Day 1: Introduction to KTH, Campus Tour, and the SciLife Lab
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On the first day of our visit to KTH, we were welcomed by Professor Björn and Ms Margareta. Prof. Björn began with an introduction to Stockholm and KTH. We were then given a campus tour by two students, Anushka and Victoria. We were first shown the KTH Innovation building, from which we would later return to learn more about the programme.
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Later, we were shown the Courtyard, Borggården. The large open space sees many students soaking up the precious sunlight during the Summer. Our next stop was the university’s library. With dedicated quiet spaces, we were able to speak at a normal volume almost everywhere in the building. Our final stop was the Architecture building – one only accessible to Architecture students, so we were lucky that our tour guide, Victoria, was able to provide us with that access. The highlight of the building was the rooftop from which we could take in Stockholm’s beautiful city view, including the City Hall.
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In the afternoon, we visited the SciLife Lab, a collaborative research institute between the three universities in Stockholm: KTH, Stockholm University, and Karolinska Institute. We had the pleasure of listening to three presentations. The first was by Dr Hanzhao Zhang from the AICell Lab on their work to create virtual cells to further research into cell behaviour. Next, Dr Erdinc Sezgin from the CSI: Nano Lab is decoding immune cell signalling using biophysics. Lastly, PhD students Koen Jurgens and Lisa Engelhardt shared how they use Cryo-EM techniques to map antibody binding. Later, we got to visit the lab and see the electron microscope – the size of which surprised me more than anything – that took up almost the whole room and seemed to tower over all of us.
Day 2: Swedish Maritime Robotics Centre, and Centre for Sustainable Aviation
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Dr Peter Sigray welcomed us to the Vehicle Engineering Lab. While he showed us many different watercraft, what piqued our interest most was a little robot known as a puffin. The puffin was made to be cheap and to be mass-produced. It gets sent out to a specific coordinate, then the bladder of air within its body deflates and the puffin sinks. Then the puffin retrieves data, like salinity and temperature, about the water.
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Subsequently, we went to the Centre for Sustainable Aviation, where Dr Pernilla Ulfvengren presented on her work in investigating the noise pollution caused by aircraft. It was an interesting discussion, primarily because many of us had not considered the impact noise had on sustainability. She also encouraged us to think of the costs of aviation, and we had a small discussion on the implicit and explicit costs of aviation. It was enriching to use our perspectives from having lived in population-dense Singapore. The centre also had a wall of doctoral theses – from the tradition of nailing one’s thesis to the wall before they defend their dissertation.
Day 3: Cybercampus Sweden, and KTH Reactor Hall R1
On day 3, we were welcomed to KTH Cybercampus by Dr. Emre Süren. There, they shared their work testing vulnerabilities in technology available on the market. The presenters presented how they choose technology to investigate the vulnerabilities of, and how they conduct said investigations. We even got to watch a demonstration of how the vulnerabilities of a device can be exploited. During the demonstration, the presenters showed how the communication between a child’s digital watch and a parent’s phone could be sabotaged. The sabotaged messages were altered to make the parent think the child was safe, despite the original message being of the child asking for help. This was an exceptionally cool experience, as we finally grasped how easy it is to hack into electronic devices and how vulnerable we are to such actions.
Later, Director Leif Handberg brought us into a surprisingly spacious elevator. After travelling nearly 25 metres underground, we arrived at KTH Reactor Hall R1. The hall once held Sweden’s first nuclear reactor. The high ceilings and large hall earned the reactor hall the nickname “Cathedral of Science and Technology”. The reactor was active from 1954 until 1970. When you first walk into the hall, you’ll notice the walls and high ceilings covered in a grid. This grid was preserved from the measurement of the radiation levels in the reactor hall after it was decommissioned. Director Leif shared that the radiation in the hall was found to be less than that above ground. The reactor hall is now used primarily for events like art exhibitions, concerts and music videos due to its interesting acoustics and aesthetics. KTH even hosted an opera in the venue. We had the privilege of exploring the entire hall, including the former researchers’ offices, and listening to the wonderful pipe organ performed by our very own scholar. As avid fans of collecting postcards, we were so wonderfully surprised by Director Handberg’s gesture of giving us limited edition postcards of KTH Reactor Hall.
