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Listen closely to teachers and researchers ...
GUJournal OLA SIGURDSON PAGE 9
INDEPENDENT JOURNAL FOR THE STAFF AT THE UNIVERSITY OF GOTHENBURG/#1 MARCH 2017
NEWS
The staff’s advice to the new vice-chancellor PROFILE
Johan Boman on the taste of polluted air THEME
Digital work as a cause of stress
SHE TAKES OVER GU EVA WIBERG SUGGESTED AS NEW VICE-CHANCELLOR Internationalisation and student influence among the things she finds important. Photo: JOHAN WINGBORG
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VICE-CHANCELLOR Safeguarding freedom of speech and the right to facts N THE PREVIOUS GU Journal, I wrote that, as a university, we must keep ethical perspectives constantly in focus and that, by taking a stance on ethics and other issues regarding values, we can contribute to democracy. One such issue that needs to be held clear and safeguarded is the freedom of speech. Those of us who have always taken this freedom for granted are now being shocked, each and every day, by the way it is being challenged. The freedoms of expression and of the press are threatened in many places in the world. It is not only remote states with a long history of poor respect for human rights that are infringing free speech. In Hungary and Poland, both EU countries, the governments have enacted new laws to reduce media freedom. In Turkey, a large number of academics and other intellectuals have been dismissed from their jobs and imprisoned.
AS A UNIVERSITY, we must, to the last drop of blood in our bodies, defend the freedom to express views and opinions. Additionally, we have the increasingly more pressing duty to safeguard facts. Our role includes developing new knowledge and ensuring that it is disseminated. This is also a self-evident part of educating students to be individuals who have a critical and analytical ability and who are also capable of distinguishing between views and facts. Last year was the 250th anniversary of Sweden enacting the world’s first legislation guaranteeing the freedom of expression and a free press. Let us ensure that these rights remain intact. PHoto: JOHAN WINGBORG
Being allowed to freely express an opinion is a human right and a cornerstone of our democracy.
IN THE USA, there is a president who has commenced a war with the media and who, in his constant flow of tweets, attacks journalists as “the most dishonest people”. He maintains that, as a group, their interests are entirely other than giving the man in the street a true picture of reality. He does not hesitate to silence critical questioning by quite simply boycotting certain media. When plain facts do not fit into the president’s own picture of the world, they are dismissed as “fake news” and, in their place, “alternative facts” are presented. Many people have sounded alarm bells about the ever more acrimonious climate of public debate. While some are being egged into action, others are being cowed into silence. No matter how we react, there are many of us who are
unsettled by what may result from a development in which various groups are thrown into opposition, facts are distorted and pure lies are propagated. Being allowed to freely express an opinion is a human right and a cornerstone of our democracy. Even if we do not always agree with what is said, we let other people voice their convictions – as long as the expressed views do not abuse another person or break a law. This applies at work just as much as it does in private and public life. It is an inviolable right for everyone and one that we must respect in various situations.
PAM FREDMAN
EDITORS Welcome to the new GU Journal! THE MAGAZINE YOU are now holding in your hands is indeed the University’s magazine, GU Journal. We have completely reworked it (Tony Henschel devised the new graphic profile). However, we hope that it is still largely recognisable. Even if the form and format are entirely different, our credibility remains as important as ever, as also our journalistic freedom
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and tone. Why then has there been this comprehensive change? Firstly, believe it or not, GU Journal celebrates its 20th anniversary this autumn. Over the years, Journalen has undergone some changes. However, these have mostly been minor facelifts. We are now taking a new hold. Secondly, we would like the magazine to feel more modern and for it to be easier
for readers to find their way around. We also know that many readers have asked for a format that is easier to handle. There will be more changes during the year. One of these will be the launch of a considerably better news site. Nonetheless, our faith in a published magazine will continue in the coming years.
ALLAN ERIKSSON & EVA LUNDGREN
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HIGHLIGHTS NEWS 04–16
04. After some turmoil Eva Wiberg is suggested to take over GU. 07. This is what the staff expects from the new vice-chancellor. 11. Report shows that GU is on the right track. 12. Cecilia Lässer started GU’s first MOOC.
PROFILE 14–18
14. Johan Boman measures the air in cities all around the world.
PEOPLE 19–23
19. Doctoral student lectured in the Vatican. 20. A school for a better society. 22. Highlights from 2016.
14 ”The air in polluted cities will shorten lives,” warns Johan Boman.
”In Ougadougou the air tastes like metal in your mouth,” says Johan Boman. Foto: JOHAN WINGBORG
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NEWS
From Rome to Gothenburg “The University of Gothenburg is the only higher education institution for which I would leave Lund. UGOT Challenges, the refugee and sustainable development initiatives and all the other examples of social commitment are amongst the things I really appreciate here.” So says Eva Wiberg who, after some turmoil, is now being proposed as the new vice-chancellor. Text: EVA LUNDGREN Photo: JOHAN WINGBORG
EVA WIBERG, pro-vice-chancellor of
Lund University, was on an official trip in Saudi Arabia when, at the beginning of February, she received a telephone call from the chair of the University of Gothenburg’s board. Was she still interested in the position of vice-chancellor of the University of Gothenburg now that the proposal in favour of Ole Petter Ottersen had been withdrawn? “I first consulted with my family, but didn’t really hesitate to accept. With research and education in nearly all subject areas, as well as collaborations at all levels, the universities of Gothenburg and Lund are both complete higher education institutions. Vice-chancellor Pam Fredman is leaving behind a well-managed incumbency and I feel incre-
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dibly honoured by the proposal.” Lund University is celebrating its 350th year while the University of Gothenburg, dating from 1891, is relatively young. “With associations, clubs, reviews and processions, Lund has a solid tradition of student life. In Gothenburg, where the University is geographically widespread, it’s different. However, I’m keen to assist in students feeling a greater sense of belonging in that respect too.” EVA WIBERG AFFIRMS that the University of Gothenburg is of great importance to the city. “For the whole of Sweden too, of course, not least through its collaborations with a trade and industry sector that is vital for the country’s
development. What I hope to contribute is increased nationalisation. I am involved in several international collaborations and am, for example, in the process of coming to the end of my tenure as executive director of Universitas 21, a prestigious network of leading research universities worldwide. Another example is MIRAI, a collaboration between Swedish and Japanese universities. Amongst other things, it is discussing issues regarding ageing or, as the Japanese say ‘the super mature society’.” Eva Wiberg has been used to international environments since childhood. Her father, Carl Eric Östenberg, was an archaeologist and head of the Swedish Institute in Rome. The institute, on the edge
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What is Eva Wiberg’s view of ... Internationalisation
An incredibly important area. I hope I have much to contribute here.
