ITM Management blogs

Stepping up premises and infrastructure

Annika Lilja

, 2017-04-07

In an earlier blog I wrote something like this:

In the last Research Assessment Exercise (RAE2012) the ITM School achieved reasonably good results, and in some cases best in class. A point that was made by one of the review panels was that we could gain a lot by better integration over department borders. In particular this was pointed out between the departments of Production Engineering and Machine Design. This, together with urgent needs on the one hand from department expansions, and on the other hand from needs of our education programs, have triggered a recently started project to modernize our premises at Valhallavägen.

This project is now entering into its second stage. The result of the first stage can be studied here, where it, towards the end, can be seen that five different paths forward are presented as possible alternatives. The naming of the initiative – ITM Innovation arena – should not be taken too literally, it is all about improving the premises, the working environment and the infrastructure to enhance education, research, innovation and collaboration. Last month, we decided do go forward in a second stage with two of those alternatives (alternatives 1 and 5 in the document).

Alternative 1:

Three arenas, one larger in the M-quarters, and two smaller at MSE and INDEK. Existing office and laboratory premises are re-built for more efficient space utilization and with new functionality for meetings and collaboration. Our activities are exposed through more welcoming entry-points facing the central campus pathways, and are strategically opened up for better visibility. In the M-quarters, existing buildings are physically connected via new spaces.

Alternative 5:

Two arenas, one even larger in the M-quarters, and one smaller at INDEK. The main difference to alternative 1 is that the larger arena in this case also includes MSE, otherwise with the same ambitions.

What happens now? The current project leader, Sofia Ritzén, is now forming several working groups to look closer into the needs and integration principles of the following:

Workshops and prototype centre, maker space, physical model building, communication media production.
Research infrastructure, the needs of both departments and centres.
Spaces for innovation, entrepreneurial activities, collaboration and mobility with industry and society.
Students and education
Reception, visibility, conferences, meetings, coffee shop, faculty club
Office work – typical activities and needs, work processes, flexibility

In parallel to these working group activities, the KTH central unit for premises development will together with external architects go forward on building volume estimations, coordination with Akademiska Hus and cost analysis. Both the ITM and the KTH central process are scheduled to be finished during the fall 2017.

We have established an area at the ITM intranet where the idea is that the progress in various ITM-overarching development projects will be published.

/Jan Wikander, Dean of School

PhD students’ survey and conference

Annika Lilja

, 2017-03-31

The survey to all PhD students at ITM will be sent out very soon, hopefully on Monday. Please fill in the survey as soon as it arrives. Please also let us know if somebody should have received the survey but didn’t. We are currently checking the email-lists to all PhD students but there will probably be some errors.

The result of the survey will be presented and discussed at the PhD students’ conference. The theme of the conference will be Sustainability from different perspectives. Sustainability will be integrated in all the doctoral programs at KTH and the work has started with the development of an action plan for each program on how to achieve this. The invitation to the conference will also be sent out next week.

/ Malin Selleby, FA

Spring activities

Annika Lilja

, 2017-03-23

Currently, the safety inspections are ongoing. So far the inspections at Deans Office, Industrial Economy and Management, Industrial Production, Machine Design and Materials Science and Engineering have been completed. We are currently waiting for the written statements from the inspections. However, so far we have noticed one very positive thing. All the remarks from the 2016 inspections have been corrected. Thus the department Heads and their personnel have worked actively to improve the work environment, which is extremely important to create an attractive and safe work place.

Professor John Ågren at the Materials Science and Engineering department will retire this year. Thus, his colleagues organized a two day conference at KTH last week. It attracted the attention from both a dozen of international experts in the field as well as researchers at institutes, companies and universities in Sweden. All speakers praised the contributions of professor Ågren to both research and education within the materials science field. In addition to the technical contribution, a dinner was organized at Sing-Sing. For those of us that participated in the dinner it was a remarkable experience. Some extremely talented girls from Adolf Fredrik school in Stockholm made a breath taking performance. In addition to the music, many speakers wanted to thank John for his contributions to the materials science field and for his friendship. The most touching moment was when the current professor emeritus Mats Hillert announced that he, at the age of 92 years!, soon would step down from the emeritus position and to let John take over that prestigious position!

