ºÚÁÏÍø

Our LASER Talks panelists

Ivone Arazo Silva
Kaupunkisuunnittelija & arkkitehti, Espoon kaupunki

Urban architect with over 20 years of experience in sustainable urban planning and development. She integrates urban design, regulations, and urban governance principles to balance growth, heritage and cultural conservation, and resilience. In Colombia, she led multidisciplinary teams in the revitalization of historic centers, public spaces, and sustainable mobility, coordinating public, private, and community stakeholders. She is proficient in geographic information systems (GIS), regulatory analysis, and participatory methodologies, promoting inclusive planning and diverse citizen participation. She has experience in government, private, and international projects in smart cities and sustainable infrastructure. She is an expert in urban planning for climate adaptation, risk management, mobility, and territorial planning. She promotes urban innovation and sustainable development through collaboration with diverse communities and key stakeholders.

Betsy Korhonen
Project Manager, Editor, Aalto University

Betsy Korhonen’s educational background is in service design with a focus on design for governmental organizations. After finishing her master’s at Aalto University, her work has included developing capacity building materials based on the results of the Horizon 2020 project REFLOW for municipal employees and decision-makers, as well as developing communities and services for the Economic Development unit of the city of Espoo. Currently, she is the project manager and editor for the Nokia Design Archive project where she is writing about the professionalization of design during the heyday of the Finnish tech giant.

Astrid Puumala-Thévenet 
Development manager for immigration, City of Espoo

Astrid works at the intersection of strategy, policy, and service development, transforming ideas into actionable change. Her expertise is in service development, public policy, impact assessment, and process design, with a strong commitment to support decision-making better, through data and real-world results.

Uttishta Varanasi
Doctoral researcher, Department of Computer Science, Aalto University

Uttishta is a doctoral researcher in the Department of Computer Science at Aalto University. His current research focuses on designing digital public services for migrants through the lens of equity. With a focus on building agency and capacity for migrants using participatory methods, his research looks at how public institutions can be meaningfully inclusive in their structures and practices. His previous experiences include critical algorithmic literacy, sense-making in crises, and pluriversal AI.

Host

Annukka Svanda
Doctoral researcher, Department of Design, Aalto University

Event host Annukka is experienced in organizing participatory design projects with special target groups as well as engaging public organizations in service design processes. Committed to inclusivity, she emphasizes making the results of her academic research work visible in the form of popular sources accessible to the different stakeholders of the research projects. Currently finalizing her PhD on the role of service design in promoting inclusion and justice in public service development and working in the Kasvatuskumppanuus -project with City of Espoo learning and education department to support children’s learning outcomes.

Leonardo/ISAST LASER Talks is a program of international gatherings that bring artists, scientists, humanists and technologists together for informal presentations, performances and conversations with the wider public. 

The mission of LASER is to encourage contribution to the cultural environment of a region by fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and opportunities for community building to over 50 cities and 5 continents worldwide.