Many insights into sustainability – Tampere University’s researchers present their work on videos
The core of Tampere University’s strategy is to build a sustainable world together. The university’s four research areas emerging from basic research – the future of well-being, sustainable cities, gamification and augmented reality, and the revolution of light and image – were introduced on videos at the end of last year. Now, a wide group of researchers whose fields of research are related to sustainability present their research on videos.
Building a sustainable world is not just about recycling and reducing emissions. It can also be about utilising gamification, language research, laser applications, nanophotonics, research on multiculturality or well-functioning public services. On the new videos, researchers from different disciplines answer questions about what they are studying, what motivates them, and what the next big steps will be in their field.
The first ones to complete their video are Postdoctoral Research Fellow Pauliina Tuomi from the Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences, Senior Research Fellow Regina Gumenyuk from the Faculty of Technology and Natural Sciences, and Associate Professor of Journalism Heikki Heikkilä, from the Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences.
“I study journalism i.e. how news is produced, what is told or not told in the news and how the audience makes use of news in their lives. As a researcher, I am motivated by the changes in journalism brought by digitalisation and the big global problems which journalism needs to address,” Heikkilä says.
Journalism and its research are involved in building a sustainable world. The systemic problems affecting the state of the world test the sustainability of the planet and societies in several ways making it vital that people get reliable information. What can be done about climate change or the loss of biodiversity? How is the coronavirus curbed? Are increasing social inequality, political polarisation, and disinformation eroding people’s trust in politics and the importance of participation?
“Journalism, of course, has no power or knowledge to solve these problems. Instead, it plays a key role in raising awareness of the causes and trends of these problems and introducing different perspectives to the public debate. This is the work journalism must do locally, nationally, and internationally. The promotion of a sustainable world starts from increasing people’s trust in science, facts, and the competence of political systems. Journalism is an essential institution for bringing different perspectives and interests to public attention and compelling all actors to engage in constructive debate,” Heikkilä emphasises.
In winter and spring, the videos are published on Tampere Universities’ YouTube channel as they are completed. You can also spot the videos on Tampere University’s social media.
Text: Sanna Kähkönen
Photo: From Heikki Heikkilä’s video, Kaski Agency
