world's capital of icebreaking - fulbright.fi · oration with u.s. universities. in this issue...

biannual magazine published by the fulbright finland foundation

visiting columnist: finnish minister of education

Screenwriter Mikko Alanne and

Stories of Courage

From U.S. Coast Guard to

World's Capital of Icebreaking

Telling Stories that Matter

Promoting Internationalization of

Education and Research

Fulbright Seminar on Cybersecurity

FULBRIGHT FINLAND

THE

ISSUE 67 VOL. 28 SPRING 2018

2 | www.fulbright.fi

Investing in Academic, Scientific, and Professional Collaboration

T he Fulbright Finland Foundation has a spe-

cial mandate to advance the internation-

alization of higher education and research

in Finland and to help Finnish higher education

institutions create linkages and sustainable collab-

oration with U.S. universities. In this issue of the

Fulbright Finland News, we share some of the many

ways in which we fulfill this mandate, including

creating new grant opportunities through strategic

partnerships (p. 4), organizing capacity building

workshops (p. 10), and promoting Finnish educa-

tion and research to key audiences in the United

States (p. 5). As our invited columnist, we are so

pleased to have Ms. Sanni Grahn-Laasonen, the

Finnish Minister of Education, assess the signifi-

cance and impact of Fulbright Finland on the inter-

nationalization efforts from the perspective of the

Finnish higher education and science policy (p. 3).

THE VISION OF FULBRIGHT FINLAND is to

empower the minds that will find global solutions

to tomorrow’s challenges. Today, Fulbrighters are

collaboratively tackling some of the most urgent

issues facing the global community. They recognize

that the challenges we face cannot be addressed by

using the higher education, knowledge, and inno-

vation resources of one nation alone. They must be

addressed together. Therefore, it is imperative that

we invest in academic, scientific, and professional

collaboration. This became powerfully evident in

the discussions and debates of our annual Fulbright

Forum seminar in Helsinki (p. 9). The takeaways

from Fulbright Finland’s special regional semi-

nar on “Making Democracies Resilient to Modern

Threats” were equally eye-opening (p. 6). Among

the many themes of current and global importance,

Fulbright Finland also continues to support Arctic

research, and will host the Fulbright Arctic Initia-

tive scholars in Finland for their mid-term plenary

week again in 2019 (p. 4).

THE TRUE MEASURE OF SUCCESS of any exchange

program is the impact of its participants. Hence it

is our alumni who figure most prominently in this

magazine, sharing their work and experiences, and

plans for shaping the future. I hope you enjoy read-

ing the 67th issue of the Fulbright Finland News –

with the same strategic focus but with a new look!

Terhi Mölsä

Chief Executive Officer

Fulbright Finland Foundation

IN THIS ISSUE 6

810

MAKING DEMOCRACIES RESILIENT TO MODERN THREATSCountering network intrusions and misinformation

NEW FULBRIGHT FINLAND GRANTEES38 New Awardees

WORKSHOP ON SUCCESS-FUL STUDENT MOBILITYSharing practical solutions for creating lasting partnerships

4 News 14 Alumni in Focus: Mikko Alanne 18 Alumni News

FROM THE EDITOR

WILLIAM WOITYRA U.S. Coast Guard officer reflects

on his Fulbright in Finland

Cover photo: Patrik Barck

12

www.fulbright.fi | 3

Fulbright is a Valuable Partner in Internationalization Efforts

I ncreasing international connections at all levels of education is an important strategic goal for Finnish education and science poli-

cies. The Fulbright program plays an important role in our efforts to achieve this goal.

From the very beginning, the Fulbright pro-gram has been a pioneer in developing rela-tions between Finland and the United States. By enhancing academic and cultural co -operation between our countries, the program has enabled students and scholars to build networks, especially personal ones. From its inception, the Fulbright partnership has pro-vided new opportunities for strengthening the interaction between our countries.

The program has aged gracefully, yet is continuing to expand. Over the years, the importance of Fulbright grantees for the Finn-ish scientific community and the training of researchers has been widely recognized, even by corporate management and political leadership.

For example, more than half of all professors at the University of Helsinki in the 1990s were “Fulbrighters”. The Finnish alumni commu-nity of the Fulbright program consists of more than 3,700 scholars and students and includes experts in scientific and cultural fields of study. Among the alumni are two winners of the Fin-landia Literary Prize, and even a Nobel Laureate in Economics. It is clear that Fulbright alumni are making an impact in science, the arts and other sectors of society both in Finland and in the United States.

Over the decades, the Fulbright Finland Foundation has grown an active network of hundreds of alumni also in the United States. In 2017, the American alumni network, Friends of Fulbright Finland, launched a project called Centennial Ambassadors. This initiative is now a permanent part of the Finnish higher educa-tion marketing actions in the United States.

Finnish Fulbright grantees are well-known ambassadors of Finland’s higher education system and research institutions abroad. They have played an important part in supporting Finnish educational and research cooperation and the export of Finnish knowledge, exper-tise and educational innovation. In the strat-egy “Policies to Promote Internationalisation in Higher Education and Research”, drawn up by the Ministry of Education and Culture and Finnish higher education institutions, the exis-tence of such networks is recognized as an asset that needs to be actively fostered.

In fall 2018, Finland will post a permanent “ambassador”, who is an expert in educa-tion and science policies, to Washington, D.C. The expert will be part of the newly launched global Team Finland Knowledge network of educational experts. He or she will promote Finland-U.S. cooperation in the field of higher education, research and science and raise awareness of Finland as a country of high-qual-ity education, research and innovations. This is an excellent new opening to build contacts.

THE FINNISH ASLA-FULBRIGHT PROGRAM was founded as early as in 1949. This means that next year marks the 70th anniversary of the Fulbright cooperation. I do not think there were many people back in the 1940s who could have imagined that Fulbright activities would grow into what they are today: a broad transatlantic bridge between Finland and the United States. However, that is exactly what has happened. This bridge has served us well and has provided a safe and solid route for many Finns and Amer-icans to take part in educational exchanges overseas — and I am convinced that it will con-tinue to do so also in the future.

Sanni Grahn-LaasonenMinister of Education

VISITING COLUMNIST

Finnish Fulbright

grantees are well-known

ambassadors of Finland’s

higher education

system and research

institutions abroad.


Two New Grant

Opportunities

FULBRIGHT SUPPORTING ARCTIC RESEARCH

NEWS

Soili Nystén-Haarala

Daria Gritsenko

Fulbright Arctic Scholars engage with govern-

ments, NGOs, businesses, and Arctic communi-

ties through individual research exchange visits,

online collaborations, and through a series of group

seminars in Canada, Finland and the United States.

The Fulbright Finland Foundation will organize the

Mid-term Plenary Week for the Arctic scholars in

Finland in late February 2019.

The initiative is sponsored by the U.S. State

Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural

Affairs and it supports interdisciplinary research for

scholars from Arctic Council member countries. The

Arctic Council is an intergovernmental forum that

includes Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Nor-

way, Russia, Sweden, and the United States. Finland

has the chairmanship of the Council in 2017–2019.

www.fulbright.fi/en/fulbright-arctic-initiative

S ixteen scholars from the Arctic Council

member countries have begun their joint

work in the second cohort of Fulbright Arc-

tic Initiative, collaborating on multi-disciplinary

research to advance Arctic nations’ shared inter-

est in building resilient communities and sustain-

able economies. The Fulbright Arctic Scholars are

exploring topics such as renewable energy, fish-

eries management, health and wellness, and tele-

communications infrastructure in the Arctic over

the ongoing 18-month program.

The scholar participants were selected from

the eight member countries of the Arctic Council

and they include two scholars from Finland: Soili

Nystén-Haarala from the University of Lapland and

Daria Gritsenko from the University of Helsinki.

Elizabeth Rink from Montana State University, in

turn, will be visiting Finland through the program.

Master’s Degree Studies in Tampere

The Fulbright-Tampere University Graduate Award

offers a full two-year tuition scholarship for U.S.

Fulbright students entering a Master’s degree

program at the University of Tampere or Tampere

University of Technology. In addition, the awardee

receives a monthly maintenance allowance for

living expenses for one academic year, a travel

allowance, full Fulbright Finland program support

services, and an opportunity to participate in an

introductory summer school in Finland on Finnish

language, culture and society.

The award is targeted primarily for Master’s

degree studies, but academically talented doc-

toral students and Master’s degree exchange stu-

dents will also be considered. Fulbright Finland

Foundation has similar partnership awards with

University of Turku, University of Helsinki and

Lappeenranta University of Technology.

Business Studies in Florida

Fulbright Finland Partnership Award with the

University of South Florida provides the Finnish

awardees with an opportunity to complete a full

Master’s degree or non-degree studies in Mar-

keting, Information Systems/Analytics, Account-

ing or Finance at USF. The awardees will receive a

tuition waiver, a position of a Graduate Assistant

with a stipend of 12,500 USD per year from the

University of South Florida. The benefits include

also Fulbright Finland orientation training and

support services.

