Estonia’s maritime sector will increasingly need people with IT, data, legal and other specialist skills alongside seafarers. Yet it is still widely seen as a traditional industry centred on ships and sailing. Participants at WISTA Estonia’s annual seminar concluded that universities, businesses, the state and local authorities must work more closely together to bridge this gap.
After a heart attack or stroke, patients are prescribed medication and sent home. What happens next depends largely on how well they follow their treatment plan and attend check-ups on time. TalTech researchers are now testing an AI-based digital doctor to monitor patients continuously at home, remind them to take medication and flag when a doctor or nurse is needed.
Estonia is establishing a nuclear regulator and looking for a potential plant site, although no decision to build a nuclear power plant has been made. A Trialoog debate highlighted several questions that must be answered first: how much small reactors will cost, the price of their electricity, the risk the state would assume, and whether Estonia has enough expertise and people to operate and oversee a plant safely.
Pakistani researcher Kaleem Arshid has studied and worked in China, Italy and Spain. For the past few months, he has worked at TalTech’s Virumaa College, researching how people and intelligent machines can act as partners — with robots working alongside people rather than replacing them.
The final gala of the “Science in Three Minutes” competition takes place at the Estonian Academy of Sciences at 18:00 on 6 October, with fifteen early-career researchers presenting their research in just three minutes.
Mathematics is more than formulas and calculations. It trains us to solve problems, try different approaches and persevere when we meet an obstacle. We need these skills every day — at school, at work and in life, writes Cathy-Liis Põlluveer, President of the Estonian Association of Engineers.
Smartwatches collect ever more data about our health, but not every reading can yet be trusted. TalTech researchers are investigating how to make information collected on the wrist usable in healthcare.
Liisi Särglep did not dream of becoming an engineer as a child. Her first plan was to study medicine, but when she was not admitted to the University of Tartu on her first attempt, her next choice took her to Tallinn University of Technology to study product development and production engineering.
The maritime sector needs new employees and leaders, and attracting more women is increasingly discussed. Elpi Petraki, President of WISTA International, the global network of women professionals in maritime, shipping, trade and logistics, believes real change is measured by the roles women attain and their opportunities to influence their organisations. If women remain mainly in support roles, much of their potential goes unused.
Universities can give young people sound IT knowledge, but that may not be enough to find work. A collaboration between ESTDEV and TalTech examined experiences in Estonia, Kenya, Nigeria and Armenia to identify what helps IT graduates enter their profession. Success depends on more than the curriculum: practical experience, initiative, entrepreneurial skills and connections with employers are at least as important.