Music

Trondhjems Studentersangforening | Conductor: Håkon Teigen Lund

• «Gaudeamus Igitur», arrangement: Gavin David Lee

Academic Procession

Music ​after Academic Procession

Trondhjems Studentersangforening | Conductor: Håkon Teigen Lund

• «Vé no velkomne med æra», arrangement: Eva Holm Foosnæs

Ladies and gentlemen,

Dear new doctoral graduates,

Distinguished guests,

Congratulations on your PhD!

You have successfully completed your PhD, in spite of starting during a global pandemic. While that chapter of our lives may now feel distant, the world has continued to change significantly during your time at NTNU:

• Unfortunately, democratic values are being challenged, and democracy in several countries is under pressure.
• Tragic wars and conflicts dominate the news.
• At the same time, the most pressing challenge of our time, climate change and the loss of nature, is not receiving the attention it deserves.

In extraordinary times, we need extraordinary people. As a society, we need people who are dedicated to pursue new knowledge — knowledge that pushes the boundaries of what we know today, giving us the prospects for a better future.

Presidents and prime ministers hold powerful titles. But when knowledge, skills, and expertise are put to their best use, a PhD can be an even more powerful title.

Knowledge has the potential to change the course of nations and societies — sometimes slowly, sometimes rapidly; sometimes in determined ways, and sometimes in ways that surprise us.

Writing a PhD thesis is a challenging endeavor. It requires a unique set of skills and a dedicated mind capable of enduring a long, often cumbersome process with ups and downs. Each of you have your own experiences of the long road to your PhD, but common to you all is that you have succeeded.

And today, we all are here to celebrate your great academic achievements. We celebrate a new generation of PhD graduates. Now I will continue the speech in Norwegian.

***

Dear guests, The doctoral degree awards ceremony is a very important day of celebration at any university. It is a tradition that I greatly enjoy and value, and a tradition that helps forge our identity as a university.

You now have first-hand experience of a highly demanding journey that in its challenge, builds character. Etched in the stone behind me, over the entrance to the library, it says: “Per aspera ad astra” – through adversity to the stars.

You have withstood adversity to craft an academic identity and authority that few others have – an identity and authority that inspire trust, but that also entail responsibility.

Completing a PhD is a demanding process, and there are no shortcuts. It requires hard work and dedication, but also curiosity and a strong inner drive to achieve your goals.

The unique knowledge that you now possess and that you will take with you as you head out into the world will have ripple effects far beyond the words and thoughts contained in your thesis.

No one knows what the future will bring, but I do know that there is great creative power in the knowledge and learning you have acquired through your doctoral studies here.

***

Society is facing a number of serious and complex challenges that must be addressed with solid values and wisdom. Society will look to you for advice and leadership. A doctoral degree gives you authority to provide that guidance and acumen.

Take, for example, the work done by Lasse Frost Eriksen, who has studied the impact that climate change is having on the willow ptarmigan in Dovrefjell and Lierne. For willow ptarmigans living in vulnerable mountain ecosystems, changes in temperature and snow depth due to global warming may mean death. This insight is essential to understand how climate change will affect wildlife on Earth – and by extension, our own lives.

Or take Wajeeha Nasar’s doctoral work on search and rescue operations, which by their very nature involve a race against time. In this chaotic context where the weather, temperature and unclear or conflicting information can put rescue crews in a challenging situation, it is critical that good decisions are made quickly. Her work has shown how artificial intelligence can be used as a decision support tool in rescue operations.

A third example is Elisabeth Forrestad Swensen’s thesis. She has taken a deep dive into archaeological and historical sources to see how the residents of Trondheim, from the 10th century until the end of the 18th century, worked to provide the city with a good supply of clean drinking water and sanitation. This research provides insight into the history and development of the city. At the same time, it is a poignant reminder that we should not take the infrastructure we use today for granted.

The three doctoral projects I have mentioned here, selected from among many other equally impressive efforts, are testimony to NTNU’s position as a university for thought-provoking, varied and ground-breaking research. Research that makes us wiser and takes our society forward, one step at a time.

There are many good stories here today, but one quality they all share is their contribution to society with important new knowledge. Knowledge that will make a difference and help broaden our horizons. Knowledge that may help resolve challenges we don’t even know exist yet.

Getting a doctorate marks the end of a journey, which you may have begun at NTNU, at another Norwegian institution, or even in another country.

But getting a doctorate also marks the beginning of the next step in your life and career. I look forward to seeing what you all do next, and I am sure we will hear more about you in the years to come as you leave your mark on the world.