This cooperation was launched at the initia-

tive of Professor James Stock, Fulbright-Hanken

Distinguished Chair in Business and Economics.

His grant at Hanken School of Economics spanned

multiple visits in 2016 and 2017.

Fulbright Finland launches two new partnerships to benefit U.S. and Finnish graduate students.

SIM

ON

KEL

LOGG


Emily Olsen

Tiffany Viggiano

NEWS

Roth-Thomson Awards to Olsen and ViggianoFulbright-EDUFI Fellows Emily Olsen

and Tiffany Viggiano received the 2018

Roth-Thomson Awards. The award sup-

ports Emily Olsen’s plan to travel to meet

bullying prevention program KiVa devel-

opers and Finland’s LGBTQ advocacy NGO,

SETA. Emily is currently completing her

doctoral degree on Epidemiology at the

University of Tampere. Her doctoral the-

sis focuses on school violence and bul-

lying disparities among sexual minority

adolescents.

Tiffany Viggiano conducts research

on global responsibility at the Univer-

sity of Jyväskylä. With the award, she

T he unique features of Finnish higher

education and building capacity for

more U.S. students to study in Finland

– these were the focus of a presentation

by Fulbright Finland CEO Terhi Mölsä to

an audience of approximately 250 inter-

national educators at the recent NAFSA

conference in Philadelphia. She shared

the stage on a NAFSA panel with the U.S.

Assistant Secretary of State for Educa-

tional and Cultural Affairs Marie Royce.

In addition, Terhi Mölsä spoke at a work-

shop for nearly 40 U.S. campus advisors

from around the United States who work

with advising U.S. students and scholars

on Fulbright grant opportunities.

Promoting Finnish Education in the United States

Destination Finland: Expanding U.S. Study

Abroad - a briefing paper authored jointly

by the Institute of International Education

(IIE), the Fulbright Finland Foundation,

and the Finnish National Agency for Edu-

cation came out just in time for NAFSA and

was distributed during the conference.

Fulbright Finland alumna Ann F.

Brandt served as the speaker at a separate

Finland brunch organized during the con-

ference. Annie works as Speech-Language

Pathologist at the Greater Latrobe School

District. She participated in the Fulbright

Distinguished Awards in Teaching Pro-

gram in Finland in 2016. Annie spoke to

the audience about her study and research

expands her project to include an element

of sharing the research outcomes with the

institutional and political actors who can

influence policy. She presents her find-

ings with members of parliament and the

educational community around Finland.

Roth Endowment Awards are granted

annually to U.S. Fulbright students in

Finland focusing on the arts, humanities

and social sciences. Fulbright Finland

Foundation has worked with the Lois Roth

Endowment since 1991.

experiences in Finland and the lasting

cooperation and the continuing ripple

effects of her Fulbright term. The event

was hosted by Kristina Mattila, the Finn-

ish Honorary Consul in Pennsylvania, and

organized by the Finnish National Agency

for Education.

An electronic version of “Destination Finland” can be found at: https://bit.ly/2sQJR4A.

Kristina Mattila, Annie Brandt and Terhi Mölsä.


D emocratic societies, institutions, and

individual citizens are facing entirely

new challenges in the modern era: net-

work-based intrusions, misinformation and ‘fake

news,’ influence campaigns, and many more. These

threats have the potential to disrupt economic

activity and development, threaten the national

security of like-minded nations, jeopardize indi-

vidual privacy, and sow mistrust among citizens

towards their national and collective democratic

institutions.

This regional academic seminar under the

title of “Making Democracies Resilient to Modern

Threats” highlighted a wide range of threats and

provided strategies for institutions and individuals

to understand and deal with them. Presentations

by leading researchers and experts in the field

focused on how to recognize disinformation and

influence campaigns, media literacy and the role

of media organizations and individual journalists,

security in digital spaces, and positive examples of

how democracies are currently countering these

threats.

The keynote address was delivered by Professor

Making Democracies Resilient to Modern Threats

CYBERSECURITY SEMINAR

Richard Harknett from the University of Cincinnati

who was the inaugural U.S.-U.K. Fulbright Scholar

in Cybersecurity in 2017 and the first scholar-

in-residence at U.S. Cyber Command in 2016.

The impressive lineup of panelists also included

Jonathan Albright from Columbia, Matthew A.

Baum from Harvard, Adam Berinsky from MIT,

Briony Swire-Thompson from Northeastern Uni-

versity and Harvard Institute for Quantitative Social

Sciences, and Oskari Eronen from Crisis Manage-

ment Institute. The seminar was moderated by Jed

Willard from Harvard.

The seminar was organized by the Fulbright

Finland Foundation in cooperation with the Finn-

ish Prime Minister’s Office, the Finnish Ministry

for Foreign Affairs, and the United States Depart-

ment of State. It was hosted by the Metropolia

University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki. The

seminar attracted over 190 government officials,

academic researchers, senior field experts, tech-

nology experts, corporate advisors, journalists and

media professionals. Over 30 of the participants

came from abroad representing all of the Nordic

and Baltic countries and the United States.

Seminar program, presentations, photos, and further readings: www.fulbright.fi/en/making-democracies-resilient

Network-based intrusions, influence campaigns, misinformation and ‘fake news’ were the focus of

a recent Fulbright Finland seminar in Helsinki.

Text TERHI MÖLSÄ Photos STUDIO TERHO PHOTOGRAPHY


CYBERSECURITY SEMINAR

Richard Harknett concluded his keynote by stressing the importance of an active civic culture, critical thinking, and face-to-face cultural exchanges in building democracies more resilient to digital threats. “Fulbright got it right. The alternative to digital tribalism is face-to-face cross-cultural exchange.”

Briony Swire-Thompson presented on cognitive approaches to the correction of misinformation.

Jonathan Albright (left) spoke about how social media platforms are used to interfere with democratic processes, in a panel with Matthew A. Baum, and Jed Willard.

FULBRIGHT ALUMNI FROM NORDIC AND BALTIC

countries met in a special event organized by the

Fulbright Finland Foundation in conjunction with

the public seminar.

The Foundation sponsored the participation

for alumni and grantees from the region to attend

the meeting and participate in the seminar. The

purpose was to create new networks in the region,

discuss the theme of the seminar, and to talk about

ways in which Fulbright as a program is responding

to current and global challenges. Close to 30 Ful-

bright grantees and alumni attended the meeting.

The participants also had an opportunity to meet for

a small-group in-depth discussion over lunch with

the keynote speaker Dr. Richard Harknett, and the

day concluded with an invitational reception for fur-

ther networking with the invited experts attending

the seminar.

Many of the participating Fulbright alumni from

the Nordic and Baltic countries currently work in

government or private sector positions in which

the theme of the seminar is highly relevant and

they can apply the takeaways from the seminar

directly in their day-to-day work. However, irre-

Fulbright got it right. The alternative to digital tribalism is

face-to-face cross-cultural exchange.

spective of their professional occupation, all found

the topic to be of importance to them as individual

citizens. U.S. graduate student Chitti Desai flew to

the Helsinki seminar from Norway, where she cur-

rently works as a Fulbright U.S. Student Research

Fellow. “It is incredibly important for everyone to

be critical of the threats to democracy brought on

particularly by the internet and social media, and

I laud Fulbright Finland for organizing the sem-

inar around this pressing theme,” she says. Lat-

vian Fulbright alum Olevs Nikers agrees: “Media

literacy is a key. My personal takeaway was double

checking my own definition of democracy which is

all about compromise and thoughtful engagement

by members of our society.”

“The terrifying take home message for me is

that the recent attacks are just the beginning,”

says the current Fulbright-Aalto University Distin-

guished Chair, Dr. Joshua M. Pearce from Michi-

gan Technological University. “We need to follow

Finland’s example and inoculate the public from

‘alternative facts’ with high-quality public edu-

cation that produces citizens capable of critical

thinking,” Dr. Pearce concludes.


NEW AWARDEES

New Fulbright Finland Awardees

A ltogether 38 new Fulbright Finland schol-

ars, teachers, students and professionals

received their grants at the annual Ful-

bright Finland Award Ceremony at the Helsinki

City Hall in May.

The grantees represent a wide range of disci-

plines and research topics from gender pay gap to

sustainable energy and international relations. Two

scholars were selected for the special 18-month

Fulbright Arctic Initiative program focusing on

multidisciplinary research in Arctic issues. This

year, there is also an exceptionally high number

of awardees going to the United States to advance

their PhD research.

The awards are made possible by support

from the Finnish and U.S. governments, the Fin-

land-America Educational Trust Fund, Fulbright

Finland’s partners from the higher education and

private sectors both in Finland and the United

States, as well as individual donors.

