Foreign Career Excursion

Foreign Career Excursion 2024:

Every year, Earth Science Study Association Utrecht (U.A.V.) organizes an international excursion for about 25 graduate Earth Sciences students to investigate their career prospects and discover which opportunities lie ahead of them. Last April, we were delighted to arrange the Foreign Career Excursion to Finland! The aim of our excursion is to visit a wide range of organizations and companies, to get a better understanding of career prospects abroad.

Right after arriving in Finland, our first night in Helsinki was all about experiencing the Finnish culture, by visiting a restaurant that served typical Finnish dishes! There was also some time left to explore the city and visit the famous landmarks Helsinki has to offer. The next day it was time for our first company visit, Kuva Space. We enjoyed an interesting talk by the company’s CTO and Marketing Officer, explaining us how the company launched the world’s most extensive hyperspectral satellite constellation and its advanced AI-based analytics. We even got a sneak peak inside their actual laboratory where the satellites are manufactured! After this, we made our way to GTK, the Geological Survey of Finland, where we were able to visit all the laboratories where geologists did their research on (Finnish) rock samples. For all geology students that joined our trip, it was valuable to see the Finnish technology and methodology that was used.

The next day we were delighted to go on a trip to Nuuksio national park, where three professors of the University of Helsinki were joining us, providing us with their insights of Finnish geology. This way, we got to enjoy the beauty of Finnish nature, as well as its interesting geology! Students of the study association for geology (Vasara) joined us for dinner that evening and we got to thank them for all the arrangments they made, allowing us to do the field trip. Of course, an experience of the Finnish student culture was something that couldn’t missed during the trip, so we joined a ‘’sitsit’’ where we would engage with the Finnish students of Vasara.

Finland and Helsinki have offered us culture, knowledge, new insights, and definitely more information on career perspectives abroad. The Foreign Career Excursion committee can look back on a succesful and valuable trip for all participants. We hope you’ll join us next year!