Mark Toomsalu
Member of Student Union, TalTech
The Nordtek Conference 2024 took place from June 11-13 in Turku, Finland, focusing on "Artificial Intelligence in Engineering." This year, students played a significant role with many discussions about AI and Nordtek future from their perspective.
The student meet-up on the first day started with an amazing dinner in Ruissalo. It was a great start to bond and get to know the differences between each country’s universities. The atmosphere was lively and engaging, setting a positive tone for the rest of the conference.
Especially important was the good atmosphere for the third day student meeting, which was the most important part of the student program. As a start Peter Göransson, the Secretary General, talked about Nordtek’s main goals and current projects, like improving engineering education and creating a PhD-course database. He stressed the need to elect a student board and encouraged students to think about these projects for the coming year.
Students shared their ideas on how the student board should work. They suggested having two to four meetings each year, with some in-person sessions during the conference. Clear communication within the board and with all students was highlighted as important for effective collaboration. The student board should actively ensure that student voices are heard by the main Nordtek board and help plan the next conference.
Three main topics were chosen for the student board to focus on: Mobility, Branding, and AI Ethics. These topics will guide their discussions and activities for the year. Students also wanted to make sure meeting notes are available on the Nordtek website so everyone can stay informed.
The election of new student board members was a key moment. Karoliina Rebane was elected as President of the Nordtek Student Board. The elected Board members for the Nordtek students are Afomía Sambýliskona from Iceland, Samuel Kenrick from Sweden, Ervin Borkovski from Lithuania and Mark Toomsalu from Estonia. Positions for Norway, Finland, Denmark and Latvia remain vacant, and the board will work to fill these spots.
The next student board meeting is planned for October or November at TalTech. Future activities will focus on better communication and keeping students in all member universities informed about Nordtek’s plans. Changes to the student board’s rules were also discussed to make elections and operations clearer.
The Nordtek Conference 2024 showed how important student participation is for innovation and collaboration in the network. The new student board’s proactive approach promises to contribute significantly to the development of AI in engineering education and the overall growth of the Nordtek community.