The 2018–2019 awards to the United States are

Iida TikkaASLA-Fulbright Graduate Grant Iida is going to Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. to complete a Master’s degree in Security Studies. She is a foreign news reporter at YLE and former Moscow correspondent for MTV3 and STT.

Tuomas LihrASLA-Fulbright Graduate GrantTuomas is going to Yale University to complete a Master’s degree in Global Affairs. Currently he is working as a Specialist at the Finnish Prime Minister's Office.

supported, among others, by KAUTE Foundation,

University of Turku, University of Oulu, University

of Helsinki, University of Tampere, Aalto Univer-

sity, Technology Industries of Finland Centennial

Foundation, Vanderbilt University, and University

of Colorado Denver.

The event was hosted jointly by the Ministry for

Foreign Affairs of Finland and the City of Helsinki.

The Fulbright Finland Foundation announced the 2018–2019 grants to the United States

at the Helsinki City Hall in May.

Text EMMI JELEKÄINEN

STUD

IO T

ERH

O P

HO

TOGR

APH

Y

To learn more about Iida, Tuomas and all other grantees,

see the full list of Fulbright Finland grantees 2018–2019

www.fulbright.fi/en/fulbright-finland-grantees-2018-2019


FULBRIGHT FORUM

“Fulbright Forum seminar was an eye-opening

experience. I was deeply intrigued by the diverse,

comprehensive range of topics and discussions

that the Fulbright grantees had to offer,” says Ful-

bright-Lappeenranta University of Technology

Graduate grantee Thinh Truong.

Truong among 28 other U.S. grantees presented

on their Fulbright projects during the fifth annual

Fulbright Forum seminar.

The seminar attracted students and lecturers

from the University of Helsinki and the capital area

as well as teacher trainees from China and Malay-

sia, Fulbright Finland alumni, and guests from the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore.

Theresa Dietrich, an English Teaching Assistant

grantee flew in from Norway. She encourages other

teacher grantees to attend the seminar: “The Ful-

bright Forum is an excellent opportunity for educa-

tion related grantees to learn about the innovative

practices and policies that make Finnish education

unique and, in many ways, exemplary.”

Collaborative DialogueIn addition to Education related themes on the first

seminar day, the program covered research in Eco-

nomics, Health and Epidemiology, Arctic studies and

Engineering. Aalto University was a natural location

for the second, multidisciplinary day. “At Aalto Uni-

Learning Across Disciplines

Inspiring presentations at the Fulbright Forum seminar promoted cross-

disciplinary dialogue and collaboration.

Joseph Talarico visiting from GreeceFulbright Finland sponsored the seminar participation for Inter-Country Travel Grantee and Fulbright Teacher from Greece Joseph Talarico. The Fulbrighters’ projects and presentations impressed Talarico immensely. “My visit to Finland changed my entire perspective on education and I cannot wait to bring my findings back to Greece and the United States”, says Talarico.

Thinh Truong

versity, science and art meet technology and busi-

ness. We are building an innovative society through

high-quality, transdisciplinary research, teaching

and artistic activity,” Vice President of Education

Eero Eloranta stated in his opening remarks.

Thinh Truong, Fulbright-Aalto Distinguished

Chair Joshua Pearce and Fulbright-VTT scholar Yun

Ji presented together on Keeping Coal in the Ground.

“Our panel discussion regarding the current global

energy challenge was one of many examples show-

ing a passionate, yet collaborative, dialogue from

different fields of study: nuclear, solar and bio-

energies. Despite our different fields of research,

we were interrelated through the dialogue and

brought together unique opinions and innovative

ways to help achieve a clean, sustainable and reli-

able future supply of global energy,” Truong says.

“Fulbright Forum was intellectually stimulat-

ing and personally rewarding,” Fulbright teacher

Samuel Northern notes and highlights the aspect

of learning across disciplines: “This is one of the

things that makes the Fulbright program so great.

I have been able to explore my own research inter-

ests and learn more about the world from fellow

Fulbrighters,” Northern concludes.

Seminar programwww.fulbright.fi/en/fulbright-forum

Use your hands! Fulbright-VTT scholar Miiri Kotche and Fulbright teacher alumna Tarja Mykrä participating in a problem-solving classroom activity.

Text MAIJA KETTUNEN


F ulbright Finland brought together close to 40

Finnish higher education institution (HEI)

representatives from 27 different institu-

tions to discuss successful partnership building

with U.S. universities. The workshop was organized

as a follow-up to the 2016 Fulbright Finland Capac-

ity Building Workshop on Recruiting U.S. Students

to Finland.

A long-term specialist in the field of interna-

tional education, Assistant Provost Heidi Grego-

ri-Gahan from the University of Southern Indiana

and Regional Educational Advising Coordinator

Peter Baker from the U.S. Department of State

shared the U.S. institutional perspective on inter-

national partnership building. Successful Finnish

examples on U.S. university mobility cooperation

and utilizing the Fulbright program in the insti-

tutional partnership building were presented

by University Lecturer Hanna Vehmas from the

University of Jyväskylä as well as Senior Lecturer

Marina Wikman from the Satakunta University

of Applied Sciences. Current U.S Fulbright fellows

shared their insights in a panel discussion on mar-

keting Finland for U.S. students.

How to Establish Successful Student Mobility with U.S Universities?

The Fulbright Finland Foundation supports the internationalization of Finnish higher education institutions. The Foundation organizes workshops and training seminars that address different themes relevant to the internationalization of Finnish higher education.

The latest workshop was organized in March 2018 and it focused on best practices and key factors for building student mobility partnerships with U.S. universities.

www.fulbright.fi/en/internationalization-services

INTERNATIONALIZATION SERVICES

Invited experts and workshop participants shared best practices and coached each other on practical solutions

for student exchange partnerships with U.S. universities and on attracting U.S. students to Finland.

The workshop helped me to think out of the box

and dare to develop new forms of collaboration.

Attracting U.S. Students a Top ChallengeThe pre-workshop survey, conducted among the

participants, revealed that the most crucial chal-

lenge that Finnish HEI’s face in establishing and

maintaining partnerships with U.S. universities is

attracting U.S. students to Finland. Identifying a

suitable partner university in the U.S. was another

common challenge for Finnish HEIs as well as the

Finnish and U.S. institutions’ different interests

in the length of the student exchange periods. The

cost and practicalities of the Finnish residence per-

mit process was also often pointed out in the survey

as a hindrance for Finnish–U.S student mobility.

Text KAROLIINA KOKKO


The Fulbright Finland Foundation wants to thank USA Study Abroad and the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture for their support for the workshop.

All the workshop materials including the agenda, presentation slides, and pre-workshop survey results can be found at www.fulbright.fi/en/capacity-building-workshop-2018

Tips for Improving the Promotion of Finnish HEIsTo improve the promotion of Finn-ish HEIs, the Fulbright U.S. student panelists and other workshop par-ticipants encouraged the institu-tion representatives to consider the following measures: . Invest resources on the

communication with prospective students. Prompt replies are very important in the competitive markets of international education. . Highlight the great support systems international students have in Finland as well as the ease of getting things set up in Finland as a new resident of the country. . Offer U.S. students an option for volunteer work in a local organization. It is attractive for students. . Make the research grant awarding process more transparent in Finland. . Highlight “the fun local student life”. . Promote students’ opportunities for involvement in current research. This is very appealing to U.S. students.

In Finland the students in Biology are doing the coolest research in the forest! – Andrew House, U.S. Student panelist

Untapped ResourcesIn the workshop discussions it became evident that Finnish HEIs could take better advantage of the U.S. students and faculty at their campus and the institution’s U.S. alumni for promotional purposes. . Ask recruitment ideas for U.S.

markets, make a promotional video with them, and use them as a springboard for student exchange partnership discussion with their U.S. institution. . Begin an Ambassador Program and integrate it to your student and faculty mobility processes as a standard element. Task and train your students and faculty members going to the U.S. as ambassadors. Visiting students and scholars are also excellent promoters of your institution.

I got inspired to look for study opportunities in

Finland after getting to know Finland through a

Finnish exchange student at my home campus in the U.S. Personal

connections make a great difference!

– Thinh Truong, U.S. Student panelist

Partnership’s ultimate beneficiaries are the

students. It’s an effective argument in discussions

with any party.

– Hanna Vehmas, workshop presenter, University of Jyväskylä

Key Factors for Successful PartnershipThe workshop presenters from Finnish HEIs had recently signed student exchange agreements with U.S. universities and highlighted the following factors as key ele-ments in a successful partnership building process: . An active and committed

faculty member is an asset “Faculty Champions”. . The partnership cannot depend solely on personal connections. Invested institutions and committed key actor/s are both needed. . The biggest challenge is often hesitation and resistance of people. Take time to persuade and convince all important parties: institution heads (resource allocators), colleagues, and international office personnel. . At the beginning, make sure there are real possibilities for the institutions to work together. Institution representatives need to meet face-to-face, get to know each other, the institutions, and to learn about the underlying goals and motivations. Institutions interested in working together should have enough common disciplines, subjects and even individual courses so that the visiting students and faculty can find natural choices for classes to take or to teach. There shouldn’t be a need to figure out syllabus contents in a forceful way. – Hanna Vehmas, University of Jyväskylä . Ensure credit transfer and make it clear for the students before the exchange (for example produce a credit transfer fact sheet).

