GUJournal INDEPENDENT JOURNAL FOR THE STAFF AT THE UNIVERSITY OF GOTHENBURG #2 MAY 2021
News
Lack of IT strategies Focus
Increased threats towards researchers Report
The good sides of viruses
Knowledge is everywhere JOHAN SÖDERMAN LEARNS FROM HIP HOP
Vice-Chancellor
Longing for respite ITH SPRING COMES THE HOPE
that the pandemic will be kept at bay, if not by the warm weather then at least by an increased vaccination rate. On social media, emotional pictures of friends, grandparents and grandchildren hugging are beginning to appear, now that they have finally been allowed to do so as they have been fully vaccinated. However, it is important to remember that strict regional restrictions still apply. Recently, I made a policy decision for the autumn of 2021, which will regulate the planning conditions for the summer and autumn, concerning the university’s adaptations to the restrictions. A very difficult decision, as at the moment it is only possible to entertain hopes of some respite, but without knowing what limitations we will have to comply with in the autumn. Therefore, we have outlined a strategy based on two different scenarios, one where most of the restrictions are still in place, and one where they have been eased somewhat. It is difficult to discuss plans to return or reopen at a stage where stricter restrictions prevail. But it is the university’s ambition to return to
more campus-based activities when circumstances allow. The internal audit has presented two reports regarding last autumn’s e-mail crash. The university director has now been tasked with initiating development work within the IT environment as a whole at the University of Gothenburg. In terms of the investigation regarding liability, I can state that the report indicates that the University of Gothenburg and the supplier are responsible for different parts. Now we need to carefully analyse our part in the email crash and see what further measures can be taken. Recently, assignments have also been assigned to the CFO and university director to advance the majority of Karin Röding’s proposals for the renewal of the university’s Central Administration. It is an extensive assignment and therefore I am particularly pleased to be able to have an advisory group, which includes deans, department heads, heads of administration and student representatives, to support the work and implementation.
Vice-Chancellor EVA WIBERG
Photo: JOHAN WINGBORG
Editor-in-chief :Allan Eriksson, phone: 031–786 10 21, e-mail: allan.eriksson@gu.se Editor-in-chief: Eva Lundgren, phone:031–786 10 81, e-mail: eva.lundgren@gu.se Photographer: Johan Wingborg, phone: 070–595 38 01, e-post: johan.wingborg@gu.se Layout: Anders Eurén, phone: 031–786 43 81, e-mail: anders.euren@gu.se Address: GU JOURNAL, University of Gothenburg Box 100, 405 30 Göteborg, Sweden E-mail: gu-journal@gu.se Internet: gu-journal.gu.se ISSN: 1402-9626 Translation: Språkservice Sverige AB
News Contents
NEWS 04–08 04. Strong criticism of IT in report. 06. Both IT unit and Asea responsible for crash. 07. Reduced air traveling essential for environmental goal. DEBATE 09 09. GU should lead climate work! FOCUS 10–11 10. He investigates hatred and threats. PROFILE 12–14 12. Meet Johan Söderman, defender of useless knowledge. REPORT 15-21 15. GU at the top of sustainability ranking. 16. Most excellent teachers at the Sahlgrenska Academy. 18. – Viruses are in all living beings, explains Peter Norberg. 21. Short-term thinking caused the pandemic. PEOPLE 22 22. Counting on snails.
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She makes 3D models of snails.
Photo: SUSANNE LILJENSTRÖM
Masthead
Protect freedom of expression! HE VERY way of expres-
sing yourself has become more important than what you want to say.” This is Johan Söderman’s opinion regarding the debate that is going on in Malmö about a teacher who uttered words and showed pictures that made a number of students take offence. There are several examples from recent times when teachers were reported for words or expressions that were perceived as offensive. There is no doubt that we live in a time when undemocratic forces are growing stronger. Our own researchers at the V-Dem Institute can tell you more about it. But the fact that the universities’ lecturers, researchers and students themselves censor one another is something completely different. It may sound like I am nagging, but if the universities cannot stand up for freedom
of speech and the unconditional searchfor knowledge, then who will? Work is currently underway to start a network for freedom of expression at the University of Gothenburg. The initiators are Vice-Chancellor Fredrika Lagergren Wahlin and Lena Ulrika Rudeke, Operations Manager at Jonsered Manor. It is a truly commendable initiative. But what we would like to highlight here is another aspect of semantic quibbling: broadened recruitment. If we want people with backgrounds other than the Swedish middle class to apply to our universities, we must not have too narrow an idea of how to express oneself. Most people know where the boundaries of polite conversation lie, do not make public discourse more complicated than it needs to be. Allan Eriksson & Eva Lundgren
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Photo: MARTIN FÄLTSTRÖM, BLACK HOUNDS PRODUCTION
News
Johan Magnusson believes that GUSPP is mostly about keeping costs down.
Scathing criticism of GUSPP The GUSPP inhibits change and does not meet the needs of the organisation. These are some of the conclusions of the investigation that Johan Magnusson and Tomas Lindroth conducted into the University of Gothenburg’s governance model for university-wide systems, projects and processes. – Our verdict is scathing. But we also believe that the university director was brave enough to let a couple of critical researchers carry out the investigation, Johan Magnusson explains. THE MODEL IS designed to ensure
that the organisation has cost-effective access to basic IT, the analysts state in their report. – However, all forms of digital business development are being inhibited by the GUSPP. A public body that has a model that clearly contradicts the government’s goal that Sweden should become a world leader in digitalization is quite remarkable, says Johan Magnusson, Associate Professor at the Department of Applied
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Information Technology. A fundamental problem is the organisation itself. The management of GUSPP consists of six senior managers within the Central Administration as well as a representative of the PIL unit. Neither the vice chancellor nor a pro vice-chancellor have been included, nor a representative of the organisation. – AND THAT IS strange, conside-
ring that one of the goals of GUSPP is to operate in close collaboration with the organisation. Since the core business is not involved and therefore cannot influence the process, lecturers and researchers in some cases develop their own solutions, independent of the central projects. The University of Gothenburg also does not have centrally adopted goals and a strategic direction when it comes to digitalization. This makes it difficult for GUSPP’s portfolio management to prioritize: the investments that are made entail including as many projects as possible within the budget. There is also no financing model, which entails another difficulty in planning, both for
the IT department and for the core business, Johan Magnusson explains. – THE LACK OF strategies and
It is a sad develop ment, because digitalization should not primarily support the Central Administration but instead develop the university’s research and education ... JOHAN MAGNUSSON
a financing model sends the message that the goal is to take control of IT costs rather than drive business development. This is also illustrated by the fact that resource allocation for development has decreased from 20 to 15 percent since 2018. When the core business does not feel that it is receiving any central support, there is a risk of so-called shadow IT developing, i.e. the purchase, development and use of IT that is not centrally sanctioned. With the increasing standardization of IT solutions, the distance between the IT unit and the organisation grows.
