New horizons 2 2015

NEW HORIZONS M AG A Z I N E F RO M U P P S A L A U N I V E R S I T Y

•

ISSUE 2, 2015

CREATIVE MIA PHILLIPSON ON FREE THINKING, page 20

cultural HERITAGE ISSUE INSIDE:

MILLENNIUM-OLD MESSAGES IN STONE page 12 GREEN CITIES WITH INTERNET OF THINGS page 14 BUILDING A VIRTUAL INTESTINE page 24

1

NEW HORIZONS ISSUE 2, 2015

IN THIS ISSUE: THEME: CULTURAL HERITAGE 4 Culture that drives development 7 World heritage not just for tourists 8 Tourist trail 9 Ancient objects: a research resource

Bearers of culture all A FEW YEARS AGO there was a sensational discovery in the basement of the

Evolutionary Biology Centre in Uppsala. In an unopened box from the 1920s a human tooth was found. It proved to come from prehistoric ‘Peking Man’.

This is a telling example of what finds the University’s rich collections may hold. They comprise objects from all over the world that have come to us — donated, brought by researchers and, as war booty, gifted by potentates. Vital jigsaw pieces from other cultures’ history are preserved in our custody. What all these items have in common is that they help us to understand human development. Our function as a university is to use the objects in our research and teaching, but also to exhibit our collections to visitors and thereby contrib­ ute to discussion and knowledge.

Some objects have extra symbolic value and generate debates. Parts of our collections have been restored to people whose ownership rights actually outweigh ours. At times, things have reached us by such sombre paths that we can no longer take responsibility for keeping them here with us. In the early summer, for example, ten skulls were given back to French Polynesia in a special ceremony. It marked an important ending to a complicated story.

I am proud of the University’s cultural heritage, our collections and how we manage them. Since a year ago, researchers, teachers and students have had better access to the objects. In this issue of New Horizons, you can read about a project using modern DNA technology to investigate textiles from a Viking ship burial in Valsgärde: an example of how the collections keep yielding new knowledge.

Cultural heritage is far more than just objects. We too are a culture bearer, with all our staff and students — all in this seat of learning today, all those who were here before us and those who will follow. We have an inheritance to sustain, a culture to protect and discuss, and our cultural heritage lives on. n

Eva Åkesson, Vice-Chancellor

10 Surprising finds of Viking apparel 12 Millennium-old messages cut in stone 14 In focus: Smarter city with Internet of Things 16 Technology demands trust 17 In brief 20 Researcher profile Mia Phillipson:

‘Swedish research needs self-confidence’

23 Keen interest in life-expectancy test 24 Building a virtual intestine 27 Uppsala first with new myoma treatment 28 Outlook: Long way from action plan to results 30 Human rights for State employees 32 Successful learning formula 34 Alumna profile Ha Soojeong:

Studying in Uppsala led to authorship

36 Alumni around the world 38 The Good City in focus 40 Last word: Lars Burman, chief librarian:

The digital continent

New Horizons is Uppsala University’s magazine about research and education. It is issued twice a year, in English and in Swedish (Nya horisonter). The magazine can be ordered free of charge or down­ loaded as a PDF at www.uu.se/new-horizons.

Address: Communication and External Relations, Uppsala University

PO Box 256, SE-751 05 Uppsala, Sweden Editor: Annica Hulth, annica.hulth@uadm.uu.se Editorial board: Magnus Alsne, Anders Berndt, Anneli Björkman, Reihaneh Dehghani, Sara Gredemark, Linda Koffmar, Anna Malmberg Executive editor: Urban Lindberg Layout: Torbjörn Gozzi Printing: Danagård Litho English translation: Clare James

Our function as a university is to use the objects in our research and teaching…

2

The paper is produced in Sweden, and the amount of water used in its production is uniquely low. The raw materials come from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) forests.

NEW HORIZONS: ISSUE 2,2015

Conservation pays:

4

Popular maths class:

How can historical buildings foster the power of innovation?

Model of intestine:

24

Alumni in the world:

32

Gathering youngsters aged 8–11 who like to think.

36

Place on the stage:

38

Seedbed for new ideas WHAT IS CREATIVITY and how does it arise? Surely no one knows, but it is obviously infectious. Locations and surroundings are clearly very important. In this issue of New Horizons, we describe how cultural heritage and environments can be revitalised and yield new ideas and innovations.

We also relate how new technology is helping to make urban life greener. In a new proj­ ect starting this autumn, sensors will be installed around Uppsala to measure air quality and the traffic pulse.

As usual there are copious tasters of current research, but also examples of how this work reaches out beyond the University’s walls: in children’s maths classes at the Ångström Laboratory and in human-rights education for state employees all over Sweden.

This autumn, we are testing two new research communication methods. In the new podcast centre (Forskarpodden) you can listen to current Uppsala University researchers in such areas as nanotechnology, Islam and astronomy. A new ezine, Horizon Uppsala, is also starting; see the last page. n

Annica Hulth, editor annica.hulth@uadm.uu.se

3

CULTURAL HERITAGE T E X T : A N N I C A H U LT H P H O T O : M I K A E L WA L L E R S T E D T

CULTURE THAT drives development Conservation of cultural heritage pays, research shows. It boosts the power of innovation, as well as growth and sustainable development. But renovating historical buildings is not enough.

The Hanseatic town of Visby, the part of the city within the wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995.

4

NEW HORIZONS: ISSUE 2,2015

‘TODAY, WE’RE GOOD AT CARING for cul­

tural environments and renovating historical buildings. But we need to get better at using them,’ says Christer Gustafsson, professor of cultural heritage at Uppsala University.

Jointly with Italian cultural economists and mathematicians, he has developed a model to work out how to maximise the impact of cul­ tural initiatives and promote social development.

‘This way, restoring buildings is not just a cost but an investment too. The richer our cultural life, the better the chance of it becoming an innovative environment for business leaders,’ Gustafsson says.

His office is at Campus Gotland in Visby, but he travels frequently. Interest in his research is keen worldwide. In China, Indonesia or Brussels, for example, he has joined other experts to work on the EU agenda for cultural heritage research, Getting cultural heritage to work for Europe.

This report cites some successful projects in which cultural environments have been re­ vamped and revitalised, and new jobs created as a result.

A revolution in thinking is how Gustafsson sees it. As the former Halland county custodian of antiquities, he invested heavily in renovating and refurbishing buildings of cultural and histori­ cal value by training jobless building workers in cultural conservation. Companies could then move in.

‘It was such a successful venture that we exported it to the rest of Europe and the UN named it the world’s most sustainable development project,’ Gustafsson relates. ‘This type of spatial planning calls for construction sector rep­ resentatives to sit round the same table as conservers, politicians and businesspeople. The next step is to find the optimal use for the buildings.

‘We looked for partners who could analyse the cultural growth potential. The idea was to connect our project with someone who could apply the analytical method. Which projects have most potential for regional sustainable development?’

He approached Professor Pier Luigi Sacco, a world-leading cultural economist. Sacco’s view is that culture has grown steadily in importan-

The richer our cultural life, the better the chance of it becoming an innovative environ­ ment for business leaders

CULTURE-DRIVEN GROWTH Venice In studies of Northern Italy’s Veneto region, Sacco et al. identified prospects of economic growth only in areas other than the city of Venice itself, which has now become more of an ‘amusement park’ for visiting tourists. Although Venice hosts some of the world’s most acclaimed cultural events, the creativity of the artists, architects and filmmakers involved seems to lack positive spillover effects on the local economy.

In contrast, the researchers found this association in other parts of the region.

South Sweden The ‘Creative Force Fields’ project (2012–14) mapped cultural resources — activities, programmes, artists, musicians and venues — in two areas of Southern Sweden: first Halland and then Skaraborg. Mathemati­ cal models were used to process the material collected with socioeconomic data. The images derived from the results showed ‘creative force fields’ where culture exerts most influence on regional development.

Special graphs also revealed the associations between various cultural activities and socioeconomic variables.

Christer Gustafsson, often engaged as a cultural heritage expert by, for example, the European Commission.

5

CONT.

CULTURE THAT drives development

For the EU, it’s abundantly clear that some new action is needed.

ce as an engine of social development and is a key factor in future job creation. He has also devised an analytical method to find the regional loc­ations where cultural initiatives can be most effective.

‘We began collaborating, on the principle that my research was about the buildings and his about the activities. We joked that I’d have the premises and he the contents. Now we’ve been at it for nearly a decade,’ Gustafsson says.

Sacco studies the role of culture in innovation-driven regional development. He has, for example, found a positive association between regions’ or companies’ active participation in cultural life and the great power of innovation they have developed.

‘Two examples of this are Apple and Google, the world’s largest cultural arenas today. There are also cluster theories that demonstrate this,’ Gustafsson says.

THE METHOD was further refined by the mathematician Massimo Buscema, who made algorithms to show how various phenomena, such as epidemics, spread. This kind of algorithm was usable in this case as well.

‘We collected masses of data on cultural activ­ ities and merged them with all available socio­ economic statistics. We then saw that in the areas of greatest scope for culture, regional development is strongest.’

Parallel to these studies, researchers have investi­gated where stakeholders have most wanted to operate.

‘In our studies we’ve seen that most companies with a propensity to innovate prefer to develop their operations in older buildings. This

is the single most important factor — not tax pressure or closeness to customers, as one might think,’ Gustafsson says.

‘It’s a whole new way of thinking,’ he con­ tinues enthusiastically. ‘Conserving cultural herit­age is not just about history and what is of value, but about how to build a platform for innova­tion-driven development.’

Today, the method is used in Halland and Västra Götaland. Gotland and the Mälardal region are also interested.

The method gives decision-makers and poli­ ticians new data and creates new financing options when, for example, industrial areas are restructured and old shopping centres aband­ oned. It represents a new situation for conservers of cultural heritage, Gustafsson thinks.

‘They’re often trained in arguing for cultural and historical values in a rebuilding situation. But now it’s not enough to know about handicraft methods and materials. They need to develop expertise in regional development and how to obtain resources on the basis of a proactive approach.’

ALL EUROPE IS AWARE of this development.

The EU agenda for cultural heritage research will be the basis for future Horizon 2020 initiatives, and also means a change in direction.

‘For the EU, it’s abundantly clear that some new action is needed. Europe is in political and financial crisis. There’s been a shift from valuing cultural heritage to pursuing a more socially oriented policy that also raises democratic questions, such as who owns cultural heritage.

Today, cultural heritage has great global value.

After the Nepal earthquake, the media reported on how much world heritage had been destroyed.

