Author: Niels Hexspoor

Rethinking the “Dieta Meditteranea” in the Anthropocene – Hackathon

Taking place on the 6th and 7th of December at the University of Naples, Federico II, in this two-day hackathon we invite you to co-create conceptual solutions for rethinking the Mediterranean food economy, departing from the concept of the Mediterranean diet.

Man-made climate change, species extinction and other environmental factors linked to the condition of the Anthropocene will radically alter the conditions for food production and consumption in the coming decades. Indeed, the effects of these developments are already visible as farmers all over the world are faced with rising insecurity and unpredictability that derive from new weather, temperature and humidity patterns. At the same time, the food economy is changing: there is a new inflow of highly skilled, university-educated neo-rurals who bring with them novel conceptions of entrepreneurship and management; digital technologies- from drones and precision agriculture, via blockchains, down to ‘simple’ e-commerce sites- empower food production and distribution in new ways; and there is a re-discovery of ‘traditional’ foods and production techniques along with a novel appreciation of forgotten tastes and aesthetics.

How to empower alternative forms of production and consumption that are both productive and resilient? How will the Mediterranean diet itself change (through, for example, the introduction of formerly ‘tropical’ produce, like mangoes and avocados, that now grow in Southern Italy)? How to guarantee worker rights and ensure proper remuneration in a rural economy marked by a powerful role of informal economic networks as well as persisting structural racism? Further information can be found here.

Registration process and requirements: Applicants must send a one-page CV to afi.soedarsono@societing by 30 November 2021. Participation in the Hackathon is free of charge.

Rethinking Dieta Meditteranea in the Anthropocene Hackathon

Aurora Open Day Report

On October 18th, the Aurora Office of the Palacky University in Olomouc organized an Open Day event for the University faculties. Rector Martin Prochazka opened the event and welcomed the participants, reminding us all how significant it is to acknowledge the event being the first larger physical gathering after the COVID phase at our University, and also a first physical gathering for Aurora participants and the interested parties since the start of the Aurora European Universities Alliance programme, in November 2020.

Rector further emphasized how UP together with 8 other European universities in Aurora has pledged to transform higher education by modernizing our institutions to meet the societal challenges, and how proud he is to continue this important work of our University in the Alliance of European Universities, building a strong European future together.

Under his leadership, we will work to strengthen UP’s position within the Aurora as well as to use this strategic partnership and international cooperation to advance the results and quality of our university. As he invited for joint collaboration he also stated that “To achieve the best results, we need to work together. We will make sure that Aurora benefits faculties and provides the best services and resources to the academic community and our students.”

After the opening remarks by the UP Rector, Selma Porobic, the Aurora Institutional Coordinator at UP, provided a full overview of the European Universities Initiative and its positioning in the policy context of European higher education. She introduced the Aurora Alliance and achievements of the collaboration after the current 1-year progress reporting.

She pointed to a noteworthy increase in strategic and cross-regional EU partnerships addressing the widespread trans-national issues, like climate change, reduction of poverty, social injustice and inequalities, and the new technologies that are rapidly changing our work conditions and everyday lives. [1] In the EU’s higher education sector, the most significant has indeed been the strategic partnerships scheme, launched by European Commission (EC) as European Universities Initiative, under the Erasmus Plus Framework Programme.

It is considered as one of the leading initiatives of the EU’s ambitions to build a European Education Area by supporting the creation of universities of the future, promoting European values and identity, and revolutionizing the quality and competitiveness of European higher education.[2] After two calls only, already 41 university alliances are formed, joining together 279 higher education institutions in Europe and its neighboring countries.[3] 

Dr. Porobic also introduced the work of Aurora Alliance and the joint management and governance model with impressive results, and a record of growing academic collaboration among academics of 9 universities. Furthermore, she introduced the new leadership model introduced at UP as of October, which places the Aurora programme under the Vice-rector for Strategy and provides important Strategic coordination of the work and results. She also introduced the Aurora Office at UP with services for the faculties.

In the following panel ‘European Universities and UP – Strategy and Future’ the Strategic management of the Aurora programme at UP was presented in detail by Vice-rector for Strategy Michal Malacka, stressing the embedding of Aurora programme deliverables into the existent governance structures supporting the realization of the UP Strategic goals 2021-2027. Dr. Malacka moderated the panel in which Vicerectors Education, Vit Zouhar, Communication, and Student Affairs, Vit Prochazka, and IT, evaluation and Sustainability, Tomas Opatrny all presented their work packages (WP3,4,5) and alignment with UP strategic goals in their respective sectors.

The next panel ‘What we do in Aurora’ consisted of the UP Activity leaders, Marie Jadrnickova, Marie Rakova, Tereza Kalouskova, Niels Hexspoor, promoting the concrete results in the International traineeships, Research Collaboration, Sustainable Campus, and the Capacity Development Support programme.  Introduction to Aurora student schemes, ambassadors and champions, was also part of this panel.

