Universen 2-2019

A MAGAZINE FOR EMPLOYEES AT UPPSALA UNIVERSITY

Our most important task in terms of the climate issue is to conduct our research into peace. Internationalisation is required in this field and we will continue to need to travel by air, but this is a target conflict we will need to manage.

Isak Svensson, Professor at the Department of Peace and Conflict Research, PAGE 11

EQUALITY Gender-mainstreaming initiatives should permeate every level of activity at the University. Nina Almgren, Equal Opportunities Specialist responsible for coordinating and supporting gender-mainstreaming initiatives. PAGE 4

” Change is always challenging” New supplier of learning management system PAGE 6 | How will Brexit affect the University’s collaboration with the UK? PAGE 8 | Retro renovation of Carolina Rediviva PAGE 14

NO. 2 2019 50TH ISSUE

PHOTO: MAGNUS HJALMARSSON

CONTENTS The renovation of Carolina Rediviva is complete.

EDITORIAL THE UNIVERSITY MANAGEMENET

” OUR ERA HAS NEW REQUIREMENTS” WHEN INTERNATIONALISATION is discussed, we always remind people that international contacts and partnerships are nothing new at Uppsala University. We have many centuries of experience in this area, but our era has new requirements. International collaboration is needed to gain access to the advanced research infrastructure upon which several research areas are dependent. We also need to work with others to shape the conditions enabling international collaboration.

This spring we are producing consultation responses to two important government inquiries: the Inquiry on Governance and Resources and the Internationalisation Inquiry. We will monitor developments and continue to demand improvements.

NEWS 4 A comprehensive gender perspective 5 Assessment to increase awareness

Nina Almgren is coordinating the gender-mainstreaming initiatives.

PHOTO: MIKAEL WALLERSTEDT

Camilla von Paykull assists students that are testing the motion capture technology.

PHOTO: MIKAEL WALLERSTEDT

6 New supplier of learning management system 7 “This is a technology on the rise” 8 Continued collaboration after Brexit 9 Internationalisation gave the physiotherapy programme a boost 10 The University high up the emissions list

RESEARCH 12 He discovered seven new species of bird 13 Gotska Sandön attracting research

FEATURE 14 Newly renovated library with a retro vibe

COLLABORATION

PROFILE

We are good at monitoring approved levels of measurable things such as air flows and such, but organisationally and socially we are, in fact, useless.

20 Ann-Kristin Lindberg

ANN-KRISTIN LINDBERG, PAGE 20

17 “Now we are back on track again”

FINALLY 19 Summertime reading from Uppsala University

WE WANT TO ATTRACT stu­” We will monitor dents and researchers from developments across the globe as part of our recruitment efforts. It is and continue pleasing to see that interest to demand imin studying at our Univerprovements.” sity among non-Euro­pean students is continuing to grow after the fall linked to the introduction of tuition fees in 2011. It is also great to see the success of our English-language undergraduate programmes in Visby.

INTERNATIONALISATION EFFORTS are also under way here at home in Uppsala. To ensure our international workplace can flourish, we need to have an international approach in everything we do. A third of all those working at our University have a different mother tongue to Swedish. The University has decided on a language policy that takes both this and Swedish legislation into consideration. The policy emphasises four overall goals: Linguistic awareness involves adopting an inclusive approach in all situations and then choosing the language that best suits the activity. Parallel language use means that Swedish and English are our two main languages and are chosen as appropriate in a given context. Multilingualism emphasises the notion that other languages are a welcome and important resource at Uppsala University. The final goal is plain language, which entails the University’s internal and external communication being conducted in a cultivated and comprehensible manner.

FINALLY: UNIVERSEN IS CELEBRATING 50 years – many congratulations! – and will now test publication in English for the very first time.

Eva Åkesson, Vice-Chancellor Anders Malmberg, Deputy Vice-Chancellor

EDITOR: Josefin Svensson EMAIL: universen@uadm.uu.se ADDRESS: Universen, Uppsala universitet, Box 256, 751 05, Uppsala VISITING ADDRESS: Dag Hammarskjölds väg 7 PHONE: 018-471 27 35 PUBLISHER: Urban Lindberg LAYOUT: Content Innovation, www.ci.se PRINT AND PAPER: Multifine 70 g. V-TAB Västerås. CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Notify you staff officer. Other subscribers make a written notification to the editorial office. TEXT AND PHOTO: Texts are stored electronically at Universen. Some text are also published on the internet. Anyone who sends text or photo to Universen is considered to allow storage/ publication. Universen is not responsible for unsolicited material. ISSN 0346-3664 2

UNIVERSEN 2— 2019

PHOTO: ANNELI BJÖRKMAN

IN BRIEF An umbrella with the Grand Auditorium’s internal roof pattern as the inner lining can be purchased for SEK 250.

Online shop for promotional products n It is now possible to purchase the

University’s promotional products, umbrellas and gift items in a newly opened online shop. Promotional products can also be bought in Gustavianum, Blåsenhus, Ekonomikum, Segerstedt, BMC and Ångström. www.uu.se/universitetsbutiken

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Saara​-Ilona Anugwom and Victoria Fartade, both 12 years old, joined from Turku International School.

Science a hit at sea On 16-17 April the science cruise known as SciCruise was held on board the Viking Grace ship. Uppsala University jointly arranged the smörgåsbord of scientific events from both sides of the Baltic Sea.

one able to be moved from the Division of Electricity.

“Many do not even believe that this is a real robot and that they only exist within industry, but you can now find robots everywhere. They will soon be in almost every home,” explains Dana Salar.

The return journey to Turkey brought 840 participants together, of which 110 came from Sweden. Curious Finnish school students and Swedish families with children were able to conduct experiments, listen to lectures, take part in quizzes, watch magic shows and discuss science with researchers. One of the exhibitors was Dana Salar from the Department of Engineering Sciences.

He took a robotic arm along, the only

Why did you want to be part of the SciCruise?

“To show what we do at the division and tempt people to apply to our engineering programme.”

Another popular activity was the ‘blood game’, an interactive and digital educational game. Felix Larsen, 13, and Mattias Henning, 12, both from Bromma, sat in front of the computers and attempted to work out which blood

PEPOLE

group their virtual patient had – essential to give the patient a blood transfusion and save their life.

THIS WAS THE SECOND year in a row that the SciCruise has been held. The organisers, Uppsala University and the Finnish Luma Centre, an organisation for Finn­ ish higher education institutions in the fields of technology, mathematics and the natural sciences, hope the event will increase interest in science among children and young people.

“The target group is children and young people between the ages of 11 and 19, but anyone interested is welcome. We think it is an exciting way to show off the research of two countries to a Swedish and Finnish audience simultaneously,” says Sami Vihriälä, project manager for SciCruise at Uppsala University.

Anneli Björkman

Universen – now in English! n Thanks to special efforts to increase

internationalisation at home, this edition of Universen, along with the next three editions, will be published in an English version. This means that University employees who do not have Swedish as their mother tongue – around a third of the total – will now be able to read the magazine digitally.

“Uppsala University is an international

university, which makes it important to ensure all of our employees can access news and in-depth reports about the University’s activities,” says Director of Communications Pernilla Björk.

The English version of Universen will be available on Medarbetarportalen.

After the fourth English edition, the project will be evaluated for a potential extension.

“It is therefore important that we all help spread this information to our English-speaking colleagues,” adds Pernilla Björk.

Universen in English can be read and downloaded on Medarbetarportalen mp.uu.se/en/web/info/vart-uu/ filmnyhet/universen

have applied for courses at Uppsala University ahead of autumn semester 2019. This is 5.6 per cent lower compared to the previous year.

Wellness challenge for employees n ‘Hittaut’ (‘Find your way’) is a wellness project in Uppsala whereby everyone who joins in and exercises can discover new places while also having the opportunity to enhance unity at the workplace. Using a map, over 100 checkpoints can be ticked off in various locations throughout Uppsala. The more checkpoints registered, the greater the chance of winning prizes. It is also possible to compete as a team, and the Univeristy is carrying out a wellness challenge in which all departments or divisions can participate.

More information about the competition and registration instructions can be found here: mp.uu.se UNIVERSEN 2 — 2019

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NEWS

Gender perspective on all levels Special gender-mainstreaming initiatives are being implemented at the University between 20172019. The gender perspective must become an integral part of regular activities at every level.

“It poses a challenge, particularly in a large and decentralised organisation like Uppsala University,” explains coordinator Nina Almgren.

