From Tampere University to the University of Saskatchewan: Corrosion engineering, mining and mineral processing

I was accepted to the University of Saskatchewan for the 2025 fall semester, which started in the end of August. I chose Canada as my exchange destination because I had been there before and it seemed like a cool place. During the semester, I got to experience the varying climate that Saskatoon is known for, facing temperatures from +30 to -30 degrees Celsius. I completed courses related to corrosion engineering and mining and mineral processing. The mining course emphasized the importance of interaction with the indigenous people in the north, which I thought was fascinating. I was surprised that the Canadian government and the mining industry acknowledge the people whose land the mines are established on so well. In general, I feel like the indigenous people and their heritage were well represented in Usask.

Photo: Ville Kukkonen

My accommodation was located on-campus, which really helped me make friends and get to know a lot of nice people. I shared a dorm room with a local engineering student. Living on-campus meant that a meal plan was included in the housing, which offered us unlimited breakfast, lunch and supper. The campus was very beautiful with its old stone buildings, and during late summer and early fall, you could see these cute little rodents running around called gophers. Saskatoon is also one of the sunniest cities in Canada, averaging over 300 sunny days in a year!

Photo: Ville Kukkonen