In civil wars, cultural heritage has been targeted; in Syria, for example, Islamic State is desecrating cultural monuments of huge symbolic value.

‘We were charged with drawing up the EU’s new strategy at a time when the world and Eur­ ope were changing.’

Gustafsson himself recently received research funding from the EU for the three-year project Changes, which is under way in collaboration with researchers from Leuven (Belgium), Delft (the Netherlands) and Milan (Italy).

‘Joining EU projects like this gives the depart­ ment vital input and helps to improve the research and educational environment. We get direct input in terms of how research policy and cultural heritage policy are conducted in the EU.’ n

Image from the carnival in Venice, one of the cities studied by Sacco.

6

NEW HORIZONS: ISSUE 2,2015

T E X T : A N N I C A H U LT H

P H O T O : M I K A E L WA L L E R S T E D T

World heritage not just for tourists Bethlehem and Visby are a long way apart. But Akram Ijla, a guest researcher at Campus Gotland’s Department of Art History who has compared the two World Heritage sites, sees many similarities.

CONSERVING CULTURAL HERITAGE means

not only tending old buildings for tourists to visit.

Akram Ijla envisions a Visby full of life all the year round, not only in summer.

‘We researchers worry about social sustain­ ability when urban areas exist for tourists, not their own population. How can we create sustainable urban cultural heritage sites where the residents are part of their development?’

Ijla is from Gaza, Palestine, where he lectures at Al-Azhar University. In the midst of a conflict area, he works to preserve Palestinian cultural heritage.

‘But cultural heritage belongs not to a country but to all humankind. Historical remains tell of a time when different civilisations could coexist in tolerance and peace.’

In September 2014 Ijla came to Visby on an Erasmus Mundus scholarship. In his study, he has compared the World Heritage cities of Visby and Bethlehem. In both, historical buildings abound, and both are popular tourist attractions, but share the problem of abandonment by the locals.

He took a master’s in London and a doctorate in Cleveland. Ohio — and in retrospect is glad he did.

‘When I got back, I began teaching my students, colleagues and neighbours about western values.’

With colleagues Tor Broström and Christer Gustafsson, he plans a study programme in co­ operation with Sharjah University in Dubai and the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Prop­ erty (ICCROM), which works worldwide.

‘It’s about not only education, but building insight and bridges among cultures.’ n

We need to find a balance between economic, environ­ mental and social considerations.

IN BETHLEHEM, the affluent have left the city centre and built houses on the outskirts. In Visby, Gotlanders leave in summer and let their flats to tourists. In winter, too, many summer residences in central Visby are left empty.

‘We need to bring tourists here who can share some experience with the Gotlanders rather than just being welcomed like visitors to a theme park. We need to find a balance between economic, environmental and social considerations.’

How can this best be done?

‘We need politicians’ support in this development. They must back a sustainable plan for Visby as part of historical Gotland and how to make the old city vibrant all year round.’

Ijla has experienced several countries and universities since training as an architect in Gaza.

Akram Ijla is from Gaza in Palestine but was educated in England and the US.

7

CULTURAL HERITAGE T E X T : A N D E R S B E R N D T P H O T O : D AV I D N A Y L O R

Tourist trail New research shows that tourists go to various museums and cultural heritage, and walk around the outside. But they seldom go in.

Some tourists wrote that they were visiting Uppsala to see more of its history.

‘But these venues are not that visitor-friendly.

Information to convey context in various ways, the kind that can boost interest, is often lacking.

Tourists often need prior knowledge of what there is to see and why certain places are inter­ esting,’ Gebert Persson says.

IN AN UPPSALA UNIVERSITY project in sum-

mer 2014, researchers investigated what more than 100 Swedish tourists planned to do while visiting Uppsala and what they actually ended up doing. The tourist sector is relatively savvy about international visitors, but knows extremely little about Swedish tourists’ needs and wishes. Learn­ ing more about them is worthwhile, since they outnumber visitors from abroad by many to one.

THE TOURISTS ANSWERED a question­naire about their plans and downloaded an app to their mobiles. Using the app, the researchers were then able to follow the tourists’ actual movements.

‘What’s interesting is that most walk round the outside of various buildings and cultural heritage but don’t go in. This applies to Carolina Rediviva, Museum Gustavianum, the Cathedral and the Castle,’ says Sabine Gebert Persson, a lecturer in marketing at the Department of Business Studies.

Still, there is interest in history and culture.

THE RESEARCH PROJECT of summer 2014

developed the methodology. Now work is proceeding to explore concrete ways of benefiting from the research methods and results.

‘The next stage is to document what tourists may be interested in and how to make venues more attractive,’ says Karin Ågren, a Department of Economic History researcher.

Gebert Persson adds: ‘We want to find various methods of conveying knowledge and arousing interest, via smartphones and so on.’

The research team behind the project has there­fore embarked on cooperation with various visitor destinations and researchers in Uppsala, Italy, the UK, Belgium and Poland. They have jointly applied for EU research project fund­ ing, partly to develop different methods and test them on various types of user. It should then be possible to apply the methods in the tourist industry, for example, or for educa­ti­onal purposes. n

We want to find various methods of conveying knowl­ edge and arousing interest, via smart­ phones and so on.

Most tourists walk round the outside of the Cathedral, Gustavianum and other buildings.

8

NEW HORIZONS: ISSUE 2,2015

T E X T : A N N I C A H U LT H P H O T O : M I K A E L WA L L E R S T E D T

Ancient objects: a research resource

Last year, the University’s collections were moved into newly renovated premises, becoming more accessible to researchers and teachers.‘The aim is for them to be infrastructure for both research and education,’ says Marika Hedin, Museum Gustavianum’s director.

THE GROUND FLOOR and basement of the Museum of Evolution in Villavägen are now full of objects from the University’s collections.

Palae­ontological items and the huge fauna and flora collection are already in place.

All the collections except art and coins have now been relocated here. Archaeological finds and scientific instruments are on display and the anatomical collections, with skeleton parts from around the world, are behind locked doors.

‘Parts of the collections are controversial and ethically challenging, and we follow inter­national guidelines on how to make them accessible.

There are delicate decisions to be made and it’s good for us, with our museum background, to handle them,’ says Marika Hedin.

structure for research and education alike. Open and staffed on a year-round basis, the premises offer worktables and seminar rooms for anyone wishing to study the material.

Hedin welcomes visiting researchers, al­though what they are allowed to do with historical materials in the name of science may be debatable.

‘The first principle is to conserve, but some analyses are destructive. That’s why we need a clear set of rules.’

Currently, for example, the archaeological collection from Valsgärde, with its unique Viking finds (see article, next page), is being investigated.

‘Our cultural heritage is absolutely magnificent, and I hope it will be used much more from now on and from new angles,’ Hedin says. n

THE MOVE to the Evolutionary Biology Centre

Read more on the next page.

is part of Gustavianum’s new remit, to enable the University’s collections to serve as infra-

The collections include Nubian objects from Egypt (above), Stone Age axes (below) and pottery from Asine (below left).

9

CULTURAL HERITAGE

In a Viking ship grave from Old Uppsala, one human figure was found to be wearing the same type of burial clothing that was used to bury women.

Viking chiefs were dressed like Central Asian kings.

This is among the most fascinating results of the new review of material from the ship burials in Valsgärde, near Uppsala.

T E X T : K I M B E R G S T R Ă– M P H O T O : M I K A E L WA L L E R S T E D T

Surprising finds

of Viking apparel

10

NEW HORIZONS: ISSUE 2,2015

VALSGÄRDE, just north of Old Uppsala, has a burial site with boat graves that has been known for nearly a century. When the University’s archaeological collections from Valsgärde were relocated in the Evolu­ tionary Biology Centre in the city, Uni­versity researcher Annika Larsson was able to exam­ine them. Larsson, who has a PhD in textile archaeology, found many unusually well-preserved remains of colourful silk fabrics with sophisticated patterns.

‘The silk fabrics in the graves remind me of a Russian costume find with the motif depicting a Persian king hunting wild ass,’ she says. ‘Vikings in Old Uppsala and the chiefs in Valsgärde were buried in Persian­ inspired silks like this, and also in typically Chinese silk. It shows the huge range of their contacts. Their international exchange was quite different from what many people imagine.’

She and her colleagues also found remains of the people buried there, dating from the 10th century.

‘The textbooks often say there aren’t any human remains there. So my goodness, how surprised we were to find teeth and pieces of skulls and other bones!’

THE SKELETAL FRAGMENTS were well preserved enough for DNA extraction.

Larsson contacted Marie Allen, a molecular geneticist and professor of forensic genetics, and they have worked on the project together since then.

‘Finding tooth and bone remains is rewarding. You can sand off the outer layer of these hard materials to remove contam­ inants with DNA of later eras,’ Allen says.

‘Still, it’s not always feasible to extract enough DNA to analyse these ancient bones.’

Both scientists are excited about what the DNA analyses can show. Given where the fabrics come from, there is the inspir­ ing chance that perhaps not only beautiful cloth was exchanged but one of the people buried might come from the East.

‘Today, DNA analyses can be used to give an indication of an individual’s origins,’ Allen says.

analyses, to show whether anyone buried in Valsgärde might have been a woman.

The fabric buried by the Vikings came mainly from an area called Sogdiana, east of the Caspian Sea. Were the Vikings’ contacts with the area confined to their own journeys there to buy cloth and other merchandise? Or did the Sogdians also visit Viking lands to buy items?

‘It’s often taken for granted that it was just us going there. But perhaps it wasn’t that simple,’ Larsson says. ‘Did they come here to trade? Were there middlemen? It feels great to be able, with this kind of interdisciplinary project, to help deflate myths and put things on a more scientific basis.’

ONE COMMON IMAGE of the Vikings is

of them wearing coarse, home-woven woollen clothing. This may well be largely true of everyday wear. But rich people’s graves almost always contain silk attire.

The motifs on these silk fabrics have influenced Swedish culture for a millennium.

‘Many of the classic patterns in Swedish domestic crafts originated in traditional Persian ones,’ Larsson says. ‘I think that’s ter­rific!

It’s yet another example of how Vikings belonged to an international context, with influences from all over the known world that they incorporated into their own cul­­ t­ure. Knowledge like this can affect how we think today. This is one of my driving ambi­ tions: to show that what we dig up from history is important and relevant today.’ n

Unusually well-preserved remains of silk fabric from Central Asia and the Middle East.

SILK ROUTE TO VALSGÄRDE Differing characteristics of the silk fabrics show where they come from.The threads from the silkworm cocoons are harvested in various ways in the silk-producing areas, and woven into cloth differently in China and the Middle East.