Collegiality/line
Anything to do with the exercise of public authority should be taken care of by line management. However, for everything else, I feel that collegiality, in which students also have influence, is what best drives operations forwards.
The crisis in the humanities
I believe that the humanities and social sciences have an extremely important role, not least now when denial of facts and populism are growing.
Internationalisation is one of the areas Eva Wiberg wants to improve.
of Villa Borghese, was constantly full of foreign diplomats, politicians and visiting school classes. Besides following the natural sciences line at a German school, she also spent a year in the USA when her father was at Princeton University. “IT WAS AN extremely privileged
upbringing, but the schooling was fairly hard. Nonetheless, I managed to do heptathlon training at elite level five times a week. To be good at all of this required a combination of strength, suppleness, stamina and speed.” Her best sport was long jump and her greatest success was a third in the Italian championship. “One of the things sport has given me is the ability to concentrate on
Refugees/migration
The University of Gothenburg has assumed a very important responsibility as regards fast tracking academics with a refugee background. Of at least equal importance is investing not only in children who arrive alone, but also in mothers. They are often the key to integration.
Schooling
The University of Gothenburg has all possible teacher education programmes and is also outstanding in pedagogic and didactic research. However, we need to collaborate nationally to solve our schooling problems – for example, invest in natural sciences teachers with a refugee background.
International travels
My mission includes many trips with packed schedule and taken into consideration all the trips the cost is big. I have done my utmost to make every trip to be a good investment for the university and traveled so that I was able to do the most good.
Macchiarini
It would have been enough to Google him to see that there were huge problems.
“One of the things sport has given me is the ability to concentrate on exactly what I am doing at the moment …” exactly what I am doing at the moment while also holding the wider picture in my head. I feel this is important, not least for a vice-chancellor at a major university.” Eva Wiberg took her secondary-school examinations in 1978. “There was an oral examination in which I had to answer questions sitting at a table with a line of assessors and teachers in front of me and a number of witnesses behind. Germany’s ambassador was one of these. I’ve never felt so vulnerable, not even when I defended my thesis nineteen years later.” Eva Wiberg studied Russian, Chinese, philosophy and Asian history at Sapienza University in Rome. She also read Scandinavian languages and literature.
“When I later wanted to study in Sweden, I had to start by sitting the exam for upper-secondary level Swedish. After all, I didn’t formally have the required knowledge.” For some years, she taught sport and other subjects at elementary schools and lower and upper-secondary schools. “However, football wasn’t really my thing. I never got to grips with the offside rule. Eventually, I began working for the Symposion publishing house. At the same time, I was also offered a translation position in the Egmont media group. My sister, Carin, took that job. Consequently, over the years, she has translated almost all Kalle Anka Pocket, the series of Donald Duck cartoon books. Eva Wiberg became a doctoral MARCH 2017 GUJOURNAL
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aeology.
pus iversity cam
At the Lund Un
ns into Eva Wiberg ru
Arch professor of to, associate Nicolo Dell’Un
The University of Gothenburg’s initiatives for refugees have impressed me enormously, as also the employees’ social commitment
Currently: Proposed as vice chancellor by the University of Gothenburg’s board. The decision rests with the government. Work: Pro-vice-chancellor of Lund University, professor of Italian. Awards: Honorary member of the Humanities students’ union at Lund University and a Knight of the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity. Family: Husband and two grown children. Interests: Literature, culture, walking, gardening at her summer cottage in Sölvesborg and Italian cooking. Italian author tips: Besides the obvious Claudio Magris, Italo Calvino and Elena Ferrante, I wholeheartedly recommend Carlo Levi, best known for Christ Stopped at Eboli.
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student in 1991. Almost exactly one year after giving birth to twins, she defended (on the 31st of May 1997) her thesis on bilingualism and second-language learning (with a focus on Italian). She then became head of what was the Department of Romance Languages. “I led the merger of nine departments to form the supersized Centre for Languages and Literature. This was an immensely tough process for the employees. So, I know from personal experience that, with responsibility for personnel, finance, work environment and quality assurance, the head of department role is almost inhumanly difficult. Hence, I can understand the scepticism many feel ahead of the University of Gothenburg’s implementation of control by heads of departments.” AS A PRO-VICE-CHANCELLOR, Eva
Wiberg has, amongst other things, represented Lund in the Swedish academic collaboration project. This has just come to an end in Stockholm. Collaboration, both national and international, is something she is eager to see more of. “Yet, collaboration within a higher education institution, between faculties and disciplines, is also important. A University-wide think
tank is one of the things in which I would willingly invest.” Eva Wiberg points out that the University is facing many challenges, some of which are new. “The University of Gothenburg’s initiatives for refugees have impressed me enormously, as also the employees’ social commitment. In a climate of denial of facts and populism, it is extra important that universities create an understanding of research and science. A good example here is The Conversation, an internet journal that Lund University has recently joined. Of course, the researchers at the University of Gothenburg are already an example as regards participation in debate.” The first thing Eva Wiberg will be doing as the new vice-chancellor is visiting the various faculties and departments in order to meet as many employees and students as possible. “Of course, I must now find a suitable flat, preferably within walking distance of Vasaparken.” A university is an institution characterised by elitism as well as ceaseless inquiry and competition. “That is how it has to be. Yet, criticism can sometimes escalate into pure spitefulness. I abhor that. Despite all the competition, we also need to be kind to each other.”s
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This is what the staff wants from the new vice-chancellor!
