Niels Hexspoor

War in Ukraine: Rector’s Statement regarding our Aurora Partners V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University

Written by Niels Hexspoor on 3. 3. 2022. Posted in Academics, CDS-Network.

Below please find the statement of our Rector Martin Procházka on the current situation in Ukraine, in relation to our Aurora partnership with V.N Karazin Kharkiv National University.

Dear Aurora Alliance Presidents, and
Aurora Alliance Associate Universities’ Presidents

I would like to voice my concerns and deep disappointment regarding the ongoing Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine and the gross violation of international law. I have great fears – not only for the citizens of Ukraine – but also for the values upon which contemporary democratic governments in the countries of the European Union and elsewhere are founded. I fear that not only the people of Ukraine but also all democratic states are now facing a very difficult trial.

Palacký University Olomouc joins in expressing solidarity with the people of Ukraine, with all Ukrainian universities, and their students and employees. Our thoughts and solidarity are especially strong towards our Ukrainian students here, and colleagues and students of our partnering Aurora university, V.N Karazin Kharkiv University, and their families.

Importantly, I am using my voice to convey to you that Palacký University Olomouc, leading the activity Capacity Development Support Programme in Central-Eastern Europe, on behalf of all Aurora Alliance universities, is ready to provide immediate help and has put to use all the existing resources to support the incoming staff and students from Ukraine seeking shelter in Olomouc. Our emergency assistance is organized by the UP Volunteering Centre, and all the aid efforts are coordinated in line with the regional and national authorities.

I would also like to inform you that Palacky University Olomouc has centralized its overview of available resources and help it can offer to our Ukrainian students and partnering staff on the following webpage: https://www.upol.cz/en/ukraine/. These resources are available in Czech, English, and most importantly in Ukrainian.

Finally, Russia’s aggression on Ukraine has severely eroded Czech-Russian collaborations, including academic ones. We are currently considering to discontinue the existing MoUs as well as Erasmus collaboration with Russian and Belorussian Universities, in protest of the developing situation.

Our history and experience allow us to generate deep understanding of the desperate situation Ukraine and its people now find themselves in. We stand together with Ukraine; we stand together with our fellow European citizens, and we invite you to join us!

Martin Procházka
Rector, Palacký University Olomouc

A pdf of this letter can be found here.

Czech for Beginners – Free Online Course

Written by Niels Hexspoor on 25. 2. 2022. Posted in Academics, CDS-Network, Events, Students.

Would you like to learn how to say “strč prst skrz krk” , and do you want to start learning a Slavonic language? Than this is the course for you!

Through this online course of Czech for beginners, you will start your discovery of the Czech language, and learn all the necessary basics. This class could be an ideal preparation for a stay in the Czech Republic, for example on an Erasmus Exchange, an Aurora Mobility, or even a holiday.

The Czech for Beginners course will comprise of ten one-hour classes. The weekly classes will be taught by Tereza Koudelíková and will take place on Zoom.

This free online language course is open to all Aurora students and employees. Interested? Register for Czech for Beginners here!

The full program (pdf) of the course can be found here.

The classes take place every week on Wedneday:

- April 6, 2022 03:00 PM, CET
- April 13, 2022 03:00 PM, CET
- April 20, 2022 03:00 PM, CET
- April 27, 2022 03:00 PM, CET
- May 4, 2022 03:00 PM, CET
- May 11, 2022 03:00 PM, CET
- May 18, 2022 03:00 PM, CET
- May 25, 2022 03:00 PM, CET
- June 1, 2022 03:00 PM, CET
- June 8, 2022 03:00 PM, CET

Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.

After registering, you can join the classes with the zoom link below:

Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 974 8333 4287
Passcode: 378265

Organized by Palacký University Olomouc in the framework of the Aurora Multilinguistic Proficiency Plan.

International Mountain Conference at the University of Innsbruck

Written by Niels Hexspoor on 17. 2. 2022. Posted in Academics, Events, Students.

We´d like to call your attention and invite you to take part in the International Mountain Conference International Mountain Conference – #IMC2022.