The place where the Vikings bought the fabric was, in all probability, an area then known as Sogdiana, in Central Asia, east of the Caspian Sea.The Sogdians were a prominent trading people who had dealings with both China and Europe. In their territory, the Chinese silk culture encountered that of Ancient Persia.The Sogdians produced their own silk too.

The Vikings came into contact with the Sogdians by travelling along the Volga River, across the Caspian Sea and on eastwards from its southern shore.

OBJECTS DEPICTING WOMEN in cos-

tumes of the same type as those worn by the people buried have also been found in a Viking ship burial in Old Uppsala. This may suggest that the Vikings’ conceptual world had a key role to play in the afterlife. Allen hopes it will be possible, with the DNA

Textile archaeologist Annika Larsson (left) and molecular geneticist Marie Allen work on the DNA project together.

11

CULTURAL HERITAGE T E X T : A N D E R S B E R N D T P H O T O : M I K A E L WA L L E R S T E D T

Millennium-old messages

CUT IN STONE Henrik Williams, one of the world’s leading runologists, is probably better known outside Sweden than in this country.

Abroad, large audiences often flock to his lectures on runes and the Vikings.

12

‘WORLDWIDE, we’re all quite alike these days.

You see that when you travel. If you want to meet people who are different you have to travel in time, and that’s absolutely the most exciting thing I can imagine. We can’t journey into the future, but rune inscriptions are like travelling a thousand years back in time. Those are the Vikings’ own words on the rune-stones. What do they want to tell us?’

For Henrik Williams, Professor of Scandi­ navian Languages, runes are a major interest.

Inter­preting runic inscriptions in new ways, he has added a social dimension as well. His research combines established traditions of scholarship with modern linguistic science.

‘I try to glean the message from runic inscriptions that may seem paltry, and it’s an incredible feeling to be the first person to understand the message for a thousand years. There’s not one rune-stone I can’t talk about for hours,’ Williams says.

HIS FOLLOWING IS HUGE. No fewer than

1,600 people listened to him during his monthlong lecture tour to nine US states in spring 2015.

‘It was my first tour for forging contacts with American donors; rune research is in acute need of financial support. But I made research contacts too, and now have lots of connections to follow up. One vision I have is to induce more people — Swedes and foreign tourists alike — to learn about Sweden’s rune-stones.’

A rune-stone is not just an inscription on rock. They were our first public artworks and at the same time the multimedia of that age. The inscription is cut inside the rune animal that curls around the stone like paint on a canvas. The stone was chosen with care: it had to be flat, even and resistant to the teeth of time. Rune-stones were also positioned in the landscape with great care. Intended to be seen, they tended to be placed at contemporary crossroads. The names are important too.

‘You and I have boring names — Anders and Henrik. Six thousand people are mentioned by name on the rune-stones, and they are thrilling

names that say something about the individuals concerned. It’s a treasury of names that we should appreciate more: Blåkåre, for instance, meaning “the one with curly black hair”, and Kåta, meaning “the happy one”. Or nicknames like Otvagen.’

Rune-stones are also the first Christian documents in Scandinavia, and it was when Christianity came to our region that the number of rune-stones rose exponentially. This is hardly surprising: the Church needed a way of getting its message across.

‘Look at those rune-stones. The Church promulgated its emblem, the cross, everywhere.

Incredibly effective.’

In that way, rune-stones are reminiscent of modern society with the logotypes and slogans around us, Williams says.

‘The common type of rune-stone usually has a necrologue and calls to mind a present-day obit­ uary. The biggest difference is that in the obituary the name of the deceased comes first, but on the rune-stone it’s the person who set up the stone. Perhaps we’ve become less egocentric over the past millennium!’

We know that the Vikings were in northern Canada, but no Viking runes have yet been NEW HORIZONS: ISSUE 2,2015

Henrik Williams can talk about rune-stones for hours. ‘It’s an incredible feeling to be the first person for a thousand years to understand the message.’

found in North America. What have been found are settlements.

‘It’s not certain that they did any rune inscriptions on stone — it depends partly on a supply of suitable stone. For example, there are no Viking rune-stones in Iceland. But there can be runes on wood or bone too. The wooden ones prob­ ably haven’t been preserved, but we can hope for future North American finds of runes on bone or metal.’

Henrik Williams’s next project is a book about the 70 or so rune-stones nonetheless thought to exist in the US. None of these rune-stones date from the Viking Age; they were carved later, after the awakening of interest in runes in the 19th century.

‘THERE ARE THREE TYPES of rune-stone in

the States. There are those with text composed not, in fact, of runes but of other characters.

There are modern runes carved, for example, on festive and solemn occasions. And there are the older ones, inscribed in the late 19th century.’

Some of the stones represent efforts to make them look like genuine Viking rune-stones, and sometimes this was attempted fraud. Rune

researchers have therefore developed various methods of establishing where runes were carved. One well-known case is the Kensington Stone in Minnesota: using a wide variety of methods, scientists found that the stone was inscribed in the 19th century. The story makes for exciting reading on Wikipedia, for example.

‘But we’re keeping some of the methods secret and not telling anyone else, because that would make creating good forgeries easier,’ Williams adds, smiling. n FACTS ABOUT RUNIC INSCRIPTIONS •

• • • • • • • • •

Runes are just ordinary written characters like our letters of the alphabet, neither symbolic nor inherently magic.

They were probably inspired by the Latin alphabet during the first century CE. The oldest known runic inscription, on a bone comb, dates back to 160 CE. The shapes of runes may have been adapted for carving in wood, since they lack vertical lines which, being parallel to the wood fibres, would have been hard to read.

The most recent rune-stones, from the 12th century, are found mainly in the province of Uppland.

Uppland is the part of Sweden with the most rune-stones and runic inscriptions.

There are just under 7,000 Viking rune-stones and other runic inscriptions in the world.

Rune-stones were set up almost exclusively in Sweden, Norway and Denmark.

Roughly a third of the rune-stones in Uppland were commissioned by women.

Only a few rune-stones have pagan symbols on them. Of the 2,000 or so rune-stones in Central Sweden, two bear a pagan symbol (Thor’s hammer).

13

IN FOCUS T E X T : A N N I C A H U LT H P O R T R A I T P H O T O : M A T S K A M S T E N

Smarter city with

Internet of Things

With more and more devices connected to the Internet, data can be collected from various sources and tools created for decision-makers, companies and citizens. The ‘Green Internet of Things’ project includes building a testbed for these applications.

‘OUR AIM IS TO DEVELOP Uppsala as a smart, sustainable city. In the next two years we’ll be installing sensors in the streets to measure air qual­ ity and traffic flow,’ says Edith Ngai.

Ngai is a professor of information technol­ogy at Uppsala University who heads the project.

Funds are provided by the Swedish Govern­

14

mental Agency for Innovation Systems (VIN­ NOVA). Partnering Uppsala University are KTH Royal Institute of Technology, the Municipality of Uppsala, Ericsson, IBM and a few smaller companies.

The scientists will set up wireless sensors along Uppsala’s main thoroughfares, especially NEW HORIZONS: ISSUE 2,2015

where traffic is heavy.

‘We also want to collect data on human activ­ ity and other open data from the city. We want to engage residents and local firms so that they too can collect and share data, and develop their own products and apps.’

Ngai demonstrates an app that some master’s students are developing: a ‘traffic planner’ that gives users real-time data on air quality, weather and traffic. The app contains maps and recommends the best route between two points.

‘You decide for yourself whether to go the shortest or the cleanest way. It’s also possible to coordinate people heading for the same place and arrange joint transport,’ Ngai says.

‘IN A CITY LIKE UPPSALA, with its seasonal contrasts, weather is an interesting issue. In winter, for example, studs on winter tyres rip up part­icles in the asphalt that create pollution.

These will be measured by the sensors.’

‘We can do a real-life study, collect masses of data, investigate associations in the data and develop new apps, like this one for traffic planning. There are many options.’

The project conceives of two types of user.

One is professional users, such as specialists at vari­ous government agencies who want to use data for planning and have long-term goals.

‘Perhaps they want to build a road and wonder whether it’s feasible to erect a footbridge for people to cross over it. What then? Would it cause pollution or affect animal life?’

Ordinary citizens and local companies, who may also benefit from the data collected, are the other type.

‘We’ll keep all the data open so that they can be used to develop new apps. Once our platform is working, firms that develop sensors can install them and test their products.’

THE OBJECTIVE is not just a smarter city but a greener one too, Ngai explains.

‘First, the platform must be sustainable. The sensors must be capable of staying put for a long time without needing battery changes, with mini­mal energy use. But the green aspect also includes our aim of setting up as many environment-friendly sensors as possible to make this a green city, more energy-efficient and offering better quality of life for its inhabitants.’

Given the limited storage capacity of the small handheld computers, the researchers are exploring how best to boost it by using the ‘cloud’. They also have supercomputers to assist them. Much depends on interaction between handhelds on the one hand and the cloud on the other.

‘Our data-mining experts can handle huge

volumes of data and sift out the most interesting information. That’s one of our big challenges.’

Why is Uppsala a good place for testing this?

‘First and foremost, both the University and local public agencies support us strongly. Then we have the students and researchers. So it’s a perfect opportunity to test ideas and gather knowl­ edge and apps.’

‘Here in Uppsala, environmental degradation causes problems. The municipality monitors both water and air quality. What’s more, the city is expanding, with new housing areas being built and planned here that in turn affect the traffic.

We can come up with a lot of data that may poten­tially be useful,’ Ngai says.

Uppsala has long had a strong research envir­ onment for sensors and wireless communication.

That was why Edith Ngai came here a few years ago, following her doctorate in Hong Kong and a postdoctoral position at Imperial College London.

Initially she worked on wireless sensor networks, but these days the Internet of Things is what counts.

‘Now that the technology behind smart handhelds has matured, interest in new apps and how to manage the huge quantities of data produced is growing. That’s why our interest has shifted from handhelds to the Internet and the cloud.’ n

We’ll keep all the data open so that they can be used to develop new apps.

Once our platform is working, firms that develop sensors can install them and test their products.

Edith Ngai sees great potential in the new technology.

15

IN FOCUS T E X T : A N N I C A H U LT H

Technology demands trust

VINNOVA’s* strategic innovation programme on the Internet of Things in Sweden is hosted by Uppsala University’s Department of Information Technology. Per Gunningberg, professor of computer communication, heads one project, about reliable, robust systems.

TODAY WE CAN CONNECT different objects

Sweden won’t get rich on the technology.

Instead, information is the gold of the future…

in an entirely unprecedented way. Everything that can be linked up with a computer and a communication unit will go online in the future, which will call for new security measures.

