Niels Hexspoor

Aurora’s MoU on Sharing Infrastructure and Resources paves the way for research collaboration

Written by Niels Hexspoor on 1. 11. 2023. Posted in Academics, CDS-Network.

On October 17th, the signing of the Aurora Research Infrastructure and Resources Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was one of the highlights of the Aurora Fall Biannual 2023. Thirteen Aurora universities, including the Aurora Associate partners and the Université Paris-Est Créteil, signed under this significant commitment to research collaboration within the Aurora Alliance.

The MoU serves a clear purpose and has two main objectives. Firstly, the MoU defines the intentions of partner universities to collaborate in research cooperation, focusing on Aurora’s mission and pilot domains. It aims to provide researchers within the alliance access to shared resources at partner institutions.

Secondly, by working closely together, these universities will bolster their global research standing. They will promote international cooperation across diverse research areas and share research resources and data with research groups.

For those interested in exploring the MoU in detail, a publicly accessible version is available on the official Aurora website. This document showcases the commitment of universities to research collaboration and global knowledge sharing.

Access the MoU

Aurora welcomes its universities to contribute their research infrastructure resources. By sharing resources and knowledge, you not only enrich your institution but also engage with a global community of research excellence.

Ready to join this collaborative effort? Add your research infrastructure resources here.

Looking back at the Aurora Fall Biannual 2023

Written by Niels Hexspoor on 27. 10. 2023. Posted in Academics, CDS-Network, Events, Featured, Students.

Last month, Palacký University Olomouc hosted the Aurora Fall Biannual 2023 on October 17th and 18th for in Olomouc, Czechia. The event brought together over 200 participants hailing from 18 universities from within the Aurora community and beyond.

Watch the Aurora Fall Biannual aftermovie

The Aurora Fall Biannual focused on taking stock of Aurora’s achievements as part of the European Universities initiative.

These European developments took center stage in the plenary sessions and panels:

Aurora Pilot Phase: Aurora Model Alliance?
The impact and role of European Universities on future of Higher Education in Europe
Alliance Exchange – Balancing Education, Research Innovation and Social Responsibility
Toward student-centered European University Alliances

Aurora’s commitment to sustainability was also highlighted during the event, with an opening presentation and plenary session dedicated to Aurora’s work on making our community greener and more sustainable.

Collaboration within Aurora was further strengthened by the momentous singing of a Memorandum of understanding on the sharing of research infrastructure, as well as the signing of the second version of the Multilateral Aurora Mobility Agreement (MAMA).

Next to the retrospective of Aurora’s remarkable accomplishments, the Aurora community came together to look forward to the exciting prospects that lie ahead.Participants also engaged in thought-provoking Thematic sessions on prominent Aurora topics suchs as COIL, the Aurora Competence Framework, and Technology Transfer.

Want to relive the biannual or catch up on any sessions you missed? You can watch back the recordings of the plenary sessions below:

🎥 17/10/2023 – Day 1

🎥 18/10/2023 – Day 2

You can find a selection of photos below, the full photo gallery of the biannual can be downloaded here.

Call for Papers: Scholarly Book on Suburban Studies

Written by Niels Hexspoor on 6. 10. 2023. Posted in Students.

We invite proposals for a forthcoming scholarly book on suburban studies. This interdisciplinary book aims to explore the complex, diverse, and dynamic nature of suburbs, their histories, and their futures. The book will seek to engage with a wide range of topics and themes related to sub/urban spaces, cultures, politics, and environments.

Call for Papers: Scholarly Book on Suburban Studies

We welcome proposals from scholars across various disciplines, including but not limited to literature, sociology, history, anthropology, urban studies, geography, geoinformatics, urban planning, environmental studies, and cultural studies. We are interested in contributions that critically examine suburbs as spaces of social, economic, and political inequality and exclusion, as well as spaces of creativity, innovation, and resistance. We encourage authors to engage with debates and discussions around issues such as suburbanization, gentrification, racial and ethnic segregation, environmental sustainability, and suburban history, cultures, and identities.

