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Research projects 48
The designation of protected areas and of regions of special conservation interest has gained due relevance across the globe, particularly in the past three decades. Territories covered by protected areas are steadily expanding. Within this framework, numerous international strategies define the importance of Capacity Building and Training as the key challenge of the 21st century. The Training Masters in Ecosystem Services Management in Protected Areas (ECOSERVE) aims at developing an innovative practice-oriented MSc programme according to Bologna criteria in the field of protected areas management, and at meeting sustainable development and labour market needs through networking activities. ECOSERVE will be a qualitatively new MSc programme implemented in higher education institutions of the Russian Federation and Mongolia, strengthening their educational partnership with non-academic partners in the field of protected areas management and responding to demands for professionals of public services, private service providers and tourism businesses. It will contribute to adapt land management strategies to the actual changing natural drivers, such as climate, in alignment with global Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The program knowledge base, materials and courses in Russian, Mongolian and English, will be continuously updated and disseminated through a network of resources centres of protected areas in Partner country HEIs, promoting inter-regional cooperation in environmental protection, nature and biodiversity conservation issues, and management.
Team
Cristina Vega
This study explores inequalities in access to housing. In the light of the premise "Leave no one behind", the case study on occupations and struggle against evictions in social housing estates of Lisbon metropolitan area (LMA) draws the attention to the groups of population that are excluded from access to housing. In particular, gendered and racialised aspects of housing exclusions are examined. In addition, the role of civil society in contesting housing exclusion is analysed.
Team
This research focuses on designing a smart learning environment (SLE) using virtual reality mini games to support students' computational thinking skills. Aside from enhancing the teaching and learning of CT, this research aims to support first-year students and novices of computer science with the opportunity to gain CT skills through an experiential learning approach. The goal of the research is to design and develop VR mini games through a rigorous process of the design science research methodology in order to provide artefact that allows students to learn CT concepts such as algorithmic thinking, recursive thinking, pattern recognition, and abstraction of problems. This research will measure students' learning achievement and cognitive benefits through a field experiment with first-year university students in Nigeria and Finland. Currently, we have developed a VR mini games application in the VR EdTech Lab located at the School of Computing, University of Eastern Finland. The mini games were co-designed with students from within Finland and abroad in order to achieve a student-centered learning environment. The research has produced over seven research papers published in ranked journals and conferences as shown in the link (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=mSqmwdgAAAAJ&hl=en). The research is being supervised by professors from the School of Computing, University of Finland, and Luleå University of Technology (LTU) Sweden. The professors are specialists in VR technology, educational games, and ICT4D.
Team
Professor Markku Tukiainen, Dr. Jarkko Suhonen, Dr. Solomon Oyelere, MSc. Friday Joseph Agbo
Emerging technologies such as affordable smart phones with 4G access, broadband internet, and interactive interfaces employing gestures or speech, are revolutionizing the ways we access information, learn new skills and interact with the world around us. However, developing world communities - who stand to benefit from such technologies - were, until recently, largely neglected. Interactive technologies provide a means to address learning challenges such as functional illiteracy and information access barriers, and can improve learning and education, health and wellbeing, and agricultural practices.
Team
Markku Turunen, Jaakko Hakulinen, Mikko Ruohonen, Sumita Sharma, Pekka Kallioniemi, Juhani Linna
VitalSens is a joint research project with the main goal of designing a smart, cost effective and scale-able personalized biomedical remote monitoring health platform. Printable wireless electronic sensors for continuous ECG monitoring are designed. Further, the ECG recordings are stored in a cloud storage. We then proceed by developing a computational engine which processes the physiological measurements and provide automated event detection for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). The primary focus is to create an intelligent processing system which is adaptive to the patient ECG recording.
Team
Sampo Nurmentaus, Metropolia UAS, Moncef Gabbouj, TUT, Tapio Seppänen, OU, Niku Oksala, UTA.
The international research project "Making the International Trade System for Climate Change" examines possible synergy effects between the international trade and climate regime. The focus is on how trade policy measures (WTO, free trade agreements, etc.) can support a more ambitious climate policy in the future. The project includes a first analysis of the impact of the Paris Climate Agreement on the relationship between international trade and climate policy.
Team
Harro van Asselt, Kasturi Das, Susanne Droege, Michael Mehling
The aim of this research is to respond to the challenge of adjusting technology to local contexts in the field of ICT for development, by developing a comprehensive approach (methodology) for the analysis and design of sustainable and scalable socio-technical information systems that promote societal development of local communities in varying developing-country contexts. In addition, the project has a capacity building objective of forming a sustained tripartite international research group capable of disseminating, evaluating and improving the approach further.
Team
Koivu Annariina, Luukkonen Irmeli, Martikainen Susanna, Palmen Marilla, Pentikäinen Marika, Tiihonen Tuija, Vainikainen Vilma
The main objective of the ValBio3D project is to develop sustainable and 100% biobased composites based on agroindustrial residues, addressing the bioeconomy of the future. Sub Goals: 1. Develop novel routes for production of a bioplastic based on agroindustrial residues 2. Develop processes for production of sustainable nanofibres suitable as reinforcement of bioplastics in structured biocomposites and as a main component in bioapplications 3. Develop novel routes for functionalizing nanofibres and bioplastic for optimal adhesion in the biocompounds 4. Develop prototype biocomposites based on 3D (bio)printing as a novel technology 5. Perform a lifecycleassessment (LCA) of biocomposites
Team
Dr. Maria Christina Area, Dr. Gustavo Ciudad, Heli Kangas, Dr. Claudia Schirp, Dr. Gary Chinga Carrasco, Isabel Quispe, Marcelo Miguel Melnechuk, Gorm Bruland
The Strengthening Problem-Based Education in East African Universities project (PBL East Africa) is a joint initiative of Nairobi University (Kenya), Makerere University (Uganda), Dar es Salaam University (Tanzania), and Aalto University (Finland). PBL East Africa aims to establish best practices in problem-based learning (PBL) for innovation, engaging several disciplines, empowering students and developing an approach to critically address societal challenges in facilitated real-world situations.
Team
Riina Subra, Amelia Buriyo, Venny Nakazibwe, Tonny K. Omwansa
The Main goal of the SmartCom consortium is to develop, test and implement a concept of Smart Community for urban Africa together with the Namibian counterparts. The Project supports the development of Smart Community concept that is a societally and environmentally sustainable approach to urban development in Africa. SmartCom goes beyond the concept development and aims to provide tools, policy design and network to foster the emergence of business and innovation ecosystem between Finland and Namibia. The concept and policy design can be scaled-up to other countries later on.
Team
Mika Kautonen, Mika Raunio, Mika Nieminen, Veikko Ikonen, Virpi Oksman