When: Tuesday, March 17, 2026 | 12 – 1 pm
Where: Forest Sciences Centre 4001 (boardroom)
This event is open to all and will be held in person only.
Seminar Abstract
In this joint research seminar, two visiting faculty members from the University of Helsinki will discuss their research at the intersection of digital technologies and natural resources education. Dr. Petri Parvinen will present ‘Cloning a Professor.’ The talk will showcase a digital AI-driven clone of a professor and explain the possibilities and problems related to digitally cloning real human experts. The talk is of interest for scholars in the fields of information systems, university education, computer science, artificial intelligence or related commercial endeavors. Dr. Mika Rekola will present ‘What myself and my students know about forests: A case of the open online textbook FORESTS.’ The talk asks: do we know what CAI, MAI, phenological shifts or stomatal conductance are? Generally speaking, what is the core curriculum of forest sciences that all professionals should master? The concept of curriculum knowledge is also discussed from teachers’ perspective. The role of Open Education (OE) and Open Educational Resources (OER) are introduced and reflected in the light of forest education in general and core curriculum in particular. All these terms are merged together though the concrete case under preparation: an open online textbook FORESTS.
Speakers
Petri Parvinen
Dr. Petri Parvinen works as Full Professor of Strategic Marketing and Management at the University of Helsinki, the leading university in Finland, and as part-time Visiting Distinguished Professor at the Aalto University School of Business. His interdisciplinary research has been published in a variety of journals spanning the disciplines of marketing, sales, management, service science, innovation, natural resources management, information systems and computer science, and he has authored several best-selling books. He has worked with hundreds of businesses, reinforcing modern business thinking particularly in engineering and science-driven contexts and does most of his research collecting data at the front-line of sales and marketing organizations.
Mika Rekola
Dr. Mika Rekola serves as a university lecturer in forest economics and the leader of the MSc dual degree program Green Business at the University of Helsinki (UH). He is also a member of Teachers’ Academy at UH. His research interests encompass economic valuation of ecosystem services, education, and human resources (HR). Rekola has been coordinating IUFRO Research Group “Forest Education” during 2016-2024. He was the PI in the large international forest education study consortium by FAO, IUFRO, and ITTO. Rekola is currently acting as Silva Network vice-president and an editor-in-chief for an open online textbook FORESTS.