Louise Newman takes responsibilty for R/V Skagerak
GU JOURNAL
The GU Journal has a free and independent position, is made according to journalistic principles.
Editor-in-chief:
Eva Lundgren
Phone: 070-969 10 14, e-mail: eva.lundgren@gu.se
Editor: Allan Eriksson, e-mail: allan.eriksson@gu.se Photographer: Johan Wingborg, Phone: 070–595 38 01, e-mail: johan.wingborg@gu.se
Layout: Anders Eurén, Phone: 073-257 62 40, e-mail: anders.euren@gu.se
Address: GU Journal, University of Gothenburg, Box 100, 405 30 Gothenburg , Sweden. E-mail: gu-journalen@gu.se Internet: gu-journalen.gu.se ISSN: 1402-9626
10
18 Joakim Larsson with a focus on antibiotics.
Innehåll News 04–20
04 Ranking mostly about marketing.
06 The first step toward creating the Queen’s professorship.
08 The Global Child and Adolescent Mental Health Conference.
Imagening a new world.
10 Joakim Larsson inluences the United Nations. 12 Israel – Palestine - a complicated conflict. Profile 14–17
14 Louise Newman keeps an eye on Skagerak.
Report 26–35
18 Mick Wilson wants new ways of imagining.
20 Musical master meeting
21 Felix Neubergh.
22 Notices.
23 The moment.
14 Louise Newman.
06 Royal visit.
12 Israel–Palestina seminar.
Budding collaborations at the start of The Queen's professorship
ow should one lead and govern to bring about change in a large organization such as the University of Gothenburg? Steering in the direction of common goals and decided strategies was the focus when the university’s academic leaders and the heads of support services gathered for a joint strategy day. University Director Johan Johansson and I talked about the importance of curiously examining the frictions within the organization and finding ways to work more effectively between different activities and levels. The day was described by many as a good start to an indepth conversation about a more cohesive organization where we use our collective power in an even better way.
On the 10th of October, the Queen Silvia Professorship in Global Child and Adolescent Health with a focus on mental health was launched. At a roundtable discussion, attended by the Queen and others, the conversation revolved around how research, together with public, private and non-profit organizations, can contribute to a better future for the world's young people. The following day, a conference was organized on the same theme with participation from virtually all university faculties and many organizations in the surrounding society, such as schools,
healthcare and non-profit organizations. According to indications I have received the conference has already led to new contacts and research collaborations. The advertisement for the professorship is out and the initiative is now being taken further by four faculties with the ambition to build an interdisciplinary environment around global child and adolescent health with a focus on mental health.
I would also like to strike a blow for the information security training that the university has now started. It's about micro-lessons that come to your email. The university is a large and robust organization, but when it comes to information security, we are only as strong as our weakest link, so I would like to encourage everyone to participate in the course.
We have also had time for this year's doctoral conferment ceremony. As always, a solemn and festive celebration where we acknowledge our new doctors, honorary doctors and academic award winners. Congratulations and well done everyone!
MALIN BROBERG
The importance of meetings in a digital world
his autumn, the University of Gothenburg’s vision to be a university for the world, has been manifested in several important ways, including through a seminar where the challenging Israel-Palestine conflict was discussed from different starting points. Another example is the conference on the mental health of children and young people. This is also the subject of a new professorship that will be appointed next year.
But the university is international also in other ways. One example is the new Centre for Art and the Political Imaginary. Director Mick Wilson points out that we need to imagine the world in a better way, that helps instead of hinders the creation of a good society.
On the 26th of September, three student ensembles at the Academy of Music and Drama had the opportunity to work with Barbara Hannigan. The world-famous conductor and singer saw the occasion as a conversation with young colleagues that was rewarding for her as well.
All these seminars, conferences and masterclasses are examples of the importance of direct meetings between people to really understand the other person's views and choices in life.
AI technology can help us in many situations but actual meetings, person to person, are irreplaceable, whether they are about art, health issues or the world’s difficult conflicts.
The editors whish all readers a happy autumn!
High rankning good for the brand
In this year's Shanghai ranking, GU fell 16 places and in the THE ranking we are once again outside the top 200, while Lund University climbs thanks to a recent Nobel Prize. Could the fall have a negative impact on GU's attractiveness?
