In Spring 2025, our researcher Rasa Jämsen was on a research visit at Rutgers University in the United States. In this text, Rasa shares her experiences from the visit.
I am writing this text in a beautiful house that has been converted into office space, which I have had the pleasure of calling my office for the past three months. Inside, it is cool as usual, even though the sun is blazing outside, and the temperature has risen well above thirty degrees. My last week as a visiting scholar at Rutgers University in the United States is underway, and I have paused for a moment to reflect on what the past three months have offered me.
I embarked on this journey in March 2025, just a week after my dissertation defense. Although it meant that the first week of my visit went by being pretty tired and overwhelmed by everything that had happened in such a short time, in hindsight, the timing could not have been more optimal. Spending the spring at Rutgers gave me the opportunity to literally distance myself from the dissertation project and offered a new perspective for making research plans. During my very first weeks at Rutgers, my host asked me what I wanted to achieve during my visit. I remember telling him that I wanted to continue with my ongoing research, get new ideas, and learn about (academic) life in the U.S. I could not be happier to say that I was able to achieve all of this – and more.
A lot has happened in these three months: meetings with research groups, auditing courses, countless meetings over coffee or lunch. I am immensely grateful for how many esteemed scholars took the time during my visit to sit down with me and talk about research. These discussions sparked ideas and collaborations that I am excited to continue in the future.
The greatest thanks —for everything— goes to my host, Professor Matthew Weber, who provided all possible help during my visit and with whom I had inspiring research discussions throughout my time at Rutgers. Additionally, with his help with introductions, I got to know researchers also outside Rutgers and was able to start collaboration negotiations with several organizations. I could not be more grateful for all the collaboration, help and support.
Having the chance to observe the work and life of another university is a great opportunity for a scholar. I learned so much by attending meetings and auditing classes at Rutgers, from research to teaching methods. Seeing and being a part of a different academic culture was also an amazing learning opportunity. Now I know the difference between a PhD Student and a PhD Candidate and understand a lot better what a career in academia looks like in the United States. The grad students at Rutgers welcomed me into their group with open arms, for which I am super grateful. I am so excited to know that I have a bunch of colleagues to meet at upcoming international conferences, and with whom I hope the collaboration continues throughout our careers.
Of course, a research visit is not only about research. It is also an experience of living in another country. The location of Rutgers is perfect for someone who loves travelling. I cannot even count how many times I took advantage of being less than an hour away from New York City. In addition, I got to visit wonderful Philadelphia, as well as Princeton, which may be one of the loveliest places I have ever visited. I often saw bald eagles flying over the park where I used to go running, and the first time the barista at my local Starbucks wrote my name on the cup without asking, I truly felt like a local.
All in all, my research visit offered me countless opportunities to learn about conducting research, the academic world and the university culture in the U.S., and myself. I got to meet amazing people with whom I hope and believe the collaboration will continue for a long time. I stepped out of my comfort zone, but I found that the boundaries of the comfort zone stretch surprisingly quickly when given a chance. The main feeling I have from the visit is excitement about doing research and being part of an incredible international research community, and gratitude to everyone who made this journey possible.
I want to thank both The University of Jyväskylä and Rutgers University, for making this visit possible. Finally, and importantly, I want to express my thanks to The Foundation for Economic Education and The Helsingin Sanomat Foundation, which made my trip financially possible; The Foundation for Economic Education with the personal travel grant they awarded, and The Helsingin Sanomat Foundation for funding The DataMedia Project, which enabled me to do the research I continued during my visit. This was, indeed, a spring to remember.
CoCoDigi 