Eva Wiberg, the new vice-chancellor of the University of Gothenburg, is to take up office on the 1st of July. Expectations and hopes about what she will achieve are immense. We put two questions to ten employees and one student: 1. What qualities would you like the new vice-chancellor to have? 2. Which issues is it most important to tackle?
âž”
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NEWS/SURVEY
New vice-chancellor – a
Barbara Czarniawska Professor of business administration (Gothenburg Research Institute) “The vice-chancellor has to understand, and demonstrate in practice, that the University is an organisation governed by collegiality. She also has to be good at being, for the world at large, the University’s representative and defending it from demands that are not legitimate.” “Protecting the University from the latest version of new public management (NPM); convincing the administration that its job is to help teachers and researchers to do their jobs; and, limiting digital bureaucracy.”
Protecting the University from the latest version of new public management (NPM)
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Mattias Goksör Head of the Department of Physics “I would like to see a vice-chancellor who takes an interest in core operations, pays attention to all levels and has a clear agenda that we at the department level can adhere to. It is important to remember that research and teaching are our core operations and that the sort of questions that should permeate the approaches of all managers are: ‘What can I, as a manager, do so that you, as a researcher, teacher or administrator, are able to do your work even better?’ The vice-chancellor must make this culture clear and constantly refer back to it.” “Deficiencies in the psychosocial work environment, quite clearly. From all parts of the organisation, there are signals that something isn’t right. The half-yearly report submitted by the occupational and student health care service to the members of the Central Work Environment Committee had many of us wondering what’s happening. Besides a distancing from NPM, I would then like collegial influence to be developed in preference to line organisation. I believe a mix of these is the best management form for our University.”
Johan Öberg Research advisor at the Faculty of Fine, Applied and Performing Arts
Elias Eriksson Professor of pharmacology
In Gargantua and Pantagruel by Rabelais, Panurge remembers a certain vice-chancellor, Picatris, who taught that the evil spirits (the dualists?) had a dread of shiny weapons. Hercules had failed to scare them with his cudgel. However, they were at least equally afraid of the sun (knowledge?). Which dualisms do we, today’s dualists and imps, safeguard? Arts and sciences? Operations and support? Inclusiveness and quality? Research and education? A little spring sunshine on all of this, please!
“The perpetuation of investment in strategic research areas means that the University of Gothenburg has, for all eternity, hundreds of millions less kronor to put into research each year than do, for example, Lund University and Karolinska Institutet. Furthermore, there have been gigantic investments in Lund (MAX, EES) and Mälardalen (Sci Life), but nothing equivalent in Gothenburg. A new vice-chancellor should: 1) Approach Sweden’s government and point out what is unreasonable in current policy. 2) Reintroduce collegial governance. 3) Respect the particular nature of each faculty. 4) Increase the focus on our core operations, teaching and research; decrease the focus on things such as Almedalen, ‘brand nurturing’, etc. 5) Not try to control the direction of research from the University’s central office. 6) Promote debate within the University by, amongst other things, maintaining GU Journalen’s independence.”
Which dualisms do we, today’s dualists and imps, safeguard?
“Pleasant and intelligent.”
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short survey …
Kalevi Pessi Reader in applied information technology “I would like the new vice-chancellor to be a visionary and to drive the development of the University of Gothenburg forwards to it being one of the Nordic countries’ foremost universities. An ability to see new opportunities and to dare to invest in growth areas are of great importance to society.” “The most important issue is how the University of Gothenburg is to take a leading position as regards the digitisation of society. Besides presenting many exciting challenges for research and education, this also offers a major opportunity to contribute to sustainable societal development.”
The most important issue is how the University of Gothenburg is to take a leading position as regards the digitisation of society
Joanna Giota Professor of pedagogy
Kerstin Jacobsson Professor of sociology
“A strong leader with visions, who makes clear prioritisations and deals with criticism. A receptive listener, who communicates and maintains internal and external dialogues. Has integrity.”
“Faith in the academic profession and our scientific standards and inspection systems. More collegial influence and less line management and management mindset. A vice-chancellor who is passionate about research and who facilitates collaborations between departments, higher education institutions and international bodies.”
“Create the right conditions for high-quality research and teaching in complete academic environments. Support research infrastructures (those for innovative and high-quality research into educational sciences included therein), research careers and interdisciplinary, national and international collaborations. Promote gender equality, diversity and sustainability.”
Create the right conditions for high- quality research and teaching in complete academic environments
“Continued internationalisation of education and research and the promotion of mobility in academia. Investment in career-development appointments for young researchers and in doctoral students. Defence of researcher-driven research and basic research. Fewer “strategic” investments managed from the top-down. Work environment issues are then important – the workloads of senior lecturers and the physical work environment. Administrative systems that ease rather than impede everyday work.”
