UTN's 2026 Merit Medalists

The award is awarded to those who have made extraordinary contributions that have benefited UTN as an organisation, UTN's members, the commitment within UTN, Uthgård, the students at Uppsala University's Faculty of Science and Technology or the strengthening of Uppsala's education and research in engineering and science. The following persons will be awarded the Uppsala Institute of Technology and Science Medal of Merit in Gold, in accordance with the decision of the Council on 2 December 2025. This also includes an honorary membership in the Corps. On the pages below is justification for the Medal of Merit.
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Anders Ahnesjo & Carl-Johan Hansson
In the mid-1970s Anders Ahnesjö and Carl-Johan Hansson took an initiative that would have a unique and long-lasting significance for both UTN, its members and student life at the Faculty of Science and Technology. When they first ventured out into Fyrisån in 1975, they laid the foundation for what is today the Rafting, one of the largest and most significant events in UTN's history.

The following year, their idea became an organized student event, designed to make Uppsala University technologists visible and strengthen the position of engineering education. The initiative attracted unexpectedly great attention, not least through several thousand spectators and national media coverage. In this way Anders and Carl-Johan helped not only to create a new tradition, but also to strengthen the identity, visibility and cohesion of engineering students.

The whitewater rafting has since evolved into one of UTN's largest and most complex projects, with hundreds of engaged students, extensive safety work, and tens of thousands of visitors. As their original initiative continued to grow within UTN and its predecessors, it has gained direct significance for generations of students at the Faculty of Science and Technology. This is both through the community that is built, the opportunities for nonprofit engagement and the strong culture that the event creates and manages.

Anders Ahnesjö and Carl-Johan Hansson have thus made extraordinary contributions that have greatly benefited UTN, its members and the commitment within the organisation. Their work has strengthened both student life and the image of Uppsala's education in technology and science, and their idea continues to be one of UTN's most central and proud traditions.

For their lasting impact on UTN's activities and their significant contribution to the community of students at the faculty and the visibility of its programmes, Anders Ahnesjö and Carl-Johan Hansson are awarded the UTN Medal of Merit in Gold.

Anna Ivert
During her two years as President of UTN, operational years 20/21 and 21/22, Anna Ivert led the Corps through one of the most challenging periods of modern times. In the midst of a global pandemic, when student life was fundamentally changed, she managed to ensure that UTN's activities not only survived, but developed and strengthened. Her leadership was distinguished by stability, courage, thoughtfulness and an impressive ability to create direction in an era of uncertainty.

Internally at UTN, Anna was a safe point and a valued leader. She managed to hold the organization together in a situation where almost all activities were digitized and many people involved lacked the community and structure that normally holds the corps together. Through initiatives such as “Lunch with Chairperson” and through consistent open, accessible and inclusive leadership, she created relationships and a sense of presence despite physical distancing. Many describe her ability to meet people with respect, warmth and professionalism, whether it was supporting someone engaged in crisis, managing conflict, guiding new ones in the Corps, or standing firm in difficult conversations.

In addition to her efforts in day-to-day work, she pursued several long-term development issues. She was a driving force in strengthening the unions' internationalization efforts, worked for the influence of doctoral students through the process of forming a doctoral section, and took a central role in the corps house project. She defended the sections' need for student spaces and pushed issues related to study environments and the conditions of student life at the faculty. Her work has left a lasting imprint on how UTN operates and on the opportunities available to today's and future students.

With her calm, clear and committed leadership, Anna Ivert has made extraordinary efforts that have greatly benefited UTN, its members and the student influence in the Faculty of Science and Technology. For this, Anna Ivert is awarded the UTN Medal of Merit in Gold.

Seidon Alsaody
Seidon Alsaody has for many years had a deep and lasting significance for the students of the Faculty of Science and Technology through his outstanding pedagogical skill, his concern for student learning and his passion for mathematics as a subject. With experiences as a course supervisor or teacher for some of the faculty's largest and most fundamental mathematics courses, he has taught thousands of the faculty's students, and his teaching has become a foundation in the education of many students.

At the heart of Seidon's work is his ability to convey mathematics as something beautiful, comprehensible and human. In interviews, he often highlights mathematics as a language for creativity and understanding, and this view permeates his teaching. His enthusiasm is contagious, his patience gives reassurance and his thoughtful way of answering questions, often by also explaining why the question arises, builds a deeper understanding in the students.

Students describe him as a constant and secure resource of knowledge: a person who takes the time to help even outside of his own courses, who is always available to ask, and who meets every student with respect and commitment. This willingness to strengthen students' learning and to be on hand when studies feel difficult makes him a central part of many students' success. For this, he has previously received UTN's Pedagogical Prize, but also Uppsala University's Pedagogical Prize and several sections' pedagogical prizes. It shows that his educational quality has not only persisted over time, but also that it continues to evolve and inspire.

Seidon's efforts have benefited students' education and study environment in an extraordinary way. By helping to raise the quality of some of the faculty's most pivotal courses, by strengthening student motivation and understanding, and by creating a teaching environment where every student feels seen and supported, he has made a significant and long-lasting imprint.

For his exceptional educational efforts, his tireless concern for student learning, and his strong contribution to the education in engineering and science, Seidon Alsaody is awarded UTN's Medal of Merit in Gold.

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