- Rankings are more about branding and marketing than about real quality, says Magnus MacHale-Gunnarsson.
WHEN THE FIRST global university rankings were launched in 2003-2004, they caused a stir and were met with intense debate. At times, the criticism has been harsh: is it really possible to measure the quality of research with simple numbers?
- The simple answer is no. No one sees rankings as an accurate way to measure quality. But there is a strong correlation between highly ranked universities and those perceived as world leaders.
A LOW RANKING can affect the attractiveness of an institution. A highly ranked university is perceived as more prestigious, which attracts more international students, researchers and research funding. A lower ranked university risks being perceived as less attractive, regardless of the actual qualities in education and research.
- If GU ends up outside the top 200 in the rankings, it may have an impact, but it is difficult to know exactly how, says Magnus MacHale-Gunnarsson, who on behalf of the management continuously analyses the outcome of the three leading rankings for GU: ARWU (Academic Ranking of World Universities), Times Higher Education and QS.
- My analyses do not raise many questions anymore, which I take to mean that the rankings have become an accepted part of university reality.
THERE IS AN important difference between the Chinese organisation ARWU and the commercial players QS and THE, both of which sell data. The Shanghai ranking acts more as a benchmark for the best Chinese universities with a strong focus on the top 3,500 most published researchers globally, and Nobel Prizes play a big role. For example, the Nobel Prize in Physics last year helped Lund University climb from 164th to 105th on the list. Lund is also working to increase the international impact of its publications, and the goal is clear: to reach the top 100 globally. According to Kristina Eneroth, vice-rector of Lund University, this ‘signals’ quality and attracts international students and researchers.
- Interest will increase in the publications that form the basis of the prize, because that's how the research community works...
»My
analyses do not raise many questions anymore, which I take to mean that the rankings have become an accepted part of university reality.«
Magnus
MacHale-
Gunnarsson
But there will certainly be ripple effects in other areas too, she tells LUM.
MAGNUS MACHALE -Gunnarsson points out that Lund University was rewarded for research done a long time ago, like GU's Nobel Prize in 2000, which weighs heavily in the rankings.
One of the big problems with THE and QS is that they rely on reputation surveys, which affect the rankings by about 30 per cent but often have very low response rates and poor methodology.
- If you look at applicants to master's programmes, there is a correlation between application pressure and high scores in reputation surveys, but my interpretation is that it is more about the brand.
Swedish universities are otherwise well placed in the rankings. Among the world's 100 leading universities according to the Shanghai list, there are seven Nordic universities, two of which are Swedish (Karolinska Institutet and Uppsala University).
- SWEDEN HAS A GOOD reputation in higher education and attracts talented students and researchers. It seems that the rankings measure something real but that it is not about quality in the sense we understand it.
The lists are often consistent with expert opinion; if a group of researchers were to list the
world's top 100 universities, the result would probably be similar to the major rankings. Similarly, a ranking based on research volume and number of publications in Web of Science would produce a comparable list.
- But this is still not a good way to measure quality. The indicators used in the rankings have too many shortcomings and lack precision.
In general, movements in list rankings are small, often caused by methodological adjustments or events such as Nobel prizes or a high level of highly cited researchers.
- THE INTRODUCED a major methodological change last year, but it did not affect our performance as we expected. Universities are robust organisations that move slowly in the rankings. However, the Shanghai list is more stable and transparent, making it more credible, but it cannot measure the quality of an individual institution.
So what would it take for GU to move up on the rankings?
- One way forward could be to recruit researchers with many citations, encourage publications in prestigious journals such as Nature and Science, and increase collaboration with international researchers. Much of this is already happening today, without management having to control it. GU could invest more in marketing to attract top students and prominent researchers. At the same time, it is important not to make changes that jeopardise our internal quality work, says Magnus MacHale-Gunnarsson.
Allan Eriksson
An uncertain way to measure quality
PROFESSOR EMERITUS Sverker Lindblad, together with Mats Cavallin, wrote the report World Championship in Science! (2006), which criticised the way university rankings measure quality. Despite changes in methodology since then, his criticism remains unchanged.
- Rankings are thin and uncertain indicators that are easily confused with real quality work. They are unstable over time, with institutions jumping up and down for no clear reason. In addition, it is questionable to reduce complex organisations to measurable indicators, says Lindblad.
