When asked what the title of Metrosert’s Brand Ambassador of the Year means to him, Allar Pärn does not talk about conscious promotional work or social media content calendars. Instead, he speaks about metrology and the responsibility, care, and sense of belonging that define the work of metrologists.
“Receiving this title is a great honor, especially considering that I am anything but a prolific speaker or content creator. If I share something on social media, it’s because it truly matters to me,” he says.
This very mindset of being attentive, thoughtful, and caring is precisely why colleagues have recognized Allar as a brand ambassador. His role is neither campaign-driven nor loud. Allar consistently shares the achievements of colleagues and the organization, feels genuine pride in their work, and notices when someone has done a good job. And when there is cause for concern, he cares deeply as well.
“I consider myself a Metrosert patriot. I know that what we do is critically important for the Estonian state, its economy, and security. I feel that I belong here, and that sense of belonging is very important to me.”
According to Allar, the people he works with every day play a major role as well. “There are smart and open-minded people here, with whom it’s genuinely interesting to talk and whom I am happy to support with my skills and knowledge,” he says. Conversations range from highly detailed professional topics to much broader themes, and this is exactly what makes the collective so valuable to him.
A sporty boy who chose mathematics
Allar grew up in the village of Valgejõe, by the river and among forests, on the border of Lahemaa and Kõrvemaa, as the youngest son in a family of four children. At the small Loksa Secondary School, he took part in everything on offer—sports clubs, choir, folk dancing. As today, his main driver back then was the need to belong.
Sports, in particular, had a strong hold on him. By the end of ninth grade, he was training in athletics five times a week and received invitations from coaches to join the Audentes Sports Gymnasium. Yet Allar made an unexpected decision: his calling was to become a mathematics teacher instead. Already during his bachelor’s studies, he began working part-time as a mathematics teacher at the Tallinn French School, and later at Gustav Adolf Grammar School.
“Teaching gave me the ability to stand in front of people and explain complex things in a way that truly makes sense. Every lesson was a bit like a performance, where you had to be prepared, adaptable, always ready to improvise, and able to sense students’ engagement,” Allar describes.
At the same time, large class sizes and a fast pace eventually became decisive factors. Allar felt he could no longer reach each student in the way he wanted to. The burnout that affects many teachers began to show its signs, and he decided to find a different outlet for his love of mathematics. To this day, Allar considers Estonian language and mathematics teachers to be superhumans who, year after year, shape young people’s worldviews and prepare them for demanding national examinations that influence their futures.
A secret application
Allar’s journey to Metrosert, where he now works as a keeper of national standards, began in a rather unusual way. His partner was already working at Metrosert when Allar decided to apply—secretly.
“I didn’t tell my partner anything at first. But my application didn’t stay a secret for long. It came out when I had already been to an interview and met her colleagues,” he recalls with a smile, ten years later.
As a former sports enthusiast, Allar describes himself as a “decathlete in metrology”—someone who holds several roles at once and feels comfortable in diversity. “I work simultaneously in three divisions: the Research and Development Division, the Metrology Division, and the Certification Division. I am a happy person because I largely have the freedom to choose the topics I want to work on. I have shaped a very exciting list of tasks for myself.”
The weighty work of a mass standard keeper
Allar’s role as the national mass standard keeper involves a “weighty” responsibility: ensuring the reliability and international traceability of the kilogram unit in Estonia, so that Metrosert’s and the entire country’s measurements are comparable and internationally recognized. To this end, Metrosert participates in international comparison measurements, cooperates with metrology institutes in other countries, and keeps the mass measurement system aligned with international agreements.
In practice, Allar is responsible for maintaining, calibrating, and disseminating the national standard across all mass measurements in Estonia—from realizing the scale in the national standard laboratory in the range of 1 mg to 50 kg, and further up to 150 tonnes in the accredited Metrology Division. According to him, the national standard is not a single scale, but an entire mass scale, including precision comparators, a specially designed laboratory space, and precise environmental conditioning. It is a comprehensive system of knowledge and tools that ensures everything works as it should.
For the sake of the reliability and international linkage of Estonia’s measurements, Metrosert’s two one-kilogram standard weights regularly undergo calibration at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM). The final assessment of the national standard laboratory’s work comes from the results of international comparison measurements. So far, none of Metrosert’s mass measurement results have deviated from reference values.
“The responsibility is great, because much more than weighing depends on the mass standard. A range of other physical quantities are derived from mass—such as volume, density, gravity, force, pressure, and viscosity—which are used in industry, science, and ensuring security. This allows me to contribute to the development and improvement of many other services as well,” Allar explains.
The goal of making metrology understandable
Another important part of Allar’s work involves conducting training sessions and laboratory tours, participating in career days, and meeting with young people. According to Allar, laboratory tours are much more than introducing Metrosert’s building, services, and equipment. They are an opportunity to talk about measurements in a way that even someone without a physics background can understand why metrology matters.
Allar has conducted laboratory tours for a wide range of visitors, from schoolchildren and students to industrial companies and decision-makers. Each time, the right level and perspective must be chosen. He says the most special visitors have been younger pupils, for whom sparking interest is a major challenge, but a great achievement when successful.
“When children’s eyes light up and they ask lots of questions, you know you’ve done something right. But it’s not easy at all. I always start with what is familiar—electricity and water meters, fuel consumption, smartphones as measuring devices. Only then do we move on to more precise measurements and standards. That’s how an understanding emerges that measurements are part of everyday life. Measurements are what help prevent accidents, keep buildings and bridges standing,” he explains.
A more indirect but important impact of laboratory tours and other outreach activities is the development of future talent. “There are people who, after visiting Metrosert, have come here as interns, employees, or decided to study physics or another technical field. If someone finds their path into the world of science thanks to contact with Metrosert, that’s a great victory!” he affirms.
Evenings with music
Allar and his partner are raising three children. Their first child was born into a family of two metrologists, as a symbol of precision, on 20 May, International Metrology Day. In the evenings, Allar sings lullabies to his children—songs by Ruja and Urmas Alender.
“My mother loved Ruja’s music very much, and that’s probably why I still know the melodies and lyrics by heart. My children fall asleep every night to songs like ‘Rahu’, ‘Nii vaikseks kõik on jäänud’, ‘Kuidas joonistada kurbust’, ‘Võta mind lehtede varju’, and others.”
Sport, which was central to Allar’s life in his youth, has today become something he struggles to find time for. Still, movement has not disappeared entirely—Allar is active in the Estonian Defence League, Järva District, where he holds both peacetime and wartime roles. Various training exercises provide him with physical challenges.
In addition, he has found his way back to folk dancing. A folk dance group has been active at Metrosert since this autumn, and Allar especially encourages men to join. “The goal is clear—we want to represent Metrosert at the men’s dance festival already this summer. We’re just one man short of that goal,” he says, inviting interested colleagues to take part.
