Ingemar Ingemarsson elevates teaching and interdisciplinarity

Jenny Widén

A recurring theme in the texts is his outlook on change. They also reflect a strong ideological foundation, a vivid interest in equal opportunities for men and women and in practical knowledge; the work of the hand.

Interest is the key word

When asked to describe his driving force, Ingemar is very down-to-earth about it, saying that interest is the key word. For example, he is more interested in teaching than in research – regardless of great successes in both roles. Ingemar says that he has always only done things he found interesting and has more or less ignored the rest, such as career progression, salary, popularity.

During his military service in the navy, Ingemar came into contact with pedagogy. Due to his technical expertise, he was asked to teach others, and his fascination with the mechanisms of learning grew. He then studied a Master of Science in Engineering, remaining in his childhood city of Gothenburg until he received his licentiate degree in information theory at Chalmers. This was followed by a PhD in telecommunications and communication theory at the Royal Institute of Technology, KTH, in Stockholm. Linköping was next.

Pioneer in education

Jenny Widén

Ingemar Ingemarsson came to the Institute of Technology in Linköping in 1971, attracted by the pioneering spirit characterising it. He probably had no idea that he would come to play a crucial role in the university’s development. For example, he was one of the driving forces behind the engineering programmes at LiU becoming known for their high quality and innovative thinking.

Thanks to his wife Margareta, a nurse and a health care teacher, Ingemar came to be interested in problem-based learning (PBL), an educational method where the students seek knowledge by solving real-life problems. This was a new approach, especially in health care education, but the Ingemarsson couple saw its potential. They gave hundreds of lectures on PBL across the country and contributed strongly to this method gaining a foothold outside LiU.

In the 1990s, Ingemar played a key role in several major national initiatives on education renewal. This included being one of the driving forces behind the government’s NyIng project, which aimed to modernise engineering education in Sweden. He also participated in the establishment of the international CDIO initiative (Conceive – Design – Implement – Operate), developed in collaboration with MIT in Boston, Chalmers and KTH. The goal was to give engineering students a broader understanding of the entire development chain – from idea to finished product.

Ingemar was also one of the enthusiasts behind the new IT programme launched in 1995. It stood out from the beginning, not least because of its unusually high proportion of female students.

Sectra shares behind three foundations

Jenny Widén

In addition to his academic achievements, Ingemar has also made a mark on the regional business community. Together with three students, he in 1978 founded the medical technology company Sectra, which currently employs more than 1,000 people. Its success was also an example of how the technical expertise developed at the university could be put into practice. However, he soon left his management roles in the company, to continue his teaching and research work, while retaining the role of shareholder.

Thanks to Sectra's great success, Ingemar Ingemarsson has been able to make donations and set up three different foundations, the latter two dedicated to LiU’s operations. It all began in 2005 with the Margareta and Ingemar Ingemarsson Foundation, which the couple founded together. The aim was broad but clear: to support and encourage the development of teaching and education at all levels of the Swedish education system.

Teaching award and interdisciplinarity prize

Just over a decade later, in 2017, the Ingemar Ingemarsson Teaching Award was established. It is an unusual award, because research has traditionally received the most attention, while teachers’ achievements tended to be overlooked. With this award, skilled teachers are highlighted and get the appreciation they deserve.

The Ingemar Ingemarsson Interdisciplinarity Prize, announced in the spring of 2023, is a personal award given to one or more people making or having made a significant contribution at Linköping University. LiU introduced interdisciplinary research early on, and the Department of Thematic Studies was born in 1980. Ingemar Ingemarsson also tells us that in around 1970, medicine and technology were largely merged into medical technology, a study focus for the students on the Y programme (MSc in Applied Physics and Electrical Engineering).

With this initiative, Ingemar Ingemarsson ties together his three major commitments: the development of education, the role of teachers in academia and the power of interdisciplinary thinking.

Jenny Widén