In its appropriation directions for 2016, the government states that all higher education institutions must produce a plan showing how they intend to move their work on gender mainstreaming forward, so as to contribute to achieving the goals of gender equality policy. These efforts began at Uppsala University in 2016 as a special initiative alongside ordinary equal-opportunities initiatives.

“It is a question of ensuring we become more aware about how we take decisions within the organisation. For instance, data used as a basis for deci-

sions should include equality analyses or statistics broken down by gender. This applies to every decision at all times,” says Nina Almgren, Equal Opportunities Specialist at the Human Resources Division, responsible for coordinating and supporting gender-mainstreaming initiatives.

The government’s initiative is based on research and reports produced by the Delegation for Gender Equality in Higher Education, where the overall results showed that there are still equality issues within academia.

“One example is the notion that academia is a clear meritocracy. This is not entirely correct – there are informal structures and we need more transparent decision-making procedures. Another example is unconscious prejudice,

” We need more transparent decisionmaking procedures.”

Nina Almgren

PHOTO: MIKAEL WALLERSTEDT

Nina Almgren is responsible for coordinating and supporting gendermainstreaming initiatives.

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UNIVERSEN 2— 2019

which plays a part when decisions are taken. We therefore need to consider how and why we do things and how our procedures for recruitment are structured, for example,” says Nina Almgren.

THE UNIVERSITY’S gender-mainstreaming plan focuses on five areas: skills development at management level, the content and design of educational programmes, University-wide governance documents, recruitment and supply of skills and internal allocation of resources. These efforts have so far focused on heads of departments, equal opportunities specialists within departments and support functions such as local HR staff.

“We have run training courses for heads of department and recruitment groups, for instance. To get these initiatives going at every level, managers and academic leaders need to have basic skills linked to these issues.”

ANOTHER ASPECT of the initiatives relates to establishing new procedures. One example of this is that the Equal Opportunities Advisory Board will become the consultation body for University-wide governance documents.

“This has not routinely been done before.”

Implementing gender mainstreaming in a large and decentralised organisation like Uppsala University poses a challenge in many ways, according to Nina Almgren.

“Change processes are always challenging. The conditions here are also very distinct in different parts of the organisation, both in terms of equal opportunities and gender mainstreaming. It is a matter of what support and conditions are provided by management for the University-wide equal opportunities initiatives, and whether time and a budget are set aside for them.”

The gender-mainstreaming initiatives will enter their final phase in the autumn in the form of evaluations and follow-up.

“We will also continue efforts relating to reinforcement and implementation. Integrating this approach into ev­erything we do requires us to talk to each other,” adds Nina Almgren.

Josefin Svensson

Equal opportunities and gender mainstreaming The gender mainstreaming initiatives will run parallel to the equal opportunities initiatives which are managed across several levels at the University. Gender mainstreaming is focused on legal gender, while ordinary equal opportunities initiatives work on all grounds of discrimination.

Read more about the equal opportunities initiatives on mp.uu.se The gender mainstreaming plan (UFV 2016/418) can be downloaded on rules.uu.se

Gender equality indicator The University’s gender equality indicators serve as a tool to facilitate gender equality initiatives. By using the indicator, it is possible to quickly build a picture of the gender distribution within different areas.

The gender equality indicator can be found in the Glis internal information system. glis.uu.se

Special funds for gender mainstreaming To encourage and stimulate University-wide gender mainstreaming efforts, funds are being allocated to faculties, departments, divisions or equivalent functions that want to implement special initiatives. Three projects received funds in the call for 2018: 1 The project ‘Building a framework for gender mainstreaming at the Department of Chemistry – Ångström: generating potential for equal opportunities by increasing awareness and accountability via structured workshop series’.

Amount granted: SEK 100,000.

2 The Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology for the project ‘Roles, an asset or a burden?’ Amount granted: SEK 50,000.

3 The Faculty of Social Sciences for the project ‘Transparent power – how appointments and roles are assigned at the departments of the Faculty of Social Sciences’. Amount granted: SEK 150,000.

Equal Opportunities Day In mid-March the Equal Opportunities Day was held in Swedish. The theme was “LGBTQ” and some 80 participants came to listen to lectures. Saga Becker spoke about her journey as a trans person while Joakim Karlsson, Chair of the Swedish Federation for LGBTQ rights (RFSL), spoke about his work.

An Equal Opportunities Day is planned to be held in English in the autumn. Keep a lookout for more information on Medarbetarportalen.

PHOTO: MIKAEL WALLERSTEDT

Linda Wedlin and Signe Jernberg hope that the assessment of the roles at the faculty’s departments will contribute to equal opportunities initiatives.

The project has received special funds for gendermainstreaming efforts.

Assessment of roles to increase awareness To promote gender-mainstreaming efforts, it is possible to apply for resources to run special initiatives in this area. In December 2018 the Faculty of Social Sciences received funds for the project ‘Transparent power – how appointments and roles are assigned at the departments of the Faculty of Social Sciences’.

The project was launched to contribute to equal opportunities efforts at faculty level.

“The structure of equal opportunities efforts is in place at every level of the University. We have local representatives at department level, then we are available at faculty level, and then there is the Adviser to the Vice-Chancellor on Equal Opportunities who works on a more strategic level. We at faculty level do not work actively on matters and nor

does the Adviser to the Vice-Chancellor in that strategic position, so we reflected on how we can play a role in this,” explains Linda Wedlin, Professor at the Department of Business Studies and Chair of the Faculty of Social Sciences’ equal opportunities group.

“We want to take an active role and not simply produce policies. Implementing our own project will provide an opportunity to find out about the situation so we have a basis for our discussions about which issues we should work on,” she adds.

THE PROJECT WILL ASSESS which roles exist at the faculty’s departments, as well as how they are appointed and replaced.

“It is a question of what structure is in place and how people are assigned these roles. You would think that this is an area based on hard facts, but this is in fact not the case. Things are very

different in different departments. You could say the professional structure is a little unfocused,” says Signe Jernberg, Researcher at the Department of Business Studies who is leading the project.

Certain roles are centrally regulated, such as the selection of heads of department and members of department­al boards, while others are appointed more informally. Some examples could include roles that organise sustainable development initiatives, internationalisation or collaboration, but also how research is organised, what responsibility professors and senior lecturers have or take, and how doctoral students par-

” You could say the professional structure is a little unfocused.”

Signe Jernberg

ticipate in administrative work at the departments.

“The most unclear question is about how certain roles are appointed. Some processes are hard to get a grip of, and this is why I will be interviewing seven heads of department about this.”

The interviews will also be supplemented by more structured data and information about the age, gender and academic seniority of people in these various roles. The report and analysis of the materials are due to be complete in the autumn.

“If we conduct this work thoroughly now, we can draw up a basic classification of the various roles. This will make it easier to monitor and review more often and in different parts of the University. We see this as an opportunity to highlight the issues and produce some kind of tool to increase transparency,” says Linda Wedlin.

She feels it is important to discuss which roles are being included and excluded to increase awareness of where the problems are located and how they can be remedied.

“There is no ultimate model in which everyone feels included, but we hope that this knowledge can lead to a discussion and increased awareness.”.

Josefin Svensson

UNIVERSEN 2 — 2019

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PHOTO: MIKAEL WALLERSTEDT

PHOTO: MIKAEL WALLERSTEDT

NEWS

HELLO KARIN BORNER,

Head of Unit at the Human Resources Division and project manager for the implementation of Charter and Code at Uppsala University.

Top quality recruitment DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT STUDIUM? Read more on Medarbetarportalen or contact the project manager via this email address: info-elarande@uadm.uu.se Despite the University changing supplier, the new learning management system will retain the name Studium.

“This is an unfortunate situation in many respects. Many people have been educated using a system that will now be replaced with another at short notice.

However, we will do our best to ensure this transition goes as smoothly as possible,” explains Cecilia Johansson, chair of the project’s steering committee.

So what has happened? The company Blackboard emerged the winner following a long procurement process, and was scheduled to deliver a learning platform that fulfilled the University’s requirements in June last year. However, when the project managers examined the system it turned out that it was not correct, and the delivery could not be approved. Blackboard then received an extended timeframe to remedy the shortcomings. In late April the University and Blackboard signed a settlement 6

UNIVERSEN 2— 2019

agreement, which means that the two parties have agreed that the agreement is to be terminated.

BLACKBOARD’S VERSION of Studium is to be phased out in the spring and from the end of May, the system Canvas will be introduced and will continue to be referred to as Studium.

“We can move over to the new system because it was recently procured by the University network Sunet. We can therefore order it directly from Sunet and do not need to carry out a new procurement,” explains Johansson.