 

 

In the afternoon, the panel Education and Mobility in Aurora, focused on the four pilot domain areas: Climate and Environmental Sustainability, Health and Wellbeing, Digital Society and Global Citizenships, Culture: Identity and diversity.  Aurora partners are testing the educational collaboration in these and the panel representatives from four different UP faculties (Science faculty, arts faculty, Education Faculty and Health sciences) presented the results of this work so far with the current offers of joint lecture series, courses and upcoming joint degree programmes to the audience. At the same time the developing UP Aurora mobility schemes for students and staff were introduced, along with the Multilateral Aurora Mobility Agreement (to be signed during the Aurora Biannual in November) that will enable the increase of mobility exchanges across the 9 university partners.

 

The event was finalized with Open Questions and Answers, with the UP aurora office. Next on the agenda are separate Faculty visits and Aurora open day for students in spring 2022.

The day after on October 19th the Aurora project team had a long-time promised Teambuilding Event at Chateau Lednice.

[1]See e.g. Alliance for Multilateralism in 2019, a network of over 20 nations, bridging the so cold Global North-South divide and the latest Euro-Atlantic initiative, entitled ‘Marshall Plan for Democracy’

[2] See the EC’s Factsheet about this initiative.

[3] Initially, some 20 bottom-up networks by 2024 were called for (December 2017 Conclusions, of the European Council).

Co-Creation Training Workshop – VU Amsterdam

The Co-creation Training Workshop which will be held on February 3rd to 5th, 2022 at the Athena Institute, Vrije University Amsterdam (VUA), the Netherlands, will provide a platform for Co-creation experts, practitioners, interested researchers and educators, Ph.D. students, and community partners to discuss and share knowledge and experiences on co-creation practices aimed towards connecting science and society. The main aims of the event are as follows:

  • Facilitate sharing of ideas and experiences on co-creation (best practices, pitfalls, innovations)
  • Connect co-creation experts, practitioners, students, and community partners from around the world
  • Build an engaged community of co-creation practitioners
  • Foster co-creation practices in research and education within and beyond the AURORA alliance

The full program can be found here.

 

Interdisciplinary Community Service Learning Course (ICSL) organized by the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Do you want to get more out of your Master‘s program and participate in real-life experiences with pioneering communities? Do you want to be better prepared for your career after graduation? Do you want to start building a professional network and do you want to stand out from your peers? But do you also want to start contributing to societal impact before you even graduate? Do you want to cross the boundaries of your discipline and the walls of the university? Do you want to do creative and action-oriented research with an international group of students? Are you interested in doing your Master’s research, thesis or internship on any topic related to digitalization, digital inclusion or climate adaptation in the city? The Interdisciplinary Community Service Learning Course (iCSL) welcomes master students from any disciplinary background and university across the world to engage in inter-and transdisciplinary knowledge co-creation.

HOW TO JOIN?
 
Participating in iCSL awards you credits that can be added to your master’s diploma or you can get a separate certificate. Completion of the first course awards 3 ECTS, and the second 6 ECTS. For more information and sign-up, visit vu.nl/icsl or contact: Eduardo Urias eduardo.munizpereiraurias@vu.nl

ICSL COURSE 1: DEFINING CHALLENGES Period 2 (nov-dec): Tuesdays 17.30-19.00 
The first course prepares you to identify and define complex challenges together with communities, in theory and practice. In order to integrate the perspectives of different actors, you conduct interviews and ultimately bring relevant organizations, people, and businesses together at a big event. The course builds up to this dialogue event at which you facilitate the group discussion with participants.

ICSL COURSE 2: ADDRESSING CHALLENGES Semester 2 
In the second iCSL course you address identified challenges, broadly as well as in-depth. Each member of the cross-disciplinary team tackles one aspect of the larger challenge within their own research project. This allows for in-depth application and development of your own disciplinary knowledge and methods. Throughout the process, you meet periodically with your cross-disciplinary team to integrate the insights from all projects, and consider the wider implications for the broad societal issue. By the end of the project, you collectively deliver an interdisciplinary report and present the project results during a Dialogue Event.

The full schedule can be found here!

Meet the Aurora Universities – Webinar Series

We may not have had the opportunity to visit all ten of the other universities, nor indeed those countries, but in the five years since Aurora began, how well do we really know our Aurora partners?

We’re all research-intensive with an international outlook, collectively supporting our students to become global entrepreneurs. But could you list the home country of each partner? Its academic strengths? Its research collaborations?