‘It’s not unlikely that, ten years from now, we’ll own 100 different wired gadgets. So how are we to manage them? It can’t be done manually — there has to be much more automation.

And then you’ve got to be able to count on own­ ing the information. So security and reliability are increasingly vital,’ Gunningberg says.

For this vision of the Internet of Things to be realised, different items must work together.

Examples are gadgets in the car industry, fitness trackers and household appliances.

‘The suppliers are all different, and don’t communicate. But if they start we’ll be able to do completely new things. It would be a huge competitive advantage.’

The IT Department has some 15 researchers and doctoral students working, in various ways,

THE INTERNET OF THINGS IN SWEDEN VINNOVA’s strategic ‘IoT Sweden’ programme is a national initiative aimed at making Sweden a world leader in using the Internet of Things. The programme will take up some SEK 90 million annually in funding provided for ten years. iotsverige.se

on the Internet of things. There is growing interest in devising applications for medical care, transport, industry and green trades. But all these apps call for discussions on security and integrity, Gunningberg’s view.

‘Sweden won’t get rich on the technology.

Instead, information is the gold of the future — prospecting for the valuable nuggets from big data. Then we need to know what certain individuals find intrusive. People’s attitudes on this vary extremely widely.’

He cites an example. If you connect your fitness tracker to a thermostat, it may show that you sleep better at a particular temperature. But the question is: who should own the data about your sleeping habits?

‘The technology exists today. Doing it isn’t terribly difficult. The hard part is to do it in a way that people find useful, while also trusting the technology.’

The Internet of Things has grown from a topic of interest mainly to commercial players to a social issue concerning individuals and government agencies alike, Gunningberg thinks.

‘Sweden is good at building systems, we have well-functioning public agencies and we’re open to technology. All this gives enables us to build reliable systems of many small units that talk to one another. It’s all based on our trust that technology can provide solutions.’ n

* The Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems.

16

NEW HORIZONS: ISSUE 2,2015

IN BRIEF

Legal protection for cohabitants HOW FAR DOES the law protect cohab­

iting partners? In her thesis ‘Living as a cohabitant’ (Att leva som sambo), lawyer Kajsa Walleng investigates legal protection for unmarried couples when their relation­ ship is dissolved by separation or death. In her view, cohabitation is here to stay and it is time to adapt and update legal protection for unmarried partners. The study shows that of all couples living together in Sweden, cohabitants make up some 40%.

In actual figures, this corresponds to about 1.8 million individuals. n PHOTO: MATTON

Silver induces antibiotic resistance

Chemistry underlying Late cord clamping social phobia affects motor skills

IN SWEDEN silver is used to kill bacteria in hygiene products, clothes, shoes and wound dressings in medical care, for example. In a new thesis, Susanne Sütterlin shows that silver lacks effect on important wound bacteria and that our extensive use of silver additives results in bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics. Genes for silver res­istance were found above all in bacteria that the research group isolated from residents in Sweden.

‘Avoiding products containing silver addi­tives may be an initial measure to prevent antibiotic-resistant bacteria from arising and spreading,’ Sütterlin says. n

BASED ON PREVIOUS STUDIES, scien-

IRON DEFICIENCY at the age of four

tists have believed that people with social phobia are deficient in the neurotransmitter serotonin. A study from the Department of Psychology, however, shows that the situation is the exact opposite: social phobics produce too much serotonin. The more serotonin they produce, the more fear they experience in social situations.

This discovery is a major advance in terms of mapping changes in the brain’s chemical messengers in anxiety sufferers. n

months is a considerably lower risk in babies whose umbilical cords were clamped three minutes after birth than in those who underwent cord clamping (CC) within ten sec­onds. This was shown four years ago in an acclaimed clinical study of 400 infants

by Ola Andersson, a researcher at the Department of Women’s and Children’s Health. In a follow-up study the scientists can now show associations between delayed CC and better fine motor skills at the age of four years, especially in boys. The results show no difference in IQ or overall development between children in the early CC and delayed CC groups. n

Expedition to Greenland

A MONTH-LONG expedition to Green-

land was undertaken in July and August

by Uppsala University and the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat jointly, to learn more about how vertebrates’ functions and adaptation have been influenced by alternation between land and water during evolution. The scientists studied and collected material in eastern Greenland, where Swedish researchers found early terrestrial tetrapods (four-footed animals) in the 1930s. n PHOTO: MATTON

17

IN BRIEF

Sahara Hotnights: not just a women’s band EARLY THIS CENTURY, new ways of

PHOTO: PRESSBILD

Migration decisions coloured by politics ASYLUM SEEKERS’ chances of being

allowed to stay in Sweden are affected by the political composition of the lay assessors’ group. This is shown by a quantitative study from the Department of Economics. The current study has assembled all judgments in asylum cases settled with assessors in the migration courts in Malmö, Stockholm and Gothenburg between 2011 and 2013.

Applications were more likely to be ap­proved when assessors from the Green Party, the Left Party or the Christian Democrats took part than in cases when all the assessors were Social Democratic or Moderate Party members. n

spreading music online appeared. This coincided with the women’s rock band Sahara Hotnights’ rise to fame. In a new thesis in musicology, Linus Johansson exam­ines the idea of a ‘girl group’ and its use in the media. He has carried out two musical case studies, of solo artist Le Bombe and the Sahara Hotnights rock band, foc­us­ ing on their media presence and how the media, not least the Internet, treated them in the years after the turn of the millen­ nium. n

Family policy affects birth rates in Ukraine IN UKRAINE the population has declined

much faster than in Russia. Katharina Wesolowski, a sociologist, has studied women’s reproductive behaviour and concluded that a modified family policy could boost births in countries with low birth rates.

‘One key result is that a family policy that supports dual-earner families could have a positive impact on birth rates,’ Wesolowski says.

Her thesis shows that family policy in Ukraine supports a family with a single male breadwinner. n

Promising results for diabetes treatment IN A NEW STUDY from Uppsala University, scientists have successfully used anti-inflammatory cytokines to treat type 1 diabetes. The study shows that in dia­ betic mice receiving the anti-inflammatory protein interleukin-35, the disease became less severe or was cured by maintenance of a normal blood-glucose level and immune tolerance. Type 1 diabetes is a chronic illness that makes patients dependent on daily insulin injections. In Sweden, roughly two new cases are diagnosed every day. n

Microscopic life in deep water A NEW MICROORGANISM, representing

a missing link in the evolution of complex life, was recently discovered by a research group at Uppsala University. Their study shows how plants, fungi and animals developed from simpler organisms.

To approach the answer, the research team is studying archaea, which are often found in extreme environments such as hot springs and icy seas. The new micro­ organism, known as Lokiarchaeum, was found near Loki’s Castle, a hydrothermal vent on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between Greenland and Norway, at a depth of 2,352 metres. n

Evidence of our an­ cestors from tooth RESEARCHERS from Uppsala University and a Chinese research institute recently presented their analysis of a tooth from Peking Man, found in a forgotten, long-packed box at the University’s Museum of Evol­ution. This find provides new knowl­edge of a hominid that is surrounded by myth. The crown of the tooth is relatively small, for example, suggesting that it was a woman’s. The tooth is fairly worn, indicating advanced age, and two large chips have been knocked off the enamel, as if it had suffered a blow. n

18

The tooth from Peking Man has been analysed.

NEW HORIZONS: ISSUE 2,2015

A research questionnaire was sent to 129 people with strategically important functions in managing the Västmanland forest fire.

Photograph from the municipality of Sala, 3 August 2014.

Crisis management after fire TEXT: ANDERS BERNDT

P H OTO : J O C K E B E R G L U N D, T T

It is just over a year since Sweden’s biggest forest fire for at least 65 years. It spread fast and more than 1,000 people had to be evacuated. Much has been written in the media about how the crisis was managed. What can we learn from the fire?

RESEARCHER Daniel Nohrstedt of the Department of Government and Centre for Natural Disaster Science is working with Örjan Bodin of the Stockholm Resil­ ience Centre, Stockholm University, on a study of cooperation during the forest fire in Västmanland county. To collect data, a questionnaire was sent to 129 people with

strategically important tasks in the crisis management. Their replies show that those involved think the joint efforts worked well in terms of finding the right partners and identifying common goals. But the respondents are less satisfied with their organisations’ mutual sharing of information during the crisis management. It was also hard to

get a joint grasp of how the crisis was developing.

The questionnaire replies show that 32% had no previous experience of major crises. Although crisis and emergency plans are important, research shows that advance planning often proves unworkable when it comes to the crunch.

‘You can distinguish between “hard” factors, such as legislation, crisis plans and materials, and “soft” ones that working together requires. Between crises, it’s import­ ant to spend time on the soft requirements, through regular exchange of experience, training and practice in cooperation between different organisations and functions, with various types of crisis scenario,’ Nohrstedt says. n

19

RESEARCHER PROFILE T E X T : M A G N U S A L S N E P H O T O : M I K A E L WA L L E R S T E D T

‘Swedish research needs self-confidence’ ‘I often tell my children they must find a job they love,’ says physiology professor Mia Phillipson. She prac­ tises what she preaches, not even seeing days in the lab as work.

Still, life as a researcher is not without friction.

‘FREE THINKING RULES! I really want to change that old motto in the University Main Building1, and I believe thinking freely should characterise aca­demia today. Creativity and ambition should weigh more heavily when funders award their grants, and I’m convinced that Swedish research has much to gain from a change in attitudes.’

In spring 2015 Mia Phillipson joined Young Academy of Sweden as one of eight new members. The appointment undoubtedly benefits both sides. In her, the forum gained someone whose commitment to research policy few could surpass. In Young Academy she found a national means of influencing and improv­ing conditions facing Sweden’s young researchers.

‘At best, our situation’s superb. We can realise our ideas and see people around us grow. Unfortunately, a lot of us don’t get access to the wherewithal for carrying out curiosity-based research. I think many postdoctoral researchers have revolutionary ideas that are never realised because Sweden lacks the infrastructure to make use of them.’

Ahead of her own postdoctoral period, Mia chose to exchange the Uppsala of her childhood and student years for Calgary, Canada. Returning in 2006, she now heads her own team at Uppsala Biomedical Centre. In July 2014, aged only 41, the University promoted her to a professorship in physiology.

‘Now I feel secure and can focus on my research. I also have enough funds to dare to be more patient — a privilege I and many others seldom get to experience. Good research funding is, of course, a balancing act, but the larger the sums the bigger the projects where results can grow before publication.

I’m convinced that would help enhance both the quality and the reputation of Swedish research.’