22 higher education institutions already use Canvas in Sweden and many report positive experiences.

“We have heard that it is easy both to use and to get started with,” says Carl Hallberg, one of two project managers for the learning management system at the IT Division.

That said, the new system lacks several functions that the University needs, but the IT Division will develop these in-house.

The roughly 180 courses that have already moved over to Studium in the pilot phase, of which the majority are

“Its aim is to promote the development of an attractive, open and sustainable European labour market for researchers. As proof that its application has received EU approval, the University will have the right to use the seal of quality ‘HR Excellence in Research’.”

2 What does it mean in practice?

New supplier of Studium In late April the University and the company Blackboard arrived at a settlement regarding the new learning management system Studium. This means that the two parties have reached an agreement to terminate the contract from 30 August.

1 The European Commission has recently approved the University’s application for Charter and Code affiliation. What does this entail?

on Campus Gotland, are to be archived and transferred over to the new system.

“We are currently reviewing how we can support this project most effectively,” says Johansson.

“It is therefore important for those who have their courses in Studium to coordinate with us about their support needs so that everyone can get the right help,” says Katarina Adenmark, project manager at the IT Division.

THE OTHER LEARNING management systems, Ping Pong and Student Portal, will be maintained over the autumn. Ping Pong will start to be moved over to the new system in spring 2020 and Student Portal in autumn 2020.

The project has received nearly SEK 4 million in extra funds for 2019 and the initiative will be extended by at least one year.

“The major extra cost this has entailed is the time that has been expended on training teachers in a system that we will now no longer use. We have missed out on a year of educational development as well as the digital opportunities we hoped to obtain,” adds Johansson.

Josefin Svensson

“It testifies that the University maintains high standards in its recruitment procedures and working conditions for researchers and teachers, and that we have pledged to keep developing in the areas that need to be improved. We pinpointed a number of measures to examine more closely as part of the application we submitted.

These include parallel language use and enhanced career support, as well as development activities that the University has already launched in some areas.”

3 What are you working on currently?

“We are now beginning to implement the measures. Several departments at the University are responsible for these efforts, and representatives from each of them form the project group. Several reference groups are also linked to the project, among others Junior Faculty, UU Postdoc Association and the Doctoral Board. The reference groups fulfil an important function in the project, part of which is ensuring that the measures have the desired effect.”

4 What is the timetable for the project?

“The implementation project will take two years, with completion expected in February 2021. We will continue working on it after this date, however, and a plan for that will be produced before the project is complete.”

Josefin Svensson

PHOTO: DANIEL OLSSON

Motion-capture technology films physical movements in a space rather than an image in a camera. This is turned into animation data that can then be applied to a three-dimensional character.

” This is a technology on the rise” The Department of Game Design in Visby has the University’s only movement lab, or mocap studio.

This is an abbreviation of “motion capture” – a technology used to record and store movements that can then be used to make characters in video games or films move naturally.

“We used to have an older system, but two years ago we got rid of the old prem-

ises and carried out an upgrade with new cameras,” recounts Camilla von Paykull, lecturer at the Department of Game Design.

The new studio is located in a normal classroom, which will be converted into a recording studio following a minor refurbishment.

“We have a system of 16 optical cameras that send out infrared rays that are reflected by visual markers”, explains von Paykull.

The markers look like small white balls attached to different parts of the body. The infrared light that is reflected by the markers is then filmed. The film is streamed to a recording programme in which the movements are transferred from the visual markers to equivalent points on a computer-generated body.

“It is important that nothing else reflects light in the room, so for example we need to cover any tables with aluminium legs to ensure it works,” says von Paykull.

For the game design students, the studio offers the opportunity to test out the technology – which is becoming increasingly accessible – while studying.

“This is a technology on the rise and beginning to be used more and more in the film industry. This trend is moving fast in the gaming industry and our students will likely come into contact with mocap technology in the future. Even if they don’t work directly with it, it is important to know what it is about and how it works,” adds von Paykull.

Josefin Svensson

Kristoffer Åkervall gets help with attaching the markers.

There is a lot to think about when recording. “It makes a big difference if you dare to act a little more and get in to the character. For this reason we invited a trained actor and stunt man to be a guest on the course,” says Camilla von Paykull.

UNIVERSEN 2 — 2019

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NEWS ILLUSTRATION: TORBJÖRN GOZZI

As long as no Brexit agreement is in place, both students and employees can apply for Erasmus grants for stays in the United Kingdom.

Unclear what is to come after Brexit How will the UK’s impending withdrawal from the EU impact on exchanges and research collaborations at Uppsala University? The answer will depend on whether the country leaves with or without a deal.

A no-deal exit on 29 March was avoided, and as Universen went to press in early May, the UK still had an extension until 31 October with the option to Sara leave the EU if an agreeLaginder ment was negotiated before this.

“There are still many things we don’t know, but as long as nothing is decided we will continue as normal,” says Anders Sara Laginder, ErasJonsson mus Manager at the International Office at the Student Affairs Division.

This means that both students and employees can apply for Erasmus grants for stays in the United Kingdom. If a nodeal exit occurs, students and employees can travel up until the withdrawal date with their grant intact.

“Regardless of what happens, the Uni8

UNIVERSEN 2— 2019

versity wants to continue running exchanges and collaborations with higher education institutions in the UK,” she adds.

The International Office sent out letters during the spring to the University’s partner institutions so as to maintain good relationships and enable continued collaborations and student exchanges.

Each year around 100 students from Uppsala University travel to the UK for Erasmus exchanges, while Uppsala welcomes some 85 British students on average per year.

“The UK is usually in the top three most popular destinations for studies abroad, along with the US and Australia,” says Laginder.

The UK is also a popular choice for staff exchanges.

A POTENTIAL WITHDRAWAL also affects the funds the University receives for administrative costs relating to the Erasmus programme.

“That amount is based on the number of approved mobilities. If fewer students travel, we are given a lower budget. It is therefore important for us to work to promote Europe as a study destination to get more students to apply to countries other than the UK.” One part of these efforts is the ‘Take the train to your study destination’ pro-

ject, in which 20 students received a grant to travel by train to their study destination in Europe during the spring semester. A further 30 grants will be awarded in the autumn semester.

“It is great that so many people were interested. We have also been contacted by several other institutions, such as Lund University and Karolinska Institutet that will offer similar schemes for their students,” adds Laginder.

THE UNIVERSITY’S research collaborations, meanwhile, will not be affected to the same extent by the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, according to Anders Jonsson, EU Coordinator at the Research Support Division.

“I believe that research is too important for that. The researchers will continue to collaborate with the universities they think are good, regardless of whether the UK is in the EU or not.”

Projects that have started as part of Horizon 2020, for example, will continue according to plan. On the other hand, the UK will need to negotiate agreements to be part of the EU’s next Framework Programme and the individual ERC and Marie Curie programmes.

“We do not know how things will turn out for the UK if there is a no-deal Brexit, however,” adds Jonsson.

Josefin Svensson

Many students satisfied with their education Results from the Student Barometer survey reveal that a clear majority of students who responded are either quite or very satisfied with their education at Uppsala University.

In early April the first results started arriving from the survey sent out to some 32,000 students over five weeks in November and December last year.

“The response rate was 28%, which means we should be careful about interpreting the survey results as representative of all students at Uppsala University,” explains Therese Ljunghammar, project manager at the Division for Quality Enhancement.

“Of course we wish more students had replied, but we know that it can be difficult to obtain survey responses and our response rate is in line with several other higher education institutions,” she adds.

There was an over-representation of degree programme students among those who responded. 85% of those who responded were degree programme students, while the remaining 15% were taking freestanding courses. The actual share of degree programme students at the University is 65%.

THE RESULTS SHOW that a clear majority (81%) are either quite or very satisfied with their programme or subject so far. A majority judge that the difficulty of their studies and expectations to take personal responsibility are ‘appropriate’.

An overwhelming majority (85%) feel that the teachers appear to have a large or very large degree of solid expertise in relation to the course content. Just under half (47%) feel that the teachers motivate the students to a large or very large extent to take an active part in seminars and lectures and are good at explaining topics that are difficult to understand.

The survey also reveals what the students think about different types of teaching, exam targets and student welfare issues.

“We are also working on an indepth analysis containing statistical comparisons which will be produced in 2019,” says Ljunghammar.

The results can be used as a basis for efforts to enhance the quality of the University’s courses, and the idea is for the survey to be repeated roughly every third year.

