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Time zone: Europe/Helsinki
As esteemed guests of the "WCEH 2024" conference, we invite you to join us for a special Live Jazz night at Golden Flower Oulu Restaurant and Lounge. Indulge in tantalizing dishes, savour delicious drinks, and immerse yourself in live music as we ignite the energy needed for a successful conference week. Come and create unforgettable memories at this exclusive event. Secure your reservation at the event as soon as possible, as seating is limited. Please note that this will be a private event, ensuring an intimate and refined experience for all in attendance.
Please inform us of any dietary restrictions or allergies when making your reservation!
Recommended dress code: Dress in attire that exudes sophistication and charm, mirroring the timeless allure of jazz music. Embrace a style that effortlessly combines elegance with a relaxed and refined flair, setting the perfect tone for an unforgettable night of music and camaraderie. We look forward to basking in your chic interpretation of this dress code as we celebrate in style together.
Ticket price: 60€
The ticket price grants you entry to the special Live Jazz night at Golden Flower Oulu Restaurant and Lounge, complete with a tapas-styled surprise menu and a 2-3 drink package (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) of your choice.
Minimum number of participants: 40
The Koivurannan Saunalautta (Koivuranta sauna ferry) is a local speciality: a floating sauna ferry in the Oulu River with a wood-heated sauna. We have reserved the sauna for two evenings during WCEH for congress delegates to book a 2-hour shift for the sauna and a swim in the river or relaxing moment in a jacuzzi next to the ferry. The guests can also enjoy refreshments and waffles (both sweet and savory) from the ferry bar. Grab your bathing suit (required!) and have the most Finnish experience you can get!
Please note that there is no arranged transportation to the ferry. Buses #2 and #5 operate from both downtown and the University campus to within 1km walking distance from the sauna; bus #9 also runs between the city center and the sauna. Bus tickets can be purchased with a credit card when entering the bus. Conference staff is happy to help and give more information on getting to the ferry and back!
In case of low registration numbers, we may need to modify the number of sauna shifts. In this case, registered participants will be informed and given the opportunity for a refund.
Website: https://koivurannansaunalautta.fi/
Ticket price: 25€
Ticket price includes a 2-hour shift for sauna in the chosen slot and a towel. Food (e.g. reindeer waffles!) and drinks (including wine and beer) are available for sale at the sauna bar.
Minimum number of participants: 50
This special dinner will be prepared by Oulu foodie startup Zestii (https://zestiikitchens.com/) using Arctic Food Lab suppliers to provide ingredients for a meal celebrating the abundance of local and seasonal Nordic ingredients. Zestii is a local business focusing on inclusion and sustainable operation, and for this dinner event they will cook up a wonderful opportunity to taste delicacies from local ingredients. The Arctic Food Lab (https://oulu2026.eu/en/arctic-food-lab/) is a brand of the Oulu 2026 European City of Culture project, bringing regional food suppliers together to showcase arctic products and local food knowledge and traditions.
What makes this dinner even more unique is the BYOB (bring-your-own bottle) principle applied—rather rare in Finland—allowing dinner guests to bring their own refreshments to be enjoyed along with the food.
Please, choose the main course option and provide the necessary information of possible allergies when registering to the dinner.
The dinner menu:
Welcome
Mocktail with arctic flavours
Brazilian tapioca and cheese pastries
Crostini with seasonal vegetable toppings
Main
A choice of:
Aubergine stuffed with local, gently spiced, organic lamb
OR
Courgette or squash stuffed with Västerbotten cheese, tomato and topped with pine nut salsa
Served with buttery baked rice with seasonal herbs and a seasonal salad sourced from local farms
Something sweet
Lemon posset (a rich, creamy and elegant dessert served with lingonberry compote and a crisp biscuit)
Tea or coffee served with a hand rolled chocolate truffle
Dinner ticket: 65€
The dinner ticket includes a non-alcoholic welcome drink and the dinner menu with the selected main course.
Minimum number of participants: 55
The Maikkula Estate is a fin-de-siècle mansion with large courtyards set right on the banks of the Oulu River. The mansion’s buildings consist of the Manor House, a large renovated barn, and various saunas—from traditional smoke sauna to wood-heated and electric saunas. All meals in Maikkula Estate are prepared on spot using mainly locally produced ingredients such as fish from the nearby lakes and local sea fishermen, reindeer from the traditional reindeer farms, willow ptarmigan from Utsjoki in Lapland, and lamb that is grown in the pastures around the estate.