Besides her involvement in Young Academy of Sweden, she also joins in inter­disciplinary discussions on how Uppsala University is to recruit tomorrow’s ‘Free thinking is great, but right thinking is greater’ (Tänka fritt är stort men tänka rätt är större).

1

20

NEW HORIZONS: ISSUE 2,2015

MIA PHILLIPSON

Age: 42 Title: Professor of Physiology Lives in: Bodarna, Uppsala-Näs Bedside reading: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, an extremely good book.

Latest compliment: from a neighbour, for fixing a boat-engine problem.

My summer programme would be about: organ donation, since everyone should take a stand and help to extend life.

What I’d do with a day off: I’d take another day off and go to Stora Karlsö.

21

CONT.

RESEARCH PROFILE Mia Phillipson

researchers and provide them with the infrastructure they need. These ideas have not yet been launched, but she is already perceiving her real chance to exert influence.

‘Being in the forward-planning group for our discipline has boosted my self-confidence, which can be pretty important for a woman in academia.

Structurally, our prospects aren’t necessarily worse than men’s, but we defin­ itely have to be better at putting ourselves forward. To do so, we need to work on our own core attitudes, venture to take ourselves seriously and feel that we can. Not least, we must encourage our children to dare believe in their own competence and follow their own guiding star regardless of society’s gender expectations.’

IN SPRING 2015, MIA HERSELF FACED what could have been a virtually

Not least, we must encourage our children to dare believe in their own competence and follow their own guiding star regardless of society’s gender expectations.

22

impossible dilemma when her husband died after a period of illness. Besides the severe personal loss, she suddenly found herself alone with three schoolage children. In a phase of life that even in normal circumstances is highly demanding in terms of juggling roles and commitments, she now has to fit a double dose of PTA meetings and school settling-in periods into the midst of work and heading her 12-member research team.

‘It works well, actually. My mother, the children’s paternal grandparents and, not least, my University colleagues are a tremendous help. Researchers have highly flexible working hours and perhaps it helps that we’re a relatively young team. Anyway, they’ve shown great understanding and consideration for the situation I’m in.’

First impressions confirm that the part of Uppsala Biomedical Centre occu­ pied by Mia and her team displays the curiosity and creativity she seeks in the research. An eye-catching lithograph by Lasse Åberg, a somewhat unusual sight in academic premises, adorns the entrance and around the coffee machine half a dozen colleagues are having an apparently spontaneous discussion. Neither is likely to be a random phenomenon.

‘I think good research calls for a degree of friction, so I consistently try to keep the team heterogeneous. Whether in terms of nationality, character or prior knowledge, the crux is for everyone in the group to contribute to our seeing challenges from various angles. Today, our forte is precisely the creativity that stems from contrasts.’

When, in 2014, Mia was awarded the Eric K. Fernström Prize for young, highly promising and successful researchers the citation stressed this wealth of ideas and how the strong team has several advanced experimental techniques at its disposal. Its discoveries, such as how cell transplantation can cure diabetes and lack of sleep can impair the immune system, have already aroused keen media interest. Publications on new ways to use immune cells in focused drug therapies are in the pipeline.

‘In our field it’s important for the results to have clinical relevance and a practical bearing on healthcare. The fact that I’m now supervising a PhD student with ardent entrepreneurial ambitions has got me toying with the idea of running a company as well.’

RESEARCH, PHYSIOLOGY, BUSINESS and an academic future: the question is whether Mia is reflecting on alternative careers at all. The reply comes like lightning: absolutely not — research is no mere job, but her interest. She has explained repeatedly to her children why she actually wants to work, just as she stresses that they too must find jobs they love. Her 11-year-old son is may already be convinced on both points.

‘He tried reading one of my physiology books and got entranced. Now I’ve promised he can think up and test an idea of his own. So this autumn he’s coming to visit us here at the lab to give our work a try but also “do what’s important”, as he says. We’ll see how it pans out. But physiology certainly is both fun and important, and we should all talk much more about it — most preferably with our children!’ n NEW HORIZONS: ISSUE 2,2015

WORTH READING

FOUR QUESTIONS TO ERIK INGELSSON

Metropolitan segre­ gation increasing

– professor of molecular epidemiology at the Department of Medical Sciences:

A NEW EUROPEAN STUDY singles out Stockholm for its sharply rising segregation between rich and poor residents over the past ten years. People in different income strata are living ever further apart.

This is shown by an extensive research study conducted in 13 major European cities and presented in the book Socio­ Economic Segregation in European Capital Cities: East meets West. Its authors find a diminishing social mix in European housing areas and, over time, residential patterns that are increasingly subject to class divisions. Researchers from Uppsala University’s Institute for Housing and Urban Research took part in the large-scale study carried out in 2001–11. n

How likely are you to be alive in five years’ time? The muchdiscussed Ubble test can provide an answer. Erik Ingelsson is one researcher behind the test, which is based on a huge epidemio­logical study of the factors affecting longevity.

Keen interest in life-expectancy test Were you prepared for the great interest?

‘We’d expected 100,000 visitors at best, not millions. More than three million did the test in the first three days, Friday to Sunday, after which it was a few thousand a day.

The extreme interest in the first week then successively declined over the summer.’

the next five years. Individuals who fill in replies to various questions can both get an idea of their own health and then take action. The main point of the research art­ icle was to look at various factors associated with death, but what interested the media above all was the test.’

Are you going to take this further?

Are you satisfied with the media coverage?

‘Mostly, but as usual it varies. I didn’t like the “death test” heading, for instance. But we got our message out in all the big international media, like CNN and the Guardian.

I didn’t actually get round to following up what they said, being inundated with interviews and in the throes of moving to the US. But what I’ve seen has been overwhelmingly positive.’

And what message did you want to get out?

‘The fact that simple matters like self­ assessed health or walking speed were most accurate for predicting the risk of dying in

‘I’m considering various follow-up studies and I’ve had meetings here at Stanford, where I’m now a guest researcher. We can do similar studies with longer follow-up periods. We can include more measures, such as genetic factors, and examine other populations in other countries.

‘We can also do more work on which health factors can be influenced and are easily implemented. Today, people who do the Ubble test get general advice that doctors usually give: stop smoking, exer­cise, eat more nutritiously… But it’s not that individualised.’ n ANNICA HULTH

ubble.co.uk

Towards healthier eating habits

IN TODAY’S DELUGE of dietary advice and regimes, what should we heed? A ‘clini­ cal handbook’ on food and health (Mat och hälsa – en klinisk handbok) written by 26 leading Swedish scientists exam­ines research in the area. It provides nu­ tritional pointers for people with cardio­ vascular diseases, diabetes and obesity, explains the importance of diet in chronic illnesses, presents current know­ ledge and makes dietary recommend­ ations.

The book also contain comments on the health effects of the Mediter­ranean, Nordic and several other popular diets. n

Urban animals on the rise

THE WORLD IS BECOMING ever more

urbanised, and as towns and cities expand they are also providing habitats for growing numbers of animals. In her book Urban Animals: Crowding in zoocities Tora Holmberg, a research sociologist, discusses several controversial situations that are involved.

The focus is on pets, such as stray and/or feral dogs and cats. One chapter tackles the phenomenon of animal collectors, who often feature prominently in the media when new cases come to light. What explains why people collect large numbers of animals they are unable to care for? n

23

IN FOCUS

T E X T : A N N I C A H U LT H P H O T O : M I K A E L WA L L E R S T E D T

BUILDING

a virtual intestine

Many new drugs are not readily soluble in water, and this impairs their efficacy.

Christel Bergstrรถm, a Department of Pharmacy researcher, heads an international research project on intestinal drug absorption.

24

NEW HORIZONS: ISSUE 2,2015

Christel Bergström and her colleagues trace the movement of drugs through the intestines.

AS MANY AS 70–90% of all new drugs have

poor aqueous solubility and are not easily absorbed in the intestine. They may, for example, be drugs against cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, or overweight and obesity.

‘Some substances we use are 60 times less soluble than marble,’ says Christel Bergström.

To ensure that the drug gets into the blood­ stream, various ‘formulations’ like tablets and capsules are made. But which works best for a partic­ ular pharmaceutical substance? Here, Bergström thinks more knowledge is needed.

‘The intestinal fluid contains tiny aggregates that float round and help to absorb the poorly soluble molecules. They change shape, size and number, depending on where they are in our intestines or whether we’ve been eating. Individual differences are huge.’

Previous research on intestinal fluid was based on collected samples, combining several people’s fluid to boost the volume.

‘You get mean values for a population, but they aren’t in fact correct for anyone. What we

want to do is characterise individuals’ fluid and find out how its solubility capacity varies in a pop­ ulation,’ Bergström says.

She recently received a grant from the European Research Council (ERC) for a five-year research project, collaborating with a Belgian and an Australian research group.

Some substances we use are 60 times less soluble than marble.

IN THE UPPSALA Biomedical Centre lab an experimental installation resembling the human intestine — with differently composed intestinal fluid at the upper and lower ends, for example — is being built. To study how the intest­inal mucous membrane cells absorb drugs, the sci­ ent­ists will also develop a fluid chamber that can break down complex formulations and release pharmaceutical substances into filter-grown intestinal cells. For this to succeed, extensive collaboration both among pharmacists and theoretical chemists and between the three research groups is needed. In Belgium, healthy individuals’ intestinal fluid is sampled and the data are then used in experiments at the Uppsala

25

CONT.

BUILDING a virtual intestine

and Melbourne laboratories. All the experimental data will be used by the Uppsala researchers to build a virtual intestine, using computerised simulation tools.

On the computer, one can re-create various intestinal structures, as in building with Lego. When the structures are completed one can enter the structure of the drug, follow its progress through the intestine and see how much of it really gets into the bloodstream.

‘Now we’re doing really basic work, but my vision is, with this virtual intestine, to be able to trial a new product, find out how it’s going to behave in terms of absorption and then confirm it in a human study,’ Bergström says.

SHE SEES THE ERC GRANT as offering an opportunity for five years’ large-scale testing, with interdisciplinary and international collaboration.

‘Being able to recruit several researchers at once and build up the group means a tremendous lot. ERC’s attitude is “nothing ventured, nothing gained”, so high-risk work, as in our project, is fine. We know we’ll move the research frontline forward, regardless of the means, but actually getting where we want to go is complicated. It’s a big challenge.’

Where will you be in five years’ time?

‘The foundations will have been laid. The next step may be to address the question of how absorption varies in pathological states, such as inflammatory intestinal disease, or in bypass sur­ g­ery for obesity. And how does it vary between a European and an Asian population? There’s a lot of further work we can do.’

