Although this recognition is from last year, yesterday we received this great diploma and the sweets that came with it! Our whole group would like to thank all those who chose us to receive such a tribute. Science is teamwork!
The Chemist Club of Turku awards annually the prize for the best poster in connection with the Kemian kevät (Spring of chemistry) event of the Department of Chemistry of the University of Turku. The categories of this Antti Vesala prize are
This year, Roosa Vastamäki, our group’s MSc student with a poster titled “A zeolite-free microwave synthesis of hackmanites“, was chosen as the winner of the first category. Congratulations, Roosa, well done!
The joint Academic Day of the staff of the University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University was celebrated on March 25, 2021. The Academic Day is held annually at the end of March in honor of the Royal Academy of Turku, founded in 1640. The recipient of the Vuoden dosentti (Adjunct Professor of the year) diploma is also announced on that day.
This year, Turun Yliopistojen Dosenttiyhdistys ry (The Adjunct Professors’ Society of the Universities of Turku) society selected Mika Lastusaari, the leader of our research group’s photonic materials team, as the Adjunct Professor of the year. Brilliant work and congratulations, Mika!
Tiina Mahlamäki, President of the Turun Yliopistojen Dosenttiyhdistys ry (The Adjunct Professors’ Society of the Universities of Turku) society, said in her introduction that the selection criteria have emphasized not only the Adjunct Professor’s academic merits but also social impact and interaction.
Ari Lehtonen from the society continued with detailed description about Mika’s achievements: “Mika is an active researcher and has published almost 200 articles on inorganic materials chemistry, most of all photonic materials and light-emitting materials. He has produced a large number of new luminescent materials with many practical applications and has also filed many patents on these materials. In addition, he has studied natural luminescent materials: the well-known Bologna stone and hackmanite minerals, and solved the mystery of the luminescent properties of these materials.“
“Mika has also published a lot of research on learning and teaching chemistry, and the way he works is well illustrated by the fact that he started university pedagogical studies but did not settle for 10 credits or even 60 credits: he did his second dissertation on the subject. Not only is Mika a good researcher and a good teacher, he also knows how to compose, sing and play guitar, and he has composed and produced the theme song for the Inorganic Materials Chemistry Research Group and the group’s music video on YouTube.“
Just before the Christmas vacation we were awarded “The Most Impressive Achievement ’20” prize by our Chemistry Department and Head of Department Juha-Pekka Salminen. The justification reads “For the presentation of research results in national journals and marketing of one’s own field and group through social media channels“. Thank you!
The 31st symposium of the Finnish Society of Physical Pharmacy (FyFa) was held on February 13th–14th, 2020 in Hotel Arthur in Helsinki. IMC’s representation consisted of Adj. Prof. Mika Lastusaari in the arranging team and PhD student Hannah Byron giving both an oral and a poster presentation.
Everything went exceptionally well, and Hannah also won the Finnish Pharmaceutical Society’s best poster award (200 €)!
The theme of the symposium this year was Trends of Thermoanalytical Methods in Materials Characterization, and Hannah’s topic was Thermoluminescence of hackmanites produced using a zeolite-free method.
Yesterday, Mika Lastusaari was awarded with a “Research act ’16” award for taking us into a new level with our research on inorganic solid state materials and also because of his tireless guidance and hard work.
Congratulations, Mika, your award is well deserved! We are eagerly waiting for the next years to come (and of course the victory dinner).
Minneas poster “Effect of d Transition Metal Doping on the Up-Conversion Luminescence from NaYF4:Yb3+,Er3+” was chosen as “Best of the best” top 3 posters at The 5th International Workshop on Advanced Spectroscopy and Optical Materials in Gdansk, Poland – Good work, Minnea! The Workshop itself was very motivating and well organized and for that we thank the organizers at the University of Gdansk. We will certainly visit you again in when IWASOM is arranged in the future!