HE ALSO POINTS to an Anglo-Saxon dominance, where English-speaking universities are heavily overrepresented and where science, medicine and technology are prioritised, while other areas are given less space.
Sverker Lindblad opposes GU's focus on ranking positions and would rather see systematic quality work that strengthens the link between research and teaching and recruits expertise from other universities. He also emphasises the importance of a collegial discussion on quality, of which rankings are a part, but points out that this is currently lacking.
Kenneth Nyberg, senior lecturer in history, believes that GU should not place great emphasis on rankings. He believes that rankings create an illusion of accuracy that hides the complexity of what they are trying to measure.
- TO ME, RANKINGS represent an image of the university as a research and education company, where the brand competes globally for students and teachers. What is actually ranked, and what does it mean to be “best”? It all depends on how you look at what a university should be. It becomes rather meaningless to give an exact ranking, he says.
Instead, Kenneth Nyberg suggests that GU should focus on developing high-quality research and education in all subjects, as real success is reflected in rankings. He also points out that rankings lack the ability to capture differences between subject areas and departments. Moreover, he argues that quality for students and researchers is determined at subject level, not in an aggregate figure for the whole institution.
According to him, there is no “best” ranking; what counts depends on what factors the rankers choose to emphasise and weight.
»Rankings are thin and uncertain indicators that are easily confused with real quality work«
Sverker Lindblad
Kenneth Nyberg
Sverker Lindblad
The first step toward creating the Queen’s professorship
On Thursday, October 10, the first step was taken toward the creation of Queen Silvia’s Professorship in Global Child and Adolescent Health with a special focus on mental health.
In a round-table talk in the university’s main building, personally attended by the Queen, the discussion revolved around how research, together with public, private and NGO stakeholders, may contribute to a better future for young people in our world.
OCTOBER 10, which is World Mental Health Day, was the starting point for the University of Gothenburg’s initiative for one of the greatest challenges of our time: the mental health of children and adolescents. In a round-table talk with representatives from the WHO, Unicef, UNHCR, Wellcome Trust, the University of Gothenburg, the region and schools, the discussion revolved around how different parts of society can collaborate to support children and young people.
In her opening speech, Queen Silvia stressed the importance of good mental health, for example in order to manage in school. Interventions to support children who need it must be set in early.
– No child should have to struggle on their own. Using robust research in how to best provide such support, we can improve conditions for children around the world.
THE MENTAL HEALTH of children and adolescents is a field that requires collaboration between research, education and various stakeholders in society, Vice-Chancellor Malin Broberg explained.
– With wars, conflicts and global climate change it is easy to lose hope. But the future is not written in stone, the world van improve. That is why we are here, each and everyone of us can make a difference.
The Secretary General of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who participated via video link, explained that the governments of the world only invest 2 percent of their healthcare budgets on mental health.
– Only a fraction of that small investment goes to children and adolescents, which is thus heavily underfunded. Yet, without mental health there is no health at all.
Important aspects that were discussed during the talks included the important role to played by parents and other people, and the importance of ensuring that refugee children are given access do a daily routine, with school and creative activities. The participants also discussed the harmful influence of social media on young people. There was also agreement on the importance of being sensitive to what the children themselves perceive
as essential, such as a pet, as well as the importance of being flexible, for example with new technology: On the one hand, you should not immediately adopt anything new but on the other, researchers must keep up with very rapid developments.
ONE IMPORTANT issue was how to create hope, trust and resilience among young people, not least those who have suffered through wars and other disasters.
Per Cramér, Professor of International Law, was the moderator.
– It was an incredibly good seminar which contributed new perspectives to the creation of Queen Silvia’s professorship. I feel very strong support from the attending international organisations, as well as from the city and region. Not least the Queen contributed to the discussion in a brilliant manner.
The advertisement for the professorship is already out, Per Cramér said.
– The person we are looking for can be a physician, psychologist, health economist or something else. The most important factor is
that the individual is someone who can create the right environment, who can see beyond their own discipline and create a cross-disciplinary setting that will collaborate internationally across different boundaries.
