Hard Work Leads to Productiveness Which Leads to Recognition

Some exciting news have reached our ears from the outside world. According to a recent bibliometric analysis study (ext. link), our leader, Kai, has been found to have been the most influential author amongst the researchers who published articles in the field of oxidative stress in the retina during the years 2013-2023! We were quite impressed with how convincingly the first place was gotten in both the number of appearances and number of citations. We will continue to strive to publish good quality, interesting articles in the retinal functions fields!

A collage image featuring key information about the article such as Kai being the most productive author in retinal oxidative stress publishing, with the analyzed pool including 2100 publications. Additionally, photos of Kai, our group, and a photo of four hands grasping each other are included as embellishment.
Some key information about the article.

All Large Things Start With a Small Step

We were happy to learn that our teammate Szabi received a grant towards the advancement of dental education through the use of 3D printing and VR-haptics. He is quite proud of this achievement and is excited for the future prospects of the project. Congratulations to Szabi from all the rest of us!

Link to the UEF news article.

Szabolcs Felszeghy happily shaking hands after receiving the grant
The man’s as happy as can be!

A New Doctor Is Born!

We are very happy to declare that our group member Iswariyaraja Sridevi Gurubaran has successfully defended his doctoral dissertation titled “Mitochondrial Damage and Clearance in Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells, Relevance to Age-Related Macular Degeneration“! The amicable examination was followed with the traditional congratulations, coffee, and cake. In the evening, a karonkka was held at the Lumberjacks’ Lodge, a quaint restaurant with great service and authentic Finnish cuisine. Everyone was jolly and we thank Raja for the great day!

Raja posing at the Lumberjacks' Lodge before his karonkka.
Relieved and proud, the main character of the day: Raja!

Pikkujoulut 2023

Time flies and another year is coming to its end. Which means it was time for a new round of merriment to celebrate the past year! The glögi was hot, the snacks were great, lots of conversations were had, and a fun little juggling and kendama corner made sure there was something to play with if one so desired. Afterwards, we had a great meal and drink at the Amarillo restaurant (after some taxi juggling). Christmas can come.

Market square Christmas tree.
This year’s Christmas tree at the market square. Lots of light-based art installations elsewhere on the square as well.

Distinguished Achievement

We’re happy to reveal that a member of our group, Szabolcs Felszeghy, has taken part in a research article that was accepted for publication in the Nature journal. The study revealed that issues in tooth enamel development in children may be the result of an autoimmune reaction rather than malabsorption of nutrients as was thought before. It’s not very often that you achieve something of this magnitude, congratulations!

Link to UEF News
Link to Nature Article

Photo of Szabolcs Felszeghy
Man of the hour.

VR-Haptic Thinkers Meetup 28.11.2023

Our Szabi (Szabolcs F.) is arranging a meetup on the use of VR-haptic technology in education on November 28th. Although the focus will mostly be on its applications in dental education, haptics-enhanced virtual reality-based education has many tantalizing features that can be utilized in practically every field. Expert speakers have been invited to share their experiences and knowledge on the use of VR-haptics, presenting topics based on such matters as stress mitigation in students, best practices, and potential stumbling blocks. Check out Middle of Knowhere for more details!

LATER ADDITION: The meeting was a resounding success and Szabi sends his big thanks to everyone involved. Read more about the thoughts of some of the invited presenters in this UEF news article!

An image that reads "The next normal?" in reference to the use of VR-haptics in education.
VR-haptics in education? Sci-fi? Or maybe it’s just…

A New Article in the Journal of Clinical Medicine

Have you seen our recent paper “Oxidative Stress and Cellular Protein Accumulation Are Present in Keratoconus, Macular Corneal Dystrophy, and Fuchs Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy” ( J. Clin. Med. 2023, 12 (13), 4332; doi.org/10.3390/jcm12134332) yet? Pretty cool, huh? For a little taste, check out our short video below.