– USERS GET USED to not being involved in the digital business development and priorities are about keeping costs down. It is a sad development, because digitalization should not primarily support the Central Administration but instead develop the university’s research and education, says Johan Magnusson.
Between 2018 and 2020, the central costs for IT decreased by 22 percent per user. – As IT services become increasingly cheaper, it could be perceived as a natural development. But usage is increasing at a faster rate than the decrease in price, so costs should be going up instead. So what we are seeing instead is that a lot of IT is being financed out in the organisation instead of centrally. This bypasses portfolio management, which of course further diminishes the opportunities for control. IF YOU ONLY look at digitalization
as an IT issue, you will not succeed. To be successful, management must instead be involved, knowledgeable and prepared to invest resources, Johan Magnusson points out. – Just as managers gain further training in legislation, personnel issues and finance, it should be self-evident that they also receive training in digitalization. Management should also be more involved when it comes to developing different governance models that take into account the university’s unique circumstances. Johan Magnusson believes that the results he and Tomas Lindroth have obtained are hardly surprising for the people who work within GUSPP. – The University of Gothenburg has extremely skilled employees who really want to do a good job, which makes it all the more lamentable that we have a model that does not take advantage of their knowledge and commitment.
THE INVESTIGATION also includes
three scenarios for future management of IT and digitalization. The first scenario involves continuing in much the same way as now, while the second scenario involves limited investment in digitalization as business development. – One example of a solution that scenario two could support is Apademin, an app that Alexandra Weilenmann developed to help researchers build apps for data collection. As it is not centrally sanctioned, it is not used extensively, but it could easily have been
included in the business development. The third scenario is about creating a digitalization department with 15–20 research engineers. In this scenario, they work with orders but also with outreach activities, which aim to capture needs and opportunities, Johan Magnusson explains. – The new technology that is developed in this way could be made publicly available, not only for University of Gothenburg employees, but for everyone with similar needs throughout the country, perhaps even outside Sweden. This enables our researchers to gain access to the best solutions, while at the same time benefiting the entire country. Consequently, we will contribute to meeting the goal of digital development set by the government.
Eva Lundgren
FACTS Portföljstyrning som magiskt tänkande (Portfolio management as magical thinking) is an investigation into the suitability and efficacy of the governance model GUSPP (Management of the University of Gothenburg’s common systems, processes and projects), conducted by Johan Magnusson and Tomas Lindroth, researchers at the Department of Applied Information Technology, the research consortium Digital Förvaltning and the Swedish Center for Digital Innovation. Among other things, the report shows that portfolio management lacks strategy and suffers from a lack of representation, and thus stands in direct opposition to the goals the management model is striving to achieve. Portfolio management also suffers from significant monitoring costs, which contribute to low development efficiency and creates ambiguity about IT costs.
Valuable analysis for further diskussion – The investigation is interesting and challenging, and it is particularly pertinent that it was conducted by the university’s own researchers. We were familiar with most of the existing governance model, but it is very important to have it analysed and structured, as in the report. The larger discussion about digitalization was a bit unexpected, but very valuable, explains University Director Anna Lindholm. ANNA LINDHOLM BELIEVES that the GUSPP projects can be divided into a three-point scale: IT-driven projects, projects that can be IT-driven but which also have the potential for business development, as well as projects that contain what the analysts call digitalization and which are not IT-driven. – GUSPP is predominately in step one but also in step two, which entails great opportunities to develop the business. However, we need to be better at needs inventory, involvement, gaining support and buy-in, impact analyses and decision-making, among other things. The financial challenges have meant, just as the analysts have identified, that we have been too focused on cost control. What the analysts focus on is the digitalization of the business. The matter is formally outside the scope of the GUSPP, but it is of the utmost importance for the university, and how we plan to take care of it is something we have begun to discuss within the university management. ANNA LINDHOLM POINTS OUT that digitalization issues are included in the University of Gothenburg’s strategies and in the university-wide business plan, but that it is still unclear how these will take shape. – The reason we have not yet made any decisions regarding the GUSPP is because we were waiting for Karin Röding’s investigation. At present, the Central Administration and the PIL unit work on the basis of the current assignments when it comes to developing and managing university-wide IT support systems, and staying within the framework of the established budget. In portfolio management, however, we have initiated a discussion about the proposals that aim to see how we can improve the governance model. If the assignment changes, the university will probably need to look at which model and which working method best benefit it. The Central Administration will be prepared to participate in this, and the investigation has interesting proposals in regard to this.
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Increased focus on IT security The responsibility for the e-mail crash lies with both the IT unit and the supplier, Atea, who was the email provider. This was the internal audit’s overall conclusion after examining the issue of liability. – We agree with the conclusion that we are responsible for different parts, says Area Manager Marie Smedbro. LAST AUTUMN, a number of the Univer-
sity of Gothenburg’s servers crashed, which led to about half of the employees losing access to their email and calendars for several weeks. The cause was previously investigated by the internal audit in a technical report. On behalf of the Vice-Chancellor, the internal audit has now also looked more closely at who is responsible for the email crash. Five areas have been highlighted as particularly critical in terms of the issue of responsibility:
• Lack of traditional backup. The University of Gotheburg’s solution was based on Microsoft’s best practice, so no one can be blamed for that. • Lack of support agreements. No support agreement was entered into for the disks used to store email. The internal audit believes that the parties have a joint responsibility for the lack of a support agreement. • Inadequate remedial measures in connection with the crash. According to Atea, the disks were “not in danger”, despite the fact that there were major and serious problems in August. According to the internal audit, the IT unit should have questioned this information, but Atea is also considered to have a responsibility in regard to this. • No information was communicated upwards within the organisation. The internal audit has concluded that “the IT unit should have communicated the information about the risks in the email system to the higher levels of the
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organisation when the circumstances were known”. • The internal audit considers that Atea had a “significant and far-reaching responsibility” not least in view of the knowledge of the so-called 40k bug. This information did not reach the IT unit, according to the internal audit. MARIE SMEDBRO IS Area Manager for infrastructure support and, together with the IT unit’s management team, she has carefully reviewed the report. – We agree with the, quite detailed, description of the sequence of events and the conclusion that there is joint responsibility. It is a thorough report that sheds light on a series of convergent factors that unfortunately had major adverse consequences. We will now analyse what we can improve and adjust.
