety. At present I am preparing an article manuscript titled ‘Importance of sub-23 nm particles in traffic environments: emission factors and head airway deposition doses’. In the manuscript, the particle deposition to human head airways is discussed and exposures of sub-23 nm particles are calculated. This part of the manuscript has strongly been inspired by the ‘Particles and Health’ course.

In addition to increased knowledge, the course broadened my international contacts. During the visit, I was able to discuss with our project partner in the EU Horizon 2020 project TUBE, Prof. Anna Oudin, who also gave a course lecture on air pollution epidemiology. We discussed results in a manuscript that was later published in the Environmental International with the title ‘Particle lung deposited surface area (LDSAal) size distributions in different urban environments and geographical regions: Towards understanding of the PM2.5 dose–response’ (Lepistö et al. 2023). All in all, I consider my participation in the course to have been both personally rewarding and scientifically successful.

Regarding my achievements during the course: “Particle and Health”, I conducted a three-hour workshop for my colleagues, the aerosol group members, with noteworthy acknowledgment extended to Henna for her invaluable assistance in crafting questions for the workshop’s final segment, approximately 20 members of our group: including professors, PhD students and master students, participated in that workshop, and it was a nice scientific experience for me. I can also send you the invitation email and 20 participants accepted the event on that email if you want.

On the other hand, the course was interdisciplinary, consequently, each category such as modeling, which is my focus has been covered in the course but in a tight time, so my take was in a way that my vision after this course was expanded and it helped me to think about the possible potential for collaboration with other diverse groups under the umbrella of aerosol science, rather than focusing just my specific topic, and helped me for having connection with people who work in the similar fields as me.

It is worth mentioning that I could get 6 credits which is in the approval process in Sisu, and I hope to use the knowledge I gained for the future projects.