The Borderless Learning: Recognition and Mobility Group (WP3.3.1) is hosting a week-long series of webinars from November 2nd to 5th, aiming to answer questions from the very basic level – why would a student choose to study there – from its campus and location, to its courses, to its inclusive community. Each Aurora university will take just 60 minutes, all following a similar structure and format, to showcase itself to other Aurora universities.

Whether you’re a student, an administrative adviser or coordinator of placements, or an academic looking to strengthen your European partnerships; tune in (or watch the recordings) to find out more. You could just turn out to be learning about your next destination.

Get To Know Your Aurora University Study Abroad Partner Destinations – A Webinar Series for students and staff

Are you on a study abroad pathway? Interested in studying a short course abroad? Keen to experience living and learning in another part of Europe? Or helping to advise those that are? Join as many of these eleven webinars as you like! All will be live streamed and recorded for follow-up access.

Click here for the full schedule!

 

University of Innsbruck – (Service) Design Thinking Course for educators

This (Service) Design Thinking for educators course provides a way for educators to gain new perspectives on teaching, research, and problem-solving. It is a hands-on learning opportunity, not by talking about new teaching formats but by actually creating one.

During highly interactive sessions, you will work in teams and develop an exemplary course that intends to play with and maybe even breaks the traditional classroom boundaries.

To register within the University of Innsbruck, please use the VIS:online Tool of Universität Innsbruck and to register externally please send an email to personalentwicklung@uibk.ac.at.

Registration deadline is 15.11.2021.

The (Service) Design Thinking for educators

Online Self-Management Training open now to all Aurora Students

The University of Naples Federico II organizes the group self-management training that aims to work on the transversal strategic skills: strategies for effective time management, strategies for motivation in one’s training and professional project; strategies for achieving goals; and strategies for problem-solving. The group of students will be in the space of mirroring and sharing each academic experience and a space to construct a learning by doing arena. 

 

To register, please send an e-mail with your name, surname, university to which you belong, course of study and nationality to: mapper.sinapsi@unina.it.

 

The Self Management Training is offered to all university students of any degree and year of course. The event will be entirely online via Microsoft Teams using a specific channel called “In Teams per il Successo Formativo”.

Participation is free and open to all students of the Aurora Universities, including Palacky University Olomouc.

Please visit the Sinapsi website at www.sinapsi.unina.it, keep up to date on Facebook and Instagram page of Sinapsi Centre, Federico II University Naples.

Please view the flyer below for more information.

Self management training

Societal Challenges Virtual Lecture Series & Early Career Networking Hour

In these times of climate change, pandemic, forced migration and increasing economic and political alienation, crisis talk is ubiquitous. While the world’s problems are unquestionably urgent, the current discourse of emergency risks aggravating them by privileging quick but ineffective reaction over the calm, reflexive analysis that is a necessary first step in combatting the woes besetting us.

The objective of this lecture series is to provide an antidote to impulsive disaster talk through perceptive academic analysis. Outstanding researchers within the Aurora University Alliance will give engaging online lectures during the 2021–2022 academic year on cutting edge research within two broad domains, Sustainability & Climate Change and Culture: Diversity & Identity

Each lecture will be followed by a virtual social hour for doctoral and postdoctoral researchers which will allow them to network with peers across the Aurora Alliance and start building the research teams that will deal with the challenges of the future.

Learn More and Register Here 

The full program for the Aurora Lecture Series can be found below. 

AURORA_Lecture_Series_2021-22

OCTOBER

  • 13 October 2021, 17:00–18:30 CET
    Circular innovation and sustainable entrepreneurship
    Prof. Dr. Ir. Bart Bossink (Sustainability and Innovation, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
  • 27 October 2021, 17:00–18:30 CET
    Ignorance, ritual, abuse, and competition: The politics of Holocaust memory in the 21st century
    Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Dirk Rupnow (History, University of Innsbruck)

NOVEMBER

  • 11 November 2021, 17:00–18:30 CET
    Have you ever loved someone without housing? Houselessness and fundamental rights in a welfare state
    Dr. Luisa Schneider (Social and Cultural Anthropology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
  • 18 November 2021, 17:00–18:30 CET
    Insect declines in the Anthropocene: Framing is everything
    Prof. Dr. Jeff Harvey (Animal Ecology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)

– WINTER BREAK –

FEBRUARY

  • 16 February 2022, 17:00–18:30 CET
    Historical and literary perspectives on pandemics: The need for a gendered response
    Prof. Dr. Patricia Plummer (Postcolonial Studies, University of Duisburg-Essen)
  • 17 February 2022, 17:00–18:30 CET
    Places to intervene in a system in crisis: Paradigm shift through Wellbeing Economy and Ecocide Law
    Prof. Kristín Vala Ragnarsdóttir (Sustainability, University of Iceland)