Text: Eva Lundgren
Photo: Johan Wingborg
→Facts: Queen Silvia's Professor in Global Child and Adolescent Health with a special focus on mental health is based on a partnership with Carl Bennet AB which will contribute 20 million krona. The chair is expected to be appointed in the spring of 2025.
On October 10, round-table talks were held in Vasaparken, attended by Her Majesty Queen Silvia. Other participants: Malin Broberg, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Gothenburg; Per Cramér, Professor of International Law; Pernilla Baralt, Secretary General, Unicef Sweden; Sylvie Fagard-Sultan, Doctors without Borders; Miranda Wolpert, Director, Wellcome Trust; Karin Looström Muth, Director of Development, Region Västra Götaland; Kate Abrahamsson, Director, Queen Silvia’s Paediatric Hospital; Maria Andersson, Administrative Director, Primary School Administration; Annika Sandlund, Nordic and Baltic Manager, UNHCR; Peter Friberg, Professor of Medicine; Henry Ascher, Professor of Public Health.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the WHO, participated via video link.
On Friday, October 11, the Global Child and Adolescent Mental Health Conference will be held, with several international experts and prominent researchers attending.
Advert for the professorship: University of Gothenburg | Queen Silvia’s Professorship in Global Child and Adolescent Health (reachmee.com)
Per Cramér, Malin Broberg and queen Silvia in a discussion.
Big interest for young people's mental health
On October 11 it was time for the Global Child and Adolescent Mental Health Conference. The conference was a continuation of the round-table talks that took place the previous day and which was a first step towards the creation of Queen Silvia's Professorship in Global Child and Adolescent Health.
PER CRAMÉR concluded in his opening address that the round-table talks had revolved around two themes: how to gain a better understanding of the increasing mental ill health among young people, and how to support preventive measures.
– Yesterday’s talks showed that this is an area which engages all the invited guests and the University of Gothenburg is looking forward to future collaborations.
Vice-Chancellor Malin Broberg stressed the importance of children and adolescents actively
participating in the research. As the vice-chancellor she also highlighted the responsibility of the university for the mental health of its students in a precarious world.
The conference then continued with two sessions. The first one concerned the causes behind mental ill health among young people. Mariam Claeson, public health expert at the Karolinska Institute, explains that there are 1.8 billion young people in the world today. 13 percent of adolescents under the age of 19 suffer from depression, anxiety or behavioural disorders.
– SUICIDE IS THE fourth most common cause of death among 15–29-year-olds and 73 percent of suicides happen in low- or medium-income countries. The reasons vary from social, biological and psychological factors to environmental ones. However, mental health is not very highly prioritized by the world’s governments . In 2020 only 2.1 percent of all global
»Something that has not garned enough attention is the connection betseen child obesity and ADHD ...«
Christopher Gillberg
public-health investments went into mental health, and only a fraction of that went to children and adolescents.
Dainius Puras, Professor of Child Psychiatry at Vilnius University, stressed that all the work on young people’s mental health must be evidence-based and founded on human rights.
– NOT LEAST IS the right to personal identity threatened in many places. Russia, for example, has kidnapped 20,000 Ukrainian children who are no living without any contact with their roots. The massive migration flows and children being born using IVF are additional examples of how knowledge of our own origin risks being lost.
Dainius Puras also argued that a child perspective when handling children and adolescents must characterise all institutions. – Human relationships is of great importance to children’s development, both within the family, at school and in society as a
Peter Friberg, Christopher Gillberg, Mariam Claeson and Dainius Puras took part in the conference.
whole. Sometimes medication is necessary, but it is currently being overprescribed, which does no benefit children’s health.
CHRISTOPHER GILLBERG, Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Gillberg Centre, opened his lecture with a long list of diagnoses: ADHD, ASD, TS, DCD, IDD, LD, PANS, RAD, ARFID, CP and epilepsy. A collective term for all these syndromes, which often overlap, is ESSENCE (Early Symptomatic Syndromes Eliciting Neurodevelopmental Clinical Examinations).
Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD), which affects children who have been abused or assaulted, is a syndrome that requires more attention, Christopher Gillberg explained.
– Of course, the actual abuse or neglect must be dealt with, but there is often an underlying syndrome that needs to be managed. The ARFID eating disorder will become a huge future problem and PANS, which involves sudden onset of OCD or eating disorder, can have serious consequences. Something that has not garnered enough attention is the connection between child obesity and ADHD; where medication may be a better treatment than surgery.