Josefin Svensson

Read more about the results: mp.uu.se/web/info/undervisa/kvalitetoch-utvardering/uu-studentbarometer

PHOTO: MIKAEL WALLERSTEDT

Rooms for digital exams n Starting in autumn semester 2019, it will be possible to give digital exams in the examination rooms at Bergsbrunnagatan 15 in Uppsala.

The rooms are now equipped with desktop computers and screens, and the exams will be implemented using the new Inspera system.

Departments that want to use the system can contact the Unit for Academic Teaching and Learning, which is organising introductory courses starting in autumn semester 2019.

Teachers and administrators can also come to the open workshop taking place each Wednesday from 14:00 – 16:00. in the laboratory lecture hall in Blåsenhus.

Register interest in Inspera in advance via email: support-elarande@ uadm.uu.se

In addition to her work as international coordinator, Camilla Ekwall also holds the roles of lecturer and physiotherapist and is undertaking a student mentorship at the Department of Neuroscience.

International boost for the physiotherapy programme An evaluation revealed that the physiotherapy programme needed to invest in internationalisation. Camilla Ekwall was assigned this task and has been nominated for the Swedish medical faculties’ internationalisation prize.

“I am extremely honoured to be appointed the Faculty of Medicine’s candidate for the internationalisation prize,” says Camilla Ekwall.

She dedicates 15% of her working hours to her role as international coordinator at the Department of Neuroscience, although this work has occasionally demanded more hours.

THE PHYSIOTHERAPY PROGRAMME was one of the first courses evaluated in 2017 using Uppsala University’s evaluation model. It was discovered that the programme had a low level of internationalisation activity, which became the starting point.

“One of the first conditions of success is that the manager wants to set time aside for such efforts – and makes sure this happens. It is not realistic to think someone could manage to do this within

the framework of their ordinary work duties, if it is to be comprehensive and well thought-through,” adds Ekwall.

Firstly, she wanted to find out what was actually meant by ‘internationalisation’.

“I familiarised myself with all the documents linked to this area: government decisions, action plans, the University’s guidelines, the Internationalisation Inquiry and so forth. I also took part in conferences and networks to gather expertise.

“All of this provided a basis for formulating a target for our own activities and creating a strategy document and an action plan.

“One factor for success was contacting the International Office here at the University. Jonathan Schalk and his colleagues have given me a lot of support and encouragement in my efforts to build up internationalisation at a local level.”

THE MOVEON DATABASE at the University collects data about all exchange students and mobile teachers. 400 agreements are in place with universities throughout the world.

“This is a fantastic tool. Everything you need can be found in the database, checked and ready, which feels reassuring,” says Ekwall.

Personal contacts and meetings are also important, and Ekwall’s work has led to many student contacts. She then went one step further and visited each course within the programme to provide information about exchange opportunities. The campaign had an impact and in autumn 2018 the first batch of students went on exchange. A second group of five students will now be following in the spring. When the exchange students return home, they give a presentation of their time on exchange.

“Inspiring and much appreciated,” notes Ekwall.

THE ACTION PLAN also aims to increase teacher mobility and internationalisation at home. Ekwall came into contact with Mats Målqvist, professor at the Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, via the network known as ‘Pigg’ (Programme-wide internationalisation within the committee for undergraduate education). He offered the department’s physiotherapy students a course in global medicine.

“Some students have opted to do their placements here at home by working with vulnerable people, for example the homeless or refugees. This shows another way to work on internationalisation.”

Gunilla Sthyr

Online courses for government employees n All employees at Uppsala Universi-

ty must take the online course “Vårt uppdrag – min roll som statsanställd vid universitet och högskola” (“Our mission – my role as a government employee at a university or college”). The course is intended to provide basic knowledge of what it means to be a government employee. It has been developed in collaboration with the University of Gothenburg, Lund University and Uppsala University. Available online, it takes 35–45 minutes to complete. To take the course, log into Studium where it can be accessed via ‘Anmälan’ (‘Register’): www.studium.uu.se

Four-monthly accounts for closer monitoring n Four-monthly accounts have been introduced at Uppsala University to improve internal financial monitoring. Consequently, the first accounting period of the year runs from January to April. Two years ago, the government removed the general requirement for government agencies subject to the Internal Audit Ordinance to submit interim reports.

UNIVERSEN 2 — 2019

9

AT WORK/ENVIRONMENTAL TARGETS

HIGH UP THE EMISSIONS LIST Since late February, Uppsala University has had new targets and a new action plan concerning environmental efforts. However, despite the fact the University is one of the institutions with the highest CO2 emissions from air travel, there are no concrete targets for reducing emissions in the new governance document.

Since late February, Uppsala University has had new targets and a new action plan concerning environmental efforts.

However, despite the fact the University is one of the institutions with the highest CO2 emissions from air travel, there are no concrete targets for reducing emissions in the new governance document.

Uppsala University is one of the institutions with the highest total emissions from journeys over 500 kilometres by air. Last year the University ended up in third place, behind Karolinska Institutet and Lund University, with emissions totalling 5,386 tonnes, according to figures from the Swedish EnvironmenKarolina tal Protection Agency.

Kjellberg IN ACCORDANCE WITH Uppsala University’s new environmental targets for the period 2019-2021, activities should be managed in such a way that the impact of journeys on the environment is reduced, but no concrete targets have been specified.

“Of course it is extremely important to have the target to reduce the environmental impact of journeys, and we will work on this by ensuring our op-

LARGEST EMISSIONS 2018 n The ten authorities reporting the

highest total CO2 emissions from longhaul flights in 2018. CO2, tonnes.

1. Karolinska Institutet: 7,025 2. Lund University: 5,978 3. Uppsala University: 5,386 4. Royal Institute of Technology: 4,686 5. Swedish Prison and Probation Service: 4,481 6. Stockholm University: 4,314 7. University of Gothenburg: 4,071 8. Swedish Defence Materiel Administration: 3,956 9. Umeå University: 2,655 10. Swedish Police Authority: 2,347 10

UNIVERSEN 2— 2019

portunities to hold digital meetings are further improved,” says University Director Katarina Bjelke.

“Every time we intend to travel we should also ask ourselves whether the journey is actually necessary and what the best and most climate-smart form of transport would be. The aim to consistently reduce our impact on the environment is a target in itself and should be interpreted as such,” she continues.

HOWEVER, ENVIRONMENTAL Director Karolina Kjellberg believes that clearer targets could be a way of supporting the organisation to take environmental measures: “I feel that we could set requirements.

For example, if we were to establish that emissions from travel should fall by 10%, this would help support a change in our travel habits. We have to realise that our

emissions are too high.”

She thinks that people should continue to travel when necessary, but emphasises the importance of reflecting on how many people need to join each trip and whether it is truly relevant.

“We should also consider modes of transport. People could perhaps take the train one way, or fly to a major city and then take a train. We also need to examine our meeting culture and improve in the area of digital meetings.”

Alongside travel, purchasing, reuse of materials and campus buildings are also highlighted in the environmental action plan. The University takes environmental requirements into consideration during procurements and should focus on transport, plastic and chemicals that are hazardous to the environment or health in the coming period.

“There is a lot left to do in terms of our consumption, and this is an area in which we need help to do the right thing when ordering products. Greater coordination, for example, could be one way to reduce unnecessary transport,” adds Kjellberg.

In terms of campus buildings, the targets focus on reducing consumption of electricity and heating.

“We have a target to see a reduction of 7% in this area, which mainly entails measures that we in the Buildings Division are able to implement in collaboration with Akademiska Hus. There is also a focus on the sustainable choice of materials for new builds and efforts to take advantage of the University’s green campus areas.

The action plan also involves the work of Uppsala Klimatprotokoll, that has formulated around 30 challenges, with the University opting to work with ten of them.

Josefin Svensson

Uppsala University’s total emissions from air travel (over and under 500 kilometres). CO2, tonnes.

2018: 5,717 tonnes 2017: 5,915 tonnes 2016: 5,757 tonnes 2015: 5,589 tonnes

PHOTO: MIKAEL WALLERSTEDT

The idea of setting environmental targets in line with the Paris Agreement was raised at a Staff Day in December last year. “I think it is good that this is coming from the bottom up and that people are committed and reflecting on the issue, meaning it will not be something dictated from above,” says head of department Erik Melander. From the left: Isak Svensson, Erik Melander, Ralph Sundberg and Kristine Höglund.

” We cannot continue flying like in the past” New and more ambitious environmental targets have been set for activities at the Department of Peace and Conflict Research.

The institution is to reduce its emissions from air travel in line with the Paris Agreement, which entails a reduction by some 15% per year after 2019, with a target of halving emissions from air travel by 2024.