Ola Sigurdson Professor of systematic theology “To be a visionary whose visions help take the University of Gothenburg out of the Gothenburg bubble. A person who listens closely to teachers and researchers – directly and not only through line management.” “Reestablishing collegial respect. Stopping the de-professionalisation of academia. Allowing us teachers and researchers to do what we are actually trained to do, i.e. teach and research – without being constantly assessed, measured and evaluated or having to seek external funding. Truly large block funding!”
Reestablishing collegial respect. Stopping the de-professionalisation of academia
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NEWS/survey
… this is our advice
Several dropouts in the search for a new vice-chancellor
1.
April–June 2016. The work of finding a new vice-chancellor began. The recruitment group drew up a draft process and requirements profile Decision taken on the requirements profile and the forms of the consultative assembly.
2. June–September 2016. Throughout this period, suitable
candidates were sought via advertising, nominations and headhunting. The sole internally nominated candidate, Per Cramér, dean of the School of Business, Economics and Law, withdrew from the process early in the autumn on the grounds of a procedural error.
3. October–December 2016. Reviewing, interviewing and thinning
Photo: VIOLETTA KOVACKA
David Storek, innovation advisor at Central University Administration
Simon Ivarsson, Vice-chair of the University of Gothenburg’s students’ unions
“A quality I greatly value is keeping one’s word... and being a vegetarian, of course!”
“I think it’s important that the new vice-chancellor should be humble and select his or her management team with great care so that the University of Gothenburg can be run and developed in the best possible way. I also believe that an important quality for a vice-chancellor is to be receptive as regards the wishes of the operations (which, of course, include students) while also being strong at taking decisions.”
“For the University of Gothenburg to be a more attractive workplace for young researchers, I’d like to tip the wink about the ‘valley of death’ phenomenon. When, on completing a doctoral degree, a young researcher comes to the University of Gothenburg, his or her only career path is to get by with no job security for 10 – 15 years. Many young females don’t hold out and disappear to other jobs. A good solution would be to introduce a limited number of unambiguous tenure-track research positions for which young researchers could compete. There should also be an inbuilt communication channel with the Grants and Innovation Office so that we can help to get its research exploited in society.”
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“For students, it is of the greatest importance that a new work environment agreement is finalised between the University of Gothenburg and the student organisations. This has long been necessary, but things have been moving very slowly. If a solution has not been found, taking care of this immediately is a high priority.”
Helena Siesjö, head of the Humanities Library “Visions for the future and high ambitions. Understanding of the worlds of research and education and that they are different for different disciplines. A passion for democracy and societal issues.” “The challenges a changing world presents for the future, both internationally and locally in Gothenburg. How are we to meet these and what is the University of Gothenburg’s role in this?”
Understanding of the worlds of research and education and that they are different for different disciplines
out of the applicants. At the end of November, the three main candidates were presented: Peter Aronsson of Linnæus University, Eva Wiberg of Lund University and Ole Petter Ottersen of the University of Oslo. Peter Aronsson announced that he was dropping out for personal reasons. On the 15th of December, the consultative assembly met the two candidates. On the same day, there was a vote. This showed that the majority were in favour of seeing the Norwegian as the vice-chancellor.
4.
On the 10th of January 2017, the University Board decided to propose Ola Petter Ottersen as the vice-chancellor. Three weeks later, the Norwegian suddenly announced that he was no longer interested as he was still in the running for the vice-chancellorship of Karolinska Institutet. At a specially convened meeting on the 30th of January 2017, the University Board decided to withdraw the proposal to the government that Ole Petter Ottersen should be appointed vice-chancellor.
5.
At the same meeting on the 30th of January, the other final candidate, Eva Wiberg, was approached. A few days later, she accepted the proposed position as vice-chancellor and the Board forwarded its new proposal to the government.
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GU on the right track AQUA-REPORT
IT IS OBVIOUS that research and
education must be investigated. “However administration also needs to be reviewed,” Jörgen Tholin points out. “Previously, we have done this through, for example, audits and administrative dialogues. AQUA 16 was the right time to examine how others see us.” To this end, an external panel of assessors comprising two Swedish and three international members was appointed last spring. They have read the administration questionnaire that was sent to faculties and departments last March and the interviews conducted with various focus groups. Over three days in October, they also interviewed some seventy employees at all levels. “As far as I know, such a fundamental investigation of administration at a higher education institution by an international panel is unique in Sweden,” explains Ann Fust, executive director of the Swedish Research Council and chair of the panel of assessors. She is of the opinion that the University of Gothenburg should follow GU renewal and reveals that, amongst other things, she was surprised by how well IT and communication work here. “Usually, this is something employees have views on. On the other hand, the University needs to work on HR. It is doing this. Many
people are doing a very good job, but two of the things the panel of assessors is looking for are increased clarity about who does what and a strategic plan for administration.” THE DIALOGUE BETWEEN Central University Administration, faculties and departments also needs to improve. A step in the right direction is to use the more neutral ‘domains’ instead or referring to ‘the three levels’. This latter gives the impression of a hierarchy. “We have already started the work of enabling administrators from various parts of the University to meet,” relates Jörgen Tholin. “Amongst other things, we now have administrative information meetings every month and longer, development meetings a couple of times a semester. Of course, there is still more to be done. For example, Central University Administration employees who work with several departments could also sometimes be physically stationed at the departments. This would give them a better understanding of operations.” The report also takes up the issue of the balance between central administration and opportunities for local solutions. “IT’S NOT A QUESTION of everyone having to do things the same way, but of finding a shared framework,” states Ann Fust. “Greater uniformity increases efficiency, thereby freeing funds for other things.” One problem taken up by the report is the relationship between support and the exercise of public authority. “We must enforce laws and ordinances, but do it in such a way that research and education can be conducted optimally. Sometimes,
Photo: JOHAN WINGBORG
“A good report which shows that the GU renewal-track we’ve embarked on works well, but which also presents new approaches.” This is university director Jörgen Tholin’s comment on AQUA 16, the investigative report into the University’s administration. The report was completed immediately before New Year.