The University of Gothenburg will have an increased focus on IT security going forward. – The Central Administration has been tasked with reviewing the IT environment as a whole, with a particular focus on security issues, in order to have as safe an environment as possible and avoid similar events in the future, says Marie Smedbro. Criticism has also been directed at the University of Gothenburg’s provider Atea for their shortcomings. Are there any plans to initiate legal proceedings against the company? – That is a question for the university’s management team. Text: Allan Eriksson Photo: Johan Wingborg
Climate-friendly traveling required – The University of Gothenburg’s CO2 emissions will be halved by 2030 to achieve the climate goals. It will require an adjustment, where reduced air travel accounts for some of it. This is the opinion of the chairman of the task force within the Climate Framework, Pro Vice-Chancellor Mattias Goksör. He sees the proposal as a consequence of the government’s climate goals for state agencies. TOGETHER WITH 37 other Swedish universities, the University of Gothenburg has signed the Climate Framework, something that all faculties also support. – Now the task force is finally ready to get started. We propose two management tools: firstly a tool that makes it clear what is affecting the climate, and secondly a carbon budget that is followed up in the same way as the financial budget. This will help the units make climate-friendly decisions, says Mattias Goksör. The task force’s new proposal on climate transition (see Facts section below) is a way of creating incentives for more people to choose climate-smarter alternatives to travelling. But to see the charges of three kronor per kilo of carbon dioxide as a penalty or tax is completely wrong, he says. – IT IS ABOUT changing behaviours using the means we have. You do not lose any money or receive less in allocation. Instead, we want to spend the money on climate-smart alternatives, where, for example, train travel is a good alternative. It
is up to each department to decide. We will of course continue to travel, but hopefully in a way that has less impact on the climate. Malin Broberg, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, also believes that the transition to digital tools has meant that we no longer need to fly as much. – WHAT WE HAVE learned during the pandemic is that digital meetings save time and money. When we start to assign different priorities to our trips, we also get a more sustainable and equitable working life, where we get more family time. – We will not be doing this in isolation, Malin Broberg continues. It is not something we can choose to do or not to do, but a requirement from the government, and we must all contribute. That is why we have chosen to describe it as a provision, rather than a surcharge, because it is about creating a fund to be able to make investments that we otherwise would not have been able to make. Student representative Elin Gunnarsson also stresses the importance of having well-thoughtout climate initiatives that promote flexibility and climate-friendly modes of travel. – IN JUST A FEW YEARS, I think we will look back on our efforts and conclude that it was thanks to these measures that our emissions could be halved. The plan is for the climate transition to be introduced sometime at the beginning of next year but initially, workshops and pilot studies await. Henrik Aronsson, Head of the Department of Biological and
Mattias Goksör
Environmental Sciences, points out that many people within the organisation look forward to the university taking the lead. – Of course there will be some questions, irritation and teething problems in the beginning. But for me, this is a very easy project to sell. I only see its benefits and it’s easy to tell people why we are doing this. We are doing this not only for all of us right here and now, but also for our grandchildren. Text: Allan Eriksson Photo: Johan Wingborg
Malin Broberg
Henrik Aronsson
Elin Gunnarsson
FACTS The climate transition proposal, which was presented in the last issue of the GU Journal, involves the following: instead of today’s climate compensation, where a small fee is charged per flight, a climate transition is proposed, based on a fee of 3 krona per kilogram of carbon dioxide on all international flights. Domestic flights will be subject to a default fee of SEK 3,000 as an incentive to replace short flights with train travel. The model is based on 20 percent of the money going to a central fund that will benefit the entire university’s climate efforts. The remaining 80 percent will go back to the departments for various types of initiatives that will reduce emissions and compensate for the extra time it takes to travel by train.
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GU-researchers publish the most Between 2010 and 2019, the University of Gothenburg’s publications on the Web of Science increased by as much as 115 percent. This is considerably more than the universities of Lund and Uppsala, which both increased by around 70 percent. Even though it is difficult to read too much into the statistics, it looks promising for the University of Gothenburg, says Vice-Chancellor Göran Landberg. IT IS GRATIFYING that the University of
LARS KULLMAN thinks that the result is positive for the University of Gothenburg. – There is a correlation – perhaps not a causal link – between resources and the increase in the number of articles. That’s not very strange. The more money you put in, the greater the exchange. Although it is difficult to draw far-reaching conclusions, it appears that the University of Gothenburg’s researchers are more efficient. Another explanation may be that there is a small group of researchers who together are responsible for producing a large number of articles. And a lot of
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– WITHOUT BREAKING DOWN the numbers in areas at our university, it is difficult to rule out that the increase may be due to an administrative change in the Web of Science, i.e. an increased indexation in fields where we already have significant research activity. Lars Kullman points out that Web of Science indexes 65 percent of everything currently produced at the University of Gothenburg, but just over 90 percent of the scientific output. – Although it may have benefited the University of Gothenburg more, it should also have benefited major universities with a broad scope such as Lund and Uppsala. But the University of Gothenburg still stands out with a larger number of articles, says Lars Kullman. The question is whether there is a connection between resources and the exchange of more research articles. There is some indication that there is. However, on the other hand, both Lund and Uppsala universities received more research resources compared to the University of Gothenburg. – Productivity seems to have risen, which looks promising. This may be an effect of the investment in incentive structures that the University of Gothenburg has developed over the years, where, for example, grants from the
Lars Kullman Photo: JOHAN WINGBORG
Gothenburg has come out well in the statistics, even though there are very complex connections, and publications as a measure of scientific productivity should be viewed with some caution, Göran Landberg continues. As the GU Journal has previously reported, the number of publications at all of the University of Gothenburg’s faculties has increased dramatically, according to statistics from the University Library’s digital services. Now Lars Kullman, Bibliometrician at the Publishing and Bibliometric Services team, has produced figures for how much the University of Gothenburg’s publications on the Web of Science have increased compared to other universities and put it in relation to total research resources.
publications in prestigious journals yield even more citations. Web of Science, which is a commercial stakeholder in the market, has had a monopoly for many years, but in recent years has faced competition from Scopus, for example. It has also meant that Web of Science has included more subjects and broadened its indexing, which in turn may have benefited a university with a broad scope, such as the University of Gothenburg. Göran Landberg emphasizes that an increase in indexation does not reflect reality.
Göran Landberg
It is gratifying that the University of Gothenburg has come out well in the statistics ... GÖRAN LANDBERG
Debate
Allan Eriksson
FACTS Web of Science: Interdisciplinary citation database that indexes the content of more than 21,000 peer-reviewed scientific journals, but increasingly also books and conferences. The database has good coverage in terms of medicine and science, but not as good for the humanities and social sciences, although more subjects in these areas have been indexed in recent years. The poorer coverage means that the database is less suitable for citation analyses of the humanities and social sciences. The database’s focus on English-language publications also means that, for example, Swedish-language publications receive poorer coverage.