“We are very aware that we are one of the departments that travels most, and we have been talking about this in the corridors for a long time,” says professor Kristine Höglund.

The department has an international profile and an active presence at conferences and in exchanges with guest researchers. The research is often conducted in the form of field work in faraway countries.

“For me, it is largely about research ethics. We are highly committed to monitoring how our research impacts on the surrounding environment, for example

when we carry out field work. As a discipline that looks to promote peaceful resolution and contribute to peaceful societies, this will be a dimension that will become increasingly important to manage,” she says.

Air travel is under the spotlight as this is an area where a real difference can be made. The department has worked for a long time on local measures such as waste separation and reduced meat consumption at conferences.

“But this pales in comparison when you look at emissions from air travel,” says Isak Svensson, professor and former environmental representative.

INTERNAL REACTION to the new targets has been positive, and the decision to adopt the new targets was also taken unanimously by the departmental board.

“The resistance we have encountered is focused on limitations. Who should decide which journeys may be taken and manage such decisions? We also have very diverse needs, depending on what research is being undertaken and what

stage colleagues are at in their careers. It is perhaps more important to regularly take part in conferences when someone is younger and still finding their place than when they are more established,” explains Kristine Höglund.

Although the need for internationalisation within academia has increased, there is in fact less need to travel, according to Erik Melander, professor and head of the department.

“In the past people would collect documents while at a conference, but now they are shared online instead. I personally don’t feel the same need to travel to conferences every year, but I maybe do want to go every other or every third year.”

THE TARGET TO HALVE emissions from air travel by 2024 is mainly to be achieved through greater awareness and “nudging” – or being inspired to make better choices in relation to travel.

“I think the fact we have a target is significant, but it is based on voluntary participation. It should be fun and in-

spiring,” says Erik Melander.

It is also important to highlight issues at organisational level and not single out individuals, according to Isak Svensson.

The department works to create the best opportunities possible for conducting meetings online and would like to see travel agents becoming better at booking train journeys within Europe.

“It is also important for us to have measurable data that we follow up if we are to create greater awareness. We should also try to find alternatives to travel, for example cluster conferences where people meet digitally,” says environmental representative and researcher Ralph Sundberg.

“Of course, we also realise that our most important task in terms of the climate issue is to conduct our research into peace. Internationalisation is required in this field and we will continue to need to travel by air, but this is a target conflict we will need to manage. We cannot simply continue flying like we have in the past,” says Isak Svensson.

Josefin Svensson

UNIVERSEN 2 — 2019

11

PHOTO: ZHAO CHAO

RESEARCH

Per Alström searching for birds in Niubeishan, Sichuan, China, on a research expedition in June 2015.

The high season is now beginning for bird researcher Per Alström.

He has discovered seven new species of bird and spends a great deal of time in nature in countries such as China, India and Vietnam, where he looks for both well known and unknown birds and just as often listens to their songs.

Around five new species of bird are discovered each year, before being described and named in scientific articles.

Per Alström, professor of ornithology at Uppsala University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, has been lucky enough to discover new species on seven occasions.

“Most have been very similar to other species in appearance but have had distinct songs – that is how we initially discovered them. ‘I don’t recognise this song, this is something different...’ When we eventually saw them we discovered differences in appearance too.”

In order to uncover something new, 12

UNIVERSEN 2— 2019

it is vital to have a strong understanding of the area’s wildlife and to know what the birds look and sound like. He and his colleagues have therefore spent a lot of time in Asia, particularly China and India, but also many other countries.

THE BIRDS ARE CAUGHT so that DNA samples, measurements and photos can be taken. They are mainly studied on the breeding grounds, where the birds sing.

“I make a lot of recordings. We need to be able to make an accurate comparison, meaning we have to record the potential new species as well as all similar birds. We perhaps then catch a number of birds to see if they differ in terms of beak length or tail markings, for example.”

If they prove to be a new species, he and his colleagues write a scientific article and name the species of bird. It is important to assign a name that does not already exist, otherwise it will be invalid. It can therefore become quite tricky and take a long time.

ALONGSIDE THE SCIENTIFIC name, all species of bird have an English and a Swedish name. Per Alström has had one of the new species of bird he discovered named after him in English: Alström’s Warbler, which is related to the Willow Warbler.

He was recently involved in mapping the familial connections between 400 different species of bird that are collectively called “babblers” in English.

There are many different types of species with fun names, for example laughingthrushes, scimtar babblers, whiteeyes and parrotbills.

The researchers have collected DNA samples as part of the project, some fresh samples from living birds and some old samples from museum specimens. Using DNA analyses they have been able to reconstruct the family tree of every species of bird.

THIS IS AN EXTENSIVE study that has required much time and computer capacity. The results provide a fantastic basis for future studies, he notes.

PHOTO: DEREK ENGELBRECHT

He discovered seven new species of bird Per Alström in South Africa in December 2017. The bird is a Rudd’s Lark, only the second individual ever ringed.

“Reconstructing a family tree is necessary if we want to see how different characteristics have developed, for example.

Is a red head or a type of beak unique to a certain group with shared origins, for example, or has this evolved many times over the course of evolution?”

This kind of family tree forms the basis of a wide range of exciting follow-up studies, and indeed, he will soon be heading off on his next research expedition.

“It will be a trip to Kenya to study larks,” says Per Alström.

Annica Hulth

RESEARCH

ment has conducted an in-depth analysis of the survey to which around 3,700 researchers from Uppsala University responded as a basis for the Quality and Renewal 2017 (Q&R17) research evaluation. The report, ‘Conditions for conducting high-quality research: Results from a research evaluation survey at Uppsala University’, is available to download in DiVA.

Investment in sustainable conservation

PHOTO: MAGNUS HLAJMARSSON

n Campus Gotland has a long tra­ dition of research into conservation, and the University is now investing in the expansion of activities while enhancing the research environment on Campus Gotland. The newly established ‘Sustainable Heritage Research Forum’ at the Department of Art History will initiate and stimulate interdisciplinary research into sustainable conser­ vation.

“Sustainable conservation combines conservation’s focus on how we manage cultural heritage with the area of sustainable development that involves finding a balance between resources and utilisation,” says Anne Karlström, conservation researcher and one of four research directors working to expand the activities.

The forum has received financing for four years, from 2019 to 2022.

New method of reducing dementia-related depression being tested in Sweden PHOTO: PRIVAT

n The Division for Quality Enhance-

Many people diagnosed with dementia abandon their day-to-day activities unnecessarily quickly, which in turn hastens an already heightened risk of depression.

Now, Joanne Woodford will test implementing a method within Swedish health care that could reverse the trend using limited funds.

“Studies indicate that up to half of all dementia patients exhibit symptoms of depression. The reasons for this are obviously complex, but one major contributing factor is that many dementia patients give up their day-to-day activities,” explains Joanne Woodford, researcher at the Department of Women’s and Children’s Health and on the research programme U-Care.

She has recently obtained funding from the Swedish Research Council for the four-year project ”Behavioural activation-based guided self-help for depression in people with dementia living in the community: Development, feasibility and evaluation”.

“In the UK we developed a method that health care providers can use even after brief extra training to give those affected by dementia and their relatives the tools to get back to day-to-day life. An

Joanne Woodford, researcher at the Department of Women’s and Children’s Health and on the research programme U-Care.

implementation study produced promising results, and we are now ready to begin equivalent efforts in Sweden.”

EXPERIENCES FROM the UK highlighted success factors such as identifying the right health care staff to carry out the work and the possibility of offering several different types of support.

“Although the intervention is easy to understand and use, we quickly noted

that health care staff need greater expertise relating to both psychological ill-health and dementia. It is also good if physical meetings with patients take place somewhere other than on health care premises, such as at home.”

In four years they will know significantly more and hope to be able to combine new results with expertise from the UK and New Zealand.

Magnus Alsne

4 QUESTIONS FOR SABINE STEN,

PHOTO: MIKAEL WALLERSTEDT

In-depth analysis of Q&R17

professor in osteology, who will carry out a preliminary study on the island of Gotska Sandön together with a marine archeologist and an archeologist.

What did people do on Gotska Sandön?

1

New chair in artificial intelligence n Uppsala University is establishing a chair in artificial intelligence, or AI, funded by the Kjell and Märta Beijer Foundation, which is providing SEK 15 million over a five-year period.

The professorship will focus on AI as a research tool and is intended to support other scholarly activities, mainly in natural and technological sciences. During the period of the professorship, researchers will be offered the opportunity to develop their fields of research using AI.

Why are you studying Gotska Sandön?

