Aalto University School of Engineering

Yesterday our Dean Kari Tammi hosted the annual ENG Awards! 🏆

Awards honoured the finest publications and doctoral theses of the year, active students and notable achievements by school personnel in the realms of education, impact, and service.

Our warmest congratulations to all those honoured, and thank you to everyone who attended! 💐

Combustion engines could achieve zero-emission combustion – and up to double the efficiency of diesel engines 🔥

A research project conducted at Aalto and the University of Turku has produced results in a short time that could revolutionize the entire field of combustion engine technology. The concept is based on replacing the air used in combustion with an argon–oxygen mixture. If it proves viable, the climate and energy-efficiency benefits would be unprecedented. In an argon cycle, the engine produces no nitrogen oxides (NOx), which are among the most harmful climate-forcing and health-impact pollutants. And when green hydrogen is used as fuel, the engine can operate with no carbon emissions at all.

“More than 80 percent of global energy is still produced through combustion processes, so the potential applications are vast,” says Ville Vuorinen, Associate Professor of Energy Technology at Aalto University.

Read more in our news article — link in the comments.

Can you guess how much higher the emissions of this school and sports hall in Myrskylä would have been, if they were built with reinforced conrete instead of timber?

✅ The answer is 40% higher.

Although the direct costs of wood construction are slightly higher than those of concrete, the picture changes when environmental impacts are assigned a monetary value. According to a new study, wood is clearly a more cost-effective building material when emissions are monetized.

Our researchers Oana Iliescu, Ali Amiri and Seppo Junnila calculated the direct costs and emissions of the timber school construction and compared them to a concrete alternative. The valuations were based on scientific estimates of the harm emissions cause to human health, ecosystems, and the economy — and what this damage costs society.

"If public procurement were to make visible the hidden costs, the use of wood products as construction materials would appear as a far more attractive option,” Iliescu says.

Read from the news on our website, link in the comments!

Hey, everyone! My name is Farouk, an international student from Egypt and Canada. I’m excited to share my day today with you. Currently an MSc Fuksi in the Geoinformatics program (more on that today). I came to Finland almost 2 years ago to start work at ICEYE, a satellite manufacturer with the HQ here on the Aalto campus. I’ll be sharing my routine including sports, hobbies, life at work, and how I balance it with studies and student life.

Onnittelut emeritusprofessori Pentti Kujalalle Sea Sunday -palkinnon johdosta! 🏆

Tiistaina 9.9.2025 Aalto Ice and Wave Tankissa pidetyssä tilaisuudessa liikenne- ja viestintäministeri Lulu Ranne ojensi Kujalalle Sea Sunday -palkinnon, joka on kunnianosoitus yli 40-vuotiselle uralle meriturvallisuuden parantamiseksi.

Hei kaikki! I'm Pessi, a third year Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's student, and also the Masters Captain of KIK! Today you'll get to see what my day looks like in the stories 😁

Moi kaikki! Mä oon Jenna ja opiskelen nyt 3. vuotta kiinteistötalous ja geoinformatiikka -pääaineessa. Toimin kans Maanmittarikillan fuksikapteenina. Tänään mä otan ig-storyt haltuuni ja näytän miltä kipparin keskiviikko voi orientaatioviikolla näyttää!

Heimoi! Meitsi on Lauri ja toimin Koneinsinöörikillan toisena fuksikapteenina. Opiskelen kolmatta vuotta energiatekniikkaa ja pääsette tänään seuraamaan, ikään kuin eilisen jatkumona, miltä KIK:n toisen fuksiekapteenin päivä näyttää.