Striking at her dissertation
You can tell it’s climate action week. On Friday, KTH researcher Mia Hesselgren pauses her dissertation to participate in the climate strikes.
In New York, Greta Thunberg stands on the barricades when the UN calls for a climate summit, hoping that the countries will increase their climate ambitions. In her room at Machine Design, KTH researcher Mia Hesselgren prepares for her dissertation on Friday, which will be something of a climate event in itself.
- The whole theme this day is “sustainability”. When it became clear that the date of the dissertation coincided with the climate week and the big strike, both I and the guests felt we wanted take a break in the dissertation to demonstrate for the climate. This decision feels really good!
Mia Hesselgren’s research deals with how to design to get more people to choose to act more sustainably.
- If we want implement sustainable practices, we must understand the obstacles. What I propose in my thesis is about finding ways to do things, my research is based on action. Demonstrating for the climate is also something you do and that can influence others. And it is important that we do everything, at all levels - large and small if we are to have a sustainable society.
The guests from Finland and Holland pull their weight by trying to travel as sustainably as they can to Stockholm, Mia Hesselgren explains. On Friday morning Mia’s day starts with research seminars on the theme "Designing for sustainability transactions”.
- But instead of having the dissertation at 13, we go to Medborgarplatsen to take part in the big strike. The thesis defense has to wait until later in the afternoon.