Generous Support: Aalto University’s Water and Environmental Engineering Department Receives Significant Donation from MVTT

Maa- ja vesitekniikan tuki ry (MVTT), a major supporter of the Finnish water and environmental engineering sector, has donated 550 000 euros to Aalto University School of Engineering.

The purpose of the donation is to expand access to Aalto’s teaching in water engineering and to strengthen the connections between university education and working life. The donated funds will be used to hire a fixed-term lecturer for the Department of Built Environment to develop water engineering education and its impact in the bachelor’s-level Sustainable Communities major subject, taught in Finnish, as well as in the English-language Master’s Programme in Water and Environmental Engineering.

‘Water engineering research is a cornerstone of sustainable development both globally and locally. Training new experts for the field is especially important, and a rapidly changing society as well as the demands of working life require our education to be developed continuously’, said Dean Kari Tammi of the School of Engineering.

‘This year marks MVTT’s 75th anniversary, and we decided to celebrate the occasion with a theme year’, said Managing Director Minna Maasilta of MVTT. ‘This donation kicks off MVTT’s jubilee year. We chose water engineering education as our theme, as we believe that high-quality teaching will be the key to making water engineering stand out among the disciplines prospective students choose from. By making education the theme of our jubilee year we also wish to highlight the fact that both Finland and the entire world need skilled water engineering experts with strong professional identities. Teaching plays a major role in determining the skills young people have at the start of their careers. Teaching deserves to be seen.’

‘This donation provides our Water and Environmental Engineering Research Group with a great opportunity to develop its teaching. The majority of master’s theses are already created in collaboration with employers in the field, and this lecturer’s position will further reinforce the connection’, said Assistant Professor Marko Keskinen, director of the Master’s Programme in Water and Environmental Engineering.

Water engineers advance the field and society

Water engineering as a field of study is a key part of research and education at Aalto University School of Engineering, and the number of students training to be experts in the discipline is growing.

‘The School of Engineering has increased student admissions to its programmes starting in 2021 and renewed the major subjects of the bachelor’s programme in 2022. These are reflected in student numbers and the workloads of teaching personnel. This endowed lecturer’s position is welcome at a time like now when more water experts are needed. My warmest gratitude goes to MVTT for supporting our operations’, said Kari Tammi.

Sustainable development is central to research, education and societal interaction at Aalto University and the School of Engineering. Education in water and environmental engineering is offered on three degree levels. Roughly 120 students are currently enrolled in the bachelor’s programme’s multidisciplinary major subject Sustainable Communities, which prepares students especially for the Spatial Planning and Transportation (SPT) and Water and Environmental Engineering (WAT) master’s programmes. The WAT programme currently has 70 enrolled students, approximately 20 of whom graduate with a Master of Science (Tech.) degree every year. The aim is to have more than 30 students graduate annually. Roughly 20 doctoral students currently work in the Water and Environmental Engineering Research Group, studying topics such as water resources management, water economy, and the links between water and development. Digitalisation of water will also be a growing topic of study in the future through the new Digital Waters flagship (DIWA).