It is very important to get all the course credits from the exchange period accepted into the home university degree, particularly for the U.S. students (and their parents who fund the studies) in order to avoid expensive gap years. – Hanna Vehmas, University of Jyväskylä . To build partnerships, you need to market Finland and your institution successfully. This depends on how you package it!

What Works Well?Workshop attendees wanted to share their own well-proven practices for negotiating student exchange part-nerships with U.S. institutions. . Provide short-term opportunities for U.S. students

in Finland, for example a winter school, in exchange for longer term placements for your own students in the U.S. Offer integrated classes with the local students. . Use the Fulbright program, for example the Fulbright Specialist program, to bring a member of a U.S. institution staff or faculty to your campus to initiate partnership discussions. . Test cooperation with a U.S. institution first in the form of a joint online course or project. This is a great way to see how the faculty and student cooperation functions. . Participate in the U.S. Higher Education Partnership Fair at the annual NAFSA conference in the U.S. . When you have accomplished a partnership agreement, be sure to nurture it!


ON THE COVER

H aving devoted my career to icebreaking, I

could think of no better place in the world

to study icebreakers and icebreaking than

Finland. Helsinki, after all, is the world’s capital for

all things icebreaking. This should surprise no one,

as Finland is the only country in the world whose

ports all freeze in a typical winter. More than 90%

of Finland’s trade arrives via maritime means, and

the Port of Helsinki is consistently first or second

among the ports in Europe, as ranked by passenger

arrivals and departures. These factors all under-

score the urgency that motivates the efficiency and

effectiveness of Finland’s winter navigation system.

I applied for the Mid-Career Professional Devel-

opment (MCPD) grant in Finland for two reasons.

The first was Finland’s incredible depth and concen-

tration of experience and knowledge in icebreaker

design and operations. The second was the nature

of the program. As a professional mariner and Coast

Guard officer, other Fulbright programs (as a scholar

or student) were an imperfect fit for me. The MCPD

offered an incredible opportunity to step away from

my routine duties with the Coast Guard on a four-

month sabbatical. In doing so, I would immerse

myself in the culture of Finland, and learn first-hand

from the world’s experts how icebreaking is done.

I WAS ALSO INSPIRED by how the program is able

to deliver outsized returns on a small investment.

By identifying and developing professionals at the

core years of their careers, the MCPD program,

through its graduates, has an immediate and lasting

impact. The MCPD grantees have an opportunity to

turn their Fulbright experiences into leadership in

their fields as soon as they return home. This focus

on the practitioners and professionals, rather than

academics, ensures that the impact of the program

will be felt in months, rather than years or decades.

My choice of Finland for the reasons above

turned out to be quite fortuitous. As I navigated

the application process, made preparations for my

grant, and attended the orientation in Helsinki,

I was very impressed by the staff and leadership

of the Fulbright Finland Foundation. They lead a

highly efficient and extraordinarily professional

program. I cannot imagine a better run Fulbright

program anywhere else in the world.

SOON AFTER MY ARRIVAL I met my host, Markus

Karjalainen, at the Finnish Transport Agency

(Liikennevirasto). With his expert assistance I was

able to take meetings with all the stakeholders

from the winter navigation system. These included

the winter navigation team at FTA, and other parts

of the government, as well as private entities. At

every turn I was impressed by the skill, experience,

and professionalism of the individuals who all con-

tributed to the safe and efficient execution of the

winter navigation system.

At the end of January, I met the Arctia icebreaker

Polaris in Katajanokka. We sailed north to assist

vessels in and out of Kemi and Tornio. The world’s

first liquefied natural gas (LNG) icebreaker, Polaris

features technology and design elements that set

the entire icebreaker world ahead by a decade. The

master, Pasi Järvelin, and his crew were excep-

tional hosts. It was extraordinary to watch them

working only meters away from huge vessels to

free them from the ice, and escort them to and from

port. Chilling winds up to 20 m/s and temperatures

dipping to −25°C kept the team on their toes, but

their skill, experience, and deft execution ensured

the safe and efficient movement of traffic.

I am very lucky to have this opportunity and I

am entirely grateful to the Fulbright Finland Foun-

dation for making it possible.

Mid-Career Professional Development Programwww.fulbright.fi/en/professionals-specialists-and-teachers-various-fields/mid-career-professional-development-program

William WoityraU.S. Coast Guard officerMCPD Grantee 2018

William Woityra reflects on his Fulbright in Finland.

The MCPD program, through its graduates, has an immediate and lasting impact.

PATR

IK B

ARCK

From U.S. Coast Guard to

World's Capital of Icebreaking


CURRENT GRANTEES

T his past academic year in the U.S. has been

inspirational, engaging, and reframing.

I’ve worked with an amazing mentor in an

outstanding group, met brilliant people from the

U.S. and all over the world, and have crossed paths

with friends that I wish to know for the rest of my

life. I’ve also seen disillusioning examples of how

even in this land of opportunity there are popula-

tions who find themselves disadvantaged, and how

the ideas of health unequivocally shared in my aca-

demic environment are not reflected in reality.

In a different culture, I’m looking at everything

from a distance. I’ve become less naïve and pre-

sumptuous, realizing much of my own ignorance

stemmed from the lack of prior exposure to a soci-

ety as different and diverse as the U.S. I’ve also

seen such kindness, compassion, gratitude and

hospitality that I’ve not seen before – in the form

of utensils my colleague donated to my new apart-

ment, a beautiful Thanksgiving dinner with my

professor’s family, as well as sudden, invaluable

conversations with people who live on the streets.

A very defining part of my experience is that

I’m here through the Fulbright program. As a Ful-

brighter, and the recipient of the ASLA-Fulbright

Alumni Ambassadorial Award, I’ve been thinking

about my involvement, affiliation with the pro-

gram, role as a representative – and eventually, I

think my most crucial task, a privilege, is to live

this experience, discover its value and pass it on.

We’re beating back the frontiers of ignorance – as

my mentor sometimes jokingly says. Scientifically,

of course, but for me also personally. It’s at those

weird intersections of feeling like a stranger but

still like home, knowing so little and yet given such

precious opportunities to learn, forming bonds

that are based on differences, where very valuable

things in life may take place. I believe these inter-

sections define the powerful vision of the Fulbright

Program. I’m privileged and grateful to take part.

Kaisla KomulainenASLA-Fulbright Graduate Grant 2017–2018Department of Epidemiology Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston

Read the full article at www.fulbright.fi/en/kindess-compassion-gratitude

Kindness, Compassion and Gratitude

Richard McElvain performed his one-man play The

Chess Player twice at the National Theater in Hel-

sinki this spring. On one of the nights, Fulbright

Finland grantees and alumni had a unique oppor-

tunity to talk with Richard McElvain about the

play and about his work as an actor and playwright

during a special backstage moment.

McElvain’s The Chess Player was a success at the

Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and he has performed it

in many theaters in Finland. McElvain will continue

collaboration with the Finnish National Theater.

Backstage MomentRichard McElvainFulbright-University of Turku scholar,award-winning actor, director and playwright answering audience questions after the play.

I think my most crucial task, a privilege, is to

live this experience, discover its value and

pass it on.


ALUMNI IN FOCUS

M ikko Alanne has always been fascinated by

true life stories. “I’ve always been drawn

to stories of survival, and I’m fascinated

by lone crusaders for justice, stories about who

people become under extreme circumstances. We

expect ourselves to be heroic, but we never know

what we are capable of until we are put into that

kind of situation.”

Born in Espoo, Finland, in 1972, Mikko went

to the U.S. with a Fulbright Finland Foundation

undergraduate grant in 1993, and has since built

a remarkable career in screenwriting for feature

films, documentaries and television, focusing on

stories of courage and adversity often based on

real-life events.

Named one of Variety magazine’s top global cre-

atives to watch in 2018, Mikko has transformed

from screenwriter to showrunner in his latest proj-

ect, the National Geographic television series about

the Iraq War, The Long Road Home, which began air-

ing in late 2017. Adapted from Martha Raddatz’s

book of the same name, the show explores the

trauma of war on both sides of the conflict, por-

traying the real life experiences of a newly-arrived

platoon of U.S. soldiers and their Iraqi translator

who were ambushed in Sadr City in April 2004, as

well as that of their families and ordinary Iraqi

people.

“My journey to making the show began with

Martha Raddatz’s book, which I literally read in

Mikko AlanneFulbright Finland undergraduate grant 1993 to Ithaca College in New York to study Film.