The IMC2022 will take place from September 11 – 15 2022 in Innsbruck, Austria. It provides an excellent opportunity for experts from different disciplines to discuss mountain-related issues in a cross-disciplinary setting with flexible session formats. The key goals of the conference are to synthesize and enhance our understanding of mountain systems, in particular their response and resilience to global change.

Focus Sessions are offered in the fields of

Agriculture
Atmosphere
Biodiversity
Climate (Change)
Conservation
Cryo- & Hydrosphere
Ecosystems
ES-Forests
(Natural) Hazards
Monitoring
Policy Making
Socio-Ecology
Sustainable Development
Tourism
Water management

Prior to the conference , the S4SSS summer school International Mountain Conference – IMC (imc2022.info) (September 5-9)

is dedicated to PhD-students working in mountainous regions in the fields of Atmosphere, (Paleo-)Climate, Glaciers, Natural Hazards and Tourism. In contrast to classical summer schools, the focus is placed on peer-to-peer interactions to facilitate and encourage networking among the students, helping them build connections they can capitalize on in their future research careers.

Call for abstracts is open for both events until Feburary 16, 2022

Conference: Abstract-Submission – International Mountain Conference (imc2022.info)

Summer School: Abstract-Submission – International Mountain Conference (imc2022.info)

Please note: students and researchers from AURORA universities might be eligilbe for mobility grants – please check with your local AURORA office.

Aurora Social Entrepreneurship Summer University at Copenhagen Business School, 27th June – 15th July

Written by Niels Hexspoor on 16. 2. 2022. Posted in Events, Students.

This summer, Copenhagen Business School will, for the first time, hold the Aurora Social Entrepreneurship Summer University between the 27^th of June and the 15^th of July). Sign up now!

There are six reserved spots for students from UPOL. You can take the course free of cost and can also apply for an Aurora travel grant to cover your travel and hotel cost.

There are two different courses (both give 7.5 ECTS), one introductory course for bachelor students and one business modeling course for master students. In both cases you will do site visits with interesting social entrepreneurs. Moreover, participants will work on a practical project and you will be able to submit your final product for the #impaktWISE Awards, where you have the chance to win start-up funding of ca. 3000 Euros.

The links to the course descriptions are here:

Bachelor Level: BA-BHAAI1097U An Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship (https://kursuskatalog.cbs.dk/2021-2022/BA-BHAAI1097U.aspx)
Master Level: KAN-CCMVI2115U Social Entrepreneurship and Business Model Innovation (https://kursuskatalog.cbs.dk/2021-2022/KAN-CCMVI2115U.aspx)

Application is open from 17 February until 15 March. Students can sign up here:
https://www.cbs.dk/en/study/international-summer-university/application-and-fees.

UP Aurora Course Overview for 2022

Written by Niels Hexspoor on 4. 2. 2022. Posted in Students.

For the upcoming Summer and Winter Semester Palacký University Olomouc welcomes Aurora students to participate in several of our courses. We have over 45 courses available, in various different fields.

The full overview of our available courses can be found here.

If you are interested in participating in one of these courses, you can use the following Registration Form. For more information on the courses or the registration procedure, feel free to contact Martina Baleková.

Course Code	Course Title	Credits
KHI/HH	History of Holocaust	5
KHI/EHM	Economic history of the modern world	5
KHI/RFB	The Rise and Fall of the British Empire	5
KHI/XDRNF	Texts and Images in Early Modern Culture	3
JUD/PJL	Prayer and Piety: Introduction to Jewish Liturgy	4
JUD/I6	Modern Hebrew for Advanced Students	2
KAA/APG2	Grammar in Use 2	3
ASK/19SKK	Specifics of Korean Culture	4
KRS/DISPV	Dialects and Languages in Spain	6
KRS/DLISV	History of Spanish and Hispanoamerican Linguistics	6
KRS/IJLAV	Indigenous Languages of Latin America	6
KRP/PK4	Portuguese Conversation 4	2
KFK/PTTPO	Cognitive Theory	6
KBV/GINT2	General and Special Introduction NT (2)	4
KST/EMR	Ethics of Marriage and Family	4
KST/PTTMT	Actual Topics in Moral Theology	2
KUP / CSEC	Constitutional Systems of European Countries	4
KFI/NTCP3	Embodied Cognitive Science	5
KPE/BPPS	Problems of Post-Soviet World	5
KAA/AJC4	English Language 4	3
KAA/AJC5	English Language 5	3
KAA/BRL1	British Literature 1 (1800-1900)	4
KAA/BS2M	British Studies 2: Modern Br. Society	4
KAA/BS3G	British Studies 3: Cultural Geography	4
KBV/ITGOL	The Gospel of Luke	2
–	Czech for Beginners	–
KAE/SSE	Sustainable Social Enterprises	4
PCH/BIESP	Introduction to Educational and School Psychology	4
–	Summer School of Slavonic Languages	–
KAJ/AJZ1@	Teaching English to Young Learners 1	2
KAJ/YBRL1	British Literature 1	5
KAJ/YCBRL	Contemporary British Literature	5
KNJ/YLEX1	German Lexikologie 1/Lexicology 1	5
KAJ/DISK@	Teaching Language Skills	2

