It’s time to introduce the teams of SGT Studio 2022! First up, we have Aalto’s League for Floods Assessment Solutions, a.k.a. the ALFAS.

Who are we?

A multidiscpilinary and international team of five make up the ALFAS:

🇬🇧 Anise McCrone. I’m currently in the second year of my master’s in Water and Environmental Engineering, and I’m particularly interested in sustainable development in water engineering. I enjoy bouldering as a method of procrastination.

🇫🇮 Anni Lehikoinen. I am also in the second year of my master’s in Water and Environmental Engineering, with interest in sustainable development and water diplomacy. I recently started watching all the Marvel movies in order for the first time and am loving them.

🇩🇰 Camilla Øster Thomsen. I am currently doing my Nordic Masters in Environmental Engineering specializing in Water Resources Management. I love exploring and being in nature.

🇭🇺 Csongor Hőnich. I am an industrial designer who is passionate about solving problems and experimenting with new scenarios for a brighter future. That is why I have chosen and love this profession because via my work I can experience the miracle of creation over and over again.

🇨🇭 Thibault Hussy. I am a Bachelor of environmental engineering. I’m currently doing an exchange in Helsinki in the Water and Environmental Engineering master program. I strongly appreciate sleeping with a fluffy hot water bottle on my feet.

Who are we working with?

To support us as the team members, we have a wonderful mentor Julia Renko and the other Sustainable Global Technologies Studio course teachers from Aalto University. We are working alongside our partners in Bhutan from Jigme Namgyel Engineering College (Royal University of Bhutan) and Aalto Global Impact. The project is part of Problem-based Learning South Asia, a joint initiative between ten universities in Finland, India, Nepal, Bhutan, the Netherlands and Lithuania aiming to develop best practices in problem-based learning, co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of European Union.

What are we  doing and how will we be doing it?

The goal of the project is to work towards improved living conditions in the Himalayan region by focusing on flood mitigation and preparedness in Samdrop Jongkhar valley of Bhutan. This is important as the Himalayan regions have high risk of flooding due to monsoon season, runoff due to snowmelt, and the heavy rain events due to climate change. In Bhutan and the rest of the Himalayan regions the population with the greatest risk of flooding is the poor as they live in the flood prone areas as these areas are the most affordable. We’ll be doing it by researching (hopefully in Nepal) the current solutions and practices used against flooding in the hope of creating a catalog, menu or folder of existing solutions that could be applicable in the target region.

You can follow our journey on TikTok (soon to be up and running): @sgtalfas