The University of Eastern Finland’s Communicator of the Year Awards were announced in an award ceremony today.
A winner was selected from each of the university’s faculties, and the 2021 Communicator of the Year Awards were presented to University Lecturer Petri Karkkola, Senior Researcher Jaakko Pohjoismäki, Dean Sari Rissanen, and the Food Education and Eating Behaviour Research Group. In addition, the university’s Academic Rector Tapio Määttä was recognised with the Good Communication Award. The selections were made by the university’s Communications and Media Relations.
The Communicator of the Year Award is presented in recognition of an outstanding attitude towards, or of efforts in, communication and marketing during the past year. The award is not tied to any professional title: the most important thing is a genuine interest in communication. The primary criterion is that the person or the group has understood the significance of communication and is determined to raise awareness of the university’s activities by means of communication.
The Communicator of the Year Award of the Philosophical Faculty was presented to Petri Karkkola, University Lecturer in psychology. His attitude towards internal and external communication, and science communication, has always been very positive. He is generous about accepting invitations to speak at science events, and he is a bold and enthusiastic commentator of psychology topics in the media. He is also active on social media, raising awareness of psychology education at the University of Eastern Finland, among other things.
The Communicator of the Year Award of the Faculty of Science and Forestry is presented to Senior Researcher Jaakko Pohjoismäki. He is a molecular biologist with a focus on mitochondrial biology. He actively shares his research findings in an interesting manner. Pohjoismäki is a regular contributor to the university’s science events, and he is also known for his appearances in the Eränkävijät wilderness TV show on Yle.
The Communicator of the Year Award of the Faculty of Health Sciences was presented to the Food Education and Eating Behaviour Research Group, which consists of experts of nutrition, home economics and educational sciences. Together with various partners, the group has developed tools for food education for day care centres, schools and families, and for reforming school meals. The core of the group’s activities is built around inspiring, practical and target group oriented communication. Through visibility in the press and on social media, the researchers have also raised wider awareness of these important themes.
The Communicator of the Year Award of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies was presented to Dean Sari Rissanen. In her role as the Dean, she has encouraged an open culture of dialogue within the faculty and been an active advocate of transparency. She has, in an exemplary manner, understood the importance of communication for building trust both within the academic community and towards the university’s stakeholders. Sari Rissanen’s pleasant and warm personality also creates a good atmosphere of communication in the faculty.
The Good Communication Award 2021 was presented to Academic Rector Tapio Määttä. Through his active presence on social media, he has shown bold leadership as well as the strength of social media in promoting science communication. Tapio Määttä initiated, together with Head of Publications Sami Syrjämäki of the Federation of Finnish Learned Societies, the #MinäTutkin social media campaign in autumn 2021. The campaign, both immensely popular and with unprecedented reach, encouraged researchers to present their research topics on social media.
Contacts: UEF Connect
Jaakko Pohjoismäki, Petri Karkkola, Sari Rissanen and other winners.
