The first Finnish Doctors of Technology

Forgotten and remembered pioneers from Germany

Authors

• Petri Paju University of Turku https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2486-2364

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33355/tw.153477

Keywords:

Doctors of Science (Technology), engineers, Germany, history, biographies

Abstract

Petri Paju's survey looks at the first Finnish PhDs in technology to graduate from Germany in the early 1900s. The first Finnish doctor of technology was Gunnar Heikel, who graduated from the Hannover University of Technology in 1904. After him, several other Finns, such as Veikko Niiranen and Verner Neovius, obtained their doctorates in chemistry from Karlsruhe University of Technology. The survey also looks at the forgotten stages of Finnish PhD engineers and their role in the development of engineering. It also discusses the challenges faced by the early doctoral candidates and their contribution to the history of Finnish technical education and engineering. The tragic fate of Gunnar Heikel as a victim of the Spanish flu in 1919 and the story of his family will also be highlighted.