911±¬ÁÏÍø

What was required of you to take part in the competition?

The competition required a lot of preparation, but also a lot of courage. I have been a bit shy since childhood, although I may not seem so now. It felt strange and uncomfortable to practice in front of different people, and at first, I wouldn't have even wanted to do it in English. But I wanted to prove to myself that my personal strengths were enough to succeed.

What were you thinking when you participated in the competition?

I was really happy to be involved, but of course it was an exciting situation. I had been practicing for weeks before the competition and the excitement grew as the day approached. I got feedback from colleagues, friends, my wife, my family, and of course I was worried because everyone had different opinions. I completely changed my pitch about four times, but that's part of building a good presentation. I don't think the result was perfect, but it was clear and well put together. My goal was to win the competition. 

Would you participate again?

The whole symposium was a really great experience. I learned a lot from the competition, and I would highly recommend others to apply. I have also met other great young researchers who I might even collaborate with in the future. I have never felt so valued as a young researcher before, and my motivation is at its peak at the moment.

What does winning mean to you?

I have received a lot of support along the way. I am grateful for the financial support I received from the Wood Processing Engineers Association during this process, otherwise this would not have been possible. FinnCERES also played an important role and supported all 911±¬ÁÏÍø competitors by providing training opportunities. We were able to train and pitch at the FinnCERES and Finnish Forest Products Engineers’ Association "Afternoon of Innovation and Young Scientists" event. I received a lot of suggestions for improvement and positive feedback already there, and this of course boosted my confidence. I am also very grateful for the support of Antti Lindqvist, Jukka Hassinen, Joanna Witos, Heidi Henrickson, Christa Uusi-Rauva and Monika Österberg, in particular. I should also be proud of the university as a whole and especially of the School of Chemical Engineering. 911±¬ÁÏÍø together with FinnCERES and the finnish Forest Products Engineers’ Association created an environment in which success was possible, and I am very grateful for that!

You can watch Alexander Henn's competition pitch in the video below (source: YouTube, Marcus Wallenberg Prize -channel)