He was at home when he opened an email from OsloMet, which said that his master’s thesis was chosen as the best at OsloMet in 2025 — a university with a total of 22,000 students.
“Congratulations on the prize! How did you react when you received the news?”
It was nice to do something that can help improve the environment, even though what I did is just a microscopic puzzle piece in the big picture.– Anders Blomberg
“I was very happy, but it was hard to take in. At first, I thought many students had received awards. That it was only me made it almost a bit scary. I have had so many talented fellow students.”
According to OsloMet’s jury, "the winner’s work stands out as a rare independent knowledge contribution to the development of tools for recycling internationally." Blomberg’s field is applied data and information technology, with a specialization in robotics and cybernetics.
In his master’s thesis, he collaborated with the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA).
“Tell us about your project!”
“I have worked with a plastic scanner that can help sort plastic from the ocean. In wealthy countries, we usually use high-tech, expensive instruments, but in low-income countries, it can be useful to have inexpensive tools. Such a tool was on its way when I started the thesis, but the machine learning algorithm was not good enough. I have tried to find an algorithm that works better so the scanner can learn to recognize different types of plastic.”
“How did it go?”
“It went well in the end! One of my models achieved 92 percent accuracy. The original model had only 56 percent accuracy.”
“What motivates your engagement?”
“I think electronics are fun and physics is very exciting. In the thesis, I got to work with both. Additionally, it was nice to do something that can help improve the environment, even though what I did is just a microscopic puzzle piece in the big picture.”
“What are you most proud of?”
“I am proud that I accomplished what I wanted. At one point, it was overwhelming — there was so much to do! The whole thesis was like a gigantic knot, and I’ve had many 16-hour workdays.”
“Who are you, apart from that?”
“I am from Nittedal and I’m 34 years old, so I started studying quite late. Before that, I worked in cash-in-transit security. I enjoy climbing, training, and spending time with friends and family, but the last few months I have only been working on the master’s thesis.”
“Which advice would you give to other students?”
“Start early and spend a lot of time at the beginning! You will get pressed for time anyway towards the end. For me, it was also important to put everything else aside, like the phone.”
“Where did you put your phone?”
“It was my girlfriend who took my phone, and I took hers. We joked a bit about it, but I think it was very important. We both wrote theses, and it went quite well for both of us.”
“What’s next for you?”
“I will start working at Kongsberg Gruppen. There I will work exactly with what I have studied. I’m looking forward to that.”
