Public Examination of Doctoral Dissertation
Overview
You are cordially invited to the public examination of my doctoral dissertation on Friday, November 27, 2015 and the dinner on Friday evening at Koivumäen Kartano.
The public examination will begin on Friday at 12 p.m. (noon) in the auditorium SN 200, Snellmania building, Kuopio Campus of the University of Eastern Finland (UEF).
Following the public examination, coffee/tea and cake will be served to all attendees at the Amica restaurant, located at Snellmania.
After the reception you will have a few hours to prepare for the dinner. For the dinner, transportation from the hotel Puijonsarvi to Koivumäen Kartano (return) is organized and is operated by Jääskeläisen Auto Oy. If requested, there will be an additional pick-up and drop-off at the parking space next to Snellmania.
Program
Public examination: 12 p.m. (noon) at SN 200, Snellmania
Reception: approx. 3 p.m. at Amica restaurant, Snellmania
Bus transportation: 6:30 p.m. at Hotel Puijonsarvi (possible pick-up at UEF)
Dinner: 7 p.m. at Koivumäen Kartano
Bus transportation: 11 p.m. to Hotel Puijonsarvi (possible drop-off at UEF)
RSVP
Please register your attendance at the dinner, indicating your preference for meat or fish for the main course and whether you will board the bus at Hotel Puijonsarvi or at UEF. If you attend as a pair, please register each of you individually. Thank you for registering at your earliest convenience. You may also send me an email indicating guest first and last name(s), preference for meat/fish, and bus pick-up/drop-off location.
Venues
The public examination will be held in the SN 200 auditorium of the Snellmania building. The address is Yliopistonranta 1, 70211 Kuopio. The following map shows the location of the main entrance (bordeaux mark) and the location of the SN 200 auditorium (blue mark). From the main entrance, turn left before the library, walk up the stairs, and follow the corridor. The SN 200 auditorium will be on your right within a few steps.
The reception following the public examination will be at the Amica restaurant (green mark) located within the Snellmania building.
Dinner will be at Koivumäen Kartano. Koivumäen Kartano is an exquisite restaurant, dining halls with a distinctively Finnish character and an excellent kitchen. I hope you will enjoy the evening at Koivumäen Kartano in honor of Dr. habil. Werner Kutsch, my opponent at the public examination.
The following map shows the location of the three venues and their details (click the markers). The location of Sokos Hotel Puijonsarvi is marked A. The bus route will start and end there. The Snellmania building is marked B. The bus will shortly stop here for pick-up and drop-off (if necessary). Koivumäen Kartano is marked C.
Dress Code
With the exception of opponent, custos, and candidate, the public examination can be attended in normal office clothing.
Dress code for the dinner is informal attire, according to Western dress codes. Suit for men and either evening dress or trousers for women. Colors are welcome; it isn’t a funeral, after all.
For some such events are an opportunity to wear their evening gowns or white-tie frac. Others don’t have such attire and I don’t want you to bother getting it. A mixture of styles is accepted. What’s important is that you feel comfortable.
Consider potential temperatures below 0°C as well as possible snow cover.
Presents
I was born and was lucky to grow into societies that pay for education, where education is accessible to the individual, provided through parents, schools, books at public libraries and stores, and increasingly also through online services. Standing in my fourth decade of continued education, I have not just been lucky, I was, and continue to be, quite a consumer, indeed. And it has been virtually tuition free. I am one of a minority. Most either have mountains of debt following a decade in higher education or do not have access to such institutions in first place.
If you like to give me a present, consider donating to an organization that aspires to improve access to education for those less lucky. Syrians prize education highly but countless children, young adults, and adults are now going without. The suffering goes far beyond lack of education and Syrians need basic relief in form of food, medicine, heating, clothing. The UNHCR, ICRC, Save the Children, WFP, and many others are trying to make a difference.
The One Laptop Per Child vision has for years been a great cause. World Vision raises funds for the education of children. Girls and women throughout the world suffer disadvantage and exclusion in education systems. The Campaign for Female Education works to close this gap. Malala continues to stand up for female education and her fund aims at ensuring that “every girl has access to 12 years of free, safe, quality primary and secondary education.”
Code.org works “to give every student the opportunity to learn computer science,” alongside school courses in math, history, geography, and biology. The Wikimedia Foundation runs Wikipedia, used by millions everyday. Donations help to keep this important resource going. Seeding Labs helps “talented scientists in developing countries conduct life changing research.” And the list goes on …
I will also place a box at Koivumäen Kartano where you can leave your donation to a charity of my choice.
Thank you for not bringing other boxes.
Accomodation
Suggested accomodation is at Original Sokos Hotel Puijonsarvi.
Naturally, you may choose any other hotel but please make sure to notify me about your choice. If you need any assistance with hotel reservation, please contact me.
Travel
Kuopio can be reached by airplane via Helsinki and from various cities in Finland by train. The Kuopio train station is in walking distance (10 min) from the city center as well as the hotel Puijonsarvi (15 min).
The airport is located roughly 17 km from Kuopio and it is best reached by taxi. Usually there are taxis available at the airport. Otherwise, you can call a taxi at the airport upon arrival (look for the corresponding phone at the entrance). Kuopio taxi phone number is +358 (0) 200 30 300. Hotels will be happy to call a taxi for you.
Kuopio is reasonably served by bus. Joukkoliikenne provides an online route planner. For bus transportation from hotel Puijonsarvi to the university, search for starting point “Tori, Kuopio” and destination “Yliopistonranta, 70210, Kuopio”. From the hotel, Tori is within walking distance (10 min).
Notes
- On November 27, sunrise and sunset in Kuopio is at 09:01 and 14:52, respectively. Daylength is thus 5 hours and 52 minutes, roughly one hour more than at the end of December. Five-year mean temperature is -5 °C. Permanent snow cover is unlikely, as the lakes tend to freeze over only later in December. However, snow cover is possible.
- Some of the information here may change, such as bus transportation location and departure times. Please visit this page again before November 27.