Text LOUISA GAIRN Photo LYNSEY ADDARIO

Screenwriter, showrunner and Fulbright Finland alumnus Mikko Alanne talks about his journey from

Finland to Hollywood, and the stories of courage and endurance that continue to inspire him.

that matterTelling stories


one sitting,” Mikko recalls. “It was one of the most

astonishing pieces of reporting I’d ever read. What

made it so different is that Martha captures the ter-

ror and chaos of war, but also the love of families

and spouses, and the bonds of friendship between

the soldiers. It’s a portrait of the ordinary soldier,

of what it’s really like to go to war for the first time,

for both the soldiers and their families. The other

thing that intrigued me about the book, some-

thing that’s become even more apparent looking

back, is that it captures a tremendous crossroads

in history; the beginning of the insurgency in Iraq,

the collapse into civil war, the birth of ISIS. I really

feel Martha rescued all these families from being

lost to history.”

Truthful StorytellingMikko is fascinated by true stories of trauma,

heroism and hope, and says that’s why he mainly

works on adaptations of real life stories. This has

profound implications when producing a TV show

or feature film, he notes. “I take very seriously the

fact that when it says ‘based on a true story’, peo-

ple do assume that the essence of the story is true.

For The Long Road Home, I worked very closely with

the principal families, eight of whom became main

characters. I got to know them very well over the

years I spent working on the script. I had to make

sure they were comfortable with a certain amount

of dramatic licence. Life doesn’t unfold in a three-

act dramatic structure, so as a writer you have to

make adjustments.”

“It is a very tragic story. We have people who lost

their sons and husbands watching the show. How do

we portray these events so that the family can be OK

with that, but so that the audience can see what war

is really like? These are challenges most projects

don’t have. People directly affected by the events

are not usually the ones watching it at home.”

“I was really inspired by the remarkable con-

nection and caring Martha Raddatz had with the

families from her reporting. That became an inspi-

ration for me and the whole production. It’s funny.

I’m very much a vocal Hollywood liberal, and many

of the veterans and their families are conserva-

tive Republicans, but we have this incredible bond

and love for each other. Many people on the veter-

ans’ side said this experience changed their view

of what they thought ‘Hollywood types’ were like,

and the same was true on the production side with

respect to conservatives. Working together like

this helps challenge our preconceptions of people’s

politics or differences. It was a truly life-changing

experience for everyone in the production, partic-

ularly the actors, even the editors!”

From Screenwriter to ShowrunnerThis project is Mikko’s first experience as a show-

runner, the lead executive producer who is the

creative decision-maker for the entire project. “As

a screenwriter, I had never produced a TV show

before. When they offered me the role I said yes, of

course! Then began the intense process of getting

everything ready. I was lucky to have an incredible

team around me.”

“It’s been an incredible transition from work-

ing in feature films, where you turn in the script,

perhaps visit the set and then see the film at the

premiere, to where you have a say over every single

decision, and you have to approve everything from

costumes to signage. It can be a quite stressful job,

but I was giddy with excitement. Every day I went to

work with a big smile on my face.”

A Passion for Stories and Social ImpactMikko’s love of film began as a child, and only

strengthened in high school while participating

in a summer abroad program for six weeks in San

Francisco. “It had always been my dream to come to

the States. I realised I’d love to go to film school, but

it was not financially possible.” On hearing about

the Fulbright Finland Foundation’s undergraduate

program, he applied for a scholarship to study film

at Ithaca College in New York.

Mikko was enrolled in the Finnish army on mili-

tary service when he discovered his application had

been successful. “I almost missed out! It was Octo-

ber 1992, and I’d been away for weeks on a military

exercise in Lapland. My parents got a call from Ful-

bright Finland saying we sent Mikko an acceptance

letter weeks ago, does he really not want to take the

place? They went through the mail that had been

piling up on my desk, and there it was.”

“Studying at Ithaca really became one of those

watershed moments that shaped what kind of work

I wanted to do.” At Ithaca, in addition to studying

film, Mikko became fascinated by sociology. “It

was like discovering the subversive aspect of his-

tory. In sociology class we talked a lot about inter-

personal violence, crime, punishment and justice,

and it became what I wanted to make my work

about. I remember saying to my advisor, Dr. Elaine

Leeder, that I was thinking of switching my major

from film to sociology, but she talked me out of it.

She told me the world has enough sociologists, you

should focus on telling people about these issues in

film. I’m still in regular contact with her, and I still

have some of the textbooks from that class. She’s

one of the most important mentors in my career,

and I’d never have met her if I hadn’t gotten the

Fulbright Finland Foundation grant.”

Mikko discovered his talent and passion for

screenwriting shortly after finishing college,

working for the director Oliver Stone. “I was a

great admirer of his work, all his films that sparked

enormous debate. During my last semester I got an

internship with Oliver’s company, and was then

hired as a researcher.” Mikko worked for a year

as a researcher, and then as a story editor, liaising

between writers and research teams. “We were

working on a film about the atomic bombings of

Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and I remember saying

to Oliver that the writers just didn’t use the most

interesting parts of the research. He said, ‘You

The ambition that drives all

of my work, is to make a positive

social impact, bringing the stories that matter to a

wide audience.

ALUMNI IN FOCUS


should just take over and write it instead.’ That’s

how he gave me my first screenwriting assignment.”

Mikko’s passion for bringing true stories to light

led him to a role at Steven Spielberg’s Survivors of

the Shoah Visual History Foundation (now The USC

Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and

Education), which documents the Holocaust and

other genocides through audio-visual interviews

with survivors and witnesses. “I spent five years

working as Historical Content Supervisor. It was an

incredibly fascinating and inspiring place to work.”

In 2004 Mikko left the Foundation to become a full-

time screenwriter after selling a project to HBO.

He has since worked on numerous documentaries

and feature films, including Warner Bros’s Chil-

ean miner rescue drama The 33, starring Antonio

Banderas and Juliette Binoche. The ambition that

drives all of his work, Mikko says, is to make a pos-

itive social impact, bringing the stories that matter

to a wide audience.

Fearless Optimism and New IdeasFor Mikko, tenacity and optimism are essential

attributes in screenwriting. “I always believe every

project is going to be successful, otherwise you

don’t give your best work. I’ve sold 14 pilots for

different networks, and The Long Road Home is the

first one that got made. Understandably people who

don’t work in the movie business don’t realise that

just because someone has commissioned a script it

may never make it to the screen. My parents at one

point said it must be devastating when you work for

months and months and it doesn’t get made, but I

say it just hasn’t been made yet!”

“To succeed in this industry you have to be fear-

less and bold. Nowadays in the creative field, there

is a real opportunity to have your work be seen,

even in YouTube you can get your work in front of

people and it can go viral in a way that wasn’t pos-

sible before.”

“The reason I’m here doing this work that I do

now, is because I went to Ithaca College, a school I

had never even heard of until I applied for the Ful-

bright Finland Foundation undergraduate grant.

I’m so grateful that I was able to go to film school

in a liberal arts college, where I could also study

sociology. It has had a tremendous impact on the

work that I do. I came to Ithaca with very clear

goals, but left with new ideas. You discover new

things all the time, and you don’t know where the

path is going to lead you.”

Read the full article at www.fulbright.fi/en/telling-stories-that-matter

HERITAGE IS A TERM whose meaning I have

truly learned while living here in the Midwest.

Having Nordic heritage is a strong part of many

Midwesterners’ identity and a fascinating part of

our department and many people’s lives. Many

students here are motivated to take on a Nordic

language because of their heritage and desire to

discover more about their roots. Seeing closely how

important knowing your roots is has taught me a

lot and continues to interest me. Discovering more

about my own heritage has also been a big part of

my journey here as I have had the chance to take on

Kristiina JomppanenFulbright Finnish Language and Culture Teaching Assistant 2017–2018University of Wisconsin-Madison

Originally published by Embassy of Finland, Washington, D.C.

Read the full text: https://bit.ly/2rKEZNJ

courses on the Sámi people, among whom my own

roots lie.

The past seven months have certainly been a

time of professional as well as personal growth and

flourishing and I am so very grateful for this as I

continue my discoveries in Madison, the Midwest

and the world of multiculturalism.

On Wisconsin! On Badgers!

And of course, on Fulbright!

Fulbright to the Fullest:

ALUMNI

Madison, Midwest and the World of

Multiculturalism

MAT

T CA

SHO

RE

To succeed in this

industry you have to be fearless

and bold.


E stablished as a field of study in the United

States in the 1970s, Cuban Studies emerged

from the need to analyze and understand

Cuba’s revolution (1959–) and its all-encompass-

ing dynamics in political, economic, cultural and

social spheres. The field is characterized by mul-

tidisciplinary approaches and interdisciplinary

collaboration, the focus on Cuba as the core both

distinguishing the scholarly discourse and binding

it together.

For a Finnish scholar in the field of Cuban Stud-

ies, the United States is the place to be for engaging

in scholarly exchange and discourse. Several uni-

versities in the United States host research centers,

institutes and study programs of Cuban Studies.