“We don’t know that much about the people who left traces behind them on the island. For instance, where did the first people who arrived on the island come from? Discoveries of ceramics potentially indicate that they may have come from the East, but we do not know for sure. Did they live there permanently? There are traces of human activity on Gotska Sandön dating back to the Stone Age, but as far as we know no one has lived permanently on the island aside from lighthouse-keepers in modern times.”

2

How will you carry out the preliminary study?

“We will take drones and fly them over parts of the island to look

for traces of human activity. The marine archeologist professor Johan Rönnby from Södertörn University will also dive all around the island.

We will interview the people who have worked and still work as rangers, as they have excellent knowledge of every aspect of the island. We will also compile all previous archeological discoveries made on the island.”

3

What are you hoping to find?

“Gotska Sandön does not have any natural harbours, but at Säludden there are traces of human activity from a long time ago so there may be remnants of a harbour in the water around there. I am also hoping that we find bones from various captured animals that could show us what the people hunted.

Sabine Sten hopes to find bones from various captured animals that could show what the people used to hunt on the island.

4

You will have a TV crew with you?

“Yes, German TV is interested in the project and wants to be involved from the start.”

Anders Berndt

UNIVERSEN 2 — 2019

13

FEATURE EASIER TO FIND The new information desk is more accessible for students and visitors.

On 2 May Carolina Rediviva threw open the doors to its renovated premises following a two-year renovation.

“I had high expectations but I think it’s turned out better than I hoped. It’s now as grand on the inside as it is on the outside,” says Cecilia Ekström.

Renovated library with a retro vibe TEXT: JOSEFIN SVENSSON PHOTO: MAGNUS HJALMARSSON

14

UNIVERSEN 2 — 2019

HE FIRST THINGS TO note in the newly renovated entrance hall are the light-green colours on the walls and the open spaces. The previously rather cluttered entrance to the University Library has been refined and now serves exclusively as an entrance hall.

“We have had a clear-out to create a more open space which I feel delivers on the ‘wow’ factor,” says Cecilia Ekström, Head of Division at the University Library who was involved in planning the project in collaboration with architect Johan Celsing and the Buildings Division, among others.

As the library is a listed building, the Swedish National Heritage Board was also involved in the process.

THE CAROLINA SHOP PREVIOUSLY located in the middle of the entrance hall has moved into its own space right next to the main entrance. There is also a new exhibition hall displaying the library’s most famous treasures, such as the Uppsala Edda and Carta Marina.

The most valuable work, the Silver Bible, is displayed in a room with thick walls at the far end of the space.

“We will also display different types of material from the library’s collections in temporary exhibitions,” says Åsa Henningsson, Deputy Head of the Special Collections Division.

The first temporary exhibition will look at Carolina Rediviva’s history and display blueprints and images from the period in which the building was built in 1817 up until today. A display case will also house the current architect’s materials and provide information about the renovation.

From the entrance visitors can also access the new conference space that consists of two small meeting rooms and one larger one. They should be able to be used by the entire University and have been furnished with help from Beijerstiftelsen.

“We have also carried out a lot of work on areas not visible on the surface, such as ventilation and cabling hidden in the walls,” says Annamaria Hartvik, project manager at the Buildings Division.

FROM THE ENTRANCE WE can then enter the library and head to the new information desk. Before, visitors had to go further to the left in the room to find the library staff.

“We are now more accessible. We have also moved the course-book library here from the ninth floor to make it easier for the students,” explains Ekström.

All bookshelves in the library have a coral-red lining, and the room gives off a warm and welcoming feel. From here, visitors can move on to the quiet reading rooms that have not been affected by the renovation. They can also find the café which is possibly the space that has changed the most during the works.

UNIVERSEN 2 — 2019

15

FEATURE

The power sockets in the café match the bricks in various shades of yellow.

The new café has room for some 200 people.

The entrance hall now has light-green walls and more open spaces.

The conference space was furnished with help from Beijerstiftelsen.

Carolina Rediviva’s history in brief n In 1841 Uppsala University Library moved from Gustavianum to Carolina Rediviva, which also served as the University’s main building. Carolina Rediviva means “Academia Carolina Revived” and refers to an older University building, Academia Carolina, which was torn down in the 1700s. The name also extends a courtesy to King Karl XIV Johan (Carolus Johannes), who had already decided on the location of the building during his time as Crown Prince. During this time, the library’s collections had over 100,000 volumes.

The first redevelopment of the building took place as early as the 1880s. The magazine rooms were expanded as the first reading rooms were added. The 1990s and beyond have seen a major expansion of the library’s collections, new extensions and several major reorganisations.

The University Library currently consists of libraries in eleven locations in Uppsala and Visby.

Source: ub.uu.se 16

UNIVERSEN 2— 2019

“The architect has truly stuck to the design of the C-room here. The parts of the building that now comprise the C-room and café were extended in the 1960s. It was in fact the architect’s father, Peter Celsing, who was responsible for the extension,” explains Annamaria Hartvik.

The concrete pillars in the café were previously painted white, but have now been restored to their original grey surface. The walls are clad in glazed brick in various shades of yellow, while the brown floor has white stripes that remind you of running lanes, just like the carpet in the C-room. There is space for some 200 people around the tables, and there are also seating areas and a kitchenette one floor up.

“We have worked hard to introduce noise suppression behind the bricks and have considered aspects such as installing lots of outlets for charging computers and mobile phones. The idea is that people should be able to sit and have coffee here as well as study or do group work – something many students have been asking for,” says Annamaria Hartvik.

Aside from the more public spaces, around 30 offices have also been redeveloped.

“Around 100 people work in the building and we have redeveloped and renovated the spaces to create a more modern environment, both technically and in terms of appearance. This has not been done properly since the 1960s and we obviously have different needs today,” adds Hartvik.

THE RENOVATION WAS LAUNCHED in spring 2017 and has cost some SEK 150 million, with the University paying for around SEK 68 million. The remaining costs were paid by the National Property Board of Sweden. The work was undertaken as normal activities carried on.

“It has gone surprisingly well,” says Åsa Henningsson.

THE NEW PREMISES WILL be open from 2 May, but the café will first be up and running after the summer.

The exhibition hall will be opened on 14 June, with the entire building being opened again in conjunction with the start of the semester.

“I had high expectations but I think it’s turned out better than I had hoped. It’s now as grand on the inside as it is on the outside,” says Ekström. n

COLLABORATION

” Now we are back on track” It is far from unusual for companies or organisations to purchase contract education from the University to give staff extra training in various areas, but it is less common for a sector to fund a Bachelor’s programme.

“This is unique, but also entirely necessary if we are to be able to offer the programme. We need a lot of special resources, such as access to the research reactors and simulators, and the normal student grants are simply not sufficient for that, particularly since we currently only have 20 spaces on the programme,” explains Ane Håkansson, Professor of Applied Nuclear Physics at the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

Another reason behind the close collaboration with the sector is that government funds have been conspicuous in their absence when it comes to nuclear power in particular.

“Nuclear power has long been one of the least sexy fields a person could focus on, and we note that the government has not taken many steps to maintain our activities in a way that ensures skills do not drain away. This is why the sector is having to step in and take responsibility. However, we are now back on track again and seeing greater interest,” adds Håkansson.

UPPSALA UNIVERSITY HAS long educated professionals within the nuclear power sector via contract education in various different areas. Joint research projects

Agreements with Forsmark and Ringhals n Uppsala University has entered into an agreement with Forsmark and Ringhals for a new Bachelor’s Programme in Nuclear Engineering. The funding is specifically destined for the Department of Physics and Astronomy and should be primarily used to cover costs relating to teaching staff or enhancing skills through research at the department’s Applied Nuclear Physics department.

PHOTO: MIKAEL WALLERSTEDT

A new Bachelor’s programme in engineering with a focus on nuclear power will be launched at Uppsala University in the autumn.

The programme is largely being funded by Vattenfall, which wants to guarantee future skills to manage its nuclear power stations.

The programme receives subsidies from the sector, but have full authority to take decisions in matters such as admissions and examination. From the left: Ane Håkansson och Michael Österlund.

have also been carried out. This collaboration is one reason that the sector turned specifically to Uppsala University to establish the new Bachelor’s programme in engineering, according to Håkansson.

“We have long had a solid and good reputation within the nuclear power sector and have had ongoing research collaborations with the Ringhals, Forsmark and Oskarshamn facilities since the early 1990s.”

“This has meant we have got to know many people in the sector and started discussing recruitment procedures.

