What shapes, hinders or fosters belonging, participation and wellbeing in the context of diversifying and ageing European cities? How can an intersectional perspective be further developed in research on urban ageing and which policy implications follow from this? An international consortium discussed these questions in a workshop hosted by Göttingen Diversity Research Institute on 19 November 2021.

Each year the Dutch Higher Education Guide for Universities (Keuzegids) publishes an overview of different bachelor programmes in the Netherlands. This year, the UG bachelor Global Responsibility & Leadership received the highest score of all bachelor programmes in the Netherlands with an impressive total of 94/100 points. ENLIGHT’s Global Engagement Module (GEM), is part of this programme. 

 “I am truly humbled and proud by the acknowledgement of the Keuzegids”, says faculty director dr. Indira van der Zande, also member of the GEM course designing team within ENLIGHT WP3. “We have always aspired to create an academic environment where students and staff can actively engage in the co-creation of knowledge to contribute to solving the global challenges.” Interested in what makes this programme so special? Find out more here!

Today the nine ENLIGHT rectors endorsed a joint Sustainability Engagement on the occasion of the ENLIGHT General Meeting.  

With this joint Sustainability Engagement the ENLIGHT-members want to make a strong claim to be key contributors of sustainable development and to lead by example with concrete actions in governance, education and research.

Another e-governance public lecture by the ECePS ERA Chair in University of Tartu is coming up! On Friday, December 10^th at 12.00 (EET), Dan Bogdanov from Cybernetica will talk about privacy and security technologies for data-driven policymaking. The lecture will be followed by a discussion moderated by Prof Robert Krimmer. The event is fully online and in English.

On December 8th at 6pm CET, the next ENLIGHT lecture will be hosted and livestreamed online.

Together with the University of Tartu, and the universities of Copenhagen and Cologne, the University of Groningen/UMCG has developed an online course in the framework of the EIT Health Project 'AIProHealth - Practical Artificial Intelligence (AI) for healthcare professionals'. The course 'How Artificial Intelligence Can Support Healthcare' will be launched on the online platform 'FutureLearn' on 29 Novermber 2021.

On the 18th and 19th of November Ghent University hosts the 1st ENLIGHT Teaching and Learning conference. The central theme is 'Learning from and with each other – peer learning across all levels of the university'. The theme obviously refers to the educational methods used in our courses and programmes, but it also points to the importance of peer learning among teachers. Our conference marks the beginning of a teaching and learning community to empower our ENLIGHT teachers and students.

On the 18th and 19th of November Ghent University hosts the 1st ENLIGHT Teaching and Learning conference. During the formal opening our we are glad to welcome keynote speaker Eric Mazur, Professor of Physics and Applied Physics and Area Chair of Applied Physics at Harvard University.

Eric Mazur is renowned for his teaching methods, which developed a large following, both nationally and internationally, and has been adopted across many disciplines.

On occcasion of his visit to Ghent Eric Mazur will give two additional student hybrid lectures in the morning of Friday 19 November

Forests are considered one of the most important instruments in the fight against climate change. They have high potential to absorb carbon emissions and play a major role in biodiversity conservation. This session looks at the impact of climate change on forests and their adaptation to environmental changes.

To mark the end of the first Taiwan Studies Programme cycle Ghent University hosts a series online lectures together with the University of Göttingen and the University of Groningen. The lectures are given by the Taiwan Chair holders who were selected during the past five years in the framework of the Taiwan Chair agreement.

The European Solid Mechanics Conference is the major event for the solid mechanics community in Europe, and provides a unique forum for scientists and engineers from Europe and across the world to exchange ideas on the current state-of-the-art in the mechanics of solids, on new concepts and ideas and to identify new research directions. The 11^th European Solid Mechanics Conference will be held at NUI Galway, Ireland, 4^th – 8^th July, 2022 (ESMC2022). The conference is being held under the auspices of the European Mechanics Society (EUROMECH).

Solid mechanics is the bedrock of engineering design in areas such as mechanical engineering, civil and structural engineering, and biomedical engineering. It is a critically important element in the design and development of almost all technologies and products in these areas, such as aircraft, automobiles, buildings, bridges, and medical implants and devices. Further, solid mechanics is a key enabler in the development of new technologies that address the major global challenges of our time in sustainability, renewable energy and health.

The organising committee have assembled a truly outstanding group of international invited lecturers for the conference, covering the General Lecture and five Plenary Lectures.

The conference has general sessions and over 50 mini-symposia on a wide range of solid mechanics speciality areas so there should be something for everyone over a wide range of interests in the solid mechanics domain, for abstract submission.

The NUI Galway organising committee would be delighted for the ENLIGHT member institutions to encourage staff, researchers and graduate students in engineering, applied mathematics and physical sciences, and more broadly across the sciences, to submit abstracts to the conference and for them to visit Galway to attend the conference next summer.

Welcome to a digital Uppsala Health Summit, October 18-21st 2021, that will focus on mental health and wellbeing – considered one of the most important global health challenges of our time. Fostering and protecting mental wellbeing requires multi-sectoral action at all levels of society, but there is often a need for better understanding of available approaches and how they can be successfully implemented and benefit more people. The meeting will provide a unique interdisciplinary platform for researchers, experts and practitioners to present and discuss innovative ways to prevent and intervene for better mental health globally. Topics include Psychological flexibility, Hormones and mood, Towards a new understanding of mental health and wellbeing, and Innovative strategies for closing the treatment gap. 

Some of the confirmed speakers include:

• Professor Vikram Patel, Professor of Global Health at Harvard Medical School
• Dr Ledia Lazeri, Mental Health Advisor at WHO
• Professor Steven Hayes, Founder of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
• Mr Benjamin Perks, Head of Campaigns and Advocacy at UNICEF

The plenary sessions are free of charge and open to everyone who has pre-registred. Participation in the workshops are limited, and require pre-registration and includes a fee. Please register here.