Christel Bergström has had an unusual research career, focusing both on profiling and on drug chemistry. Traditionally, the best formulations have been found by research and then tested through use on various substances. Bergström has reversed this: she starts with the chemical struc­ ture of the drug.

In 2010 she received a Marie Curie grant. This international award qualified her to carry out re­ search at Monash University. During her two years there, she worked on trying to predict which formulations are suitable for particular molecular structures.

‘We did a lot of experimental work and I looked for information about what happens when the intestinal fluid is mixed with the formulations.

But then I realised there weren’t any answers to my questions. That was how this project started.’ n

We know we’ll move the research frontline forward, regardless of the means, but actually getting where we want to go is complicated. It’s a big challenge.

Thanks to the ERC grant, Christel Bergström has been able to put together a research group of her own.

ERC STARTING GRANT

Funding of some EUR 485 million in total was announced in the 2014 application call for European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grants for top young researchers.Two of the 328 successful applicants came from Uppsala University: Christel Bergström of the Department of Pharmacy and Fredrik Swartling of the Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology were awarded just over EUR 1.5 million each from the ERC.

26

NEW HORIZONS: ISSUE 2,2015

TEXT: MAGNUS ALSNE

Uppsala first with new myoma treatment This autumn, Uppsala University Hospital is the first Swedish medical institution to launch myoma treatment with focused ultrasound — for patients, a less invasive option than the surgery offered to date.

SOONER OR LATER, more than a third of women

get a myoma, a fibrous growth of muscle in the uterus wall that can cause pressure, pain and heavy menstruation. The treatment usually offered up to now has been hysterectomy: sur­ gical removal of the uterus. Its result, infertility, is probably one reason why many women of fertile age have delayed getting symptomatic myoma treated. The University Hospital will now offer a non-invasive option: jointly with Uppsala University it is introducing a patient-friendly pro­ cedure known as MR-HIFU — the first Swedish hospital to do so.

‘It means that, with focused ultrasound, we can “burn away” the myoma with millimetre precision. The treatment is simpler, more cost­ effective and with fewer side-effects. It’s been used since 2004 both in the US and in several Euro­ pean countries, and I’m surprised the technique hasn’t found its way to Sweden earl­ ier,’ says Håkan Ahlström, radiology profes­sor and head physician.

MR-HIFU has undergone the required testing

at the University Hospital in the past year. Of the eight treatments so far, all have had the intended effect, with no noticeable side-effects on the patients. The method is now being added to the regular range of myoma treatment offered by Women’s Health Care, and other county health authorities can refer patients there.

‘Granted, the treatment requires the patient to lie face down for three to four hours, but the women who contact us have often suffered badly for a long time and are highly motivated. They

TREATING MYOMA WITH MR-HIFU • The procedure integrates magnetic resonance (MR) tomography and high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU).

• The treatment involves myoma coagulation without damage to healthy surrounding tissue.

• Treatment is not permitted for pregnant or obese patients.

get premedication and can themselves stop the process in the event of discomfort, such as slight nausea or a burning skin sensation. We see the full effect only after a year, but symptoms usually lessen after a month or so,’ says research nurse Gerd Nyman.

THE TREATMENT COSTS about the same as

hysterectomy but is more cost-effective for individuals and society as patients can arrive at the clinic in the morning, go home the same day and return to work within days. In spring 2016, updating of the procedure will further extend the scope of treatment.

‘It means we’ll be able to treat larger areas and also, in the long run, treat skeletal metastases to give pain relief,’ Ahlström says. Our ultimate goal is, with the urology clinic, to be able to treat local­ ised prostate cancer. Here, other clinics are getting good experimental results with fewer side-effects than conventional treatments. That’s a major reason why we’ve acquired the technique.’ n

‘The MR-HIFU procedure gives us a supplementary weapon, one that’s both important and urgently required, in our treatment arsenal for symptomatic myoma. I’m convinced that the technique will gain a self-evident place in modern Swedish medical care.’

Olle Eriksson Chief physician at Women’s Health Care, Uppsala University Hospital.

27

OUTLOOK T E X T : J O S E F I N S V E N S S O N P H O T O : M I K A E L WA L L E R S T E D T

LONG WAY from action plan to results Experts, decision-makers and opinionmakers from all over the world came to Uppsala to discuss antibiotic resistance at the Uppsala Health Summit.

One of the participants was Martha GyansaLutterodt, who is in charge of shaping Ghana’s pharmaceuticals policy.

The esteemed guest Martha Gyansa-Lutterodt had come from Ghana to share her experience.

28

NEW HORIZONS: ISSUE 2,2015

UPPSALA HEALTH SUMMIT got under way in early June, only a week after the World Health Organization’s (WHO) decision-making body voted to establish the first global plan of action to combat resistance to antibiotics.

The conference covered two days, with lec­ tures alternating with discussions in smaller groups. The goal was to devise concrete propos­ als for dealing with various aspects of antibiotic resistance and to move the WHO action plan forward towards well-defined measures.

One of the invited participants was Martha Gyansa-Lutterodt, who heads the office for pharma­ceuticals issues of the Ghanaian Ministry of Health and is in charge of shaping the country’s pharmaceuticals policy. Among other things, she took part in a panel discussion about how to go about influencing decision-makers and chang­ ing behaviours involving the use of antibiotics.

‘IN GHANA WE ARE currently busy mapping how medical staff prescribe antibiotics and what knowledge they have of antibiotic resistance in civil society. One of the greatest problems in Ghana is that drugs are being used in the wrong way. To be able to devise suitable courses of action and the implement them we first need to know what the current situation looks like,’ she maintains.

Efforts to map medical and pharmacy personnel’s knowledge have helped to identify where resources need to be deployed. It turned out, for example, that antibiotics were often pre­scribed without any thorough diagnosis having been determined, which indicates the need for education, diagnostic methods and enhanced resources for taking samples. Part of the work has involved the development of manuals and courses that will now be tested in some regions of the country.

‘We have also initiated our policy work. The findings have been discussed at our annual meet­ ings regarding health issues, where we review our work and decide what our guiding principles will be for the coming years.’

and create a stable health and medical system from the base up.

‘If you can measure things, you can also change them. For instance, we need information about what the consumption of antibiotics really looks like. This is not available in Africa, but it will be needed if we are to be able to deal with this issue.’

Another key premise involves financial resources.

‘Training medical staff is expensive. Here we have received major assistance from, among others, the ReAct network through SIDA, but we still have a long way to go.’

The challenges Ghana faces are numerous, but Martha Gyansa Lutterodt nevertheless feels that there are examples of steps forward that are relatively easy to take.

‘There is a lot of low-hanging fruit. For example, I believe that with rather limited resources we can improve the prescribing of antibiotics at the national level in the short to medium term. When it comes to implementing WHO’s global action plan, we will no doubt need a little more time.’ n

Ghana

If you can measure things, you can also change them. For instance, we need information about what the consumption of antibiotics really looks like. This is not available in Africa, but it will be needed if we are to be able to deal with this issue.

THE NEXT STEP in the process is now to take

up discussions with the parliament in order to accomplish policy changes. Martha GyansaLutterodt stresses that it is important that each country shape its health and medical policy based on its own situation.

‘What works in Sweden or in other countries cannot be directly translated to Ghana, for instance. To create long-term change that works, measures need to be devised and implemented in their context.’

She also reiterates the importance of working systematically and mapping the situation in order to be able to take appropriate measures

INTERNATIONAL SUMMIT

Uppsala Health Summit was last held on 2–3 June 2015, on the theme of ‘A World without Antibiotics’.

The conference was attended by personal invitees — decision-makers, opinion formers and experts — to attend workshops and give plenary lectures. The initiators are Uppsala University, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala County Council, Uppsala Municipal Council and World Class Uppsala. Later this autumn, Uppsala Health Summit’s Post Conference Report will be made available for download on the website. Next year’s themes are diet, obesity and related illnesses. uppsalahealthsummit.se

29

HUMAN RIGHTS

Human rights are universal and based on the conviction that all human beings, regardless of country, culture and context, are born free and equal in value and rights. Read more about human rights on the Government’s website, www.manskligarattigheter.se.

T E X T : A N N I C A H U LT H P H O T O : M A T T O N P O R T R A I T P H O T O S : M I K A E L WA L L E R S T E D T

Human rights for

STATE EMPLOYEES

Uppsala University has been tasked by the Swedish Government with training government staff in human rights. Seminars, conferences and courses held jointly by different departments are now being planned.

A SEMINAR SERIES entitled ‘Human Rights Forum’ is under way and several training initiatives are planned for 2016. Education is greatly needed, in the Government’s view, given that as many as 250,000 people work for the Swedish state.

‘Government employees exert power to vary­ ing degrees and, under the Constitution and Conventions that Sweden has signed, public auth­orities’ power must be exerted with respect for individuals. This applies to all state employees, but we’re going to start with the roles we see as especially important,’ says Patrik Åkesson, a work developer at Uppsala University’s Division for Contract Education.

‘For example, it’s important to reach staff at supervisory agencies like the County Administrative Boards and law-enforcing agencies like the Police and the Prison and Probation Service, but

30

also client-intensive ones like the Social Insurance Agency and the Employment Service.’

The training is intended is to boost skills and awareness of human rights (HRs). At Uppsala University there is broad knowledge at the Depart­ments of Law, Political Science and Theology, and the latter offers a Master Programme in HRs. Expertise is also available at other departments and centres.

An advisory board for HRs, comprising representatives of various government agencies, has been formed to help develop training measures.

‘Our approach, which is based on human rights, means thats the target group are involved and actively contribute to the training inputs as a reference group. This takes longer, but it’s worth it. I hope this will be a long-term government init­iative,’ Åkesson says. n NEW HORIZONS: ISSUE 2,2015

‘ONE CHALLENGE for the University is to

find the right practical approach to human rights — one that staff in all activities can find relevant. So we must also make use of the skills that exist at the agencies. We must get their help in diagnosing their problems, and then we’ll help them to find tools for tackling those problems.’

Iain Cameron Professor of public international law: ‘WHAT WE MUST ENSURE is that they

all follow existing best practice. Human rights are most achievable when they are internalised in the state employees’ work, and the staff no longer reflect on them. One example is that police don’t use torture to extract confessions. It’s not because of con­ scious considerations each time. It’s because it simply isn’t done.’

Christina Johnsson Office of the Swedish Equality Ombudsman expert: ‘SINCE THERE’S NO uniform knowledge

of what human rights actually represent, agencies can interpret them differently.

That’s problematic in many ways, not least in terms of legal security; and that’s why courses of this type, which give staff the same overarching principles for conducting their work, are necessary.’