We have already started the work of enabling administrators from various parts to meet. JÖRGEN THOLIN
this is presented as a dichotomy, but it is really two sides of the same coin,” opines Jörgen Tholin. Patrik Ström, head of the Department of Business Administration, emphasises that the ambition in GU renewal is good. “IT HAS LED TO increased professionalisation and greater clarity in the departments. However, it’s important that the recommendations proposed by the assessors do not lead to increased centralisation without there being, at the departments, competent resources who understand operations. Furthermore, new proposals must be anchored so that they do not become only a product of administration.” Jörgen Tholin highlights that the report essentially gives administration at the University of Gothenburg a good mark. “Yet, this investigation has also given us a buffet of proposals as to how we can be even better. In the spring, we will be further discussing the objective of developing, as soon as possible, a plan for the future.”s EVA LUNDGREN & ALLAN ERIKSSON
What is the aim of AQUA 16? The aim of AQUA 16 is the development of proposals for how administration can best support the University’s research, education and collaborations. Amongst other things, a panel of assessors has interviewed some seventy employees at all levels. The panel comprised: the chair, Ann Fust, executive director of the Swedish Research Council; Cecile Chicoye, executive director, Toulouse 1 Capitole University; Esa Hämäläinen, director of administration at the University of Helsinki; Anders Söderholm, vice-chancellor of Mid Sweden University; and, Liz Winders, secretary and registrar of Sheffield Hallam University. MARCH 2017 GUJOURNAL
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First to start a MOOC
Would you like to know what extracellular vesicles are? Well, there is now a massive open online course (MOOC) for you! It is free and open to anyone who is interested. The course coordinator is Cecilia Lässer. To impart basic knowledge about the aforementioned vesicles (message carriers between various cells), she has drawn on the help of twenty researchers worldwide. Text: EVA LUNDGREN Photo: JOHAN WINGBORG
TWO YEARS AGO that the University
of Gothenburg decided to refrain from investing in MOOCs. However, this did not stop Cecilia Lässer, researcher at Sahlgrenska Academy’s Krefting Research Centre. Last autumn, she started a course on the Coursera platform. “The course is about extracellu-
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lar vesicles, primarily exosomes, the group of vesicles that most interest researchers. They were discovered as long ago as the 1980s. However, it is only in recent years that they have really started to be noticed. Ten years ago, perhaps 50 articles on exosomes were published annually. Today, the figure is over 600.”
Released by all the body’s cells, exosomes are found in all bodily fluids such as blood, saliva and breast milk. Although they can pass a large number of different biological signals, their function in the body is still largely unknown. “Nonetheless, there is great hope that it will be possible to use
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“So far, 2,846 people have signed up. all the constituent pictures.” The course comprises five modules of around 2 hours each. These modules are divided into short sections that close with a quiz. Students can choose to study the whole course or just those parts that interest them.
them as biomarkers. It might even be possible to load the exosomes with drugs to kick start the immune system or kill tumour cells.” Despite extracellular vesicles being a hot subject, they are not included in our study courses and programmes leading to qualifications as doctors or biologists. They only just make it into medical third-cycle courses! Of course, the inquisitive can learn more at conferences and on courses, but Cecilia Lässer thought that more should be possible. THUS, IN SUMMER 2015, she decided
to establish a foundation course on extracellular vesicles. In this, she was supported by, amongst others, Jan Lötvall, a previous chair of the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) and a professor at the Institute of Medicine. “We contacted collaboration partners at University of California, Irvine who were already working with Coursera. This is perhaps the best-known platform for MOOCs. Then, working with ISEV, we drew up an action plan.” One of the things Cecilia Lässer next did was to contact twenty international experts in various fields that involve extracellular vesicles. “As far as I know, having so many experts in a MOOC is unique. My work has included, for instance, checking that all lectures have all the essential elements and that the various researchers do not repeat anything already said by another researcher. Quite a lot of effort has also gone into checking the rights to
As far as I know, having so many experts in a MOOC is unique. CECILIA LÄSSER
“EVEN IF THE course is open to everyone, understanding it does require a basic knowledge of biology,” explains Cecilia Lässer. “The course is entirely free. However, to get a certificate, you must pass all the quizzes and pay a small sum.” The students seem to be thoroughly satisfied. “So far, 2,846 people have signed up. Most of them are from Europe and North America, but we have students from all parts of the world. On a five-point scale, the course has scored 4.7. That isn’t at all bad!” Cecilia Lässer emphasises that there is no intention that the MOOC should replace courses at other higher education institutions. “I believe MOOCs are fine for imparting basic knowledge in a field. However, other forms of teaching are, of course, necessary.”
The course on Extracellular Vesicles Given on the Coursera teaching platform, the Basics of Extracellular Vesicles course is a massive open online course (MOOC). It involves a collaboration between the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles, the University of Gothenburg, University of California, Irvine and Pohang University of Science and Technology. The course can be found at www. coursera.org/learn/extracellular-vesicles.s.
Where are the students from? In percent
Europe
North America
Asia
South America
Cecilia’s MOOC-tips Split up the lectures as much as possible. Instead of a half-hour video, give three 10-minute lectures.
Break up the lectures with multiple choice questions that students must answer in order to progress further.