The dinner is a three-course menu. Menu choice and information on allergies should be provided when registering for the dinner.
The menu options are:
Menu 1: Lampuoti (“leaseholder”)
Starter: Rainbow trout smoked in Maikkula Manor’s own kitchen, lemon marinated fennel, scallop cream and the Finnish Archipelago Bread baked in our own kitchen
Main: Reindeer sirloin, red wine sauce, fried almond potato, and asparagus
Desert: Parsnip cake, lemon mousse and white chocolate sauce
Menu 2: Aallotar
Starter: Carrot pastrami, avocado cream and puffed buckwheat
Main: Grilled portobello, crispy fried sesame tofu, balsamic herb sauce and chickpea parsnip puree
Desert: Lime pie and fresh berries
Website: https://maikkulankartano.fi/
Dinner ticket: 90€
The price of the dinner ticket includes bus transportation from Oulu to Maikkula Estate and back, a welcome drink, and the selected dinner menu. Additional beverages can be purchased from the bar.
Minimum number of participants: 30
Reindeer are to Lapland what coal is to Newcastle. We will take a trip to a local reindeer farm, located about one hour outside of Oulu, to meet local reindeer herders and get to know some of their reindeer. The trip is accompanied by an Oulu University researcher specialized in historical and contemporary reindeer domestication and human-reindeer interaction. The host, Mathilde van den Berg, has carried out her doctoral research among reindeer herders in Finland on the topic of castration, osteogenesis and more-than-human care, and has collaborated closely with the Poropanuma family of herders for this research. The visit includes return bus transportation from Oulu, a visit among the reindeer with a presentation of local ways of life and husbandry practices, and a local meal prepared at the farm from local ingredients (there is a choice of reindeer or vegetarian dish).
Excursion price: 100€
The price includes bus transportation from the city center of Oulu to the reindeer farm and back to the downtown or to the university campus, a several-hour visit at the farm, and a lunch. There is a reindeer and vegetarian option available, please choose one when registering. The vegetarian option is also suitable for vegans. Gluten-free bread is also available on demand (please, inform of this when registering), but availability of other dietary restrictions (e.g. foodmap) cannot be guaranteed.
Minimum number of participants per group: 30
Host: Mathilde van den Berg
In case the trip does not meet the minimum number of participants, excursion groups/times might be combined to meet the necessary number. In this case, concerned participants will be informed in advance and given a chance for a refund if desired.
This guided walk takes participants on a historically minded social and ecological tour of Oulu through its various urban and peri-urban landscapes. We meet in the city centre, and then walk across a long pedestrian and cycling bridge towards the idyllic wooden district of Pikisaari, known for its post-industrial community of artists and artisans and sonorous bird species. From here, we pass through the burgeoning Toppilansalmi district and onto the green island of Hietasaari, peppered with fin-de-siècle wooden villas and gardens, and memorable flora and fauna. One geographically fascinating aspect about Oulu region is that the ground here is nary a few hundred years old, and is currently rising about 1cm per year. This phenomenon of land uplift is well known along the coasts of the Gulf of Bothnia, where over the past centuries new land has appeared out of the sea and many older harbours have become unusable. We end up at Nallikari beach, one of the Baltic Sea's best swimming spots on account of its gorgeous stretch of golden, windswept sands. On the walk we will encounter: haunted houses, industrial ruins, parklands, beautiful (and ecologically interesting) native and invasive plant and animal species, curious graffiti, urban redevelopment spaces, and Oulu's growing harbor area—and the human and non-human traces it holds. We will discuss these spectres and species of Oulu past and present, and learn how they are entangled with the city's contemporary landscapes and cultural identities.
Begins: 9:00 in front of Oulu Cathedral, Kirkkokatu 3
Ends: 12:00 in Nallikari
Note: As the walk will be approximately 5km long mostly on pavement to accessible places, please bring comfortable walking shoes.