Early intervention is important, such as support programmes, screening, language support, motor training and supplements with vitamin D and Omega-3.
– But follow-ups are no less important, Christopher Gillberg concluded.
MINISTER FOR SOCIAL Affairs
Jakob Forssmed pointed out how inadequate our language is when it comes to mental illness.
– We must distinguish between the concern and anxiety that are part of life and the ones that threaten it. We also have a fairly narrow-minded view of what is normal, and what a good life should be like.
We need to consider on a more fundamental level how we live our lives.
In September, the Public Health Agency presented recommendations for the media use of children and adolescents.
– Social media, or perhaps asocial media, steal time from other things that are important in order to feel better, such as playing, social activities, exercise and not least sleep; one survey shows that a third of 16-year-old girls in Sweden sleep less than six hours a day. Young people need to be nudged in the right direction and we, as adults, need to be better at leading by example
THE SECOND SESSION featured
Ingrid Pramling Samuelsson, Professor of Preschool Pedago -
Per Cramér and Malin Broberg hope for many new collaborations within the area mental health for young people..
gy, Christian Gadolin, Assistant Director at the Centre for Health Governance, and Domenico Giacco, Professor of Psychiatry, the University of Warwick. Niall Boyce and Anum Farid from the British Wellcome Trust also participated.
Text: Eva Lundgren Phhoto: Johan Wingborg
→ Facts: The Global Child and Adolescent Mental Health Conference was held on October 11 in the Malmsten Room, at the School of Business, Economics and Law.
Participants: Peter Friberg, GU; Mariam Claeson, Karolinska Institute; Dainius Puras, Vilnius University; Christopher Gillberg, GU; Jakob Forssmed, Minister for Social Affairs; Ingrid Pramling Samuelsson, GU; Christian Gadolin, GU; Domenico Giacco, University of Warwick, and Niall Boyce and Anum Farid, Wellcome Trust.
The conference, which was preceded by a roundtable talk on October 10, was the first step toward creating Queen Silvia’s Professorship in Global Child and Adolescent Health with a special focus on mental health. The chair will have its own funding, such as for doctoral positions and/or postdoctoral employment as well as for networking and/or collaborative research. They will be linked to the School of Business, Economics and Law, Sahlgrenska Academy, the Faculty of Social Sciences and the Faculty of Education.
Jakob Forssmed
Sustainable research becomes a UN Declaration
More than one million people a year die due to the fact that the infectious bacteria is resistant to antibiotics. Antibiotics in wastewater from the pharmaceutical industry is suspected of being a contributing factor. A WHO standard has now been developed and a UN declaration has been adopted to limit the emissions.
This is in large parts thanks to Joakim Larsson, Professor of Environmental Pharmacology at the University of Gothenburg.
IN 2007, JOAKIM LARSSON and his colleagues published the first of several studies that completely reversed the notion of how pharmaceuticals are spread in the environment.
– Previously, the entire focus had been on pharmaceuticals getting into the environment through use. We showed that wastewater from pharmaceutical production in India contained up to one million times higher levels than regular municipal wastewater. In some instances, we even found antibiotics in waterways that at higher levels of concentration i than can be found in the blood of patients taking the medication.
the results garnered some attention in Sweden but it was only two years later, when the Associated Press published a follow-up article, that the discovery had a global impact. It was at the time, a day in January 2009, the most widely red news article
on the internet. few days later, the Times of India published an article in which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh demanded that the results needed to be checked. Pharmaceutical emissions suddenly entered international politics as pharmaceuticals exports turn over enormous amounts.
After 2007, Joakim Larsson fairly quickly redirected his research toward antibiotics and antibiotic resistance as one of the most important global societal challenges. In addition to generating research around risks as well as possible solutions, he has also worked to disseminate information to the public, such as through documentaries and TEDx talks. For his efforts, he received the first national prize for research communication last year, from the University of Örebro and the Hamrin Foundation.
EVEN THOUGH the risks have long been publicly known there is still almost no regulation of antibiotic emissions from pharmaceutical production, neither in Sweden nor anywhere else, says Joakim Larsson.