Proposals may address, but are not limited to, the following topics:

The literary reflection of suburban culture
The histories and genealogies of suburbs
The social and cultural practices of suburban life
The politics and governance of suburban spaces
The environmental impacts of suburbanization
The racial and ethnic dynamics of suburbanization
The cultural production and consumption of suburban spaces
The relationship between suburbs and the urban and rural landscapes
The future of suburban spaces and their potential transformations

We welcome proposals for individual chapters. Please submit an abstract of no more than 500 words along with a short biography (no more than 250 words) and contact information. The submission deadline for chapter abstract is October 31st, 2023. Accepted proposals will be notified by December 31st, 2023. Full chapters will be due on July 30th, 2024.
Please send your proposals to pavlina.flajsarova@upol.cz. If you have any questions or queries, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Editorial board:

Pavlína Flajšarová Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic,
Jiří Flajšar, Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic
Vít Voženílek, Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic
Florian Freitag, Universität Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
Becky Nicolaides, San Diego State University, San Diego, USA
Andrew Wiese, San Diego State University, San Diego, USA
Mauricette Fournier, Université Clermont Auvergne, France

The book is co-financed by the Erasmus+ programme under the project Urbanism and Suburbanization in the EU Countries and Abroad: Reflection in the Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Arts (2021-1-CZ01-KA220-HED-000023281).

CALL FOR PAPERS: Transdisciplinary Conference on Sub/urban Studies

Written by Niels Hexspoor on 6. 10. 2023. Posted in Academics.

We invite scholars and researchers from various disciplines to submit papers for an upcoming interdisciplinary conference on Suburban Studies that takes place on May 13-14, 2024 at Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic. The conference aims to explore the intersection between various scholarly fields and the suburban experience, and how literature and other media have portrayed, shaped, and reflected suburban life and its evolution.

Transdisciplinary Conference on Sub/urban Studies

Suburbanization has been a dominant trend in global urban development in the past century, with urban spaces and suburbs becoming the residence of choice for millions of people around the world. This transformation has had a profound impact on the social, cultural, economic, and political dynamics of urban areas. Literature, history, sociology, psychology, geography, geoinformatics and other disciplines have provided the methodology and research that has been important for the examination, critique, and celebration of the modern suburban experience, from its inception in the early 20th century to the present day.

We welcome papers that address various aspects of suburban studies from the perspective of diverse scholarly discipline, including but not limited to:

The representation of suburbs in literature
Suburban identity, history, and culture
Suburban sprawl and environmental issues
Class, race, and gender in suburban spaces
The impact of suburbanization on urban development
The influence of suburban literature on popular culture
Suburban fiction and the coming-of-age narrative
The portrayal of domesticity and family life in suburban literature and media
Suburban architecture and design
The role of suburban communities in civic engagement and politics
Periphery vs. centre

Submissions may be in the form of individual papers, panel proposals or round tables. Individual papers should be no longer than 20 minutes in length, and panel proposals should consist of three to four papers. Please include an abstract of no more than 250 words for individual papers, or 500 words for panel proposals, along with a brief biography and contact information.
The conference will take place on May 13-14, 2024 at the Arts Centre of Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic, and will feature keynote speakers, panel discussions, workshops and round-tables. Selected papers will be published in a scholarly monograph by a major international publisher.

Conference language: preferred English, possible French

Please submit your proposals by October 30th, 2023 to pavlina.flajsarova@upol.cz. Notifications of acceptance will be sent by December 31st, 2023. We look forward to your contributions to this exciting and interdisciplinary conference on Suburban Studies

Conference organisers and committee:

Pavlína Flajšarová Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic,
Jiří Flajšar, Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic
Marie Voždová, Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic
Vít Voženílek, Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic
Jaroslav Burian, Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic
Jakub Žejdlík, Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic
Florian Freitag, Universität Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
Becky Nicolaides, San Diego State University, San Diego, USA
Andrew Wiese, San Diego State University, San Diego, USA
Mauricette Fournier, Université Clermont Auvergne, France

Fees:
BA/MA/PhD students 50 Euros
Post-docs 80 Euros
Academics 100 Euros
Guests 25 Euros
Participants from project universities (Palacký University, Duisburg-Essen, Université Clermont Auvergne) FREE

The conference is co-financed by the Erasmus+ programme under the project Urbanism and Suburbanization in the EU Countries and Abroad: Reflection in the Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Arts (2021-1-CZ01-KA220-HED-000023281).

Aurora’s European University programme secured continued funding

Written by Niels Hexspoor on 10. 7. 2023. Posted in Academics, CDS-Network, Featured, Students.

Aurora’s European University programme secured continued funding

Palacký University Olomouc is delighted to announce that the Aurora European University programme has secured a second round of funding under the 2023 European Universities Initiative Call by the European Commission. This ensures that Aurora can deepen its existing cooperation and continue its mission in higher education transformation.