Hosts: Marko Mutanen, Vesa-Pekka Herva
Price: Free
Maximum number of participants: 20
THIS EVENT IS FULL
This excursion leads a small group of conference delegates to see one of Oulu’s most intriguing landmarks: a concrete silo designed by renowned Finnish architect Alvar Aalto, set in the leafy Oulu neighbourhood of Meri-Toppila. Originally built in 1931, the silo belonged to the Toppila Cellulose Factory, where it was used as a site for cellulose production and storage. Since the closure of the factory in 1985, this 28-metre high building has stood unused as a demonstration of people’s faith in infinite natural resources and their exploitation. In 2020 the silo was bought by The Factum Foundation for Digital Technology in Preservation. The Aalto Siilo project has turned the old silo into a multi-media performance and exhibition space, and a research laboratory. The renovation effort design plans were made by Skene Catling de la Peña studio in London. The visit to Silo will be led by architect Valentino Tignanelli, the manager and designer of the Aalto Siilo project.
Travel to the Aalto Siilo will be on public bus transportation, and accompanied by four Oulu University scholars: Silja Heikkinen, Marjo Juola, Esa Ruuskanen, and Anatolijs Venovcevs. Bus tickets are available for purchase on board with credit card. The group will meet in downtown Oulu at 10:15 in front of the small stage (“Rotuaari”) adjacent to the Sokos Hotel Arina. After the visit, guests will be accompanied to the university where they have time to eat a self-paid lunch in some of the university restaurants.
Date: Wednesday, August 21, 10:15am – 1pm
Price: Free (except for the bus tickets bought from the driver costing a couple of euros/ride)
Hosts: Silja Heikkinen, Marjo Juola, Esa Ruuskanen, and Anatolijs Venovcevs
Max participants: 30
Reindeer are to Lapland what coal is to Newcastle. We will take a trip to a local reindeer farm, located about one hour outside of Oulu, to meet local reindeer herders and get to know some of their reindeer. The trip is accompanied by an Oulu University researcher specialized in historical and contemporary reindeer domestication and human-reindeer interaction. The host, Mathilde van den Berg, has carried out her doctoral research among reindeer herders in Finland on the topic of castration, osteogenesis and more-than-human care, and has collaborated closely with the Poropanuma family of herders for this research. The visit includes return bus transportation from Oulu, a visit among the reindeer with a presentation of local ways of life and husbandry practices, and a local meal prepared at the farm from local ingredients (there is a choice of reindeer or vegetarian dish).
Excursion price: 100€
The price includes bus transportation from the city center of Oulu to the reindeer farm and back to the downtown or to the university campus, a several-hour visit at the farm, and a lunch. There is a reindeer and vegetarian option available, please choose one when registering. The vegetarian option is also suitable for vegans. Gluten-free bread is also available on demand (please, inform of this when registering), but availability of other dietary restrictions (e.g. foodmap) cannot be guaranteed.
Minimum number of participants per group: 30
Host: Mathilde van den Berg
In case the trip does not meet the minimum number of participants, excursion groups/times might be combined to meet the necessary number. In this case, concerned participants will be informed in advance and given a chance for a refund if desired.
The Koivurannan Saunalautta (Koivuranta sauna ferry) is a local speciality: a floating sauna ferry in the Oulu River with a wood-heated sauna. We have reserved the sauna for two evenings during WCEH for congress delegates to book a 2-hour shift for the sauna and a swim in the river or relaxing moment in a jacuzzi next to the ferry. The guests can also enjoy refreshments and waffles (both sweet and savory) from the ferry bar. Grab your bathing suit (required!) and have the most Finnish experience you can get!
Please note that there is no arranged transportation to the ferry. Buses #2 and #5 operate from both downtown and the University campus to within 1km walking distance from the sauna; bus #9 also runs between the city center and the sauna. Bus tickets can be purchased with a credit card when entering the bus. Conference staff is happy to help and give more information on getting to the ferry and back!
In case of low registration numbers, we may need to modify the number of sauna shifts. In this case, registered participants will be informed and given the opportunity for a refund.
Website: https://koivurannansaunalautta.fi/
Ticket price: 25€
Ticket price includes a 2-hour shift for sauna in the chosen slot and a towel. Food (e.g. reindeer waffles!) and drinks (including wine and beer) are available for sale at the sauna bar.
Minimum number of participants: 50
Whisky and chocolate. Really, what more do you need to know? This informational and entertaining evening pairs flavours of Finnish whiskies with hand-made chocolate from the Oulu-based chocolaterie ChocoSomnia.
The event is hosted by Jarkko Nikkanen, aptly dubbed 'Mr. Whisky of Finland', he is currently the whisky ambassador in Finland who has authored 10 whiskey-related books and hosted over 2000 whisky tastings over the past 20 years. It will be accompanied by our very own local chocolatier from ChocoSomnia. The tasting is held at the Rooster Café-Pub in downtown Oulu.