Finally, I wish to say that one specific sign of that spring is approaching is that the Annual step competition at KTH soon will start. The interest at different schools at KTH has increased compared to last year. Thus, this year the following schools will participate: ITM, CSC, ICT, ABE, and CHE. In addition, the university administration (UF) will also take part in the competition. This year, a lecture on health will be held both in Swedish and English at the start of the competition. Thus, we hope that this can motivate more people to increase their exercise activities to improve their health. When all details are finalized, Anton Lagerbäck will send out detailed information to all of you.

Enjoy the sun and take some moments to admire the signs of spring in the nature!

/Pär Jönsson, Vice Dean

Review of administrative resources

Annika Lilja

, 2017-03-16

Background

The management administration within ITM is being reviewed. The purpose of this review is mainly to strengthen the administrative support in the academic line with maintained/lower overheads. As a first step, the School will open a new service centre on 1 April with a service desk in Maskinkvarteret and a service desk in Sing Sing.

This work has been pursued in project form, starting with an interview round to identify needs and preferences within the School. A reference group has been appointed for this.

Next step

Step 2 of this process is to review the administrative support linked to the School’s

Master’s programmes (60 and 120 credits) concerning the producer element
Competence centres

Decision

The Dean is starting two new projects to identify the needs that exist in relation to

The School’s Master’s programmes (60 and 120 credits) concerning the producer element. Caroline Ahlstedt has been appointed project manager. The project will start immediately.
The School’s competence centres. Sarah Golibari has been appointed project manager. The project will start immediately.

The projects will be run in similar form to the project concerning the School’s new service centre. Information about the projects will be available on the School’s intranet.

If you have questions, please contact: service@itm.kth.se

/Christina Carlsson, Head of administration

GA Lundqvist signing off!

Annika Lilja

, 2017-03-10

With the first half of the blog I would like to take the opportunity to thank all my colleagues at the ITM School for many years of collaborative efforts. The role of GA at the school is both rewarding and challenging for sure. It has been thrilling, frustrating, fun but always very meaningful. There is a unique tradition at the ITM School to strive for world class education in our program and I really have to thank all teachers and our educational administration for your efforts and everlasting ambition even when we struggled with external reviews, new programs, tight deadlines, loads of papers to sign and thousands of ambitious but impatient students. This year campus Vallahallvägen becomes 100 years old. In 2019 IVA becomes 100 years old. One new project is therefore to highlight the role of engineers in our society over 100 years but also how the engineering profession and education has changed. Since I have been GA at ITM for a substantial part of the 100 y period I have now volunteered for this project. All input is therefore welcome!

Since Anna Jerbrant is now taking over as GA I leave it to her to finish this blog post off. Take it away, Anna!

Thanks Pelle, but since you’re staying as vice GA we will be able to benefit from your extensive experience and knowledge a while longer. So who am I? I’m an associate professor at Indek and I’ve spent my days at campus KTH ever since the 90ties, when I became a student within the mechanical engineering program. For the major during the final one and a half year I choose Industrial economics and management, and by the time I graduated I realized that this was a subject area that I wanted to learn even more about. So I stayed at KTH as a Ph.D student and after that I’ve earned both a licentiate degree and a Ph.D degree within Industrial economics and management.

I have been teaching and developing courses here at KTH for a long time. This has resulted in the fact that I have taught on many different levels (basic, individual, advanced and executive level), as well as in various contexts (national and international, in academia and in industry), and in many different ways (giving supervision, coaching, guest lectures, seminars and being the course responsible teacher). Besides being a researcher and a teacher I have also been the program director (PA) for the I-programme (2010-2016) an exciting and sometimes grueling task. In 2014, KTH launched the pedagogical developers initiative, appointing part-time pedagogical developers among teachers from all schools of KTH. During the first year I had the pleasure of being one of five PDs at the ITM-school. Being part of the work to set up a community of practice with all involved teachers that was form during this period was enthralling.

So from march 1^st I will have the opportunity to engage in all educational issues that are ongoing at the ITM-school, for the moment with some particular interest in the areas of quality assurance through course and program evaluations, changes in education due to digitalization (f.i. flipped classroom pedagogics), design of program integrated courses and pedagogical faculty development.

/ Per Lundqvist & Anna Jerbrant, GA

Studies

Research

Collaboration

About KTH

Library

Stepping up premises and infrastructure

PhD students’ survey and conference

Spring activities

Review of administrative resources

GA Lundqvist signing off!