– In 2016 my then doctoral student, Johan Bengtsson-Palme, and myself developed threshold values from more than 100 antibiotics, which quickly got a lot of international attention. In India in 2020, there was an attempt to legislate based on our threshold values, but lobbying from the industry led to it being shelved.
However, the same threshold values were adopted by several leading producers of antibiotics that worked together to develop
→Facts: Joakim Larsson is Professor of Environmental Pharmacology and Director of the Centre for Antibiotic Resistance research in Gothenburg (CARe): www.gu.se/ care.
UN Declaration: Political Declaration of the Highlevel Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance: www.un.org/pga/ wp content/uploads/ sites/108/2024/09/ FINALTextAMR toPGA.pdf
WHO standard around industry emissions: New global guidance aims to curb antibiotic pollution from manufacturing: www.who. int/news/item/03 092024 new global guidance aimsto curbantibioticpollutionfrommanufacturing
a voluntary “standard” for emission control.
– It was a good initiative, but it is unfortunately rarely very successful when the emitters themselves create the rules. I had several conversations with the WHO about the need to develop an independent standard, and was contracted as a leading expert for that work. On September 3, 2024, 17 years after our initial findings, the WHO standard was published!
AT THE SAME TIME , the UN was working towards a global resolution around antibiotic resistance. Joakim Larsson was the advisor to Minister of Social Affairs Lena Hallengren and her successor Jakob Forssmed, and on several occasions he was invited to speak to ministers and other legislators around the world.
– It probably contributed to the fact that emissions from pharmaceutical production and the value of an emissions standard was highlighted under two items in the political declaration that was adopted on September 26, 2024, by the 193 member states of the UN. The power of the UN may be limited but this provides far better opportunities for both legislation and other types of lobbying, such as in investment decisions and procurements.
One such way of putting pressure on stakeholders is through the system of substituting generic drugs, i.e. When pharmacies substitute the prescribed medication for a cheaper generic drug in order to avail of the cap on medicine costs. The Swedish
Medical Products Agency just finalized a government remit where they, for a trial period of four years, will introduce an environmental premium on some medications (antibiotics and sex
Joakim Larsson's many years of work has now borne fruit: A UN declaration has been adopted to limit emissions of antibiotics. hormones). This means that producers that can show that they have good emission controls in place can get credited for that in the competition for being “product of the period”. The idea is
that it will be an incentive for the companies to take responsibility for their emissions.
– SWEDEN IS AMONG the pioneers in the work to prevent antibiotic resistance. For example, in 1986, 20 years before the EU, we were the first country in the world to ban antibiotics as a growth stimulant in livestock breeding. For many years, the Swedish healthcare system has been more restrictive in its use of antibiotics than many other countries, and we maintain good hygiene levels at our hospitals. For this reason, the problem of resistant bacteria is less severe here compared to many other places, Joakim Larsson explains. When the climate crisis is being debated someone always points out that it will not matter if Sweden, as a small country, regulates its emissions unless all other countries also do so. In antibiotic resistance, the situation is different, Joakim Larsson argues.
– NATURALLY, IN THE long term, the development of resistance will depend on how all countries tackle the issue. But the fact is that regional measures will make a big difference in the short and medium term, even if the rest of the world is not doing much. And of course it makes it easier for politicians if their decisions actually make a difference domestically.
Antibiotic resistance is also a topic of discussion during the Nobel Week Dialogue which takes place in Stockholm on December 9.
– I have been invited to discuss future health in an event with four Nobel laureates. It is of course both an interesting and an honourable request.
Text: Eva Lundgren
Photo: Johan Wingborg
Focus on Israel and Palestine
– The Israe–Palestine conflict is one of the most globalized armed conflicts of our time and also the one that has lasted the longest.
This was pointed out by Peace and Conflict researcher Michael Schulz, one of several participants at the seminar Israel and Palestine: the History of the Conflict and the Consequences of War in Vasaparken on October 8.
IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND the conflict, we have to delve into history, Michael Schulz argued.
– You can go back to the 1880s when pogroms in Russia gave rise to the idea of a Jewish nation, and the growth of Arabic nationalism in connection with the fall of the Ottoman Empire in 1923. Some important periods include 1948–1973 with recurring Arab-Israeli international wars, 1968–1986 with continued armed conflicts and a focus on the Palestinians, 1987–2000 with several attempts at peace, as well as more recently, a second Al Aqsa intifada with new cycles of violence.