Ticket price: 65€
The price includes 5 thoughtfully curated pairings of distinct and distinguished Finnish-distilled whiskeys with a delectable selection of hand-made chocolates.
The Role of Mutualisms in Natural Histories of the Future
To ecologists, mutualisms are relationships in which two species interact in ways that both benefit.
Mutualisms have been fundamental to human evolution and history, albeit relatively neglected by scholars. In this wide-ranging talk--spanning from honeyguides to dogs to bacteria that live in the mouths of ants-Dunn will explore the prehistory of human mutualisms as well as the radical transition that occurred as some human populations began to collaborate (or, should it be, began to be domesticated by) yeasts and grains. Radical new, transformative mutualisms with pigs, goats, sheep and, eventually, chickens would follow. The units evolutionary biologists and ecologists use to measure these ancient mutualisms are units of evolutionary fitness. But as we consider the mutualisms of the future, we can make choices about how we measure our partnerships with other species and whether they are mutually beneficial. We can also make choices about the species with which we partner. Dunn concludes by considering the ways in which we might imagine different kinds of futures in which we partner with far more species on new terms. He focuses particular attention to the role of pleasure in general and flavor in particular in these relationships.
Dr. Robert (Rob) Dunn serves as Senior Vice Provost for University Interdisciplinary Programs at NC State University. In this role, Dunn oversees the Office of University Interdisciplinary Programs, which includes: the Chancellor’s Faculty Excellence Program; the Data Science, Genetics and Genomics, and Global One Health Academies; the Biotechnology Program; the Coastal Resilience and Sustainability Initiative; NC State Innovation and Entrepreneurship; the Integrative Sciences Initiative; the Long View Project; the Sustainable Futures Initiative; and the Shelton Leadership Center. He has worked alongside university leaders and campus partners to stand up the office, and is responsible for equipping new interdisciplinary initiatives for success, continuing to support existing initiatives, and achieving the office’s strategic goals.
Dunn also holds a William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professorship in the Department of Applied Ecology, where he devotes 20 percent of his time. He has been a member of the NC State faculty since 2005. Dunn manages the Public Science lab. His research has been awarded more than ten million dollars in grants from no fewer than twelve different sources for work in 20 different countries.
Dunn received his Bachelor of Arts in biology from Kalamazoo College, and his Ph.D. in ecology and evolution from the University of Connecticut. He is an avid writer and has published many popular articles, in National Geographic, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal among many others, as well as seven books, most recently, A Natural History of the Future and Delicious, The Evolution of Flavor and How it Made us Human, with Monica Sanchez.
Website: https://cals.ncsu.edu/applied-ecology/people/rob-dunn/
https://robdunnlab.com/
https://yourwildlife.org/
Across Disciplines and Communities: Networks of Knowledge and Transformation
Our knowledge production as scholars of humanities and social sciences is conditioned by borders, epistemological and physical, imagined and real.
It is shaped by disciplinary training, location, funding , and different types of governance. While disciplinary training and specialization are necessary, they can impede us from seeing connections across the borders. Drawing on my own experience as a historian of modern Arab intellectual history and currently as a Dean of the School of Social Sciences and Humanities at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, I will discuss in this talk how the network as a methodology allows us to overcome the shortcomings of disciplines and specializations. I will also shed light on both the opportunities and the challenges facing scholarly communities to build (and build on) such networks for our different channels of knowledge production to feed into each other and for us to engage in a global discourse on the future of humanity.
Dr. Amal Ghazal is the Professor of History and Dean of the School of Social Sciences and Humanities at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies. She received her BA from the American University of Beirut and her MA and PhD in History from the University of Alberta. She was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto, and a faculty member at Dalhousie University in Halifax, and Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, where she also directed the Centre for Comparative Muslim Studies. She specializes in modern Arab intellectual history, with a focus on intellectual networks. She was the recipient of several grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, of the Gerda Henkel Foundation Research Scholarship, and the Institut d'Etudes Avancées de Nantes Fellowship. Her publications have covered many topics, including nationalism, Islamic reform, sectarianism, slavery, etc. and have encompassed a wide geography, from the Arabian Peninsula to East Africa, from the Eastern Mediterranean to North Africa.