Increases of publications in Web of Science 2010–2019 University of Gothenburg Stockholm University Uppsala University Lund University Umeå University Average
115% 97% 71% 69% 54% 82%
Increase in research resources 2010-2019 Uppsala university Lunds university Stockholm University University of Gothenburg Resources measured in ”research and teaching staff with a doctoral degree”. Source: Lars Kullman, University Library
36% 31% 25% 25%
REFLECTIONS OR OPINIONS? Join the debate by sending an email to: gu-journal@gu.se
Photo: PIXABAY
government have been partly distributed according to publication and citation data. Several of our faculties have had similar incentive schemes, which may have been a catalyst. The fact that more resources for research generate more research is to be expected, Göran Landberg thinks. – A large number of publications usually generate more external grants, which also contribute to increased activity. But counting publications is relatively easy. It is more difficult to draw definitive conclusions from publication and citation data.
GU should take a leading role in the work against climate change TOGETHER WITH several other Swedish universities, The University of Gothenburg has signed the Climate Framework. The purpose of the framework is to reduce the universities’ climate impact in line with the Paris agreement. As a university, GU plays an important role as a role model in the work against climate change – not just when it comes to science and education, but also when it comes to GU’s own climate impact. The GU climate framework work-group has recently proposed several measures, amongst others a progressive proposal for the reduction of air-travel at the university. This proposal suggest a kind of “internal taxation” on air travel that will be channeled back to the institutions and their climate work. This proposal has met resistance from some parts of the university. With this call, we want to show that there is a wide support for GU’s progressive climate work from rikthe university staff. Surely, the proposal will make it more expensive for the departments to participate in international conferences and events. However, that is indeed its very purpose! Climate work demands that we change our behaviors, for example by choosing climate neutral transportation or develop digital solutions for
international cooperation. We who have signed this call are teachers, administrators, and researchers from all parts of the University of Gothenburg. We argue that the universities have an important role to play in the work against climate change, and we want GU to take this role seriously. The climate crisis needs to be met forcefully and swiftly, by all sectors in society. It is not enough to sign agreements. As a university, we also have to act, and make real changes that reduce our carbon dioxide emissions. The proposed carbon dioxide budget is a step in the right direction. WE WANT TO WORK at a univer-
sity that take the work against climate change seriously. Therefore, we urge GU to take a leadership role in the work against climate change!
Do you agree? Sign our petition! GU behöver ta ledande roll i klimatarbetet - Skrivunder.com https://www.skrivunder.com/ gu_behover_ta_ledande_roll_i_klimatarbetet Initiators: Andréas Litsegård, School of Global Studies, Erik Mägi, Department of Law, Maria Norbäck, Department of Business Administration, Maria Jose Zapata Campos, f Department of Business Administration Patrik Zapata, Förvaltningshögskolan, School of Public Administration.
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Investigates the extent of threats Researchers and teaching staff at the university are in a vulnerable position. For some, threats and harassment are part of everyday life. But the full extent of the problem has thus far not been known. Now David Brax, Senior Advisor at the Swedish Secretariat for Gender Research, intends to find out what the situation is like at the University of Gothenburg. Text: Lotta Engelbrektson Photo: Johan Wingborg Collage: Anders Eurén
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THE DEGREE AND NATURE of harassment of researchers and teaching staff vary. It can be anything from nasty attacks on social media to actual death threats. David Brax has personally experienced being subjected to threats. A couple of years ago, he found a dummy bomb outside the door of his workplace. – We do not know what message they were trying to send, as there was no message and the investigation was closed, he says.
The debate flares up at regular intervals, especially when something specific has happened. Most recently when Professor Jonas Ludvigsson from Örebro announced that he was leaving COVID research after receiving threats and being subjected to threats and attacks online. But the question is whether these individual events are exceptions? Or if there are researchers who are regularly subjected to harassment?
National Council for Crime Prevention (Brå) investigates, on an annual basis, via the so-called PTU survey, how vulnerable elected politicians feel. Now the same questions will be asked of Sulf ’s members. – This will also help us find out which groups are most vulnerable, if there is a difference between women and men, and if there is harassment that can be linked to ethnicity, but also whether the threats come from outside or inside the university, says David Brax. HE BELIEVES THAT it might
be easier to get support if the threat is external rather than if it is a conflict that has arisen at the university. The climate of debate between researchers can occasionally be exacerbated, and the boundaries are not always obvious. For example, when does a heated exchange of opinions turn into personal attacks? – There is a difference between how you perceive a situation and how much you take offence. There will certainly be a discussion about where the boundaries lie. The only thing we can do is report the threats separately based on the degree of severity.
IT HAS LONG BEEN known
David Brax wants to know more about the extent of the problem. – I want data on the threats. It is important to have a good basis for knowing where interventions may be required, he says. THE SURVEY WAS compiled in collaboration with the organisation Sulf, and has approximately the same structure as Politikernas trygghetsundersökning, PTU (the Politician’s Safety Survey). The Swedish
that certain types of research can cause particularly strong emotional outbursts. Issues related to climate, racism, migration and gender, for example, often end up attracting particular attention. Similarly, research areas that involve animal experiments as a natural part of the process. – It can involve all sorts of issues that people get involved in. When someone has made an emotional, material, ideological or moral investment in a particular issue, it can be perceived as a threat when a researcher says that the person is wrong, says David Brax.
– Threats aiming at intimidating or harming must always be reported to the police, says David Brax.
And if researchers refrain from communicating due to fear, we have an even bigger problem. DAVID BRAX
He also believes that there is a huge amount of under-reporting when it comes to harassment, and that many people feel very alone when they are subjected to it. Therefore, it is important that people who have been badly affected feel that they have the support of their employers, and that they know where to turn when the situation gets heated. – An inquiry is currently underway into increased legal protection for journalists, politicians and artists. I wish that researchers could also be included in this, says David Brax.
In the long term, this exposure risks leading to certain voices being silenced in public discourse, as the thought of the consequences can feel too overwhelming. Some researchers already know in advance what will happen if they set up an interview or participate in a public discussion. – And if researchers refrain from communicating due to fear, we have an even bigger problem, says David Brax.
FACTS Over the next few weeks, the survey will undergo an ethical review. In the spring of 2021, the survey will be sent to Sweden’s university lecturers and researchers, Sulf’s members. The report is expected to be completed in the autumn.