You can find out more about these courses and their syllabi by clicking here and looking up the course using the code or course title.

COIL Virtual Partnering Fair – 17.02.2022

Written by Niels Hexspoor on 4. 2. 2022. Posted in Students.

We all know that Virtual Exchange/COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) is a good opportunity to further internationalize our institutions. Within Aurora, we believe that there is still room for development. In this regard, the Universita Rovira I Virgili would like to invite you all to the first Aurora COIL Virtual Partnering Fair, set to take place on the 17th of February between 13:00 and 14:30 CET.

For academics looking for new COIL teaching partners, you are invited to fill in this form before the 10th of February so your information can be featured in the upcoming Aurora COIL Partnering Bulletin. The Fair is open to all academics, including all teaching staff members.

After registration, the event can be accessed through Zoom.

Aurora COIL Virtual Partnering Fair

UP Aurora International Pub Quiz

Written by Niels Hexspoor on 3. 2. 2022. Posted in Academics, Events, Students.

On Friday the 18th of February, we will organize the first UP Aurora International Pub Quiz at 18:00 at the Kavarna na Cucky, at the Dolni Namesti

The quiz will test your knowledge of the Music, Culture and History of the countries of Aurora Members. So if you know everything about Italian Cuisine, Dutch Football and British Actors, or if you just want to have a nice evening, meet new people and practice your English, sign up now!

The quiz is organized by our Aurora Students, and it is open for teams of 3 to 6 participants.

It will also be a great opportunity to learn more about the possibilities to visit these countries as part of the Aurora program.

Aurora Course Offerings at the University of Innsbruck

Written by Niels Hexspoor on 14. 1. 2022. Posted in Students.

Through Aurora, you have the opportunity to participate in classes organized by other Aurora Universities. Our Aurora partners at the University of Innsbruck (UIBK) welcome you to particpate in a variety of courses, for example on Educational Inequality or Environment & Care: Canadian Perspectives.

Take a look at the UIBK Aurora Course Offerings below for a complete overview of available courses, as well as practical information on enrolling and frequently asked questions.

Aurora Course Offerings – University of Innsbruck (uibk.ac.at)

Aurora Research & Innovation – Kick-off

Written by Niels Hexspoor on 6. 1. 2022. Posted in Academics, Events.

On the 9th of December, Palacký University Olomouc organized its local kick-off of the Aurora Research and Innovation (Aurora RI) program.

The program, funded through the Horizon 2020 – Science with and for Society (SwafS) – scheme aims to strengthen and empower research support and innovation within Aurora and will, for example, enable the sharing of research infrastructure, strengthen Open Science policies in line with EU frameworks and provide new training and support mechanisms for researchers.

The meeting was opened by the Vice-Rector for Strategy Michal Malacka, pointing the alignment of Aurora RI with the universities strategic goals.

The Aurora RI project manager, Auður Inga Rúnarsdóttir, joined us in Olomouc to attend the kick-off and meet the UP Aurora RI team, led by UP Aurora RI coordinator Marie Jadrníčkova.

Auður Inga Rúnarsdóttir, Aurora RI Project Manager

During the meeting, the UP participants touched base on the current state of affairs in their international working groups, and had a chance to meet each other and identify any overlaps between their work.

Author: Niels Hexspoor