Dear new doctors, thank you for your hard work and perseverance, and once again, congratulations!

Music

NTNU Brass

• «Holborne suite, 1. sats», composer: Anthony Holborne / arrangement: Hans Petter Stangnes

• «Brass quintet nr. 1» Sats 3 (med kutt), composer: Victor Ewald

Christopher J. L. Murray and Emmanuela Gakidou are NTNU's new honorary doctors. Gakidou and Murray have played key roles in mapping and systematizing data on global public health. Professor Murray has a background from Oxford and Harvard universities, and Professor Gakidou has a background from Harvard and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Murray and Gakidou co-founded the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington and are now organizing the well-known Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD). The study is the world's largest of its kind and has more than 300,000 data sources. In connection with the COVID outbreak, governments from all over the world used the data as a reliable source in dealing with the pandemic. The HUNT study is one of the sources that the study uses, and the research centre CHAIN at NTNU is an important contributor and collaboration partner.

Music

Kristoffer Lo

• «Gunnar», composer: Kristoffer Lo

Award of doctoral degrees and congratulations to the new doctors by Pro-Rector for Education Marit Reitan

Dear new doctoral graduates! 

Warmest gratulations! 

This is not an ordinary day. This is the day that solemnly marks your new status. Since you defended your dissertation, you have been able to add a three-letter abbreviation to your names. Three simple letters in our alphabet. But put together they form a powerful title – PhD. 

They signify science, knowledge, and truth. 

They also prove that you have endured the hardships to earn the right to use these letters. The amount of struggle each one of you have experienced during your journey is for you to know, and for me to speculate. 

One thing is nevertheless indisputable – a doctorate from NTNU does not come easy. 

And that’s as it should be. 

Now your efforts are behind you. Your PhD is the reward. 

A huge one. 

The word milestone can, in some contexts, rightly be called a cliché. Not so when it comes to your achievement. You have indeed reached a milestone. 

A doctorate is a door-opener to professional life at the highest level. It gives you authority in whatever you participate. You have gained unique knowledge that gives you the ability to focus on and solve problems that extend far beyond your selected specialization. 

With a doctorate follows responsibility. A responsibility to use your knowledge wisely and the privilege to contribute to a better society. 

• To take part in a professional world that is much more than papers and research. 
• To speak up and engage with society. 
• To debate and ask the questions that otherwise might be unasked. 
• Or to propose the solutions that without your participation might remain unsolved. 

I also urge you to lend your voice and advocate for those who need it most, and to stand up for issues where your knowledge can make a difference. In our increasingly troubled world, the use of sound knowledge is perhaps more important than ever. It can make a difference. YOU can make a difference. 

The path you have walked is the road to knowledge. Now, with your degree, it has become a superhighway. Your journey doesn’t end here, either. I encourage you to keep on exploring. Collaborate with colleagues at home and abroad. Build networks. 

But first and foremost – stay curious. Curiosity fuels innovation and progress. Never lose it! 

I sincerely believe that for many of you, your family and friends have been invaluable supporters in the long journey towards your doctorate. They have stood beside you in your search for answers and facts and thus contributed to your achievement. Therefore, heartfelt greetings to all the guest that accompany you here today to celebrate. 

In addition, my warm thanks to the academic environments at NTNU who have contributed to co-operation and supervision. And not to forget our partners in private and public sectors and academia both in Norway and internationally. Good partnerships are crucial in creating doctoral work of high quality. 

Most of you have already left our university to start your career elsewhere. Some of you have also left Norway. Whatever your choice of profession or wherever you go, I wish you all the best! 

Finally: As you receive your diplomas today, remember that you’re not just graduates – you are standard-bearers of knowledge. Go forth with purpose! 

And again - congratulations to you all! 

***

You are all hereby promoted to doctors at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and are thereby granted jus docendi, or the right to lecture at NTNU. 

I also declare the new doctors who are not present today to be promoted in absentia. 

Music

NTNU Brass

• «Bryllup på Troldhaugen», composer: Edvard Grieg / arrangement: Alan Civil

Trondhjems Studentersangforening | conductor: Håkon Teigen Lund

• «Sjungom», composer: Prins Gustaf av Sverige og Norge / arrangement: Herman Sätherberg

Hedvig Aannestad Iost (born in 2001) is a bachelor student at the Art Academy in Trondheim. She has previously studied at Einar Granum School of Art in Oslo, Norway.

The artwork created for the diploma is a continuation of a series of earlier works examining abstraction. It is painted in oil pastels on paper, and draws inspiration from music; the flow of sound, the movement of waves transferred onto paper.