Thesis Day: a welcomed concept to bring students and companies together

During the afternoon, seven Industrial Management students pitched their thesis ideas to an expert board representing the Ostrobothnia Chamber of Commerce, ABB, Wärtsilä, Mirka, Kvarken Ports, and Merinova. 

– I loved the concept, and it has plenty of potential to match employers and thesis workers on a wider scale. It was great to see the students’ courage, enthusiasm, and ownership of their topics. I hope we panellists were able to provide useful tips and comments to develop the ideas into actual research, says Sanna-Mari Kaakinen, Sustainability Manager from ABB.

– Very inspiring to hear well motivated students presenting their ideas. One thing to keep in mind is that you can´t do everything in one thesis. Save some to later and narrow down your scope. I hope this event will become a tradition, says Mikael Hallbäck Director of Ostrobothnia Chamber of Commerce.

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In addition to giving valuable feedback to students, the board selected the best pitch and the most feasible idea. The best pitch was Saraf Fariha Moula’s presentation on the advanced design and integration of sensor-enabled smart traffic poles for optimised road safety. The most feasible idea was Lei Zhao’s on enhancing sustainability in indirect procurement through digitalisation. The two will receive mentoring from Kvarken Ports and Mirka. All pitchers will get a private visit to ABB’s Smart Power Vaasa factory.

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During the afternoon, students had the chance to learn about the competences needed in the green transition from the point of view of Mirka and the abrasive industry, presented by Project Managers Maria Smeds-Engström and Viktor Sundholm. They both enjoyed the event.

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– I appreciate that opportunities like this exist where universities and companies can meet around student ideas. It creates a good basis for continued collaborations and gives both students and companies an insight into each other’s realities, says Maria Smeds-Engström.

– An inspirational day seeing motivated students presenting well-planned and structured thesis ideas! says Viktor Sundholm.

Thesis Day is one of the ways the university brings students and local industry stakeholders closer together. With the concept, the university aims to support especially international students to get to know local businesses and find employment opportunities related to their field of study.

– For international students, thesis opportunities in companies can be a game-changer in future employment. An international student who writes their thesis for a company is four times more likely to get a job that matches their education than a student who writes their thesis outside the private sector, says Talent Hub Manager Hanna Turpeinen from the University of Vaasa, referring to a survey conducted by the Academic Engineers and Architects in Finland (TEK).

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