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Day 4: KTH Food, and KTH Innovation
Professor Francisco Domingo hosted us at KTH Food and shared about the research done at the centre to create sustainable and healthy food systems. Prof Francisco spoke both about finding produce that can be sustained in the long-term and balancing those findings with consumers’ tastes. Catering to the consumer to understand if the food would be a preferred choice is a vital part of their research. Thus, alongside the biotechnology and chemical research, KTH Food also analyses its research from a psychosocial lens. We also discussed the differences in the waste management streams in Sweden and Singapore, and how habits like separating waste types were inculcated in Sweden.
Subsequently, we visited KTH Innovation, where Mr Viktor Olsson shared the support and programmes provided to KTH students who wish to start their startups. We also had the privilege of hearing from Mr Yizhou Zhang from Vasol Tech. Vasol Tech is a startup geared towards creating solar power units that can be easily transported and installed by the average person. Mr Zhang presented the support provided by KTH Innovation to ideate and create his prototype and to look for investors and a co-founder. We later visited the lab where students create their prototypes. Personally, what we found most surprising was the immense effort KTH puts into encouraging its students to innovate. All participating innovators are guided at every step of their start-up journey, which is truly the main reason for KTH Innovation’s success in creating start-ups.
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Day 5: KTH Climate Action Centre, and lunch mingle with exchange students
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We were welcomed to the KTH Climate Action Centre by Dr Karin Larsdotter, Deputy Director of KTH Climate Action Centre. Dr Karin shared the centre’s goal of global transformation towards the UN Sustainable Development Goal of Climate Action. The Climate Action Centre does this through multi-disciplinary climate action research, collaboration with policy and business, and engagement with students and citizens. Later, we had a sharing by Francesca Larosa, a Postdoc Research Fellow at KTH. Though her current work involves working on AI for climate action, she spoke about how all the UN Sustainable Development Goals are interconnected to each other and the work that could be done. She also spoke about the necessity of global co-operation in achieving these goals.
Later, we got to speak to some KTH students who would be coming to NTU in the coming academic year for an exchange over lunch. It was a refreshing conversation and a chance for us to compare the differences between the cultures of Singapore and Stockholm. It was also an opportunity for us to engage with our peers, having primarily heard from faculty during the trip. This was an excellent way to end our trip to KTH.
R&R
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We touched down at Stockholm Arlanda Airport around 2pm, greeted by cool Nordic air and the quiet efficiency Sweden is known for. A quick 30-minute bus ride later, we arrived at our hotel — Blique by Nobis. After settling in, our group of 14 split up to freshen up before heading out for our first meal in Stockholm. A few of us wandered over to The Fox and Badger, a charming bistro just around the corner. It was there that I had my first taste — quite literally — of just how pricey eating out could be in Sweden. But to be fair, the food didn’t disappoint. Exhausted from the 17-hour journey, we decided not to push our luck. After a quick stop at the nearby supermarket to stock up on essentials (and maybe a few Swedish snacks), we headed back to the hotel for an early night.
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The next day, after our first visit to KTH had ended, Aubert mentioned that he had bought tickets to an orchestra concert at the Konserthuset Stockholm, and later that night, we had the opportunity to listen to a magnificent performance by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. The other group opted for a different viewing experience, instead choosing to watch a hockey match at Avicii Arena. They spent the night cheering alongside the passionate Austrian fans whose voices filled the whole stadium, and witnessed the opposing Canadian team ultimately clinch the win. The night walk back to our hotel gave us the chance to take in Stockholm’s peaceful night scene, perhaps one not possible in Singapore, at least not in the hot weather.
