An integral part of the activities of Research Center WANDER is teaching students of SAMK’s degree programme in energy and environmental engineering. Senior Researcher Merja Ahonen and Researcher Aino Pelto-Huikko supervised microbiology laboratory work in which the students searched for moulds and bacteria on various surfaces.
A group of three young men eagerly examined fruit that had clearly reached a ripe age. They took samples of the fruit with a piece of adhesive tape.
– Working in the lab and taking samples is interesting as it is an essential work task in the future. It's great to get out of the classroom and do something concrete, says Jussi Lamminharju.
Another group was preparing to take air samples with an Andersen cascade sampler. The tower-like sampler uses a pump to draw air through the sampler to take the sample on the plates inside the sampler. After sampling, the plates are transferred to a warm cabinet to grow.
The third group was responsible for carrying out the surface hygiene tests. The group moved on to take samples from the men's shower rooms: the floor well, the floor and the handle. Second-year student Kati Miettinen measured the surface area of the floor well before taking the sample.
– During the first Covid-21 spring semester, I had time to think about what I really wanted to do for a living. Energy and environmental engineering seemed to me to be the field of the future. Distance learning allowed me to study efficiently, so I will soon move on to writing my thesis, Miettinen sums up.
Photo gallery of laboratory work