Short cut for graduate newcomers IN SEPTEMBER, 70 new participants were welcomed to Korta vägen (‘The Short Way’) in Uppsala. This national employment train­ ing course seeks to put newcomers’ skills to use and help them get a quick career start in their respective areas of expertise.

In total, 220 people are attending the course under Uppsala University’s aegis. In 26 intensive weeks they will receive education and training that enables them to get established more easily on the Swedish labour market.

The attendees have higher education in various disciplines and many arrived in Sweden recently. They get thematic instruction in Swedish covering general

topics — the world of work, organisations, culture, Swedish public administration etc.

— alternating with more specific subjects like project management, financial administration and rhetoric.

The course also includes study guidance, workplace training at companies and public agencies in the Mälar Valley and occupa­ tional coaching. All attendees get a super­ visor who serves as a mentor and assists their entry into the local labour market.

The project partners are Uppsala University, Academicum AB and KTH Royal Institute of Technology, with the Public Employment Service as the principal. n ANNICA HULTH

Research ethics online THE CENTRE for Research Ethics & Bioethics (CRB) has just started a new web-based course in research ethics.

‘We’ve had inquiries from students who’d like to study in a different way, and we perceive a need to be able to study rese­ arch ethics regardless of geographical location. Having attended a research ethics course is beginning, more and more, to be a requirement for conducting research, and interest is growing,’ says Stefan Eriksson, a senior lecturer at CRB. The course lasts eight weeks on a quarter­time basis. The students have nine lessons in which they implement modules on their own, and discuss various matters in online chat rooms and e-meetings.

‘In the last week, the students are supposed to feed back what they’ve learnt into their own environment. It may be about starting a web page or course, organise a symposium or otherwise demonstrate what they’ve learnt,’ Eriksson says.

Who can go on the course?

‘It’s a broad course addressed at every­one

who needs to learn more about research ethics — researchers, students aiming for a research career and administrators on ethical committees, for instance.’

JOSEFIN SVENSSON ethicstraining.crb.uu.se

PHOTO: TOVE GODSKESEN

Elena Namli Professor of ethics:

PHOTO: MIKAEL WALLERSTEDT

Comments on the training

Senior lecturer Stefan Eriksson.

31

REPORT T E X T : A N N E L I B J Ö R K M A N P H O T O : M I K A E L WA L L E R S T E D T

SUCCESSFUL learning formula The audience in Room 2004 at the Ångström Lab are markedly younger than the university students these chairs usually bear.

But they all sit in silence when teacher Valentina Chapovalova reviews the evening’s assignment in the Maths Club for children aged 8–11.

32

From left. Yasmin Abdullahi,Valentina Chapalova and Alva Norén Evelius.

THE 12 BOYS AND EIGHT GIRLS listen atten­ tively and study the blackboard. Now and again, they raise eager hands in the hope of being chosen to give the answer.

‘How would you place the mirrors in this box so that the laser light coming ink goes out through the holes on the opposite side? Does anyone know how to do it?

A ten-year-old boy is the lucky one chosen to step out in front. The box on the board is soon full of his angled lines and arrows in various directions.

‘Does this solution work?’ asks Valentina Chapovalova.

‘Yes!’ the children reply in unison.

One pupil has another solution that turns out to be just as workable. And that’s exactly the point, Chapalova says after the lesson.

‘Every way of solving a problem is welcome.

There’s not just one way: there should be four!

In the review I usually ask “Did anyone have a different number of mirrors?’ or “Did anyone put the mirrors in another way?” Then the chil­ dren think divergently.

‘You learn so much from explaining your thoughts. My aim is to get the children to reason logically and think critically about both their own and other people’s solutions. For me, the most fun thing is when a pupil thinks of some­ thing I haven’t come up with before. Then I feel successful as a teacher.’

Uppsala municipality is backing the Maths Club initiative. The project started in autumn term 2014 after the 2012 Programme for

International Student Assessment (PISA) found Swedish pupils’ maths skills to be declining. The municipality’s education administration and the Department of Mathematics at Uppsala University started collaborating, with Chapovalova as the teacher and project leader.

‘We received 150 applications from pupils in Years 2 to 9 around the municipality, but by the spring term the number had risen to over 400!

Altogether, we were 14 student teachers for nine groups.’

Autumn term admissions were, however, lim­ ited to 240 pupils and eight groups, to ensure support for pupils who most needed challenges.

Granted, the number of attendees usually falls as the term goes on but Chapovalova points out, laughing, that ‘if school wasn’t compulsory, there’d be fewer still in it too by the end.’ Attend­ ing the Club is voluntary, and there are no performance requirements.

‘We simply try to have a relaxed atmosphere and point out that getting it wrong is OK. They do as much as they want to and they can choose what order to do the sums in.

NEW HORIZONS: ISSUE 2,2015

Q&A WITH A FEW PUPILS

Yasmin Abdullahi, aged 11 Why do you want to learn more maths?

To be able to read medicine and become a doctor. Maths and science are my favourite subjects.

Alva Norén Evelius, aged 10 What’s so cool about maths?

You have to think logically, and I like that.

It’s not difficult if you just solve a problem step by step.

Jennifer Thor, aged 10 Why are you here at the Maths Club?

It’s fun. I like maths and solving problems.

Rio Hirano, aged 10 What’s so cool about maths?

Multiplication tables. When you do them it’s so quiet and you can concentrate. I came here because I wanted to learn more maths. And I don’t just want to sit at home on the sofa.

Elsa Nordlund, aged 9 Why are you here at the Maths Club?

Maths and difficult sums are fun. At school, not all the sums are difficult. I like problemsolving most.

Teacher Valentina Chapovalova welcomes all ways of doing sums. ‘There’s not just one way.

There should preferably be four!’

‘Recently,’ she continues, ‘the focus has been on supporting gifted children. And of course the Maths Club gives kids who are under-stimulated at school a chance to take on bigger challenges. But I avoid using the

word “gifted”, since it’s mostly connected with interest. It doesn’t matter how good they are when they get here: if they have the will and the curiosity, there’s no limit to how good they can be.’ n

You can read more about the Maths Club, but in Swedish only, on the blog. mattebloggen.com/matteklubben

Oliver Christophers (left) and Rio Hirano (right) are fond of mathematics.

33

ALUMNA PROFILE T E X T : A N N - C AT H R I N E J O H N S S O N P H OTO : L O T TA L J U N G B E R G

Studying in Uppsala led to authorship South Korean Ha Soojeong misses Uppsala and her time at the University. When she returned to Seoul, she took with her a keen interest in Swedish society and a recent discovery.

‘I realised that Sweden’s notion of happiness differs from Korea’s. In Korea, so much is about achieving,’ she says.

THERE IS NO MISTAKING the strong effect

I’ve finally managed to make decent ones, and just the smell of them takes me back to Sweden and my time there.

Sweden has had on Ha Soojeong, both privately and occupationally. Her great interest in Swedish society has resulted in a book about Olof Palme, and since getting back to Seoul after her time in Uppsala she has lectured both to politicians and to the public about the Swedish political system.

‘I was fascinated by the non-hierarchic structure that exists among Swedish politicians.

In Korea we’re so used to politicians working for personal gain. When I asked my Swedish friends what they thought of politicians, I realised that they respected them and thought they worked hard and for the good of the people.’

In 2009 Ha Soojeong came to Uppsala to attend the master’s programme in sustainable development. The two years she spent at the University influenced her personally, as in other ways.

‘I felt happy in Sweden in a way I hadn’t experienced before. Sitting on the grass outside the University with my friends, having a picnic, I felt so free. I lay there on the grass, enjoying life, and when I looked back on my life in Korea I realised that I only felt happy there when I’d achieved something. There’s such a lot of social pressure in South Korea, and for me being able to feel happy just because I existed was something new,’ she relates.

What do you remember most about Uppsala University?

‘The group discussions. They were included in all the courses, and often went on long after the

34

lessons ended. In my programme there were students of varying backgrounds in terms of both studies and nationality, which made the discussions even more interesting. Another thing I brought back with me is a recipe for cinnamon buns! I’ve finally managed to make decent ones, and just the smell of them takes me back to Sweden and my time there.’

How did you get the idea of a book about Olof Palme?

‘When I asked one of my Swedish friends in Uppsala who was the most respected Swedish politician of all time and she replied that it must be Olof Palme, I wanted to know more about him. I also realised that most Koreans had never heard of him, and if they knew anything it was just that he was murdered. I thought he deserved better, and decided to write a book about him from a foreigner’s point of view.’

Even before her years in Uppsala, Ha Soojeong worked as a journalist on the newspaper The Hankyoreh in Seoul — a job to which she later returned. But when she wrote the book about Olof Palme she was promoted, and she now works as the main advisor and speechwriter to the company’s chief executive.

She is now writing a new book and this one, too, is connected with Sweden and Uppsala.

‘It’s a novel about two girls, Hahyo and Hanna, who are hunting for clues to the murder of the former South Korean president, based on the actual investigation of the case in question. The two girls are best friends and met in Uppsala NEW HORIZONS: ISSUE 2,2015

Ha Soojeong’s great interest in Swedish society has resulted in a book about Olof Palme, and since returning to Seoul she has given lectures about the Swedish political system.

when Hahyo was studying there as an exchange student. Hanna had been adopted from South Korea and now works at a newspaper company in Seoul. It’s nearly finished, but I feel that some­ thing is lacking, so I’m planning to do a bit more work on it to add some extra flavour.’

Instead, perhaps another book with a Nordic angle will be the one to reach the bookshops first.

‘I got an inquiry from a publisher about writing a book on companies from the Nordic countries. The working title is A Walk to the Nordic Businesses and it will be published next spring. It’ll contain stories about the Nordic countries’ main companies, such as IKEA, H&M, Bofors, Statoil, Nokia and Lego, and reveal what underlies their competitiveness, tradition and culture.’ n

FACTS ABOUT HA SOOJEONG Title: former journalist on the newspaper The Hankyoreh, but for the past year head of staff and closest advisor to the chief executive of the Hankyoreh Media Group, and also an author.

Age: 36.

Lives in: South Korea’s capital, Seoul.

Family: I live with my parents (which is common in Korea) — I have my own space under the same roof. And two wonderful dogs.

Education: PhD student at the Korea Development Institute School of Public Policy and Management (a state-run think tank). Master’s in sustainable development at Uppsala University, 2009–11.

Leisure activities: gardening and hiking.

Most recently read book: Almost Nearly Perfect People by Michael Booth.

Strongly recommended!

Hidden talent: yoga and transforming a room into chaos in no time . . .