Another tourist attraction on our list was the Drottningholm Palace, which served as the Swedish royal family’s summer residence in the seventeenth century and is now one of Stockholm’s three World Heritage sites. Curtis had insisted that only a clear sunny sky could bring out the true beauty of the place, and hence, on the first day of clear skies, we made the hour-long trip outside of the city centre towards the palace. The views were certainly worth the travel, as we were immediately greeted by a view of the grand palace, sitting across a shimmering lake under the bluest sky.
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We ventured into the viewable wing of the palace and admired the seemingly endless rooms, their walls adorned with paintings that spanned from floor to ceiling. The outside garden was just as stately and led to a beautiful park. We admired the many geese (while avoiding their many droppings), and with such lovely weather, we simply couldn’t help but linger.
Old towns in Europe are always a must-visit. In Stockholm, that charm lives in Gamla Stan, the old town situated just a 20-minute metro ride from KTH. We kicked off our visit with lunch at a cosy little Italian spot tucked along one of the main streets – a set meal for just 119 SEK that was surprisingly delicious and still lives rent-free in our memories. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect: clear blue skies, soft sunlight, and a light breeze that made wandering all the more pleasant. The architecture felt beautifully preserved, almost untouched by time or technology. We found ourselves ducking into every other shop for souvenirs and weaving through narrow alleys in search of the perfect photo spot.
A quick search on Google reveals the second-best tourist destination in Stockholm, and it is the Vasa Museum. For the sheer number of museums there are in that area, the Vasa Museum surely left an impression. Despite its majestic exterior, the story of the Vasa’s shipwreck was an interesting and slightly funny one. The vessel took roughly two years to build, and during its maiden voyage in 1628, it sailed about 1 kilometre offshore before one strong gust of wind was all it took to topple it. We had a conversation about this with Director Leif Handberg during our visit to the KTH Reactor Hall 1, and he summarised the wreck of the warship as “bad project management”. He surely was not wrong, as an in-depth read about the wreck revealed that the construction of the Vasa lacked a chief officer in charge. The Vasa Museum not only offered the story of the Vasa, but also gave an insight into Sweden’s recovery efforts in the preservation of the shipwreck, including chemical and physical methods.
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The ABBA Museum was also a unique experience. We managed to get a good look at the band that we heard playing on our parents’ radio when we were growing up. The museum took us through ABBA’s journey to stardom and how they constantly evolved. Their longevity speaks for itself: from ruling the disco era in the 70s to running virtual concerts in recent years, they have truly cemented themselves as a timeless musical icon, evident in the fact that some of the trip members were hardcore ABBA fans themselves! The displays were very unique and engaging, and Aubert was brave enough to give a short performance of “Dancing Queen” to a small crowd of museumgoers. There were also karaoke booths for those who were more shy.
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We went on a walk around the harbour before making our way to a Swedish restaurant for some authentic Swedish meatballs. At Meatballs for the People, we had some of the best meatballs (at least I think so), and Timothy went on to try some bear meatballs, which he thought tasted nothing exceptionally different from the normal ones.
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During the weekend, a group of us decided that it was time for a hike! After doing our research, we were on our way to Tyresta National Park, about an hour away from the city centre. Despite the rain, we went ahead with the 11-kilometre trail, thinking that the trail would consist mainly of flat ground. Well, we were wrong. The rockiness and the ups and downs, especially in the rain that showed no signs of stopping, we cut our trail halfway and exited to a nearby horse farm. It was also then that we found that the nearest bus stop back to Stockholm was another 5-kilometre away, but we had no other choice. At least we did complete the 11-kilometre though! After finally making it back to civilisation, we grabbed lunch at a random pasta store and rushed back to the hotel to rest.
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As we were exploring the Tyresta National Park, the other group was having their kind of adventure at Gröna Lund! Located on Djügarden Island facing the sea, the amusement park and its tall rides could be seen from across the shore from the city centre. We eased ourselves into it as we began with the more palatable “Vilda Musen (The Wild Mouse)” ride and eventually worked our way up to the “Insane” ride. Three brave souls (of whom Xavier required much encouragement) attempted this ride. It slowly lifted them up towards the sky, allowing a scenic view of the sea, before dropping them multiple times in their freely rotating seats. They reported that they weren’t sure if they did a full 360 degrees, but regardless, they felt their whole bodies spin. However, our favourite ride, as evident by Ashlyn’s four times riding this, was the “Monster”! It had us spinning multiple times as we flew across the entire theme park, leaving our legs weak in the best way possible.