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Profile
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We constantly learn from each other Text: Eva Lundgren Photo: Johan Wingborg
– Nothing is as useful as useless knowledge, says Johan Söderman. He is a Professor of Child and Youth Studies and is responsible for the University of Gothenburg’s participation in the first graduate school for folk high school teachers. In addition, he is a hip-hop researcher with a pathologically keen interest in music. I want to make the folk high school great again, says Johan Söderman as he roots around in the kitchen cabinets in the Gegerfeltska Villa next to Pedagogen where he has his office. The coffee should be here somewhere, but as he, like his colleagues, has barely been in the house in the past year, he does not really know where things are. He is enthusiastic about the new assignment he has been given, which involves a collaboration between Linköping University, Jönköping University and the University of Gothenburg. Twelve doctoral students will be admitted to the graduate school, which will commence in the autumn. They will conduct practical research part-time and at the same time work part-time at their folk high school. – A year ago, the journalist David Brooks wrote an article in the New York Times about how to understand the Nordic model. It has long been thought that it was about the welfare state or the successful export industry. But Brooks had another explanation: the educational tradition. The Nordic folk high school is unique around the world, Johan Söderman points out. – It gives those who were not successful in upper-se-
condary school a second or third chance, immigrants can learn Swedish and art lovers have the opportunity to study painting. You can study to be a journalist or jazz musician, but above all you can get to know yourself. The folk high school has a holistic liberating view of people, and is a form of adult education that can also inspire universities. Teacher education for instance is full of political squabbling with all sorts of goals to be achieved. Instead, let the teacher be human. That the University of Gothenburg is involved in a
graduate school for folk high school teachers is particularly fitting, says Johan Söderman. – The University of Gothenburg started as a free academy with popular, public science lectures, and was intended as a counterweight to the universities in Uppsala and Lund. But the folk high school is also close to other civic endeavours, such as the grassroots sports movement, educational associations and various music groups, not least in hip hop. Johan Söderman has experienced the importance of music for a person’s educational journey. He grew up in Eksjö in the south of Sweden, and spent his teenage years rehearsing with his band, going to concerts and rummaging through the records in the music store. – I could be in a physics lesson and think that those 40 minutes were never going to end. Then I would rush off to the rehearsal venue – and suddenly it was 11 pm! I found my friends through music, but also my future dreams which of course were about becoming a rock star. But it was also music’s demands for discipline that helped me to get my act together. After upper-secondary school, I went to Lund University and trained as a teacher in Swedish and music.
It was Johan Söderman’s secondary school students
in the late 1990s that got him interested in hip hop. – It was about the music itself, but also about the fact that even the most unmotivated students read the lyrics written by the hip-hop artists. I started using the students’ interest in music as a way to engage them in school. Johan Söderman became even more aware that hip-hop is also about education when, a few years later during his doctoral studies, he spent six months in the capital of hip-hop, New York. – Everyone who has lived abroad for an extended period knows about that special state of exile, when you make an effort to understand another country, but really only become increasingly aware of your own culture. I felt lost and lonely. One day I was invited to a party to celebrate the 30th anniversary of hip-hop. It was mainly attended by African Americans and I felt a little out of place in that context. But then Africa Bambaataa appeared, one of the MAYor founders of hip hop. And he started talking about something completely different to music, about African Americans having to take char-
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Profile Over the years, Johan Söderman has sat on the board of Folkbildningsrådet, collaborated with Västra Götalands Bildningsförbund and worked together with Riksidrottsförbundet. – The sports movement impresses me, particularly their apprentice system for education. There, a fourteen-year-old can be trusted to lead ten-year-olds, it is a fantastic way to help a young person develop.
In 2016, Johan Söderman was involved in starting a
Johan Söderman wrote his dissertation on hip hop.
And right there and then, it was as if a switch had clicked inside me, I saw the light and was almost saved.. JOHAN SÖDERMAN
ge of their lives, educate themselves, take responsibility and stop doing destructive things like smoking, taking drugs, eating junk food and ignoring their future. And right there and then, it was as if a switch had clicked inside me, I saw the light and was almost saved. Because I realised that this is exactly what public education has always been about – even when the Swedish labour movement began with its courses and adult education associations in the 19th century – helping you deal with your situation and elevate yourself. And suddenly I began to see public education everywhere. Because we humans simply cannot help but learn from one another.
You learn from your parents, your big sister, your neighbour and your colleague. You learn by reading and studying, but also by playing football or playing the guitar. And you learn by painting or poking about in the soil, Johan Söderman points out. – Therefore, I think it is sad that knowledge that can be expressed in words is perceived as more important than knowledge that is expressed in other ways. The focus on words also seems to have increased in recent times; the very way you express yourself has become more important than what you want to convey. The debate that is going on in Malmö is one example: a teacher was accused of racism because of the expressions and images she used to talk about prejudice. Everyone understands that the teacher is of course not a racist, but still it is the words you get hung up on, not what the teacher wants to convey. This makes it difficult to talk about difficult issues and of course also restricts intellectual freedom.
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Swedish network for hip hop studies. Together with his colleague Ove Sernhede, he also wrote the book När betongen rätar sin rygg. Ortenrörelsen och folkbildningens renässans. – Many people say that local associations are dying out, but that is not true. Young people in, for example, the Million Programme areas start associations themselves and mobilize. Often, however, the enthusiasm wanes. One solution might be for people with more experience of running associations to give the new groups some help with practical things, such as bookkeeping and annual accounts, so that they have time to get established. Johan Söderman mainly lectures at Pedagogen. – But I am also at the Faculty of Fine, Applied and Performing Arts, this jewel that the University of Gothenburg should be proud of and which safeguards people’s great need for aesthetics. Johan Söderman’s outlet for his own artistic interests is as a singer and guitarist in the band Peking Punk, which he started together with some academic friends seven years ago. Among, other things, they released the album Långt ner i avgrunden. He also develops more down-to-earth skills at his summer cottage, which is situated south of Norrköping. – Together with my wife, I spend my time growing things. It is extremely satisfying for us who, on the whole, live an urban life. We dig and plant seeds in the ground and take a break from everyday life by learning to do purely practical things.
Johan Söderman Currently: Responsible for the University of Gothenburg’s participation in Sweden’s first graduate school for adult folk high school teachers. Lives in: Nordostpassagen in Linnéstaden. Family: Wife Alexandra and children Johanna, Sigvard, Tora and Hjalmar.
Most recent book: Åsa Lindeborg’s Året med tretton månader. Favourite music: There are only two kinds of music:
good and bad. I like good music. Favourite dish: As a resident of Gothenburg, I am still
impressed by the local delicacies from the sea.