At the same time, academic studies of Cuba also

bridge the academia to American politics and soci-

ety through advocacy, policy making and public

discourse. This is particularly crucial in the times

when diplomatic, political and economic relations

between Cuba and the United States have evolved

with unpreceded velocity to unforeseen directions.

With an ASLA-Fulbright Graduate Grant and

ASLA-Fulbright Alumni Ambassadorial Award I

spent the academic year of 2016–2017 as a visiting

scholar at the Cuban Research Institute of Steven

J. Green School of Public and International Affairs

of Florida International University. My research

in the field of theology, church history, focuses on

Catholicism in the Cuban revolution. With previ-

ously unexplored archival sources and oral histo-

ries, my research provides new information on the

silent history of Catholicism within the revolution-

ary reality, and the role of the Catholic Church in

contemporary Cuba. In Cuban Studies, this is a new

Cuban Studies in Miami

Petra KuivalaASLA-Fulbright Graduate Grant 2016–2017Cuban Research Institute of Steven J. Green School of Public and International Affairs, Florida International University

approach to studying the revolution and its narra-

tives.

Compared to the rest of the world, scholarly study

on Cuba in the United States is a world of its own.

The paradigms regarding the Cuban revolution, for

instance, differ substantially in Cuba, the United

States, and Europe. In Cuba, the revolution is still the

dynamic, continuous framework of ideology and life

on the island. In Europe, scholarly interest in Cuba is

characterized by both geographical and cultural dis-

tance. Somewhere in between these two opposites

lies the field of Cuban Studies in the United States

and the world’s largest community of immigrant

Cubans, most of them residing in Florida.

As the country’s leading institute of Cuban

Studies, CRI provided me an opportunity to work

with distinguished scholars, extensive mate-

rial resources and a site of continuous scholarly

exchange at the heart of the Cuban community in

the United States.

The status of a Fulbrighter, correspondingly,

enabled me to communicate with the distinguished

specialists of both Cuban Studies and Theology, to

engage in dialogue regarding my own work, and to

integrate into the American academic community.

I participated in a multitude of events, workshops

and courses that are not available anywhere else,

and presented my work at several conferences

and lectures, creating networks that have already

materialized into collaborations. Most importantly,

during my time as a Fulbright visiting scholar, the

field of Cuban Studies in the United States became

an ever-present aspect of my work, a reality inter-

secting with the ones in Cuba and Finland.

For Cuban Studies, Miami is the place to be.

ALUMNI


T hrough the Fulbright program, we are

given the opportunity to participate in a

number of enrichment programs, meet-

ing with leaders and getting to know institutions

in our host country while being able to connect

with other grantees from all over the world. As

we return home, we are expected to make use of

the multiperspectival knowledge we have gained

during our Fulbright term, to improve situations

and practices in our own country. Our role as Ful-

brighters reaches far beyond the completion of our

Fulbright program. As we convert from grantees to

alumni, our task as Fulbrighters is in many ways

just beginning.

The ASLA-Fulbright Alumni Association pro-

vides an excellent forum for returning Finnish

grantees to continue our role as Fulbrighters. It also

promotes further connections between American

and Finnish Fulbrighters. New grantees are imme-

diately welcomed in the worldwide Fulbright com-

munity through various activities, like a welcome

event in the fall and the Buddy program through

which American Fulbrighters receive personal

guidance from Finnish alumni during their stay in

Finland.

THE NEWLY ELECTED BOARD of the ASLA-Ful-

bright Alumni Association consists of enthusias-

tic and knowledgeable Finnish Fulbright alumni

with different academic backgrounds. This group

reflects the diverse backgrounds of the Finn-

ish alumni, and our aim is to make our programs

just as versatile. Upcoming activities include

alumna Petra Kuivala’s presentation concerning

Fulbright is a Grant Like No Other

A GREETING FROM THE ASLA-FULBRIGHT ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

PresidentKirsi CheasPost-doctoral Researcher University of HelsinkiASLA-Fulbright Graduate Grant 2013–2014

Vice-PresidentMagnus BackströmChief Strategist Elite Asset Management ASLA-Fulbright Graduate Grant 1981–1982

Petra KuivalaJunior ResearcherUniversity of HelsinkiASLA-Fulbright Graduate Grant 2016–2017

Harriet LonkaPost-doctoral ResearcherUniversity of Eastern Finland, JoensuuStudy of the U.S. Institutes for Scholars – American Politics and Political Thought 2016–2017

Antti MakkonenCorporate CounselOP Financial GroupASLA-Fulbright Graduate Grant 2014–2015

Meri-Katriina PyhärantaSenior AdviserThe Finnish Energy AuthorityASLA-Fulbright Graduate Grant 2016–2017

Elisa RepoUniversity Teacher, PhD StudentUniversity of TurkuFulbright Finnish Language and Culture Teaching Assis-tant 2014–2015

Elisa RäsänenLecturer, Finnish languageIndiana University BloomingtonFulbright Finnish Language and Culture Teaching Assis-tant 2013–2014

Heikki SaxénBioethics Researcher, PhD,University of Tampere; Chairman of the Board at the Finnish Institute of Bioethics ASLA-Fulbright Pre-Doctoral Research Fellow 2014–2015

ASLA-Fulbright Alumni Association Board 2018–2019

Join us!Become a member or a supporting member.www.fulbright.fi/en/asla-fulbright-alumni-association

Text KIRSI CHEAS President of the ASLA-Fulbright Alumni Association

The ASLA-Fulbright Alumni Association

provides an excellent forum for returning Finnish grantees to

continue our role as Fulbrighters.

Catholicism in revolutionary Cuba. Alumnus Olli-

Pekka Malinen is organizing a fascinating cul-

tural tour in the small industrial town of Mänttä,

showcasing works from the Golden Age of Finnish

Art. We will also visit important financial, politi-

cal and international institutions. Can you think of

an institution we could visit, a topic you would like

to present on, an activity you would like to experi-

ence with Fulbright fellows? Please get in touch and

share your idea with us – we look forward to visiting

new places and discovering new forms of collabo-

ration. Businesses and other institutions can also

become supporting members of our Association

and the Ambassadorial Award. All contributions

are highly appreciated!

A FUNDAMENTAL GOAL of the Association is to

increase knowledge about the Fulbright program in

Finland and globally. The Fulbright program car-

ries immense potential to promote creative learn-

ing across different national, regional, and digital

contexts. Yet the institutions in our countries may

not know about this potential, unless we take the

initiative to approach them and tell them about our

experiences. While Finnish Fulbrighters traveling

to the U.S. should not shy away from telling Amer-

icans about Finnish practices, returning grantees

should contribute to the development of the Finn-

ish system by sharing what we learned across the

Atlantic. By taking our Fulbright commitment seri-

ously and continuing to learn from one another, we

can help assure the continuity of this fundamen-

tally important program into the far future, while

also further consolidating its role in our society.


FRIENDS OF FULBRIGHT FINLAND

A merican alumni of Fulbright Fin-

land meet periodically on both

sides of the Atlantic. Over 50

Friends of Fulbright Finland (FoFF) gath-

ered together at the Fulbright Bicenten-

nial Residence in Helsinki in May for an

“afterparty” organized by the Fulbright

Finland Foundation. The event brought

together American alumni and current

U.S. grantees and their families. Fulbright

Finland had the honor to host alumni who

had been in Finland on their Fulbright

grants as long ago as in the late 1970s!

Guests included several former Bicenten-

nial Chairs who were now able to revisit

the Residence that once had been their

home. Many alumni were in Finland to

also participate in the biennial Maple Leaf

and Eagle conference for American Stud-

ies at the University of Helsinki.

Throughout the evening, memories

were shared, and stories and laughter

were abundant. Many old friends met

again and new friendships were made.

Topics of conversation ranged from poli-

tics and sports to traveling and research

projects. As the evening progressed, one

could hear many promises to meet again,

so just like the little gift bags from the

Fulbright Finland team said “Hyvää kesää,

see you soon!”

SHORTLY AFTER THE HELSINKI EVENT,

another group of Friends of Fulbright

Finland got together in Philadelphia

for a delightful evening at the home

of U.S. Fulbright scholar alum, Profes-

sor Philip Alperson and Professor Mary

Hawkesworth. In addition to U.S. alumni

and friends of the program from multiple

years, the event was also attended by a

current Finnish grantee living in Phil-

adelphia and even a future U.S. grantee

from Pennsylvania getting ready to move

to Finland for her Fulbright next fall.

Text: Inari Ahokas, Emilia Holopainen, and Suzanne Louis

Fulbright alumni Bill Eaton and Yvonne Allen with Ruth McDer-mott-Levy (center) in Philadelphia. Ruth is coming to Finland in 2018 as a Fulbright-Saastamoinen Scholar.

