“I am curious about "Oceaneering" that builds underwater robots. It matches my interests and could also have a big impact on society and the environment,” says Robert Flüm, one of many master's students who attended this year's master's thesis project fair in the hope of finding a perfect project match.
The 2022 edition of the master's thesis project fair took place last Monday for students from the master’s programs Mobility Engineering, Applied Mechanics, Production Engineering, Product development, Materials Engineering and Industrial Design Engineering. Around 20 companies – including Volvo Cars, GKN Aerospace, Emerson, AFRY and the Swedish Transport Administration – were represented in the M-building study hall to present their master thesis project proposals for master's students in the hope of finding a good match.
Ernesto Lozano and Robert Flüm, both of whom are studying the master's degree program in Automation and Mechatronics, made sure to be on site as early as possible to probe the terrain among the companies' stands and roll-ups. And even though they had just taken a short stroll in the premises, they quickly found some interesting proposals.
On a stand not far away is a small model of a space rocket. In the background, a roll-up that exudes high-tech and space. Here we meet Elin Ogeman, head of mechanics at Beyond Gravity, a company with roots in the Swiss RUAG Group which acquired Saab Space in 2009. The company makes, among other things, computers for the space industry and antennas for satellites, and for Elin it goes without saying that you need to seize the opportunity and be present as master's students choose their master thesis projects.
“For us, it’s really important to be here and talk to students so that we get as many good master thesis applications as possible. We’re looking for someone who is good at finding new materials and solving thermal problems. We think someone from Applied Mechanics would be a good fit,” she says.
In the midst of the bustle, we also meet Klara Mattsson, master's student on the Mobility Engineering program specializing in trains and railways. As the Mobility Engineering program only started in 2021, she is part of the program's first batch to visit the fair. And with a long-standing and deep-seated passion for railways, Klara knows exactly what she is looking for at the fair.
"I’ve always been interested in trains and railways. One of my first summer jobs was in the railways and last summer I was out building railways - laying switches and rails and connecting the signaling system, for example alternating heating to a switch. There are many exciting companies here, but I know that I want to work on developing the railway, so we'll see if any of them can give me that opportunity,” Klara explains before resuming the mingling activities.
Erik Hulthén from IMS is the Head of Program for the Mechanical Engineering program. He’s taking part of the fair to answer questions from the companies as well as from the students, when needed. But perhaps even more so to take part of the atmosphere.
“I remember when I met all the curious students at Götaplatsen just as they had started. And today, a few years later, it's really great to be here as they make their first contact with industry, before they embark on their careers for real,” he says.
After having participated in the fair for several years, Erik is also convinced that the fair format is a winning concept, both for the students as well as for the companies.
“This is really all about the master's thesis projects rather than about glamourous company stands, which I think is really good,” he says.
The companies represented on the fair were:
2D tech/Northvolt
AFRY
Aurobay
AVL
BETA CAE Systems
Beyond gravity
Bulten
Chalmers
Combitech
Cycleurope
Emerson
Ericsson
FEV Sverige
GKN Aerospace
Green Carbon
Oceaneering
Thule
Virtual Manufacturing
Volvo Cars
Volvo Penta
Text: Lovisa Håkansson Photographer: Marcus Folino
- Professor, Product Development, Industrial and Materials Science