Power companies believe society will need nuclear power for a long time to come, so companies will need to recruit talent to keep developing the nuclear power plants. This led to our decision to relaunch the programme,” explains Michael Österlund, Senior Lecturer at the

” This is unique, but also entirely necessary if we are to be able to offer the programme.”

Ane Håkansson

New insights into inclusiveness at school A report entitled “A positive and inclusive learning environment” was released in March, the result of work undertaken by a research circle involving participants from preschools and schools in Sigtuna municipality in collaboration with researchers from Uppsala University.

Most people agree that all children at school or preschool have a right to feel included. However, exactly what that term represents and how we can gain an insight into learning environments that live up to our ideal is harder to explain. Sigtuna municipality turned to the Forum for Community Engagement at Uppsala University to gain a scientific perspective on the issue.

“We began by reading and discussing literature. The participants then studied good examples of inclusiveness in their activities. There is no simple answer to the question of how to tell whether a learning environment is genuinely positive, but thanks to the research circle we have gained a deeper understanding and a launching pad for the municipality’s future initiatives,” explains Gunilla Lindqvist, who led the research circle and works as a Senior Lecture in education at the Department of Education.

IN ORDER TO MAKE the inclusiveness approach more manageable, the group opted to work with a similar term – accessibility. An observation schedule was produced that enabled the group to collect and collate accessibility markers that could be distinguished. By examining issues such as how the learning spaces were used and whether quieter students were noticed, the participants were able to highlight the level of accessibility in the classrooms. The observations were complemented by interviews and surveys.

“The project led to enhancement of skills, both within the group and for each individual participant,” says Lindqvist.

Andrea Dahlkild

Department of Physics and Astronomy.

THE NEW PROGRAMME will be offered as the third year of the Bachelor’s programme in engineering.

“We receive subsidies from the sector to offer the programme, but we have full authority to take decisions in matters such as admissions, examinations and syllabi. We have the same control of those areas as we have for any other programme,” adds Österlund.

Josefin Svensson

Collaboration around research into school issues n The Forum for Community Engage­ment is an arena for regional collaboration between Uppsala University and eight municipalities: Enköping, Heby, Håbo, Knivsta, Sigtuna, Tierp, Uppsala and Östhammar. www.forumforsamverkan.uu.se UNIVERSEN 2 — 2019

17

NAMES IN THE NEWS n Professor Margaret Levi of

Stanford University and the University of Washington will be the 25th person to receive the Johan Skytte Prize in Political Science. She receives the prize for “having laid the foundations of our understanding of why citizens accept state coercion, by combining theoretical acumen and historical knowledge.” The prize will be awarded at a ceremony in Uppsala on 28 September 2019.

n Merja Kytö, Professor at the

Department of English, will be awarded the Royal Swedish Academy of Letters’ Rettig Prize “for her innovative work in the field of syntax, pragmatics and corpus linguistics and the modern English linguistic area.”

will take place outside Carolina Rediviva, 14:00-17:00.

n Marina Freitag, Research As-

27/5. Heidegger in Ruins Mini conference at the Humanities Theatre, 13.00-15:00.

Lecturers: Professor Richard Wolin, Grad Center, CUNY and Professor Steve Fuller, University of Warwick. Free entry and open to the public.

sociate at the Department of Chemistry (Ångström), Physical Chemistry, and Jonathan Cedernaes, researcher at the Department of Neuroscience, are being awarded the Main Gustafsson Prize. From 2019, the prize consists of a research grant totalling SEK 2.75 million over three years.

n Pablo Maldonado, Researcher at the Department of Physics and Astronomy and Xingqi Chen, Assistant Senior Lecturer at the Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, are being awarded the Minor Gustafsson Prize, which consists of a one-off research grant worth SEK 0.75 million.

n Tomislav Dulić, Senior Lecturer at the Department of History and Director of the Hugo Valentin Centre, has received the Austrian Holocaust Memorial Award 2019 awarded by Austrian Service Abroad.

ON THE AGENDA

n Maria Strömme and Håkan Engqvist, both Professors at the Department of Engineering Sciences, will receive this year’s Practical Application Prize, together with Carlota Canalias, Professor at KTH, Royal Institute of Technology, awarded by the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research. First prize goes to Maria Strömme for the project ‘Lightweight polymer composites for sustainable batteries’. Second prize goes to Håkan Engqvist for ‘Synthesis and processing of active calcium phosphate cement’ and to Carlota Cana-

24/5. Doctoral Conferment Ceremony The University’s ceremony for all who have completed their PhDs during the year. Apart from new PhDs, jubilee doctorates will also be conferred during the Spring Conferment Ceremony. The Grand Auditorium, 12:00 – 15:00.

Caroline Sjöberg

25/5. Soapbox Science Visit Uppsala’s first Soapbox Science event at which twelve researchers from SLU and Uppsala University discuss their research and answer questions.

The event is free of charge and

28/5. Swing in springtime Uppsala University Jazz Orchestra will present big band music from various eras. The Grand Auditorium, 19:00. www.uujo.uu.se 1/6: Museum Night at Museum Gustavianum Uppsala’s museums will throw open their doors for a joint evening of programmes. Guided tours in Swedish and English every hour on the hour.

1/6. Museum Night in the tropics Experience the unexpected in Uppsala’s finest rainforest.

The Botanical Garden’s tropical greenhouse, Villavägen 8, Uppsala. www.uppsalasmuseer.se 4/6. News from America How do Swedes get their information about the US? How does the news reporting shape our understanding of the United States? These are some of the questions that will be discussed in the seminar arranged by the Swedish Institute for North American Studies at Uppsala University. Venue: Room IX, Main University Building. Time: 10:30 – 15:30.

The seminar is free and open to the public.

Caroline Sjöberg to become new University Director The University Board decided on 25 April to appoint Caroline Sjöberg University Director of Uppsala University. She has worked within various sectors, including the Swedish Armed Forces, SLU and the Swedish Council for Higher Education. Between 2001 and 2003 she worked as Human Resources Director at Uppsala University. Most recently she was University Director of Umeå University, a post she had held since 2014.

She will take up her role on 1 October 2019, succeeding Katarina Bjelke who left the University on 15 May. During the transition period, Chief Legal Officer Per Abrahamsson will fill the position of Deputy University Director.

PHOTO: MATTIAS PETTERSSON

18

lias for the project ‘Tailored photons’.

UNIVERSEN 2— 2019

PHOTO: MIKAEL WALLERSTEDT

FINALLY Sofia Wadensjö Karén, Managing Director of the Swedish Educational Broadcasting Company and 2018 Alumnus of the Year at Uppsala University and Vice-Chancellor Eva Åkesson.

Nominate for the title Alumnus of the Year 2019 n Each year, Uppsala University awards the title of Alumnus of

the Year to an alumnus who has made an outstanding contribution to their professional field, or has accomplished something else worthy of honouring.

Who can nominate for the Alumnus of the Year award?

Nominations can be made by anyone with a connection to Uppsala University.

Who is eligible for the Alumnus of the Year award?

The alumnus shall be a good role model for current and future students and have excelled in their career or otherwise have achieved something of note. The alumnus shall normally have studied at Uppsala University for at least four semesters.

When can I nominate?

Last day to nominate your candidate is on August 23, 2019.

How do I nominate?

Fill in the form: http://doit.medfarm.uu.se/kurt13958

5/6. AIMday Diabetes AIMday Diabetes offers companies, researchers and clinicians an opportunity to meet and exchange ideas about new solutions for better prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diabetes and its complications. BMC, SciLifeLab, 08:30 – 15:30.

For further information and registration: http://aimday.se/diabetes-2019

6/7. String Math 2019 - Mathematics and the Cosmos Two of the foremost researchers and popular science speakers in the world will present their view of the role mathematics plays when investigating the universe. Lecturers: Edward Frenkel and Cumrun Vafa.

Venue: The Grand Auditorium.

5-6/6. Gotland Game Conference Students at the Department of Game Design on Campus Gotland will show off their gaming projects and speakers from the industry will be invited along.

The theme for this year’s event is “Workers’ rights”. game.speldesign.uu.se/cat/ ggc-updates

Support to employees’ surviving relatives and staff Uppsala University annually distributes a pension supplement to surviving relatives of employees of the University. There is also a limited opportunity for the University’s own retired staff to apply for a pension supplement.

The University also pays a funeral contribution to surviving relatives of an employee.

Further information and an application form can be obtained via email: personaladm@ uadm.uu.se or from Susanna Schjölin, phone: 018-471 7764 or Camilla Sävmarker, phone: 018471 6385. Applications should reach the HR Division by the 20 September 2019 at the latest.

7/6. Claire Craig - Science and futures in government: why and how?

