Viljo Allik is Engineer of the Year

Today, 9 December, the Estonian Engineers Union (EEU) announced Viljo Allik, chief engineer of Tartu Observatory of the University of Tartu, as Engineer of the Year. The award was presented at the union's Christmas party.

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"As a member of the board of the Estonian Engineers Union, I recognise the achievements of engineer Viljo Allik as an ambassador of the Estonian space nation. We have few engineers whose achievements have been recognised by the European Space Agency. Because of this, Viljo Allik is the right choice for the title of engineer of the year of the Estonian Engineers' Union," Enn Kerner, vice president of the Estonian Engineers' Union, said, describing the winner.

Viljo has been working at Tartu Observatory since 2010. He led the building process of Tõravere satellite ground station, which enables two-way space communication. With the help of the antenna system there, it is possible to receive radio signals from satellites in low Earth orbit and from objects located further away. He also wrote an essential part of the control software. With Viljo's help, space technology laboratories have created a solid cooperation network. "Companies, and research and state institutions that consult on electromagnetic compatibility, electronics, and radio engineering value Viljo's competence very highly," said Tartu observatory director Antti Tamm, praising Viljo.

Viljo has also supervised the electronics and telecommunications development of student satellites ESTCube-1 and ESTCube-2. With Viljo's help, Estonia's first satellite, ESTCube-1, flew into orbit in 2013 and established a permanent connection with Earth. ESTCube-2 lead system engineer Kristo Allaje describes Viljo Allik as being of invaluable help in the design, construction, and testing of ESTCube-2's radio communication subsystems and electronics, as well as satellite communication station issues. "Viljo's eyes light up when solving exciting technical challenges, and he always offers a solution that works," said Allaje.

Viljo passed the amateur radio professional exam in 1987. He introduced gigahertz wavebands in Estonia and was a pioneer in the frequencies 2.3 GHz, 3.4 GHz, and 10 GHz. Viljo has reached numerous Earth–-Moon–-Earth communication sessions on these wavebands, using the Moon to reflect signals.

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Viljo Allik is a member of the Association of Estonian Radio Amateurs. In cooperation with the association, Viljo has also contributed to increasing the competence of the national defencse and has organiszed B-category radio amateur lectures and practice  for the fighters of the Defencse Association of Tartu .

Viljo Allik has guided young engineers in radio engineering, radio communication, and electronics, both in Estonia and abroad. Since 2012, he has supervised master's and bachelor's theses and school students' projects on communication systems.

In 2021, Viljo Allik received the honorary badge of the University of Tartu for the results of his excellent work results and significant contribution to the university's activities.

The Engineer  of the Year has been chosen since 1999. The title has been released awarded 22 times now. The winners of previous years can be found seen  on the insener.ee website.

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