Maa- ja vesitekniikan tuki donates 250 000 euros ºÚÁÏÍø University Junior
Maa- ja vesitekniikan tuki ry (MVTT) is donating €250 000 ºÚÁÏÍø University Junior to encourage children and young people to learn about water and water technology.
Aalto University Junior is part of Aalto University's multidisciplinary educational activities and continuous learning strategy. Its aim is to inspire children and young people from diverse backgrounds to engage with art, science, technology and business. Thanks to a significant donation from MVTT, Aalto University Junior can now inspire children and young people to discover the world of water.
'Water economy and water technology will play an increasingly important role in the future, and we want to teach related subjects also to children and young people,' says Veli-Matti Ikävalko, Head of Aalto University Junior.
'Our goal is to develop water-related workshops, which help participants to understand the importance of water technology in their daily lives and globally.'
Water-realted theme days and workshops will explore water technology and the importance and sufficiency of water at an age-appropriate level. Involving and action-oriented content has a major impact on arousing children's interest and enthusiasm.
The workshops will be held both in schools in the surrounding municipalities and at the Junior Lab on the Otaniemi campus. 'Thanks to this significant donation, we are now reaching more and more schools,' says Ikävalko.
'For the three-year project, we are hiring a coordinator to develop the content of the workshops. The workshops will be facilitated by Aalto University engineering students, so the project will also have an important employment impact.'
Long-term support for water and environmental issues
Maa- ja vesitekniikan tuki is a long-standing supporter and partner of Aalto University. Its mission is to support research and initiatives that renew water and environmental technologies and are widely applicable in Finland and internationally.
With donations from MVTT, Aalto University has, among other things, trained PhD students in water engineering in the Majakka doctoral programme and developed water education at the Department of Built Environment. MVTT also co-founded, together with other donors, a Professor of Practice position in municipal wastewater treatment.
'MVTT is turning 75 this year and to mark the anniversary we decided to choose a special theme for 2024, water education. One of the objectives of the anniversary year is to increase the attractiveness of the water sector in Finland. We believe that an inspiring experience of water technology will attract students - and teachers - to explore and learn more about the field. Aalto Junior's workshops have been popular and it is great that the workshops are now available also water-related", says Minna Maasilta, Executive Director of MVTT.
In 2024, MVTT granted approximately €5 million in donations and scholarships to the water and environmental engineering sector. In addition to developing the skills within the field, these grants are used to do research, to develop teaching and to support the water engineering experts in a variety of ways. They are given to universities and other organisations as well as to individuals.
‘Our warmest thanks to Maa- ja vesitekiikan tuki for this new donation and for all the support we have received over the years. Clean water is a critically important social issue all over the world. With this gift, we have a great opportunity to advance water-related knowledge and skills, and to educate future professionals here in Aalto,' says Petri Suomala, Vice President for Education at Aalto University.
Text: Helena Salminen / Aalto University
Photos: Kalle Kaitala / Aalto University
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