Favourite place in Uppsala: the Botanical Garden and the area by the lake in Sunnersta.

Favourite nation: Värmland — they have a really nice lunch!

What makes her happy: simple things like the wind, flowers, a pleasant chat, sweets and something unexpectedly good.

What makes her angry: something unexpectedly bad.

35

T E X T : A N N I C A H U LT H P H O T O : M A T T O N P O R T R A I T P H O T O S : P R I VA T E

Alumni around the world Uppsala University alumni’s meetings are not confined to Uppsala: there are alumni associations in the US, China, Vietnam and the UK, and alumni activities in even more countries. We talked to three alumni around the world.

HONG KONG Our Alumni Chapter was officially opened on 24 April 2015 by the Vice­ Chancellor Eva Åkesson, with Lars Nittve, executive director of the M+ museum, as speaker for the evening. We had a get-together after work in September, with a visit from former Uppsala student Henrik Didner, founder of the fund management company Didner & Gerge, which has its head office in Uppsala despite global operations. We currently have just under 50 members.

Why did you get involved? I applied for the fellowship through Uppsala University. My task is to establish an alumni network here in Hong Kong, aiming at growth — a challenging but incredibly cool job! Apart from my mission of putting Uppsala University on the map in South-East Asia, I have 75% of a full-time position at the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong.

Three words about Uppsala University: future potential, quality and pride.

SAN FRANCISCO We met first in late spring 2013 and then started to meet on a regular basis that fall. In September we had a local board meeting and a meet-and-greet with the incoming students from Uppsala University and returning US students. We plan to sponsor a couple of networking events, and possibly a traditional Uppsala student dinner (gasque), in the fall.

There are about ten of us members who attend all meetings and 20 to 25 who attend on a regular basis.

Why did you get involved? I lived in the Bay Area for 25 years and spent a lot of time helping other universities with events and fundraising, and also mentoring students from other universities. At one point I thought it would be extra fun if I could help Uppsala students and contribute to my old school.

Three words about Uppsala University: learning, debates and traditions.

BRUSSELS We’re right at the beginning of the alumni network. We had our first meet­ ing in June to see what we could do and a small summer event in July. So far we have about 40 members.

Why did you get involved? I’m involved in other alumni associations and I enjoy networking. I enjoyed my time in Sweden (four years as a PhD student) and UU Alumni is a way to stay in touch.

What does Uppsala University mean to you? Great time, great inter­ national experience full of new discoveries, great university with a strong history, with great scientists.

36

NEW HORIZONS: ISSUE 2,2015

ANNA REIBRING

LARS E JOHANSSON

TANGUY VAN REGEMORTER

Business and economics degree in 2015

Business, economics and political science degree in 1994 Master’s in economics in 1999

PhD in materials chemistry in 2009

37

IN BRIEF

Rehearsals for the famous musical West Side Story are under way. The premiere is set for this November.

PHOTO: EMILIE GUSTAFSSON

The Good City in focus Multiple stakeholders ‘The Good City’ is a project imple­ mented by Uppsala University jointly with several partners, the principal ones being the municipality of Uppsala and the building firm SH Bygg.

DURING AUTUMN 2015, Uppsala University is inviting people to a series of performances of the well-known musical West Side Story. Seminars, debates and lectures on the theme of ‘The Good City’ are also being held.

‘The Good City’ is a collaborative project link­ing the arts and sciences together. Some 20 activities with an emphasis on outsiderness and togetherness issues are planned for the autumn.

A key element in ‘The Good City’ is West Side Story, one of the 20th century’s most popular musicals. The plot is about xenophobia, outsider­ ness and gang mentality in an urban setting, but also dreams and yearning for a different life.

The production is being staged by the University, and there will be ten performances in Svandammshallarna, Uppsala, in November.

‘WEST SIDE STORY is a Romeo and Juliet tale in a modern urban context, about the city as an environment to live in. As well as staging the musi­ cal, we want to invite people to join discussions and debates about urban development,’ says Deputy Vice-Chancellor Anders Malmberg, who chairs the project steering group.

‘The theme of the musical is highly topical

38

today, and easy to tie in with current research at the University.’

Dan Turdén, the producer, wants the audi­ ence to leave the venue moved and inspired. The theme of the musical is as relevant today as in 1950s New York.

‘Today too, there are young people with no adults nearby, games that get out of hand and gangs that form. Bernstein also succeeds in portraying youthful first love in a way that’s extremely easy to recognise. It’s the only source of light in the piece, which is otherwise a tragedy.’

THE VENUE is a former tennis hall in Svan-

dammshallarna. The actors are young, selected by audition, and the music is provided by the University’s own Royal Academic Orchestra.

‘The original 1957 production had an orch­ estra over 30 strong, but we’ve gone in for a larger string section and more wind instruments. We’ll have some 50 musicians at every performance, so the orchestra will pack more of a punch than it normally does,’ says Stefan Karpe, the con­ductor.

ANNICA HULTH

NEW HORIZONS: ISSUE 2,2015

IN BRIEF

Founder of anatomy

Stay up to date A LOT IS GOING ON at Uppsala University. New knowledge is created daily. The University’s newsletter Horizon Uppsala presents samples of the latest frontline research. We also share news about study programmes and student cooperation, new discoveries and innovations, joint projects, lectures and cultural events at Uppsala University. If you would you like to follow us, why not subscribe?

PHOTO: UPPSALA UNIVERSITETSBIBLIOTEK

THIS YEAR’S EXHIBITION in Carolina Rediviva marks the 500th anniversary of the birth of Andreas Vesalius (1514–64), in Brussels (present-day Belgium, then part of the Holy Roman Empire). Vesalius is re­ garded as the founder of modern anatomy.

His epoch-making work of 1543, De humani corporis fabrica (‘On the Fabric of the Human Body’), is a milestone in the history of medicine.

All Vesalius’ works on the subject are illustrated with high-quality images. After him, illustrations became a natural feature of almost every anatomical atlas. The drawings and engravings in his famous book paved the way for a new tradition in anatomical art.

By comparing illustrations from import­ ant medical books published before, during and after Vesalius, the exhibition shows examples of how this art was changed and influenced by Vesalius’ ground-breaking work.

The exhibition, held jointly with the Hagströmer Library at Karolinska Institute, the Uppsala Medical History Museum and Museum Gustavianum, will be open until 30 April 2016. n ANNICA HULTH

Sign on at: uu.se/en/horizon-uppsala-newsletter

‘Muscle man’ from Andreas Vesalius’ De humani corporis fabrica, 1543

Prize for permanent secretary SARA DANIUS, permanent secretary of

the Swedish Academy and a Stockholm University professor, has been awarded the Disa Prize for 2015, in recognition of her writings in the genre of popular scholarship.

The Prize was bestowed by the Vice­ Chancellor on Uppsala Culture Night in mid-September. According to the jury’s citation, Sara Danius was chosen for her ‘engaging body of work characterised by inventiveness and stylistic assurance and for contributions to popular scholarship notable for their humour, versatility and eye for details and connections.’

Danius specialises in modernist and real­ ist writers in the dominant literary languages, and has also been a literary critic. A member of the Swedish Academy, she has been its permanent secretary since 1 June this year. After her Stockholm Univer­ sity BA, she gained her PhD at Uppsala University.

‘I had a phenomenal supervisor, Professor Bengt Landgren, whom I have a lot to thank for. After my disputation I was a

research fellow, and I’ve also taught a great deal in Uppsala.’

Do any memories stand out particularly from your time at Uppsala?

‘Well, my disputation of course, and the conferment ceremony. But most of all inter­ esting teaching, talented students, walks from the station to the English Park, strolls along the Fyrisån, and spring picnics with dry Martini under a shady tree in the Botanical Garden.’ n

Sara Danius was awarded the Disa Prize for reasons including her ‘engaging body of work characterised by inventiveness and stylistic assurance’.

PHOTO: HELENA PAULIN-STRÖMBERG

Listen to researchers NANOTECHNOLOGY, housing policy, Islam, green energy, life on other planets…

The new Research Pod gives you glimpses of exciting, vital current research. Niklas Norén and Jonas Löfvenberg meet Uppsala University researchers and talk about their work. How did they get into research?

What is their research about? And how is it helping to solve society’s problems? Each podcast is half an hour long and a new one is added every Wednesday.

The first five researchers: Maria Strömme, nanotechnology; Irene Molina, housing and urban research; Eric Stempels, astronomy; Mohammad Fazlhashemi, Islamic theology and philosophy; and Karin Stensjö, microbial chemistry. uu.se/forskarpodden

39

PHOTO: MAGNUS HJALMARSSON

Last word

LARS BURMAN Chief librarian and director at the University Library and professor of literature

The digital continent I BLOW UP the black-and-white image.

For every discipline, digital technology has redrawn the research map.

One path after another is opening up for journeys of discovery in unknown terrain.

40

And again… The polar mittens, fur suit and frost recorder on its tripod disappear.

Finn Malmgren’s face fills the screen: stubbly beard, deep furrow between the eyebrows, weather-beaten skin and un­ kempt hair blowing in the Arctic wind. He looks rem­arkably modern. At first he seems to be meeting the viewer’s gaze but, greatly magnified, the 90-year-old picture shows him peering into the distance, beyond the photographer, to the left. What does he see, the Uppsala docent who died on the ice a few years later and was hailed as a typical scientist hero of the time?

The photograph, from Amundsen’s Maud Expedition, is freely available on the platform for cultural heritage material that has been developed at Uppsala University Library and is now in use (www.alvin­ portal.org). For every discipline, digital technology has redrawn the research map.

One path after another is opening up for journeys of discovery in unknown terrain.

What is more, this can often be done with a home computer.

Big Data and digital mining allow us to ask questions and get answers that were impossible a few years ago. I personally am fascin­ ated by the digitised online collection of 2,150 Uppsala theses from 1602 to 1850. Today, coherent searches of this massive set of material are feasible. By searching and combining search terms, one can explore Uppsala research of past eras.

Development requires infrastructures and further digitisation. These, in turn, call for investments and collaboration. We are still colonists in the digital continent.

Daily, I pass Börjeparken close to the Luthagens Livs store, where the statue of Finn Malmgren stands. Winter and summer alike, he is clad in his bronze polar fur. In spring, when merry laughter rings out from the Le Parc restaurant forecourt, the contrast is almost ridiculous. Here, he is more the tragic hero than the adventurous Uppsala meteorologist. Our question — Who was he really? — is never answered.

The notion of the countless other questions that are now actually going to be answered thanks to digital break­ throughs is overwhelming. n

NEW HORIZONS: ISSUE 2,2015