Meeting old and new friends during the

"afterparty" in Helsinki.

Barbara Mossberg

Poet & Fulbright Bicentennial

Chair in 1982 and 1990

“Fulbright through the Finnish

program lens is a generator, a

catalyst, an earthworm, a strange

attractor of growth and change.

Humming with fellow Fulbright-

ers, celebrating what common

ground we share, of gratitude, an

inner astonishment that one can

be so transformed by engagement

with another culture. Finland’s

light deepens our greater mean-

ings, its darkness brings out our

capacity for resilience, creativity,

resourcefulness, faith. Senator

Fulbright’s spirit was here—he

loved Finland as an avatar of the

program’s potential to forge per-

sonal commitments for a global

society. The Afterparty commu-

nity is ongoing literally and met-

aphorically in our hearts before,

during, and after our essential

Fulbright experience.”

From Helsinki to Philadelphia


CONNECTIONSCORNER

BRANDON BOOR created long-lasting

connections during his 2013-14 Fulbright

term in Finland and has continued his

research on Infant and Adult Inhalation

Exposure with his colleagues from Uni-

versity of Helsinki, The Finnish Institute

of Occupational Health, National Insti-

tute for Health and Welfare and Tampere

University of Technology. Their research

has received wide spread media coverage

in the U.S., Finland, and across the world.

DONAL CARBAUGH, Fulbright alumnus,

1993 and 2007-08, has just published a

new book, Reporting Cultures on 60 Min-

utes: Missing the Finnish Line in an Ameri-

can Broadcast co-authored with Michael

Berry. He is planning a return trip to visit

colleagues and friends in Finland in 2018-

2019.

JAMES SCHWOCH, 2004 Fulbright Spe-

cialist at the University of Helsinki, has a

new book coming out in March 2018 with

University of Illinois Press: Wired Into

Nature: The Telegraph and the North Amer-

ican Frontier.

SOPHIA HAGOLANI-ALBOV, 2013-14 U.S.

student grantee, is working on a doctor-

ate in the Agroecology group at the Uni-

versity of Helsinki. She is exploring the

role of agricultural sustainability tran-

sition in the act of place-making in the

Finnish countryside.

EDWARD SIVAK, Flex Grant scholar 2015

& 2016, returned to Aalto University,

School of Business last fall as a visiting

professor to continue the project “Cost

Comparisons in the Delivery of Health

Care.” The work expanded to multiple

departments at the Helsinki University

Hospital. Presentations on his research

were made to the executive board of

the hospital, THL (National Institute of

Health & Welfare) & The Estonia Health

Insurance Fund in Tallinn.

DONNA BICKFORD, 2003 scholar to Åbo

Akademi University in Turku, is cur-

rently the Director of the Women’s and

Gender Resource Center at Dickinson

College in Pennsylvania. She teaches in

Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies

and serves as one of the College’s three

Fulbright Program Advisors for students.

“Dickinson has a robust study abroad

program and I often have the opportu-

nity to talk with students about my own

abroad experience. My time in Finland

was really transformative for me, both

personally and professionally.”

EMILIE GARDBERG, ASLA-Fulbright

Graduate awardee 2006-2007 was

selected as the Director of the Finnish

Institute in London. She will start her

four-year term in fall 2018. Gardberg

studied Art Administration at Columbia

University in New York and previously

worked as the Chief Executive of the

Turku Philharmonic Orchestra. Gardberg

spent the fall 2017 as a visiting scholar at

the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C.

JOHANNA NIEMI, 1997 Fulbright Scholar

at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

Law School, was named the Woman of

the Year by the Business and Professional

Women (BPW) Finland. Since 2015 Niemi

has been appointed Minna Canth Acad-

emy Professor at the University of Turku.

STEPHANIE JAZMINES was

selected as the winner

of the 2018 Rieger

Graham Prize and

a three-month

Classical Design

Fellowship at

the American

Academy in Rome.

Jazmines was a

U.S. Student grantee

at Aalto University’s Wood Program

in 2015-16. Currently she works as an

architectural designer at Walt Disney

Imagineering in Los Angeles, California.

HAVE A STORY TO TELL?

LET US KNOW!

Tampereen yliopiston rehtori Paavo Koli oli ensimmäisiä Yhdysval-

toihin valittuja ASLA-stipendiaatteja ja sai myöhemmin arvonimen

”ASLA-stipendiaatti Numero Yksi”. ASLA-Fulbright -alumni Matti

Parjaselta on juuri ilmestynyt teos Mister Koli, oletteko kommunisti?

Teos on Kolin elämäkerran toinen osa ja se käsittelee mm. ASLA-

stipendi kauden ja Yhdysvalloissa opiskelun merkitystä Kolin uralle

sekä suomalaiselle yliopistolaitokselle.

Matti Parjanen oli Yhdysvalloissa ASLA-Fulbright -tutkijastipendi-

aattina 1983, minkä aikana hän keräsi tietoa opetuksen arvioinnista.

Parjanen toimi rehtori Kolin assistenttina 1960-luvulla, ja on tehnyt

pitkän tutkijan uran Tampereen yliopistolla.

Mister Koli, oletteko kommunisti?

ALUMNI NEWS


Arno Tanner

The ASLA-Fulbright Alumni Associa-

tion is deeply saddened by the death of

Dr. Arno Tanner, Fulbright alumnus and

former president and vice-president of

the Association. Following his term as

ASLA-Fulbright Junior Scholar at the

Migration Policy Institute in Washing-

ton D.C. in 2004–2005, Arno became an

Alfred W. Crosby

Alfred W. Crosby died peace-

fully among friends and family

in March 2018 at the age of 87.

A graduate of Harvard College

with an M.A.T. from the Harvard

School of Education, and a Ph.D.

in history from Boston Univer-

sity, he taught at Albion College,

In Memoriam

psychology in the U.S. Professor Leslie B.

Hammer. Sianoja’s own research focuses

on the role of recovery and workplace

interventions in employee well-being.

Before embarking on the exciting next

stage in her career in September, Sianoja

will return to her Finnish home institu-

tion, the University of Tampere, to defend

her dissertation to conclude her doctoral

degree.

“I will be working on Professor Ham-

mer’s project funded by the Department

of Defense, which aims to improve the

Alumna Lands a Unique Post-Doc Position

work–life balance and sleep health of

Oregon national guards through increas-

ing supervisor support. Working at OHSU

as a postdoctoral researcher will continue

to benefit the scientific goals of my Ful-

bright project that is to accumulate the-

oretical knowledge on employee health

and well-being that helps governments

and workplaces to establish health sup-

portive policies. Working with Professor

Hammer, will teach me new skills to bring

back to Finland.”Text: Karoliina Kokko

ALUMNI NEWS

the Ohio State University, Washington State University, and

the University of Texas at Austin, retiring in 1999 as Professor

Emeritus of Geography, History, and American Studies. Recip-

ient of many awards, he served twice as the Fulbright Bicen-

tennial Chair of American Studies at the University of Helsinki,

in 1985 and 1997, and was elected to the Academy of Finland in

1995. His books have been published in twelve languages.

His work as a historian, he said, turned him from facing

the past to facing the future. He lived by the maxim: What

can I do today to make tomorrow better?

Frances Karttunen

Alfred Crosby’s wife of thirty-five years

Fulbright Bicentennial Chair 1997, Fulbright Researcher 1971 and 1984

active member in the Alumni Association. The Association appreci-

ates his positive energy and optimistic attitude, which were reflected

as a continuous stream of ingenious ideas and willingness to contrib-

ute to the Association’s activities, despite his demanding work as a

researcher at the Finnish Immigration Service.

Arno was an exceptionally open-minded scholar and person,

eager to learn from others and transform realities around him.

He would not hesitate to question things people would often take

for granted, a characteristic which made him an innovative leader

and a brave thinker. Arno is profoundly missed by members of the

ASLA-Fulbright Alumni Association.

Kirsi Cheas

President of the ASLA-Fulbright Alumni Association

Fulbright-EDUFI Fellow Audrey Waits will

teach a course at the Lapland University of

Applied Sciences’ Summer School on Arctic

Cooperation and Cross-Border Expertise.

“I am very excited to teach at the

Lapland University of Applied Sciences’

summer school. The summer course is

International Business and Innovations in

the Arctic and I will introduce the Arctic

region. I will cover the changing Arctic

environment, geopolitical complexities in

the Arctic, and Arctic inhabitants. I hope

International Business and Innovations in the Arcticto highlight the unique elements of the

Arctic and to provide a foundation for the

students to place their business ideas in

an ‘Arctic context’,” Waits says.

The Summer School on Arctic Cooper-

ation and Cross-Border Expertise is part

of the Fulbright Speaker Program through

which schools and institutions can invite

U.S. Fulbright grantees to give talks about

their research projects or more general

American themes.

