International Mountain Conference at the University of Innsbruck

Written by Niels Hexspoor on . 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 . Posted in Events, Students.

This summer, Copenhagen Business School will, for the first time, hold the Aurora Social Entrepreneurship Summer University between the 27th of June and the 15th  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: 

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 International Pub Quiz

Written by Niels Hexspoor on . 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 Research & Innovation – Kick-off

Written by Niels Hexspoor on . 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.

 

Webinar Series: Open Education Resources – Nuggets To Go

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

Aurora partners are invited to the webinar series on Open Educational Resources starting December 14th. The series are meant to illustrate a strategic part of universities’ improvement in the sector of Open Education.

The OER group wants to sensibilize teaching staff and students in the Aurora network for Open Educational Resources. It aims to raise awareness within Aurora universities on the many possibilities that Open Educational Resources offer. OER stimulates collaboration between teachers by reusing and remixing open materials. Students can participate in developing new and open educational resources.

In the webinars, the motto “content is king” will be used to emphasize the importance of free access to content, benefits and conditions of the creation and provision of learning materials.

Grab this opportunity to learn more about Open Educational Resources in these four upcoming webinars:

  • 14 December 2021
    • Introduction to Open Educational Resources (OER): benefits & licences & search engines
  • 18 January 2022
    • OER-enabled Pedagogy for teaching and learning in the digital age
  • 22 February 2022
    • Creation Processes: How to produce free content? How to produce reusable open content? How to re-mix different resources and how can OER be part of it?
  • 15 March 2022
    • Best Practices: Scenarios from Aurora universities, how to address staff & teachers. How to make students co-creation and content owners.

The full program for the OER Nuggets to go webinar series can be found here.

To follow a webinar, click on the Zoom link below and uset he meeting ID and password:

https://uni-due.zoom.us/j/63276664698?pwd=clA0K0NwRFBTdzhldUxZMnlGT1RKQT09 
Meeting-ID: 632 7666 4698
Password: 170896

Highlights of the Aurora Autumn Biannual in Tarragona

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

Between November 15th and 18th, a UP delegation visited our partners at the University of Rovira i Virgili, to participate in the Aurora Autumn Biannual in Tarrgona, Spain. The biannual was a great success and an excellent opportunity to meet in person and strengthen the ties with all of our partners.

The Biannual combined plenary sessions with intensive workgroup and management meetings. The absolute highlight of the event was the signing of the Multilateral Aurora Mobility Agreement. This agreement opens up many new mobility possibilities for both students and staff, between all Aurora Universities. 

The momentous Multilateral Aurora Mobility Agreement was signed by UP Rector Martin Prochazka.
 

During the Biannual, the Aurora top-management met twice, during the Aurora Presidents’ Strategic session and the Aurora Council meeting. During these meetings, the Presidents and Institutional Coordinators of all Aurora institutions came together to discuss the progress so far, as well as the next steps and the road ahead. The ICs also met on Monday the 15th in preparation for the two Aurora top-management meetings on the following days.  

The plenary sessions covered topics such as the inclusion of soft skills and SDG-perspective in the teaching of Aurora Universities through the use of the Aurora Competence Framework, as well as approaches and opportunities to internationalization of the curriculum. Featured were several highlevel debates, with prominent keynote speakers such as Xavier Prats Monné, the former Director-General for Education and Culture of the European Comission.  

The voice of students was given center stage during the event. In the weekend before the start of the biannual, 

The agreement was signed by dignitaries of all Aurora Universities.

students for all Aurora Universities gathered in Tarragona early to participate in the Aurora Student’s Design Thinking Jam, and give their input on what the Aurora Universities can do to facilitate meaningful international experiences for their students.

The outcomes of this session, ranging from the need for Aurora Student Events to mental health support and tackling issues with inclusivity were presented to the Aurora community during the biannual by the students themselves. Palacky University was excellently represented by four its students from four different faculties: Hanus Patera (FF), Dominik Vorac (PdF), Serge Nengali (PF), and Dominik Hlubek (PrF).  

On the 18th of November, a dedicated Kick-off for the Aurora Research & Innovation program took place. During the kick-off the leaders of the various Aurora RI activities got together to present their activities and the way forward, identifying the where and how to collaborate most efficiently.