GU in global top 50 for sustainability Photo: JOHAN WINGBORG
The University of Gothenburg has taken the 49th spot in the Times Higher Education (THE) ranking of the world’s universities based on alignment with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. This is four places lower than last year, but a record number of institutions took part this time: 1,115 compared with 766 in the previous ranking. “COMING IN 49TH place is a very strong
result,” says analyst Magnus MacHale-Gunnarsson. “It’s great to see the THE producing a ranking of this kind, shining a spotlight on factors other than the quality of academic research. After all, universities have other purposes too.” GU comes in 4th place under SDG 4 Quality Education, which Vice-Chancellor Eva Wiberg sees as an excellent result. “For GU’s part, the ranking is very welcome since it has sustainable development as one of its focus areas. Fourth place in Quality Education is remarkable, indicating education of an incredibly high standard.” Topping this year’s list is the University of Manchester, followed by three Australian universities: University of Sydney, RMIT and La Trobe University. Three other Swedish higher education institutions took part in this year’s ranking: • KTH took 44th place, passing the University of Gothenburg for the first time. They also achieved two top-10 positions: 7th in SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) and 7th in SDG 13 (Climate Action). • Linnaeus University took part for the first time and came in around the 301–400 mark. • Karolinska Institutet, which only entered for SDG 3 “Good Health and Well-being”, took 53th place. The aim of the THE University Impact Rankings is to give a picture of the social impact that the HEIs have by measuring how they align with the global Sustainable Development Goals. However,
Gunnar Cervin researches algea at Tjärnö. GU is top-ranked by THE within quality education, climate action and responsible consumption and production, among other things.
Magnus MacHale-Gunnarsson cautions against drawing any firm conclusions from the results of the survey: “The ranking is beset by MAYor methodological problems and the results should therefore not be read as a factual measure of how well the universities are working towards the UN’s SDGs.” VICE-CHANCELLOR Eva Wiberg sees the
ranking as an opportunity to highlight current initiatives. “The ranking may not capture all the nuances, but it does provide a chance to showcase what we’re doing in this area, such as sustainability labelling of courses and programmes, and our work regarding the Climate Framework for universities that focuses on achieving the 1.5 degree target.”
Here are GU’s positions in the following areas: SDG 4:
Quality Education: 4th
SDG 13: Climate Action: 15th
(up 15 places). 30th in 2019
and 37th in 2020
SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production: 18th (44th last year) SDG 14
Life below Water: 16th (up from
45th last year)
SDG 3:
Good Health: 32nd (up from
66th last year)
SDG 5:
Gender Equality: 32nd (down
from 14th last year)
SDG 8:
Decent Work and Economic
Growth: 31st
(down from 19th last year)
SDG 17:
Partnership for the Goals: 53rd
(down from 33rd last year)
Allan Eriksson
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Focus | Excellent Teachers
Inspired by skilled teachers Text: Eva Lundgren Photo: Johan Wingborg
Pedagogical experience, professional development but not least pedagogical reflection, these are some of the criteria a lecturer must meet in order to be called ”excellent”. Thus far, 31 Excellent Teachers have been appointed at the University of Gothenburg and 16 of them come from Sahlgrenska Academy. The Institute of Health and Care Sciences has the highest
number of Excellent Teachers: eight appointments with two more in progress. This is what the Head of Department Karin Ahlberg, who is an Excellent Teacher, has to say on the subject. – The institute has a long tradition of pedagogical development and research. The emphasis is on the education being research-related and, vice versa, that the research is connected to the education. Several of the institute’s lecturers have many years of pedagogical experience and develop their teaching on an ongoing basis. That is one reason why so many of them have been able to put together an application relatively quickly, Karin Ahlberg explains. – But applying to be an Excellent Teacher is still quite an undertaking; the requirements include that a lecturer has reflected in depth on their teaching work. The head of department must approve the application, which is then sent to the Associ-
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The emphasis is on the education being research-related and, vice versa … KARIN AHLBERG
Karin Ahlberg thinks there are many more teachers at the University who could become “excellent”.
ate Professorship Committee’s assessment team at Sahlgrenska Academy. The application is then reviewed by external experts and finally the assessment team conducts an interview. And it is incredible the stories and powerful pedagogical methods that come to light and which can hopefully be disseminated!
The Institute of Neuroscience
and Physiology, which has three Excellent Teachers, also has an extensive teaching assignment, according to Head of Department Jenny Nyström.
– We have many talented and committed lecturers. But those who have gone the extra mile and devoted even more time to pedagogical development, we encourage them to apply to become Excellent Teachers. It is partly about giving a formal recognition to committed educators, and partly about giving experienced employees the opportunity to act as inspiration and mentors for their colleagues. It is important to emphasize that you can be excellent in various ways, for example by holding lectures, teaching in a clinical setting or by being a supervisor. Different
kinds of pedagogy complement each other. Karin Ahlberg emphasizes that the title “Excellent Teacher” is not only an honour, but that the lecturers’ competence is also utilized, and contributes to the development of lecturing.
– You are awarded the title for what you have already done, but the distinction also creates positive expectations, which encourages continued pedagogical research and development. Right now, of course, a lot of what is happening involves taking advantage of the experiences from the pandemic: What digital and technological tools do we need? When does digital teaching work best? How do you conduct exams remotely in a secure way? Just as excellent researchers are important, it is also important to have Excellent Teachers, says Jenny Nyström. – Our education must be research related and of course we therefore need researching lecturers who are good at communicating their subject Today, the University of Gothenburg has 31 Excellent Teachers. But Karin Ahlberg and Jenny
Nyström are convinced that there are many more committed educators at the University of Gothenburg. – Maybe the department management needs to be better at informing people about this opportunity, and really encourage lecturers to apply, for example during employee interviews, Karin Ahlberg suggests. As the application involves a process that is equally as complex as applying for an associate professorship, the lecturer must also be given the opportunity to spend time compiling their portfolio.
It is important to emphasize that you can be excellent in various ways …
– Even though we have course
assessments, which of course are significant, we are unaccustomed to assessing teaching skills, says Jenny Nyström. As a researcher, your applications are approved or rejected, and thus provide a clear signal of how successful you are. We are also dependent on external grants, not least in medical research, which makes the pressure to apply for funding very intense. However, there are few grants for pedagogical work. And as lecturers are often part of a team where everyone is involved, they may not perceive them-
JENNY NYSTRÖM
Foto: JOSEFIN BERGENHOLTZ
We are unaccustomed to estimating pedagogical skills says Jenny Nyström.
selves as more excellent than anyone else, even though they have many years of experience in pedagogical development and are actually extremely skilled! At the Institute of Health and Care Sciences, work is now underway to gather all the Excellent Teachers so that they can pool their resources for the benefit of the institute, says Karin Ahlberg.
– The Excellent Teacher also
receives a project grant from PIL (Pedagogical Development and Interactive Learning), equivalent to two months’ salary, which we have not yet fully utilized. With the help of these funds, we hope to be able to combine our pedagogical efforts. We also get help through continuous dialogue with our students, where we find out what works and how best to learn as a student. The Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology also hopes to be able to coordinate the Excellent Teachers and utilize their competence in the institute’s work to develop their educational efforts, Jenny Nyström explains.
