Ari Sihvola, professor of electromagnetics from Aalto University School of Electrical Engineering is chosen as EspooAmbassador 2014.
EspooAmbassador operates as a congress ambassador of Espoo in Finland and abroad. The award was presented 28th of August 2014 during the annual EspooAmbassador event at Dipoli Congress Centre. Professor Sihvola is the 6th Congress Ambassador in Espoo.
The decision was based in Sihvola’s active work in national and international scientific organizations. Professor Sihvola has been involved in a number of program and organizing committees of international scientific congresses, and thus have had a positive impact for the role of Espoo and Finland within the international scientific communities. Professor Sihvola has successfully organized international conferences in Espoo bringing hundreds of international researchers to the city, most recently in 2009.
Sihvola is a professor of electromagnetics at Aalto University with interest in electromagnetic theory, complex media, materials modeling, remote sensing, and radar applications. He is currently the Chairman of the Finnish National Committee of the International Union of Radio Science (URSI) and a fellow in IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers). Radio science in Finland has a long history and the country has been an active and constructive collaborator within URSI. In 2011, Sihvola’s group bid to organize and host the URSI Electromagnetic Theory Symposium (EMTS) 2016 in Espoo, Finland. Espoo won the bid thanks to the compelling and cost-effective presentation which was competing against Versailles, France. EMTS Conference 2016 is expected to attract over 300 delegates.
EspooAmbassador Programme
Visit Espoo together with the City of Espoo annually chooses and awards the Ambassador of the year. The purpose of this award is to highlight the importance of international scientific congresses as well as to encourage researchers and academics to invite these events to Finland and Espoo. Chosen Ambassador is a person of knowledge and stature, influential in their field, who can act as a representative of Espoo and is prepared to work with local meetings professionals to secure conference business for the city.
The award is announced in annual EspooAmbassador event, hosted by the Mayor of Espoo and Aalto University. Wide range of representatives from scientific institutions are invited in this event. Visit Espoo together with city of Espoo have awarded Ambassador of the year since 2009.