Marjaana Sianoja

has been selected

for a two-year

Post-Doctoral

position at Oregon

Health & Science

University (OHSU)

as an immediate fol-

low-up to her Fulbright

year at MIT as a Pre-Doctoral Researcher.

This new position provides her an

extraordinary opportunity to work with a

leading researcher in occupational health


New Board Members

F ulbright Finland welcomes Timo

Korkeamäki, Professor of Finance

at Hanken School of Economics,

and Kirsimarja Blomqvist, Professor for

Knowledge Management at the School of

Business and Management at Lappeen-

ranta University of Technology LUT on

the Fulbright Finland Foundation Board of

Directors.

Korkeamäki and Blomqvist succeed

Matti Kokkala and Heikki Ruskoaho who

have completed their board terms. Ful-

bright Finland conveys a sincere thank

you to Dr. Kokkala and Dr. Ruskoaho for

their dedicated service.

The Finnish board members are

appointed by the Ministry of Education

and Culture.

FULBRIGHT FINLAND FOUNDATION / FULBRIGHT SUOMI -SÄÄTIÖ

Timo Korkeamäki

Kirsimarja Blomqvist

Van Vu, Mihkel Vaim and Inari Ahokas joined the Fulbright Finland team as interns.

Interning at the Fulbright Finland Foundation

The Fulbright Finland Foundation offers students an opportunity to gain work experience in a

dynamic and multicultural environment.

FULBRIGHT FINLAND NEWS

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Terhi Mölsä EDITORS Maija Kettunen (Managing Editor), Suzanne Louis DESIGN AND LAYOUT Tanja Mitchell, Grafee EDITING OFFICE Fulbright Finland Foundation, Hakaniemenranta 6, FI-00530 Helsinki, FINLAND TEL. +358 44 5535 286 E-MAIL [email protected] ISSN 2489-2149 (print) ISSN 2489-2157 (online) COVER Maxigloss 200 g/m² PAPER G-Print 115 g/m² PRINT CIRCULATION 700 PRINTED BY Erweko Oy ONLINE www.fulbright.fi/en/fulbright-center/fulbright-center-news

Fulbright Finland News on Fulbright Suomi -säätiön sidosryhmälehti, joka ilmestyy kaksi kertaa vuodessa painettuna ja verkkoversiona. Artikkeleissa ilmaistut mielipiteet ovat kirjoittajien omia. Aineisto vapaasti lainattavissa, lähde mainittava. // Fulbright Finland News is a biannual magazine published by the Fulbright Finland Foundation in print and online. Opinions expressed by authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Fulbright Finland. Reproduction allowed, source must be cited. // While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the material in this publication, Fulbright Finland does not accept liability for any errors or omissions.

EDITORIAL COUNCIL Anitta Etula, Director of International Relations, University of Eastern Finland, Outi Hakanen, Deputy Director General, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Protocol Services, Sirpa Holmström, Head of International Services, Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, Erika Holt, Principal Research Scientist, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, and Ossi V. Lindqvist, Professor Emeritus.

“Interning at the Fulbright Finland Foun-

dation has been an amazing experience.

During the internship, I have been given

opportunities to gain valuable knowl-

edge as well as practical skills which will

become a huge advantage once I gradu-

ate,” says Van Vu. Van came from Vietnam

to Finland to study Business Management

at Laurea University of Applied Sciences.

She is particularly interested in organiz-

ing and marketing events. “Out of all the

brilliant events that I have helped orga-

nizing during my internship, Fulbright

Forum was my favorite. The U.S. grantees’

presentations really inspired me.”

Inari Ahokas studies Business Admin-

istration in Savonia University of Applied

Sciences. She was on a Study of the U.S.

Institute for Student Leaders from Europe

program in 2017. “As a Fulbright Finland

alumna I am very excited to see this side of

the scholarship process,” Inari says.

Mihkel Vaim is from Estonia and cur-

rently studying International Business

and Logistics at Metropolia University

of Applied Sciences. Mihkel was already

familiar with Fulbright Finland when he

worked as a conference assistant during

the Making Democracies Resilient to Mod-

ern Threats seminar. Mihkel announced

on his Twitter profile he was looking for an

intership and was contacted by Fulbright

Finland. “Working for Fulbright Finland

has been wonderful. I get to learn from the

best and work on different projects that

further my future career,” Mihkel says.

Every year there are several interns

working at the Fulbright Finland Founda-

tion and their work is highly valued. The

interns’ assignments vary from adminis-

trative support to projects and assisting in

organizing events.

Apply for an internship at Fulbright Finland www.fulbright.fi/en/open-positions


Fulbright Finland Foundation's

Honorary Chair: Ambassador of the United States to FinlandRobert Pence

Finnish Members:

Piia BjörnProfessor, Special EducationUniversity of Eastern FinlandVice-Chair

Kirsimarja BlomqvistProfessor for Knowledge Management, School of Business and Management, Lappeenranta University of Technology LUT

Timo KorkeamäkiProfessor of FinanceHanken School of Economics

Hannu SeristöProfessor, Vice President for External RelationsAalto University

American Members:

T.J. GrubishaCounselor for Press and Cultural AffairsAmerican EmbassyChair

Itonde A. KakomaProgramme Director Leadership teamCrisis Management Initiative CMI

Ethan TaborDeputy Counselor for Press and Cultural AffairsAmerican Embassy

David YokenSenior Music LecturerArts Academy, Turku University of Applied Sciences

Ex-officio:

Terhi MölsäChief Executive OfficerFulbright Finland Foundation

The Finland-America Educational Trust Fund

The Fulbright Finland Foundation is financially supported by the Finland-America Educational Trust Fund.

Board of Directors

Finnish members:

Jouni Mölsä Director General of Communications, Department for Communications and Culture, Ministry for Foreign AffairsChair

Jaana PalojärviHead of International RelationsFinnish Ministry of Education and Culture

American members:

Donna WeltonChargé d’AffairesAmerican EmbassyVice-Chair

T.J. GrubishaCounselor for Press and Cultural AffairsAmerican Embassy

Agent / Säätiön asiamies:

Terhi MölsäChief Executive OfficerFulbright Finland Foundation

Fulbright Finland Foundation Board of Directors

THE FULBRIGHT FINLAND FOUNDATION is an independent not-forprofit organization based in Helsinki, Finland. Its purpose is to promote a wider exchange of knowledge and professional talents through educational contacts between Finland and the United States. The Foundation collaborates with a range of government, foundation, university and corporate partners on both sides of the Atlantic to design and manage study and research scholarships, leadership development programs and internationalization services.

Vision

Fulbright Finland Foundation Office

b Pia ArolaJohdon assistenttiExecutive Assistant044 5535 278

b Emilia HolopainenOhjelmakoordinaattoriProgram Coordinator044 7035 284

b Emmi JelekäinenOhjelmakoordinaattoriProgram Coordinator 044 5535 275

b Maija KettunenViestintä- ja tapahtuma-koordinaattoriCommunication and Events Coordinator044 5535 277

b Karoliina KokkoVastaava ohjelmapäällikköSenior Program Manager044 5535 268

b Johanna Lahti(opintovapaalla/on study leave)

b Suzanne LouisProjektikonsultti (osa-aikainen)Project Consultant (part-time)

b Mirka McIntireOhjelmapäällikkö, Koulutus- ja opettajavaihto (osa-aikainen)Manager, Teacher Exchange and Education Programs (part-time)044 5535 269

b Terhi MölsäToimitusjohtajaChief Executive Officer050 570 5498

is to empower the minds that will find global solutions to tomorrow’s

challenges by fostering academic and professional expertise and excellence in leadership.

Office: 044 5535 286, e-mails: [email protected]

Fulbright Finland FoundationHakaniemenranta 6FI-00530 HELSINKIFINLAND

www.fulbright.fi Ífulbrightfin Úfulbrightfinland Îfulbright finland

SeptemberAugust

16.5. Pre-Departure Orientation and Ful-bright Award Ceremony for Finnish Fulbright Finland Grantees

20.5. 2019–2020 Application deadline: ASLA-Fulbright Graduate GrantsFulbright-Technology Industries of Finland Grants

29.5.2019–2020 Application deadline:Fulbright Partnership Award with University of South Florida

1.8. 2019–2020 Application deadline: Fulbright U.S. Scholar Awards for Finland

27.–30.8. Arrival Orientation for U.S. Fulbright Finland Grantees

29.8. ASLA-Fulbright Alumni Association Welcome Event

27.9. Pre-Admission Orientation

Fulbright Finland Foundation Board Meeting

May

JulyFulbright Finland

Office Closed2.–13.7.

Calendar

13.6.Fulbright Finland Foundation Board Meeting

June

October12.–13.10.26th American Voices Seminar

Join us in Turku to hear about various aspects of American life, culture, history and society through the experiences of the U.S. Fulbright grantees in Finland. The seminar is organized by Fulbright Finland in cooperation with University of Turku North American Studies Program.

The event is open to the public and free of charge. Welcome!

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