Facts Excellent Teacher The University of Gothenburg introduced the title “Excellent Teacher” in June 2014. The first Excellent Teacher was appointed in 2015. In order to be assessed, the lecturer must have a subject-based foundation, a qualification in third-level teaching and a connection to research or artistic development. The application must be approved by the head of department and is then received by the Academic Appointments Board or equivalent at the faculty. If the application gets through this stage of the process, it is then sent to external pedagogical experts, who review the pedagogical portfolio based on the fol-
lowing criteria: pedagogical experience, teaching skills, professional development, pedagogical leadership, collaboration, pedagogical reflection and development of third-level pedagogical skills. The Academic Appointments Board, or equivalent, then conducts an interview with the applicant. Based on expert statements and the documentation from the interview, the dean makes the decision. The Excellent Teacher can apply for funding for a pedagogical development assignment. The maximum amount is two months’ salary. This means that the department where the lecturer is employed will be relieved of the corresponding salary cost.
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Report
VIRUSES – a part of all life?
Viruses, are they a type of life? No, explains Peter Norberg, Associate Professor at the Institute of Biomedicine. – Viruses comprise their very own and incredibly interesting group. They are usually relatively harmless but can sometimes cause serious illness. They are also an important reason why we humans, on the whole, exist as we do today. Text: Eva Lundgren Photo: Johan Wingborg
– Today there are approximately 7.7 billion people on the planet, who can be considered to be a single population. This means that the conditions for new pandemics are very good, explains virus researcher Peter Norberg.
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Report
Anyone who studies the tree of life will search in vain for the branch from which viruses developed. And there are several reasons why they are not included among living organisms, explains virus researcher Peter Norberg. – Among other things, they cannot live independently, but require a host cell to replicate. All viruses have some form of surface structure that specializes in binding to a particular cell type. Once inside the cell, the virus reprogrammes the cell so that it starts to produce more virus particles. Viruses are also very small, somewhere between 10 and 300 nanometres, and have a genome consisting of a few thousand to a million bases. Some viruses have an envelope that makes them susceptible to alcohol, which is why we are advised to spray our hands to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Others do not have an envelope and can therefore not be inactivated with alcohol, for example the norovirus that causes winter vomiting disease. However, these can be washed away mechanically with soap and water. There are three theories about where viruses come from, says Peter Norberg. – The progressive hypothesis proposes that viruses are genetic material on the loose, which has somehow escaped from various organisms. The regressive hypothesis instead proposes that viruses were previously more complicated and independent, but that they underwent a simplification. Another hypothesis is that viruses are more primitive than living organisms, and that in some kind of primordial stage they survived on their own, without host cells. Other theories consist of combinations of these three hypotheses. All types of life that have been studied – animals, plants, fungi and bacteria – have their own types of viruses. Virus particles are probably the type of organism that is by far the most abundant on earth. Viruses can be transmitted in a variety of ways, for example through air or aerosol spread, contact infection, via blood, secretions or organ donation, to mention but a few. In order for the spread within a group to work over a longer period of time, a fairly large population is required, Peter Norberg explains. – In a small population, as in the prehistoric hunter-gatherer groups, the virus would have spread rapidly to most individuals, which would have led to the entire population developing antibodies and the virus dying out, so-called herd immunity. However, it can survive elsewhere, for example in bats, and then after a number of years re-infect the new members of a community, who do not have antibodies. Some viruses can also remain latent in an organism. For example, chickenpox lies dormant in the ganglia of all infected people for the rest of their lives. Eventually, the virus can flare up again in the form of shingles, and then pass the infection on to children who lack immunity. The development of agriculture led to a huge increase in the population, and thus new opportunities for viruses to spread. GUJOURNAL MAY 2021
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Report The virus transmitted the genes that provide the ability to build up the membrane in the placenta that separates the mother and foetus, which allows an embryo to develop inside the body. PETER NORBERG
– Several of the viral diseases that today exclusively affect humans, such as many cold viruses, measles, HIV and COVID-19, have zoonotic origins, which means the infection has come from animals. As there are currently approximately 7.7 billion people on the planet, and it is so easy to travel across the globe, humanity can be seen as a single population. This means that the conditions for new pandemics are very good.
The fact that many wild animals, which would never have encountered one another in the wild, are caught, forced to live in crammed and poor conditions in cages and then sold increases the risks even further, of course. The felling of forests and other types of encroachment into nature also means that certain animal species are forced to move, and can thus carry viruses to new places. Two thirds of the first 40 people who were reported to have been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus had visited a specific market in the Chinese province of Wuhan, says Peter Norberg. – This has been interpreted as meaning that the spread of infection began in this market. On the other hand, a third seem to have been infected in some other way, which could be interpreted as the disease actually having a different origin. For a long time, researchers believed that the infection came from bats but quite early on, the researchers discovered another probable vector: the pangolin, or scaly anteater . – An important part of SARS-CoV-2, namely the receptor-binding part of the spike protein itself, is almost identical to a coronavirus in pangolins. One explanation for the origin of COVID-19 could be so-called recombination, i.e. that two closely related viruses infected the same cell in the same host, which caused the genes to mix and form a new virus. However, the closely related coronaviruses found in bats and pangolins are not completely identical to SARS-CoV-2, which means that we probably missed a small step in the development of this virus. It has also been discovered that minks and cats are easily infected by SARS-CoV-2, which has led
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to speculation that several different animals may have contributed to its emergence. Viral diseases have caused a great deal of misery throughout human history. But is there anything good about viruses? – Of course, one example is bacteriophages, i.e. viruses that attack bacteria. In the Soviet Union, bacteriophages were used for a long time instead of penicillin, and given the development of the resistance that we see in bacteria today, it may be relevant again. There are documented cases where bacteriophages have succeeded in eliminating very serious and life-threatening infections caused by multi-resistant bacteria, where antibiotics have not worked. The virus’s ability to penetrate living cells is also used in gene therapy. – In viral gene therapy, a functioning gene is spliced into a specially designed virus. This virus then produces the protein that the gene encodes in each target cell.
But viruses also seem to be the cause of one of the
MAYor changes in life on our planet, Peter Norberg explains. – A retroviruses is a special kind of virus that converts its RNA into DNA. The DNA copy is then inserted into the host cell’s own genome. If the virus happens to be incorporated into egg or sperm cells, so-called endogenous retroviruses, the virus will be inherited by the children of the host cells as well as their grandchildren’s children. This has happened on several occasions during the evolution of life; the fact is that a large part of the human genome comes from these endogenous retroviruses. When a retrovirus infected an egg-laying vertebrate several hundred million years ago, the consequences were incredibly special. – The virus transmitted the genes that provide the ability to build up the membrane in the placenta that separates the mother and foetus, which allows an embryo to develop inside the body. Therefore mammals, including us humans, have viruses to thank for the fact that we exist at all.