It is a good idea to end each course module with a quiz. In this way, students learn if they know enough
Africa
Oceania
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PROFILE
With a particle collector around the world “If you take a photo using flash in Ouagadougou in the evening, you get a picture where it looks like it’s snowing. This is because the air is so full of light-reflecting particles that the photo is covered with small, white dots,” reveals Johan Boman. He is professor of atmospheric science and researcher into urban air in, amongst other places, Africa. Text: EVA LUNDGREN Photo: JOHAN WINGBORG
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Really small particles may be drawn into our lungs.
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PROFILE
“I’M A CLUB PERSON,” is one of the first things Johan
Boman explains when we meet in the Chemistry Building on Chalmers’ campus. He is, for example, a member of: Chalmers’ faculty club; a tenant-owner association; and, local heritage societies in both Gothenburg and Malung (from where some of his family come). He is also often involved with arranging scientific conferences. The most recent was last summer. He was then in charge of the European Conference on X-Ray Spectrometry (EXRS) in Gothenburg. “I also like animals, especially birds,” he divulges, relating that he built an aviary next to his house on the Tångudden headland right beside the now defunct KA4 (a coastal artillery establishment). Measuring around 10 square metres, the aviary is presently home to 12 chattering cockatiels, a species of bird he has lived with for almost 40 years. “My studies started in Gothenburg rather than Stockholm, where I spent some of my formative years, because of my commitment to the environment,” he continues. “Only in Gothenburg was it possible to study environmental physics.” There is also a very concrete side to his interest in the environment.
Johan Boman measures particles in the air in cities in low- and middle income countries. The pictures are from Ouagadougou.
FOR EXAMPLE, each weekday morning begins with a
walk from Tångudden to his job at the department. The direct route takes around one and a half hours. However, he often takes detours to catch sight of something unexpected. There and back is around 20 kilometres daily. “Walking is my way of keeping fit. I walk everywhere, especially when I’m out travelling somewhere in the world.” He is often travelling, not least in Africa. For 10 years now, he has been the manager of the atmospheric science group at the Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology. Amongst other things, this entails research into urban air, primarily in low and middle-income countries. In collaboration with social scientists (mainly from the School of Global Studies) and researchers in the various countries, the research is conducted through the Gothenburg Air and Climate Centre. Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso’s capital, is one of the fastest growing cities in the world. It is estimated that, by 2020, the population will have grown from the present 2 million to around 3.4 million. Unfortunately, air pollution already accounts for around 20 per cent of all deaths there. “Ouagadougou is literally the only city where I have tasted the air. It’s like metal in the mouth,” comments Johan Boman. “The poor air is attributable not only to the rickety mopeds, low-quality fuel and dusty roads, but also to most households cooking food over open fires, often using rubbish as the fuel.”
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Photo: PRIVATE
He places an oblong object, roughly as thick as a pen, on his desk. It is a portable particle collector. Johan Boman has used such things in all corners of the world. Besides in Burkina Faso, he has also taken measurements in China, India, Egypt, Kenya, Cameroon, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Jamaica. “This little thing costs perhaps no more than a thousand kronor, but it’s reliable and easy to use. Of course, there is better and more complicated equipment. However, as we are researching in areas where there is often no data at all, it’s important to be able to carry out investigations cheaply, quickly, simply
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“Likes to get involved – which can be both good and bad.” Name: Johan Boman
Lives: Tångudden.
Work: Professor of atmospheric science (leads the atmospheric science group at the Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology); lecturer at the Centre for Environment and Sustainability; member of the Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development, Västra Götaland.
Family: Wife and two grown sons. Pets: 12 cockatiels. Last book read: The Messenger by Daniel Silva, now reading Skinnarebygd, published by Malung’s local heritage society. Last film: Vild-Hasse – Korvarnas kung (a documentary about a
famous figure who trades at a winter market in the far north of Sweden). Favourite dish: Lazy man’s salmon (whole salmon cooked slowly at a low temperature). Best/worst side: Likes to get involved – which can be both good and bad.
and always in close collaboration with the country’s own researchers. If we hadn’t had simple instruments, we would never have been able to carry out so many studies around the world.” PARTICLES IN THE AIR are measured as particulate
matter (PM). Mankind is adapted to cope with large particles such as pollen. They stop benignly in the upper respiratory tract. The particles we ought to worry about are the really small ones, less than 2.5 micrometres. There is a risk of these being drawn into the lungs. “It’s difficult to establish exactly what happens with
all the particles that are emitted,” states Johan Boman. “For example, Greenland’s ice holds sulphur and copper that comes from several hundred years of ore mining at the copper mines in Falun, Sweden. As the winds blow eastwards, the particles have travelled around most of the North Pole before they finished there.” Particles also mix with each other, form new compounds and change their properties in unpredictable ways. Our pollutants affect, amongst other things, the natural formation of ice in the atmosphere. “Mankind is certainly making more clouds. However, this is not being offset by the water droplets
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PROFILE Pollution in the air PM2.5 in the air measured as µg/cm3 (the WHO’s threshold for health problems is 25 µg/m3 for 24 hours)
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso: 164
Nairobi, Kenya: 149
Kanpur, India: 140
becoming large enough to fall as rain. Thus, the clouds are impeding solar penetration while not shedding any precipitation. Quite understandably, there is a risk of catastrophic consequences for agriculture.” JOHAN BOMAN recounts that different cultures have different ways of looking at environmental problems. “Amongst other tasks, our group is working on a project in the Ganges Plain. India is one of the countries with the most atmospheric pollution in the world. Yet, the regulatory bodies we meet there think that things will somehow sort themselves out. Another country with a great deal of pollution is China. “There, we are involved in a project regarding Beijing’s air. The latter is so bad that many people will not move to or work there. We are going to compare the inland smog with the air in Hong Kong, which is also terribly polluted. However, the Chinese are aware of the problem and are investing very heavily in replacing coal and oil with, for example, wind power, in which they are already world leaders. Still, despite Asia obviously being exciting, I am still most interested in Africa. Its population is rising rapidly. In a not too distant future, it will have as many people as Asia. Consequently, Africans will be able to influence global development in an entirely new way.” Johan Boman’s interest in the environment extends beyond pollution. On his many journeys, he tries to make time to speak with people and experience the countryside and culture.
