Build something new together!

Build Something New Together – Start with Cookies

The most fun I had recently was taking part in building the concept and website to delivering our University’s newly launched research profile in Digital Futures*. Working together with colleagues – better yet: friends – from Natural Sciences, Auria Biobank and Law has certainly been one of the highlights of my two years so far at UTU.

As an early stage researcher having the opportunity to puzzle through creating a common space for university researchers, staff and students to try out new ideas, methods and to share data is rewarding to say the least. However, for me, it is the fact that I had the opportunity to work with other young researchers from across the university that made the difference between an interesting project to do and doing something great to enjoy.

What made working on Digital Futures so enjoyable was the sheer newness of what we were doing. Each and every one of us had something to contribute to delivering the vision of our university as a living laboratory open to new ideas, research and creativity in the Digital Future. All of us learned a great deal from the work we were doing, but arguably more from each other. Whereas before I had only the faintest idea of what research the department of geography does, I now know who to ask – and what to ask about.

So, let me ask a question: when did you last have lunch with someone from a different unit? How about a joint event? I know for some of you this pretty common, but might it not be a good time for all of us to walk through those glass doors at the other end of the corridor with a box of cookies and ask: hi – what do you guys do? If nothing else, I’ve given you an excuse to eat cookies. That must be worth something.

Matti Karinen, Department of Management and Entrepreneurship, University of Turku