Swedish universities foster the future
Published: 31 Aug 2010
Complex rocket launches, organic materials in electronics and fuel-efficient vehicles are just a few of the cutting-edge research projects underway at Swedish universities.
SQUID team members at the Esrange launch pad. Photo: SQUID group
The KTH SQUID
At KTH, Stockholm's Royal Institute of Technology, Mario Valle is one of 13 people working on SQUID, a Spinning QUad Ionospheric Deployer. The project's goal is to "design and demonstrate a small probe which can be ejected from a rocket, carry out measurements in the upper atmosphere, and survive re-entry and landing for recovery of the collected data."
In layman's terms, Valle spends a good part of his time mulling over rocket launches and recoveries. "The project is very complex and as far as I know an experiment of this kind, to be launched on a sounding rocket, has never been developed," he says. "It could provide a lot of valuable scientific data at a relatively low price."
Valle, who is from the Basque region of Northern Spain, says he always planned to study abroad. He came to Stockholm with a bachelor's degree from the University of Madrid in aeronautical engineering and found the Master in Aerospace Engineering program at KTH. "KTH is known to be among the best technical universities in Europe, and Sweden is also known for having a very high quality of education. That, together with the fact that doing a master's is free here, didn't make the decision of where to go very tough."
Upon arrival, Valle was surprised to find so many other international students studying at KTH. "If I had to describe the atmosphere here with one word I would say it is international," he says. "I think it is extremely valuable as it gives you the possibility of meeting and working with people from all over the world, which provides a kind of education that is impossible to get from just books or lectures. I also like the freedom you have to choose among an extremely big variety of subjects."
A ring oscillator chip. Photo: Lars Herlogsson/Low-voltage Ring Oscillators
Linköping's Organic Electronics
Olga Bubnova from Russia also appreciates the flexibility that Swedish universities offer. She is working on her PhD at Linköping University and says that although she's working very hard, studying in Sweden is less stressful than elsewhere. "There is more freedom here to choose your courses or take time off to work or travel before you finish. You can also re-write exams if you fail. In Russia you don't get a second chance," she adds.
Bubnova is a part of Linköping University's OrgEl (Organic Electronics) group which is developing and studying electronic devices based on organic electroactive materials. This is a fairly new field, but it is growing rapidly. The OrgEl group is working on finding organic equivalents to non-organic materials without giving up on functionality. The organic materials are not only cheaper, but more environmentally friendly and generally less bulky and toxic than non-organic materials.
"In my research I am trying to find efficient organic materials that could be used for thermoelectrics," says Bubnova. "It really is time to employ all possible methods and technologies to help the environment."
Bubnova says that the financial situation for PhD students is much better in Sweden than in many other countries. "We have all the facilities and kinds of support we need here, both financial and emotional. There is a nice group of people here and it is quite international which helps a lot too."
Baldos driver Erica Strömberg. Photo: Team Baldos
Luleå drives Baldos
Further north, at the Luleå University of Technology (LTU), a team is working on yet another exciting project—the extremely fuel-efficient Baldos vehicle, which is sponsored by ABB and BAE Systems, among others, and has SKF, Honda Engines and Valvoline among its partners. During a test-run in January 2010, Baldos traveled 152.2 kilometers on one single liter of gasoline (0,657 l/100 km). This is about five times the distance of the most fuel-efficient cars sold today.
Kristofer Flodström, who is studying machine technology with a major in mechatronics, was a natural for the team. He initially chose LTU for its forest machine technology, but says the university opened his eyes to additional opportunities.
The Baldos project is part of his final-year course in mechatronics and he has been working on the car which will be on display in an exhibition of environmentally friendly technology at the Swedish embassy in Washington.
Flodström, who's from a town near Uppsala, Sweden, says he likes the small classes and closeness between teachers and students at LTU. "You get a lot of expert help if you need it," he says. "It's very open and easy to fit in here, with a mix of people from all over Sweden and elsewhere too."
Last year, Flodström studied in Germany for half a year, studying six subjects at a time. "I prefer the quarter-based system here where you study two subjects and then test or report on them before starting the next two subjects. You can focus more on what you are doing and it is not as confusing," he says.
With a Swedish degree into the future
And is there life after a Swedish university education? Flodström starts his master's thesis in the autumn and plans on working at the same time as he does his research, something that is common at Swedish universities where studies are often integrated with working life.
Olga Bubnova says she's a traveler and will probably move on once she has complete her PhD. "I still have two years left here, and am not sure where I'll go, but there are plenty of opportunities."
Mario Valle says he would like to work in the space industry. "I have not tried to find a job yet, but to study a master's, in English, and at a good university, will surely help me to find a good job in the future."
This feature has been published by the Swedish Institute.