“Because we work so closely with our colleagues in other lands, it is easy to make new friends. In Kenya, I’ve been on safaris where I’ve got really close to ‘the big five’ – buffalo, lion, leopard, elephant and rhino. When we were in Kingston, Jamaica, setting up a recording station in an area where rum was distilled, we were given a guided tour on which the chief rum blender explained how to get a really good rum taste.” His interest in the environment has also led Johan Boman to get involved in his family’s genealogy in Sweden’s Dalarna region. “EVERY SUMMER, I go to our family’s old cabin outside Malung. It’s ‘all-exclusive’. In other words, no running water, electricity or mobile coverage. I’ve found old pictures of family and friends, who I’m trying to identify, and places that I’m searching out to photograph again. From this, I’m making albums comparing different times, people and environments – how buildings have changed and how small bushes have grown into trees. The books will serve as local histories for family and friends.” When he meets acquaintances in Dalarna, talk is sometimes in the local dialect. “A few of us may come together for a chat. Occasionally, non-Dalarna members of the group take on a dumbfounded look. I then know it’s happened again. Without thinking, we’ve started to speak in our dialect. I then realise that, even if you only speak Swedish, it is still possible to be multilingual.”s
Beijing, China: 70
Cairo, Egypt: 70
New Delhi, India: 55
Mecca, Saudi Arabia: 48
Ta’if, Saudi Arabia : 47
Hong Kong, China: 46
Gothenburg, Sweden: 7
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Russell Turner held a lecture in the Vatican in November. Photo: ANDREW MEDICHINI
Doctoral student gave lecture in the Vatican “FEAR MIXED WITH DELIGHT!” That
is how Russell Turner, a doctoral student in social work, described the feeling of giving a lecture in the Vatican on the 23rd of November last year. The lecture was a part of a conference (Narcotics: Problems and Solutions of This Global Issue) arranged by the Pontifical Academies of Sciences. Researchers, decision-makers, religious leaders, the pope himself and Queen Silvia of Sweden were amongst the participants. Yet, why was a doctoral student at the University of Gothenburg also one of the presenters? “The Swedish embassy sent out an enquiry, which finally ended
up with the ‘Treatment group for drug problems in Gothenburg’. I had done a study there on their treatment for cannabis misuse by young people. This was within the framework of the Trestad2 project. When I was asked if I would like to take part, accepting wasn’t so difficult.” One of the things the Vatican got to hear was that the treatment that Russell Turner had studied was rather successful in terms of outcomes and according to the participants’ own accounts. “In comparison with other countries in the world, Sweden has a rather humane treatment that goes beyond the medical and treats
the whole person, rather than just punishing people with addiction problems.” Did you get time to enjoy anything of the Vatican? “Yes. For example, the Academies of Sciences’ lecture hall is a fantastic, white-marble, Renaissance building that ordinary tourists do not usually get to see. Of course, the conference itself was interesting. It ran for two days, 09.00–20.00, with no coffee breaks. However, both lunch and dinner were excellent – four courses and wine, ending with ice cream and grappa.” EVA LUNDGREN MARCH 2017 GUJOURNAL
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PEOPLE
A school for tomorrow’s society Better school results, improved health and less segregation – in the long term, children who attend a good preschool enjoy better development. “Preschool lays the foundations for tomorrow’s society. That is why it must maintain high quality,” says professor Susanne Garvis. Text: KARIN FREJRUD Photo: JOHAN WINGBORG
IT IS HIGH summer and hot in Australia. Susanne Garvis has just been talking over the phone with her brother at home in Melbourne. A little dejectedly, she stares through the window at the grey, cold path along the canal next to the Pedagogen building in Gothenburg. The thermometer is struggling to reach plus five degrees. “Yet, there are advantages. I walk or cycle to work. On a bad day in Melbourne, I could be in a traffic jam for three hours on the way home,” she comments, looking immediately happier. “Furthermore, the work climate is great for me here!” For the past two years, Susanne Garvis has been a professor of child and youth studies at the Department of Education, Communication and Learning. Her research focuses on, amongst other things, investigating how preschools and preschool teacher training can be better. Despite being only 35, she already has a voluminous list of qualifications. Susanne Garvis: has been awarded many scholarships and research grants; has published books and articles on children and learning; runs international resear-
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ch collaborations; and, on issues regarding children’s education, serves as an advisor for various countries’ governments. “Next week, representatives of the Tasmanian government are coming here from Australia to see how Sweden’s preschool system works,” she reveals. SWEDISH PRESCHOOLING has the reputation of being amongst the best in the world. “Here, preschools provide enormous support for both children and families. Low fees and free meals mean that it also makes an extreme contribution to reducing poverty. Parents can afford to send their children to preschool and can work and bring in money,” she observes. In addition, Sweden is also investing in preschool staff having university-level education. This creates the right conditions for high quality in preschool teaching. Along with Australian colleagues, Susanne Garvis has just finished a major meta-analysis study that shows exactly this. The study spanned research from 1980 to 2014. “We found evidence that the greater the number of staff with univer-
sity-level education, the higher the quality of preschooling,” discloses Susanne Garvis. What does this mean in practice? Well, qualified teachers have a greater skill and ability to: interact with and listen to children; plan teaching; and, set up creative and inspiring environments for learning. This results in not only fun and instructive preschooling for children, but also a great many long-term gains. “Regardless of background and financial circumstances, children who receive high quality preschooling develop good learning skills that continue into the future and provide a good start for subsequent schooling. They achieve better school results than other children and the risk of becoming stranded outside society is reduced,” states Susanne Garvis. IT IS CLEAR THAT the issue is close to her heart. “I’m truly passionately interested in this. Before I got into research, I spent five years as a teacher working with young children. I want to contribute to changing society! I’m fighting for all children to have
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Preschooling in Australia • Exclusively privately run. • Average cost is SEK 3,000 a week. • Meals are not included in the price (must be paid for separately). • For a couple with two children, it is often cheaper for one parent, usually the mother, to stay at home with the children rather than sending them to preschool. • Children can go to preschool from six weeks old. • Not only do costs exclude many children from preschool, there is also a severe shortage of preschool places.