Claire Craig, Chief Science Policy Officer at the Royal Society, will discuss science and futures in government: why and how?

Kollaboratoriet, Gamla Torget, Östra Ågatan 19, Uppsala, 14:15.

OTHER

” There is obviously a strong mutual desire among researchers and universities in both our countries to cooperate across disciplinary and national boundaries on the sustainability goals.”

Summer reading with a university connection As summer is just around the corner, it is time to stock up on interesting reading for lazy days in the hammock or on the beach. Universen offers some tips on current publications from employees of the University.

Nygren

‘Fakta, fejk och fiktion: ‘Ämnesdidaktisk digital kompetens för lärare’*

by Thomas

In our global and digital world where information is available for all to use or abuse, students need to have strong knowledge of their field combined with up-to-date digital skills to navigate through the media landscape. Thomas Nygren, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Education, offers concrete examples of how different methods can be applied in teaching to support students’ digital critical skills and teach them to see new perspectives, both analogue and digital.

‘An active student participation companion’,

by Sanna Barrineau, Alexis Engström and Ulrike Schnaas

The active student participation project at Uppsala University has resulted in a book aiming to inspire new teaching methods. It summarises experiences of different methods to motivate students and offers concrete examples of how teachers and students can shape teaching together.

‘Etik’*

by Elena Namli and Carl-Henric Grenholm

What is a correct action? How can religious traditions contribute to ethical reflection? What does respecting human value in the areas of biomedical and sexual ethics entail? These are some of the many questions discussed i the book, which offers an introduction to philosophical and theological ethics.

‘Musical emotions explained: Unlocking the secrets of musical affect’

by Patrik Juslin

Can music truly arouse emotions? If so, which emotions and how? Using new research, Patrik Juslin, Professor in Music Psychology, researches how music expresses and stirs emotions, as well as how it becomes the object of aesthetic assessments.

‘Horet i Hälsta : en sann historia från 1600-talet’*

by Karin Hassan Jansson and Jonas Lindström

In 1685, Anna Persdotter

from the small town of Hälsta in Västmanland was brought to trial, accused of having attempted to take the life of her husband.

During the trial that followed, accusations of theft, assault and infidelity were also levelled. The book portrays a more than 300-year-old authentic trial and places the events into a historical context. This is a story about people and life in Hälsta, but also about the period in which Sweden had an empire. The authors, Karin Hassan Jansson, Senior Lecturer at the Department of History, and Jonas Lindström, Researcher at the Department of History, have been awarded the Vasa Museum’s 2019 prize for this book.

‘Allt är gift: om dödliga ämnen och deras roll i historien’*

by Olle Matsson

“Everything is poison, it’s simply a question of dosage,” the scientist Paracelsus maintained back in the 16th century. And it is certainly true that there are countless substances, both natural and artificial, that can cause suffering and death. Here, Olle Matsson, Senior Professor of Chemistry at BMC, recounts the global history of poisons.

by Lena Noreland

‘Laga efter läge: Statsråds föreställningar om styrning i Regeringskansliet’*

When a new government enters office, political work begins in earnest at the government offices. Newly appointed ministers are thrown into their ministerial roles, sometimes after having only hours to consider.

When political results must be delivered quickly and effectively – how do ministers imagine that governance of the departments’ day-to-day work preparing items of business should be handled?

What governance strategy do they deem best to produce the right government decisions? In this thesis, former ministers from the years 1991-2014 outline their views of aspects of their government role that they had likely not considered when taking up that role.

‘I tjejers spår – för framtids segrar: Om tjejlopp och villkor för kvinnors motionsidrottande’*

by Karin S. Lindelöf and Annie Woube

Women’s races attract hundreds of thousands of participants each year and are often marketed using words such as community, party and enjoyment. But what do these races say about our society and our culture? Ethnologists and gender researchers Karin S. Lindelöf and Annie Woube have studied the phenomenon of women’s races from the 1980s until today, basing their studies on large amounts of written and oral reports, their own observations and experiences of various races and large amounts of media and archive materials. *All book titles not translated are only available in Swedish.

PHOTO: MIKAEL WALLERSTEDT

Vice-Chancellor EVA ÅKESSON on the vicechancellorsblog.uu.se (May 8, 2019), on the occasion of Sasuf’s research and innovation week in Stellenbosch, South Africa.

This year’s Almedalen Week runs from 30 June to 7 July.

The University in Almedalen n Uppsala University’s three

disciplinary domains are all represented in various seminars and events during Almedalen Week. In total some 40 sessions managed by the University are included in the programme.

Last year the University tested a new concept in the form of a series of evening conversations examining different issues from a democratic perspective.

“That session on the programme was highly appreciated and will now be held each evening, Sunday to Thursday,” says Siv Ohlsson, project manager at the Communications Division.

Another new session on the programme is a collaboration between universities in the Uppsala-Stockholm region with the theme ‘The role of universities in a sustainable world’. During ‘Östersjödagarna’ (Baltic Sea Days), which will take place at the same time as Almedalen Week on 3-4 July, a range of seminars and events are being arranged to examine the challenges and opportunities of the Baltic Sea region. ‘Östersjödagarna’ is a collaboration between several players. Host and coordinator is Blått Centrum Gotland, a collaborative project between Uppsala University, the county administrative board in Gotland County and Region Gotland.

“A joint university mingle is also being arranged. All university employees in Almedalen are welcome, but you need to register,” adds Ohlsson.

Information will be pub­ lished on Medarbetarportalen at the end of May, and all of the organisers will receive an invitation via email. www.uu.se/almedalen UNIVERSEN 2 — 2019

19

PROFILE /ANN-KRISTIN LINDBERG One of seven safety representatives n Name: Ann-Kristin ”Anki” Lindberg.

n Title: Lecturer at the Department of Business Studies. n Lives: On a farm with ardennes horses, cats and dogs in Östhammar Municipality. n Leisure activities: Exercising, breeding and showing golden retrievers. n Reading: Karin Tegenborg Falkdalen’s ”Vasadöttrarna”. Also enjoys anything by Bengt af Klintberg. n Never misses: The news on the radio or TV. On a free day, enjoys: Helping the neighbour with the autumn duck hunt along with her gun dogs.

Ann-Kristin Lindberg dislikes injustice but likes the idea of the organisation’s greater knowledge of the Work Environment Act.

” You have a true nerd here” The lecturer who loves to teach has relatively recently become principal safety representative for one of the University’s seven safety areas – a role that requires both time and commitment, as well as a passionate interest in the organisational and social work environment.

ANN-KRISTIN LINDBERG, or Anki as she is more often known, is a lecturer at the Department of Business Studies. She has taught for a long time and finds it one of the most enjoyable things imaginable.

“I studied here at the University and was also employed as a doctoral student, but I left that pathway and became a lecturer instead. Over the last 30 years I have worked on consumer marketing. It is really fun and very interesting – you have a true nerd here when it comes to monitoring all the adverts that wash over us. I will also soon complete my licentiate degree – I

am writing about customers’ participation and purchasing habits for home parties. Anki Lindberg is not only busy with teaching, she is also principal safety representative for one of the University’s seven safety areas – a task she is eager to talk about.

“The task should be given the time it requires, but I would not be able to manage alone. I have the benefit of there being no less than three safety representatives here at the Department of Business Studies who work with me, and there are a further 25 safety reps within our area.”

THIS IS A BIG university and therefore the first seminar day was organised in March this year for all of the University’s safety reps. This meeting enhanced the self-confidence of many who feel alone in their department or division.

“More safety reps are needed. It is not sufficient to have one or two per division, which is why we are talking to heads of department and managers and lobbying for more people to get the chance to work on safety issues.” She has consciously scaled back her teaching on campus in favour of web-based teaching.

This offers greater flexibility and an opportunity to free up more of her working hours.

“The area I’m most passionate about is probably the organisational and social work environment. We are good at monitoring approved levels of measurable things such as air flows and such, but organisationally and socially we are, in fact, useless. I believe anonymous surveys are a good way to find out what is not working at a workplace, but the most important thing is for us to deal with the results and follow up on issues arising from the survey responses.”

Being a principal safety representative requires both time and great commitment. Where does yours come from?

“I have been politically active since I was young, and I really dislike injustice. I am happy to stand up and highlight shortcomings. It is great to have a long career behind me now at the University. I have a broad basis for reference, but despite that can still be surprised sometimes!”

Birgitta Sinder Wilén

PHOTO: MIKAEL WALLERSTEDT

Read more about safety reps at Uppsala University on Medarbetarportalen: mp.uu.se