Michal Malacka, Vice-rector for strategy and external relations commented that: “Aurora’s successful continuation to the next phase is a great achievement of the entire Aurora team and community. It is also a great reward to a hard-working Aurora team at UP, and we are excited to continue building our European University with 8 excellent strategic partners. For UP, Aurora ensures important partaking in the European higher education developments.”

The upcoming Aurora 2030 consortium, led by the University of Iceland, has been granted funding for a four-year period. This programme, which received 90/100 evaluative points from the Commission, builds on the significant progress made during the 2020-2023 pilot phase. Aurora President Jon Atli Benediktsson joyously shares:

“I am delighted that Aurora 2030 has been awarded a four-year continuation grant by the European Commission. This is a strong vote of confidence in Aurora’s mission to equip students with the skills and mindsets needed to address societal challenges. This new grant will allow us to continue working closely with our partners across Europe and beyond.”

The new programme will feature both a continuation of existing, as well as completely new Aurora activities. UP has significantly increased the role it will play in this new programme, with UP Aurora Institutional Coordinator, Selma Porobic commenting:

“I am very pleased to announce that UP has increased its leadership in a number of activities in the next Aurora programme, including Capacity Building and Community Engagement Work focusing on CEE countries and Ukraine, Engaging Regional Ecosystems and Stakeholders, Aurora Sustainable Campus, Aurora Student Community, and overall Sustainability of Aliance 2030+. We have also secured co-leadership in Education for Sustainable Devlopment, Innovative pedagogies, Academic collaboration, Social entrepreneurship and Innovation, Communication and dissemination, as well as Student services.”

More information on Aurora’s goals and priorities for this renewed commitment can be found here.

The Czech National Agency for international education, Dům zahraniční spolupráce, was also happy to congratulate UP being among the select Czech universities awarded continued support by the commission. They provided an overview of continuing and newly funded European University Alliances with Czech members here.

About Aurora
The Aurora 2030 consortium comprises the University of Iceland (UIce), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VUA), University of Innsbruck (UIBK), University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE), Copenhagen Business School (CBS), Palacký University Olomouc (UP), Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Université Paris Est Creteil (UPEC), and the University of Napoli Federico II (UNINA) as well as seven associated academic and non-academic partners including University of East Anglia (UEA), South-West University “Neofit Rilski” (SWUNR), Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice (UPJSK), the University of Tetova (UT), Kharkiv National University, European Forum Alpbach, Information Centre on Academic Mobility and Equivalence (CIMEA) who together span 13 countries.

Aurora Student Council

Written by Niels Hexspoor on 18. 6. 2023. Posted in Students.

Aurora Student Council

The Aurora Student Council is made up of representatives from across the Aurora Universities, working to support and help advise the Aurora universities’ senior management to help drive its collective ambitions forward. Each university is represented by two students. As a council, the ASC is committed to the social impact of our activities, with a common interest in the SDGs, engaging our student communities in everything we do. You can read more about the the Aurora Student Council here.

The Aurora Student Council is headed by an elected president. The current president of the Aurora Student Council is Hanuš Patera (Hanus.patera@gmail.com). The student council also has a Vice-president, a secretary and a communications officers. All these roles are fulfilled by members of the ASC, and are elected internally on a yearly basis.

Palacký University Olomouc is represented by two students. Our current Aurora Student Council Participants are:

Hanuš Patera – ASC President
Lucie Baďurová – ASC Communications Officer

You can follow the Aurora Student Council on Intagram @aurorastudentcouncil.

Interested in becoming one of Palacky University’s Aurora Representatives, reach out to Niels Hexspoor for more information.

Aurora Student Ambassador Program

Written by Niels Hexspoor on 18. 6. 2023. Posted in Students.

Aurora Student Ambassador Program

Do you want to broaden your horizons? Are you looking to meet students from all over Europe and develop your personal and professional competences? In that case the Aurora Student Ambassador programme is perfect for you.

The Aurora Student Ambassador programme is the easiest way for you to engage with the Aurora project. At the center of the activities are a series of online and in-person workshops that will focus on developing your professional skills and deepening your understanding of Aurora and its topics! Some of the work-shop topics include:

Intercultural Competences
Presenting
Environmental Sustainability
Student Leadership
Social Media Training

Being an Aurora student Ambassador is also a great way to meet students with similar interests, both in Olomouc and abroad!

Task Team Participation

To get the most out of your experience as an Aurora Student Ambassador, we recommend you sign up to join an Aurora Task team. You will join a working group of up international professionals, as well as other students, to give your opinion and contribute to the work done.