access to quality preschooling. Children can’t vote and they don’t have much opportunity to exert influence themselves. Thus, I want to be their voice.” The Swedish system of subsidised preschooling and free compulsory schooling provides the right conditions for all children to have a chance of getting a good start in life. Yet Susanne Garvis believes that some of what is built up by preschools may be lost when children progress to compulsory schooling.
Moved to Gothenburg from Melbourne Age: 35. Work: Professor of child and youth studies at the Department of Education, Communication and Learning. Lives: Moved to Gothenburg from Melbourne two years ago. Family: Man and dog.Interests: Plays piano and violin. However, there was no room to bring the piano over. Hidden talent: Cooking. I’ve become a much better cook since moving here. In Australia, everyone buys take-aways.
“THE POLITICIANS must not become obsessed with PISA results. They must think beyond these. Compulsory schooling has a lot to learn from preschooling. Preschool pedagogy is very much about group dynamics. It is extremely inclusive. Whatever the age, everyone is involved. The young children learn from each other. There is a tendency for main schooling to lose this group mindset. With more age integration in schools, we could create interactive learning between children of different ages and strengthen cohesiveness. I feel that, in the long term, this would increase pupils’ knowledge.”s MARCH 2017 GUJOURNAL
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ANNUAL REPORT
A new life science centre, a rich archaeologic finding on Cyprus and programming courses for refugees, those were some of the events at the University of Gothenburg last year. Do you want to know more? It is all in the annual report.
The Department of Applied IT started Museum 2020, an initia-
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The new Wallenberg Centre for Molecular and Translational Medicine started. Photo: PETER FISCHER
The new Wallenberg Centre for Molecular and Translational Medicine (WCMTM) is part of a national initiative to reinforce Sweden’s position as a world-leading nation in life sciences. Along with the University of Gothenburg, AstraZeneca and Region Västra Götaland, the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation is to invest at least SEK 620 million over a ten-year period. The first internationally promising researchers within the field were also appointed.
Photo: JOHAN WINGBORG
Six new interdisciplinary centres were set up around the following areas: antibiotic resistance, cultural heritage, chemicals in the environment, collective action, marine water use, and ageing and health. The centres emerged from a selection process in which all the University’s researchers could freely propose research fields responding to the global challenges facing society.
A Bronze Age burial site was found in Cyprus.
tive focused on the digitisation of society and its consequences for museums, science centres, libraries, and etcetera. An archaeological expedition involving several researchers discovered one of the richest late Bronze Age burial sites ever found in Cyprus. Coming from several neighbouring cultures, the finds confirm the island’s central role in long-distance trade. The A new European prehistory research programme was granted SEK 32 million by Riksbankens Jubileumsfond. By combining various studies (DNA, isotope analyses, linguistics and archaeology), the programme will investigate the impact of mass population migrations and agriculture on Europe. In a unique pilot project, the University and the Jamiya Project held Java programming courses for Syrian refugees in Jordan’s capital, Amman, and the large Jordanian re-
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Photo: JOHAN WINGBORG
... when I look back on 2016, I am, as in previous years, struck by how much of what has been done has entailed a positive development for our University. PAM FREDMAN
The department of Applied IT started Museum 2020.
fugee camp, Zaatari, near the Syrian border. The University also offers work experience placements to job seekers who have newly arrived in Sweden. In 2016, 100 placements were devised which, eventually, led to 37 refugees placements.
37 refugees got a job placement.
Last year the University also decided on a policy to increase the number of students from underrepresented groups, and to give better pedagogic support to students with disabilities. To balance carbon dioxide emissions from flights on business trips, the University is providing climate compensation in the form of an internal fund. In 2016, the climate fund granted SEK 500,000, which was divided between six projects. One of these was an investigation of increased energy efficiency in the artisanal erection of building frameworks. By exploiting historic know-how in respect of materials, designs and craftsmanship, this
Photo: JOHAN WINGBORG
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project will develop concepts to increase the energy efficiency of construction work and also reduce its negative environmental impact. The University’s first strategic premises provisioning plan was adopted. It contains long-term strategies and will also be a support for major development projects. Running up until 2040, the plan is to be revised every ten years. THESE ARE JUST a
very few highlights from last year. As vice-chancellor Pam Fredman states in her introduction to the annual report: “... when I look back on 2016, I am, as in previous years, struck by how much of what has been done has entailed a positive development for our University.”
AgeCap studies what it is like to be old.
Read the whole annual report at www.gu.se. CARINA ELMÄNG MARCH 2017 GUJOURNAL
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