The Ülo Pärnits Scholarship has given nearly 40 talented people a real opportunity to bring innovation to life. This year’s scholarship laureates have been announced
On Monday, the new laureates of the Ülo Pärnits Scholarship, the founder of Ülemiste City, were announced for the fifth time. In five years, the scholarship has been awarded to a total of almost 40 university students whose innovative ideas and the practical solutions proposed in their research papers have been put to good use in the development of the campus and also beyond that.
“With the Ülo Pärnits Scholarship, we are giving our future talents the opportunity to make a real contribution to the development of Ülemiste City and Estonia overall, by giving them a chance to work with the best experts and top international companies,” explained Kadi Pärnits, Chairperson of the Board at AS Mainor. “Ülo Pärnits was a big believer in the importance of education and research, and such leaders continue to set an example through their actions. The scholarship fund will help to make dreams come true which will result in making Estonia a world leader in smart jobs.”
According to Kadi Pärnits, the university students who have received the scholarship have had a profound impact on Ülemiste City over the past five years – starting with creating a gateway to Estonia for future air and train passengers, to contributing to the improvement of the indoor climate and design of commercial buildings, as well as solutions that support learning.
Among the research papers of the receivers of the Ülo Pärnits Scholarship, the following have so far proved to be the most outstanding examples:
- “European Square – European Gateway to Estonia” – the master’s thesis of Lisanna Remmelkoor, a graduate in architecture from TalTech. In her thesis she created a structural plan for the “European Square” in the area between Tallinn Airport and RailBaltic’s main building and Ülemiste City and Ülemiste shopping centre. Lisanna Remmelkoor’s work was based on the expansion plans of Tallinn Airport as well as the imminent construction of the Rail Baltic and the Finnish-Estonian tunnel in the area. The two large common terminals would be linked to Tallinn Airport – the European Gateway would be a convenient entryway to Tallinn and Estonia for people visiting Estonia. This thesis has become the basis for further planning activities to turn this area from a dream into reality. After graduating from TalTech, Remmelkoor joined 3+1 architectural office, where she continues to work partly on Ülemiste City development projects.
- “Wind analysis and the design of urban elements to improve the convenience of pedestrians in Ülemiste City“ – Jelena Kazak, who graduated in architecture from TalTech this year, has previously received the Ülo Pärnits Scholarship twice. In her research paper, Jelena Kazak studied wind corridors in four areas of Ülemiste City, proposing urban design elements for developers of the campus to make pedestrians and cyclists feel comfortable in all seasons. Jelena Kazak has also submitted her master’s thesis to the international competition at the eCAADe 2022 conference that takes place in Belgium in September.
- „Help students learn“ – A group of international university students from different fields of study presented 41 ideas to the developer of Ülemiste City, as part of a project internship at the University of Tartu, on how to motivate International School of Tallinn students to learn better. The new International School of Tallinn (IST) will be completed in the Ülemiste City education district in 2024. The work of the university students is submitted to the 3+1 architectural office that will design IST, and the ideas of the students will be partly implemented.
Kadi Pärnits noted that the students’ interest in this kind of scholarship, which offers a highly practical output, has grown over time, and more partner schools have joined. “Next year we hope to see some partner schools from outside of Estonia, which would only please the Ülemiste City development team,” she added.
This Monday, five university students presented their theses’ to the Ülo Pärnits Scholarship Committee:
- Birgit Vider – TalTech, Master’s thesis “Flexible workspace that supports the productivity and well-being of employees”.
- Nursultan Barun – Estonian Academy of Arts, the only presentation in English, Master’s thesis/Degree Project Report: “Engaging Employees in Green Change in Ülemiste City”.
- Jelena Kazak – TalTech, Master’s thesis “Wind analysis and its application in urban planning for creating an user-friendly public space in Ülemiste City”.
- Valdek Laur – Estonian Academy of Arts, creative work “Bluebird”.
- Kaija Kohlmann-Genno & Anette Aas – Estonian Academy of Arts, creative work “The passage of time”.
The Committee decided to distribute the grants as follows: Nursultan Barun €2,000, Jelena Kazak €2,000, Birgit Vider €1,500, Valdek Laur €1,500 and Kaija Kohlmann-Genno and Anette Aas €1,500.
The aim of the Ülo Pärnits Scholarship, the creator of Ülemiste City, is to promote lifelong and practical learning and to support research related to the development of Ülemiste City as the city of the future.
The scholarship’s partner schools are the Estonian Entrepreneurship University of Applied Sciences, International School of Tallinn, TalTech, University of Tartu, Tallinn University and Estonian Academy of Arts.
The scholarship is sponsored by Mainor AS, Kristosten OÜ, Sentosa OÜ, Mainor Ülemiste AS and Technopolis Ülemiste AS. So far, a total of €25 000 has been awarded in scholarships.