If you are able to dedicate between 12-40 hours, and want to develop skills, work in a professional network you should join an Aurora Task Team, as part of your Student Ambassador Experience! This will allow you to help build and directly contribute to Aurora.

For more information on the possibilities for UP Students within Aurora, please contact Niels Hexspoor (niels.hexspoor@upol.cz).

The Aurora Student Conference brought together the Aurora Student Community

Written by Niels Hexspoor on 16. 6. 2023. Posted in Academics, Students.

We are thrilled to share the highlights of the Aurora Student Conference, organized by Palacky University Olomouc on the 26th of May. The conference brought together the diverse layers of Aurora Student representation and was organized to foster connections, building a strong sense of community among students.

Held in conjunction with the Aurora Creative Writing Workshop, the Aurora Student Conference provided a unique opportunity for participants to engage with fellow Aurora students, from across various programs. This integration added an exciting dimension to the conference, allowing students to come together and forge new friendships.

With a total of 32 participants from nine different universities, the Aurora Student Conference was a melting pot of enthusiastic individuals. The group comprised members of the Aurora Student Council, dedicated Student Ambassadors and Champions, as well as members of the general student body.

What made this conference truly special was the pre-existing connections that many of the students had formed through previous Aurora opportunities, such as the Student Schemes, Biannuals, and other events organized across the alliance. These established bonds served as a strong foundation, enhancing the value of the event by deepening connections and fostering a genuine sense of belonging within the Aurora community.

Student mental health took center stage during the conference. Hanus Patera and Lucie Badurova, Student Council representatives for Palacky University Olomouc, led a compelling peer-learning workshop on mental health and mindfulness. Their insightful and practical approach to the topic truly resonated with the attendees. In addition, Niels Hexspoor facilitated an workshop on intercultural communication and competences, empowering students to reflect on and develop their intercultural skills.

Furthermore, the Aurora Student Conference provided a platform for an in-person meeting of the Aurora Student Council. While the council members convened, the session was also open to students who were not part of the council, promoting inclusivity and amplifying the diverse voices within Aurora.

As the conference drew to a close, participants were invited to a joint dinner. It was a delightful conclusion to an eventful and rewarding gathering.Stay tuned for more exciting events and opportunities to engage with fellow Aurora students as we continue to grow our Aurora Student Community.

Report – Aurora Student Conference

Looking back at the inspiring Aurora Creative Writing Workshop

Written by Niels Hexspoor on 16. 6. 2023. Posted in Academics, Students.

From the 22nd to the 26th of May 2023, Palacký University Olomouc and the University of East Anglia joined hands to host the Aurora Creative Writing Workshop.

In a testament to the power of collaboration, the Department of English and American Studies of Palacký University Olomouc, and the esteemed School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing of the University of East Anglia partnered to deliver an exceptional Creative Writing Workshop. This event embodied the spirit of international cooperation, fostering a vibrant exchange of ideas and nurturing budding writers.

During the workshop, participants embarked on a creative journey, delving into various writing genres and refining their craft. Guided by their instructors Andrea Holland and Logan Scott, this immersive experience kindled participants’ imaginations, allowing them to push the boundaries of their creativity and hone their writing skills.

The workshop’s true essence lay in the invaluable opportunity for writers to engage with peers from diverse cultural backgrounds. Participants represented 5 different Aurora Universities and hailed from various countries across the globe. The workshop program comprised an array of dynamic sessions, including writing exercises, and workshops. The Aurora Creative Writing Workshop connected to the Aurora Student Conference, allowing for even greater connectivety among Aurora Students.

Throughout the week, participants explored the richness of cross-cultural perspectives, fostering a sense of global awareness and understanding. The week culminated in an inspiring public reading, during which the participants presented the work they produced during the week.

Beyond honing their writing abilities, the workshop fostered connections that extended beyond the workshop’s timeframe. Through collaborative workshops, peer feedback, and social events, participants formed meaningful relationships with fellow Aurora students, laying the foundation for future collaborations and mutual support in their creative journeys.

As we reflect on the Creative Writing Workshop held between the 22nd and 26th of May 2023, organized by Palacký University Olomouc and the University of East Anglia, we celebrate the transformative experiences, cross-cultural connections, and enduring friendships that were forged during this remarkable event. A detailed breakdown of the event can be found below.

Report – Aurora Creative Writing Workshop & Aurora Student Conference

Author: Niels Hexspoor

Aurora Student Council

Aurora Student Ambassador Program