News

Uppsala University has announced its honorary doctors for this academic year. The new honorary doctors include researchers in fields as diverse as string theory, maternal healthcare, evolutionary biology, the European history of ideas, prostata cancer and preschool pedagogy. Among them there are also two U4Society professors: Petra Broomans (Groningen/Ghent) and Michel Vandenbroeck (Ghent).

The title of honorary doctor is conferred upon individuals who have done outstanding academic work or in some other way promoted research at the University. Honorary doctors ara alway appointed upon decision by the nine faculties. The conferment ceremony for new honorary doctors will be held in the University Main Building on 31 January 2020.

During three weeks, between July 21 and August 11, a team of Bachelor and Master students of Ghent University, Groningen University, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, and Uppsala Universitet participated in a Field School Material Culture in Thorikos (Attika, GR).

The field school offers students an excellent opportunity to acquire real field work experience with excavations, aracheological prospects and different categories of material findings covering a broad chronological spectrum.

End of August 2019, representatives from nine European universities met up to form a new cooperation and kick-off a joint application in the framework of the second call for European Universities Networks.

The new consortium will join forces of the two existing university networks U4Society (Ghent (BE), Göttingen (DE), Tartu (EE),Groningen (NL), Uppsala (SE)) and BBG Alliance (Basque Country (ES), Bordeaux (FR), Galway (IE)) as well as of the Comenius University of Bratislava (SK) as a ninth partner.

This U4Society Summer School 'Systems and Resources for Sustainable Energy' was hosted by Uppsala University from 28-30 August 2019 and focused on the roles and interplay of energy systems, resources and new technology in areas of key importance for sustainable energy development.

The summer course involved 18 students (of which 1 from Göttingen, 7 from Groningen and 10 from Uppsala. The students had a diverse background, ranging from theoretical and experimental physics, over earth sciences and electronics, to material sciences, chemistry and biology.

An intense program covered different aspects of sustainability and energy systems. There were two lecture contributions by Ghent University professors, in addition to the ones from Uppsala. The study visits to Vattenfall and Vasakronan were very appreciated by the students. There was also time for some social activities, such as a visit to the Gustavianum and a course dinner.

Uppsala University hosted this year’s U4Society Summer School ‘The Ageing Brain’ from 25 to 31 August 2019.

During a full week 22 Master and PhD students from Groningen, Göttingen, Ghent and Uppsala gathered in the Rudbeck Laboratory where they took part of lectures and workshops related to “The Ageing Brain”. Lecturers and Instructors from the four universities highlighted preclinical as well as clinical aspects of neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders.

As a more interactive part of the program the students were given an opportunity to also present their own research during a digital poster session. Moreover, the participants were given a guided tour in one of the original buildings of the University where everyone could enjoy one of the world’s oldest preserved anatomical theatres, established by the famous Swedish scientist Olof (Olaus) Rudbeck (1630-1702). A boat tour on the lake of Mälaren with a guided visit to Skokloster, a 17th century Baroque castle, was also included in the programme.