MARCH

  • 23 March 2022, 17:00–18:30 CET
    Measuring sustainability
    Doc. Mgr. Miroslav Syrovátka (Development & Environmental Studies, Palacký University Olomouc)
  • 24 March 2022, 17:00–18:30 CET
    Is there something new in ‘neo-nationalism’? Right-wing populism in historical perspective
    Prof. Guðmundur Hálfdánarson (History, University of Iceland)

APRIL

  • 7 April 2022, 17:00–18:30 CET
    The importance of early climate mitigation for future glacier change
    Dr. Fabien Maussion (Atmospheric and Cryospheric Sciences, University of Innsbruck)
  • 19 April 2022, 17:00–18:30 CET
    Decolonial approaches to laïcité as a mode to re-think contemporary Islamophobia
    Prof. Nadia Kiwan (French and Francophone Studies, University of Aberdeen)

The lectures will take place on Zoom and the networking sessions on the interactive Wonder platform.You can register for individual dates or the
entire series. You will receive a certificate for your participation. 

Learn More and Register Here 

 

Become the next Aurora Student Ambassador or Aurora Student Champion

The Aurora Student Council is organizing the second round of its successful Auror Student Ambassor and Aurora Student Champion Scheme.

  • Are you looking to develop your skills for the graduate job market?
  • Have something to say about the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals?
  • Want to help your university internationalise?
  • Ready to enhance your academic studies with some meaningful volunteering?
  • You enjoy networking, discussion forums, independent research, writing, sharing experiences?
  • Do have a few hours this year to do something worthwhile?

We have the project just for you!

Each Aurora university is looking to recruit a group of its students to help share the objectives of Aurora – will you be your university’s student voice?

The Aurora Student Schemes provide opportunities for students from Aurora Network and Alliance universities to engage in a voluntary position, getting involved directly in the work of Aurora and sharing the values of Aurora at their home university.

Find out more about the work of Aurora here.

Students are at the heart of everything we do, so it is important we have student representatives engaged in everything we do. You can be a key part of the work led by the Aurora Student Council and can choose how much you get involved in the Aurora project working groups, working on something that really interests you.

Become an Aurora Student Ambassador

If you have a few hours to spare this year, this is the scheme for you!

You will attend a training session to learn more about Aurora and representing the student body, and the types of activity you could choose to do… such as writing a blog, planning an Aurora event, creating resources and promoting Aurora activity on social media. This could just be a one-off activity or ad hoc hours during the year when it suits you. You will be guided by your university or Aurora Student Council representative, with the opportunity to meet other students on the Schemes during “drop-in” style sessions.

Become and Aurora Student Champion

You want to dedicate between 12-40 hours to developing your graduate skills, working in a professional network, adding evidence of work to your CV and gaining a certificate and reference.

You will attend a training session to learn more about Aurora and representing the student body, and the types of activity you can get involved in… you will be allocated to an Aurora project working group, invited to meet its members and learn about its work, contribute to discussions and help develop ideas and activity outputs. You will keep a log of the hours you work and gather evidence to show what you’ve achieved. You will be guided by your allocated working group, you will have opportunities to contribute to Aurora-wide events, you will be guided on how to evidence your work and will be paired with other Champions, so you can work together on projects. You will also have the opportunity to meet other students on the Schemes during “drop-in” style sessions.

Ready to learn more about how you can get involved?

Watch the Aurora Student Schemes Pre-Application Briefing

APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN! APPLY HERE

Don’t miss your chance to get involved. Tell your friends and classmates to ensure your university is well-represented within Aurora this year. 

Questions about getting involved in the schemes?

The 2021-2022 Schemes are administered by our partners at the University of East Anglia.

Email us at aurora.champions@uea.ac.uk

KNOWCON 2021: Knowledge on Economics and Management (November 11-12, 2021)

The Department of Economic and Managerial Studies, Palacký University Olomouc would like to invite you to the 17th anniversary of the conference KNOWCON 2021: Knowledge on Economics and Management that will be held online on November 11-12, 2021. The conference is open to all students from within the Aurora universities free of charge.

International scientific conference KNOWCON: Knowledge on Economics and Management has been held since 2005 (before 2019 as Knowledge for Market Use) and its goal is to gather and present current knowledge on management, marketing, financial management, and other fields of knowledge economy. The conference proceedings of 2012-2017 have been indexed by WoS, the proceedings of 2018-2020 are being evaluated.

One of the panels of KNOWCON 2021 will be focused on social entrepreneurship with Kai Hockerts, social entrepreneurship specialist from Copenhagen Business School, as a keynote speaker with a special lecture. For more information please see https://kems.upol.cz/knowcon/

To register your interest in joining this free conference, please email Pavla Slavíčková at pavla.slavickova@upol.cz  stating your name and University before November 1st 2021. You will receive a link to the conference thereafter.

Do not hesitate to contact us in case of need at knowledgeconference@upol.cz.