Department of Physics annual report 2000 - Fysiikan laitos - Helsinki.fi

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level of publication and the rate of publishing, one
unit was chosen by the Academy of Finland as
suitable to compete in the final phase of assessment
for status as a top research unit. The competitive
position we hold is also clear from the funding
decisions of the Academy of Finland.
On the basis of its strong research activity the
Department has, also this year, even increased its
outside funding. Funding according to the model
adopted by the University, basic budget funding,
has been about 40% of our total funding. The remainder
of the funding consists of specific projects
within the University and outside funding, about
half of which comes from the Academy of Finland.
Further outside funding has come from other
sources, in excess of the level in previous years.
From its purpose-built premises, which it has
occupied for 90 years, the Physics Department has
greatly influenced the development of research and
teaching in physics in Finland. We have educated
a large proportion of past and present physics professors
in universities in Finland. A significant
proportion of physics teachers in the schools of
Finland have achieved their degrees here. Many of
the historically important developments in nuclear
and materials physics research performed at accelerators
have been pioneered by our researchers.
Our Department has also been a leader in the use
of x-rays and later synchrotron radiation in studies
of condensed matter. Particle physics research
performed in Finland was started in our Department
and we still carry a notable responsibility in
it. Our theoreticians, in collaboration with the
former Research Institute of Theoretical Physics,
decisively influenced the development in theoretical
physics in Finland. The Department has also
been a leader in the application of computers in
physics.
Feelings of nostalgia arise when thinking of
the move from Siltavuorenpenger, the historical
home of physics in Finland. The new ultramodern
and purpose-built Physicum, however, stimulates
the imagination to see the bright future and continuity
in physics research and education in the new
millennium. The personnel and students of the
Department are not only witnessing but also the
dramatis personae realizing the changes.
The long and notable history of the Physics
Department in scientific endeavour in Finland,
together with our ability for absorbing the changes
generated by the rapid development of physics
research are strong grounds for believing that we
shall continue to contribute in a similar way in the
future.
Juhani Keinonen
Professor
Head of the Department