Holistic thinking prevents pandemics A change of seismic proportions is what is needed to prevent future pandemics, according to a new report. - In addition to illness and death, COVID-19 has also entailed enormous costs for the global economy. Hopefully, the disease will bring about some good, in that humanity will learn to work preventively instead of reacting when disaster has already struck, says Marie Stenseke. According to a report from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), there are up to 827,000 unknown viruses in the natural world that could infect humans. – If we do nothing, future pandemics will break out more frequently, spread faster, cause more damage to the global economy and kill more people, explains Marie Stenseke, one of the chairs of the IPBES scientific management team. It has long been known that pandemics are caused by virus transmission from animals to humans. – The interesting thing is that the same behaviours and activities that are causing climate change and the depletion of biodiversity are also driving the outbreak of epidemics. These include expansion and intensification of agriculture and production, as well as consumption that damages natural habitats and increases contact between wildlife, livestock and humans. Furthermore, there is the trade in live, wild animals. Reducing land development, reducing the trade in animals and
best available facts, both regarding pandemics and other important issues. They also argue that the costs of health must be taken into account in various calculations, for example when determining the price for the development of new land. Other important issues include combating the trafficking of wild animals, such as by informing people of the risks, and grounding any decisions that are made among the citizens; a country is never more environmentally friendly than the average voter.
We often make decisions from
– We need a holistic perspective on climate, bio diversity and health because all these problems are connected, Marie Stenseke explains.
increasing supervision entail costs in the short term, but it is still not nearly as costly as the ongoing pandemic, Marie Stenseke emphasizes. – According to the IPBES report, the COVID-19 pandemic has cost at least a hundred times more than preventive measures would have done. The consequences have been declining trade, people who have lost their income, an adverse impact on education and of course the cost of healthcare, medicines and vaccines. One risk pointed out by IPBES is that the acute difficulties that humanity is experiencing right now will overshadow problems whose effects will only come to pass well into the future. – That is why the IPBES emphasizes a holistic perspective on health, a so-called one health approach. To do so, the IPBES proposes an international forum that provides policy-makers with the
The interesting thing is that the same behaviours and activities that are causing climate change and the depletion of biodiversity are also driving the outbreak of epidemics. MARIE STENSEKE
perspectives that are too short term, both as individuals, companies and as a society, says Marie Stenseke. – But we also have the ability to take responsibility, care for others and change harmful behaviour. The positive thing is that we have taken responsibility before. For example, the realization that freons were destroying the ozone layer led to a manufacturing ban in a large number of countries. To be able to act, you have to remain hopeful and there are, after all, reasons to be hopeful.
Text: Eva Lundgren Photo: Johan Wingborg
Facts The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) was established in 2012, has 137 member states and is headquartered in Bonn. The scientific management of the IPBES comprises a multidisciplinary expert group with 25 members, five for each region of the world. The two chairs of the expert group are Luthando Dziba from South Africa, and Marie Stenseke, Professor of Human Geography, and Pro Dean at the School of Business, Economics and Law. The IPBES report is available here: https://ipbes.net/pandemics.
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Thesis
Counting on snails The spiral shapes of sea snails have fascinated Jenny Larsson ever since childhood, growing up on Orust. Now she can call herself a sea snail shell mathematician after defending her thesis on how the spirals can be calculated logarithmically. The sea snail Jenny Larsson researched is called the rough periwinkle Littorina saxatilis, and is found almost everywhere in the Atlantic but also along the entire west coast. The snail is interesting for evolutionary biologists because it is found in two ecotypes, and has adapted to different environments: a slightly smaller one that lives on unprotected beaches and hides in rock crevices when the waves wash in, and a slightly larger one with a thick shell that lives on pebble beaches among seaweed and crabs. But in areas where rocks meet the beach, there are also several intermediate forms. – What biologists are interested in is whether the snails are developing into different species, and what
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role heredity and environment play in that process, says Jenny Larsson. To investigate how the snails differ, she has developed a mathematical model that can describe how tightly the shells’ spirals coil and how the snails grow.
– I have also created a programme where I, based on 2D photos, can construct 3D shapes of the shells and then investigate their hydrodynamic properties, i.e. the power of the wave forces that the different shapes are subjected to at different flow rates and angles. Mathematically, variation in a few parameters is sufficient to explain the diversity in shell shapes that we see in nature. The method can also be easily modified and used to investigate other snail species. It was Jenny Larsson’s overwhelming interest in shapes and geometry that resulted in her studying mathematics. – I obtained both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Gothenburg. Then, when I wanted to continue with doctoral studies, I heard about a collaboration on sea snails between the University
The large and thick shell, the smaller and thinner shell, and in the middle, an intermediate shape.
seen more as students than as colleagues. Doctoral theses in my subject are more commonly written as monographs in comparison to what we are used to here, but I have still done a compilation thesis. Nor are relatives and friends invited when you are defending your thesis, instead it is a closed discussion between the doctoral student and the examiners. Brexit has not affected my situation too much during my actual doctoral studies, even though it is a constant topic of discussion, and definitely affects future opportunities. The pandemic has meant that my thesis has taken longer than planned, partly because you do not have the same opportunities for spontaneous discussions when working from home, but also because the start of one experiment was delayed. Now, I hope to be able to continue my research, preferably in Sweden, but I am open to other possibilities. Text: Eva Lundgren Photo: Susanne Liljenström
Facts Jenny Larsson Defended her doctoral thesis: Understanding the evolution of shell shape in snails, on March 31. Hobbies: Astronomy, exercise, baking, previously competed in synchronised figure skating at an elite level, finishing in the top 10 in the World Championships on several occasions.
of Gothenburg and the University of Sheffield, which seemed interesting. I am formally enrolled at the University of Sheffield, but much of my research has been conducted in Sweden. Among other things, I have conducted tests in the flume tank at Tjärnö Marine Laboratory, where I measured both real sea snails and enlarged 3D plastic models. The research involves not only a collaboration between different universities but also between mathematics and marine biology. One of Jenny Larsson’s supervisors, Torbjörn Lundh, is based at the Department of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Gothenburg and Chalmers, while the other, Roger Butlin, works at the department of Marine Sciences at the University of Gothenburg and the University of Sheffield.
There are some differences between being a doctoral student in Sweden and in the United Kingdom, even if they are not that significant, says Jenny Larsson. – In England, the educational programme has slightly fewer courses and the doctoral students are
Jenny Larsson discusses her experiments at Tjärnö marine laboratory.
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