Since 2007, we have recognised engineering students and young lecturers at TalTech with scholarships to help secure the future of the construction industry and to provide better education to future professionals.

Merko’s scholarship for teacher and researcher was awarded to Tuule Mall Parts, an active member of the nearly-zero energy buildings research group. Parts gives lectures and supervises internships and master’s thesis students. In recent years, she has organized Introduction to Engineering workshops for basic school and upper secondary school students, including within the Young Engineer Programme, which is a nationally recognized measure for popularizing science. Parts hopes that, besides mastering the material, her students at both the high school and university level also come away with positive emotions and general curiosity about engineering, construction, energy performance, simulation, energy and automation.

Three construction design and construction management students received engineering scholarships: Melanie Juhkam, Tõnu Saarelaan and Arle-Martin Kuura.

Melanie is a fourth-year student who completed her internship and stayed on working on Merko’s Veerenni development. She values acquisition of knowledge and experiences and development. She seeks out answers to new assignments and challenges, considering it the best way to learn. Possessing good organizational abilities and good social skills, she relishes taking on new, ever more challenging tasks. Her belief is that dedication and resolve ensure success as a civil engineer.

Tõnu is also a fourth-year student, and interned at Merko in the structural engineering and general construction division. He currently serves as technician on the Pärnu mnt 328 site. He has succeeded in reconciling his work and studies, posting high academic performance. He considers STEM subjects and technical acumen to be his strengths. A team player, he puts value on cooperation and is motivated by trust. He thrives on team members entrusting ever more complex and challenging tasks to him. Saarelaan possesses the meticulousness, powers of concentration and ability to work well with others that an engineer needs.

Arle-Martin is a fifth-year student. After completing a summer internship, he took up a position in the structural engineering department. An active student, Kuura belongs to the Faculty of Engineering student council, completed an exchange semester at the Brno University of Technology in Czechia, is active on the folk dance scene, and is studying Finnish to broaden his knowledge in the field. Besides Merko, Kuura has worked on Tartu Ehitus and Mapri job sites. He, too, boasts excellent academic performance. Diligent and good at calculations, he understands well the tasks assigned to him and is able to ask the “right” questions. He does his work rapidly and with dedication.