Terhi Ainiala is an onomastics researcher who studies names and their usage. She serves as a professor of Finnish language and as the head of the Department of Finno-Ugric and Nordic Studies. Terhi is passionate about the meanings and associations carried by names, and one of her favorite names is Vuokki, a term referring to Vuosaari.
Pia Olsson is an ethnologist who, in her urban ethnological research, has explored the relationship between city residents and their local environment, as well as how places become meaningful through lived experience. She is a professor of ethnology with a methodological specialization in oral history research and the ethnographic process.
Karoliina is a research assistant in the Place of Empowerment project. She is studying ethnology in the Master's program in cultural heritage. She is particularly interested in the places of empowerment found in the local nature of urban areas, as well as their protection and consideration in urban planning.
Helena is studying in the Master's program in cultural heritage, with ethnology as her major.