Women+ of oPEN Lab continues highlighting and celebrating the contributions of women and individuals of diverse genders within the oPEN Lab project. The sixth feature in the series is Andra Asser working at the Institute of Baltic Studies (IBS) Andra is actively contributing to the oPEN Lab project in the Living Lab Tartu. Below she answers the questions we asked her to know more about her professional journey.
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Can you describe your role in the oPEN Lab project and the specific aspects you are working on?
In the oPEN Lab Tartu project, I mainly work with citizen engagement: with both the strategic planning of engagement and co-creation and its practical implementation in the neighbourhood. Essentially, I work with bringing local residents together and helping them understand complicated energy-efficiency related topics such as prefabricated panel renovation, energy communities, and home automation.
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How has your involvement in the oPEN Lab project contributed to your professional development and growth?
While I’ve worked with citizen engagement for 10+ years now, the ambitious scope of the oPEN Lab project has provided many learning opportunities. I’ve really had to familiarize myself with all the planned innovations to be able to communicate them clearly and plan engagement and co-creation accordingly. I’m a staunch believer in harnessing innovation to improve the daily lives of people, so being able to work towards that over the years has been very fulfilling.
3. What advice would you give to young women and girls who are interested in fields related to energy efficiency and sustainable development?
I think it’s important to note that the field is incredibly wide and requires contributions in a variety of ways. In fact, I’ve found that degrees in social sciences or humanities can complement the existing technical knowledge splendidly – understanding the human component of innovations is as important as having all the technical know-how!