A full overview of the presented materials, as well as photos and videos taken at the event can be found below:

VIDEOS

 PHOTOS

 PRESENTATIONS

A part of the UP delegation.
The UP delegation, together with the University of Innsbruck‘s delegation.
The Aurora Research & Innovation activity leaders.

Aurora Competence Framework – Staff Training at Palacky University Olomouc

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

On Wednesday the 8th of December, Kees Kouwenaar will visit Palacky University Olomouc to provide a staff training session on the Aurora Competence Framework.  During this comprehensive session for educators, you will learn more about how to include soft skills in your courses and programs. 

Equipping students not only with the subject knowledge and skills but also with the proficiencies and mindsets to address societal challenges is one of the key objectives of Aurora’s Educational programme – Learning for Societal Impact. 

The Aurora Competences Training Workshop will show teaching staff how to easily integrate general academic and personal competences into the learning outcomes of their existing courses and modules. The Workshop will also familiarise the teaching staff of the Aurora universities and their associate partner universities with the intersection of these with the role of the SDG perspective in their teaching.

This training session is organized by the Aurora Capacity Delevopment Support (CDS) Team, as one of their planned CDS-Awareness Raising Events, which play a central role in strengthening the capacity of the Aurora associate partner universities in key innovative domains of internationalization and social engagement. As such, the session is open to our associate partners as well as local UP teachers.  

Please register here for the event 

Registration deadline: 01/12/2021

NB: Due to Covid 19 measures, we are able to host only 20 people. This will impact the number of selected applicants for the in-person training. In the selection, we will prioritise Aurora associate partner universities.  Face-to-face training will be followed by a networking day for the associate partner participants on 09/12/2021.

More information? Aurora Competence Framework Training DEC 8th UP – Invitation and Agenda

Olomouc ACF Training – Poster

Introduction to Learner Analytics – key concepts

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

Learner Analytics is a developing area for universities – but it is not always clear what is meant by the term. This session will cover key aspects such as skills needed, technology required, the data that may be used, as well as practical implementation and ethical issues.

The purpose of this event is to give those working in a university environment an understanding of the main aspects, challenges and benefits of a Learner Analytics project. It will also aim to facilitate networking between those interested in this area.

Please send an expression of interest to Lucy Mellor at: L.Mellor@uea.ac.uk to allow us to organise the practical part of the session and to communicate with participants before the event. Deadline for registration is 16:00 GMT on Friday 19th November 2021 and participation is free of charge.

Join the session through this Teams-link on Thursday 25th of November 2021, 14:00-16:00 GMT (15:00 – 17:00 Central European Time).

Introduction to Learner Analytics – key concepts

 

University of Duisburg-Essen’s Spring School: Openness, Tolerance and Sense of Community Narratives and Realities of Contemporary Societies

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

There are many competing diagnoses and characterisations of contemporary societies: as capitalist, open, postmodern, transnational or polarised and divided. This Spring School aims to question such simplistic diagnoses and to analyse which, partly competing, partly complementary, ideas and hypotheses are hidden behind these labels. We want to understand which positionings and power relations are expressed in the various characterisations of contemporary societies and, based on this, question what is supposed to hold contemporary societies together – and whether it needs to be held together at all. In three panels we aim to investigate specifically how the humanistic ideals of public spirit and community, openness, and tolerance shape and are being shaped, striven for, as well as negotiated and contested by contemporary society. In addition, this Spring School features a performative societal laboratory, where we aim to generate a different, embodied and performative type of knowledge about the themes of the Spring School.

More information

The Spring School will take place in Duisburg, Germany in March 28th to April 1st 2022 and offers the opportunity to discuss recent advances in related research areas with highly regarded scholars in and invites students to present their related research agenda or outputs in three different and topically structured panels. Also we invite all participants to participate in an artistic performance with the aim to facilitate and foster reflection through collective action. The Spring School features panels on “Sense of Community in Transnational Societies,” “Cosmopolitanism and the post-developmental critique of open societies,” and “Politics of identity and cultures of (in-)tolerance.”

Registration requirements:

Please submit a brief CV (max. 1 page), an abstract on your doctoral research (max. 500 words), a motivation for your application (max. 250 words), an indication of preference of panel workshops (please indicate your priorities) and an indication of choice for the performative-participatory laboratory. The deadline for submissions is 10th of January 2022. Cost of registration is €400, including tuition, accommodation and meals.


Registration link

Registration process

 

Rethinking the “Dieta Meditteranea” in the Anthropocene – Hackathon

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

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