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On Sunday, we headed to the Sunday flea market near the Konserthuset Stockholm that we visited on day 1. There was a stunning collection of second-hand silverware and vinyl records. Some of us spent on art prints and handcrafted jewellery. We then made our way to the City Hall and took in the view of the Stockholm harbour. After dinner, it was an uphill climb to Mariaberget, an observation deck that overlooks the entire Stockholm. We managed to catch the sunset and took stunning pictures.
We picked a sunny day to go out of Stockholm and explore its archipelago, particularly Vaxholm. The island was a 40-minute ferry ride away, with an open-air upper deck. As the boat sped towards its destination, we could feel the wind in our bones, but some of us still chose to brave the cold as we took in the passing scenery, while some of us chose to enjoy the views from the warm comfort of the lower deck. The island was filled with restaurants and cafes, and we settled upon a quaint cafe nestled beside the river for fika. A large table was the centrepiece, with a whole assortment of mouth-watering cakes covering every square inch. We each picked a few, and with so many good options, our choices barely overlapped! This allowed us to take a small bite from each other’s plates to get a small taste of almost everything the cafe had to offer. Afterwards, we hopped from souvenir shop to souvenir shop across the island, with a few of us leaving empty-handed.
We also went to Fotografiska Museum Stockholm, a photography art museum filled with very intriguing exhibitions. We had our fair share of fun exploring the funnier and wilder exhibition and also shared our solemn moments when the art pieces turned serious. On that day, we finally had the chance to visit Ikea, and honestly, I thought that the meatballs in Singapore Ikea were a bit better than the ones that we had that day.
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On our last full day in Sweden, we took the train up north to visit Uppsala, the fourth-largest city in Sweden. As a university town, it was much less densely populated as compared to Stockholm. We braved the rain and went to the Uppsala Castle as our first stop. It housed the Uppsala Art Museum, where we had the opportunity to catch an ongoing exhibition, Corpus Cosmos, showcasing the relationship between Art and the medical studies of the human body.
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We then made our way to Uppsala Cathedral, a beautiful Gothic masterpiece, and one of the largest cathedrals in Northern Europe. Of course, we could not miss a visit to Uppsala University and the Botanical Garden, which housed a diverse collection of plants. We ended our day out at Uppsala with a gelato and made our way back to Stockholm.
Conclusion
The OLT to Sweden was surely an eye-opening and unforgettable experience. Five days of visits to KTH introduced us to an academic culture so vastly different from that of Singapore. We learnt about the leading research Sweden was conducting in the Biology and DSAI fields through the presentations at SciLife Lab. At the Centre for Sustainable Aviation and KTH Food, we were shocked by the immense effort the Swedish government puts into sustainability. KTH Innovation’s continuous encouragement for its students to innovate gives them the courage to have their own start-ups. These visits to various departments of KTH broadened our perspectives on education and gave us insights on how to make use of our knowledge to solve global challenges.
On our R&R days, we were grateful to have the chance to appreciate the unique culture of Sweden. For one, the Fika culture – one that involves having a cinnamon roll and coffee as afternoon tea – was something we perhaps will not be able to enjoy as much in Singapore’s busy hustle culture. Visiting historical landmarks like Drottingholm and the City Hall was an escape from the modernised side of Stockholm. We also often indulge in non-touristy behaviours, such as hiking through the forest, sifting through the flea market’s second-hand goods, and just enjoying some nice pastries at a little café in Vaxholm.
We forged such fond memories in these 10 days by navigating through these new experiences together. Without an accompanying staff, we all took the initiative to look after and check up on each other every now and then to ensure the safety of everyone. While we are grateful for this rare opportunity to visit Sweden on a school trip, this trip would not have been this successful without the help of everyone.