Four disputed issues are at the heart of the conflict: Who will get sovereignty over Jerusalem, the future of the Palestinian refugees, the Israeli settles in the occupied territories as well as the future status and borders of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
– The conflict is being complicated by the positions taken by international stakeholders: The USA support Israel while Iran, together with Russia, is on the Arabic-Palestinian side.
But there are several lines of demarcation in Israel as well, such as between different Jewish groups, between Jews and Arabs, between religious and secular groups as well as between leftwing and right-wing parties.
– And the Palestinians are divided as well: The West Bank is governed by PLO/Fatah with support from Egypt and Jordan, Gaza is controlled by Hamas, supported by Syria and Iran. It is about both Muslims and Christians, urban and rural populations as well as Palestinians, both within Palestinian areas and outside.
WOUNDED CHILD, no surviving family is one of the terrifying terms used by humanitarian organisations in Gaza. Since Hamas’s terrorist attack on October 7 last year, when around 250 Israelis were taken hostage and 1,139 Israelis were killed, around 42,000 Palestinians have been killed and many thousands injured. This was pointed out by Peace and Conflict Researcher Helena Lindholm.
– Sumud – endurance is the main form of Palestinian resistance against the Israeli occupation that has been
»To the Palestinians, the occupation is about territories being torn apart, a massive barrier that cuts through communities, roads that are banned from travelling on ....«
Helena Lindholm
ongoing since 1967 and which has been declared illegal by the International Court of Justice. To the Palestinians, the occupation is about territories being torn apart, a massive barrier that cuts through communities, roads that they are banned from travelling on and constant checkpoints, unceasing violence.
THE MEDIA SITUATION was also discussed at the seminar. Foreign correspondent Cecilia Uddén, who participated via video link, pointed out the impossibility of reporting on a war where reporters are not allowed to access Gaza.
– CNN and New York Times have embedded journalists who accompany Israeli troops to the conflict zones. But I could never do that, what would that do to my credibility?
Media Researcher Bengt Johansson stressed the importance of distinguishing between straight news reporting and columns and comments that can be more personal in tone.
– It is more important than ever to try to be truthful and balanced in the reporting, even though it is of course difficult when you cannot be there in person.
Helena Lindholm argued that it is about learning from several different sources.
– Beside following the news, you can read poetry, watch films
and attend exhibitions, there are many ways of gaining new insight.
A STATE THAT IS under attack has the right to defend itself, concluded Gregor Noll, Professor of International Law.
– According to the rules of warfare you must distinguish between civilian and military targets, and only attack military targets. It is accepted that civilians are killed if it is done unintentionally and the number of fatalities is proportional to the military gains of attacking the target. But if an attacker violated the rules of warfare does not mean that the party under attack also has the right to do so.
Political Scientist Andrea Spehar pointed out that some of the many humanitarian disasters in the world are getting attention, but not others.
– One such example is Sudan, where 10 million people have been forcefully displaced since April 15, 2023. Close to 8 million have been internally displaced and more than 2 million have sought refuge in neighbouring countries. Another example is the Muslim Rohingya people of Myanmar, a prosecuted people that nobody wants to acknowledge.
YOHAN ROBINSON, Director of the Centre for Disaster Medicine, talked about the wheels of disaster medicine: caring, recovery,
risk minimisation and crisis preparedness.
– What is crucial is to send the right help at the right time. This was something that did not happen after the disastrous earthquake in Haiti in 2010. Humanitarian aid with trauma centres arrived much too late and therefore cause more harm when they tried to handle a situation that they were not trained for.
PAEDIATRICIAN Henry Ascher asked the audience to imagine the island of Orust with a population of 2.3 million. Half of them are children. These children have lived their entire lives imprisoned on Orust, under a blockade. They have never been anywhere else – not in Stenungsund, Uddevalla or the Liseberg amusement park. The older children have lived through five wars.
– This was the life for children in Gaza even before the most recent war. Of course, the past year has been even worse with 16,500 dead children, 21,000 lost and 17,000 who lost at least one parent.
THE SEMINAR CONCLUDED with a discussion about the role of universities in a polarised world. Per Cramér, Professor of International, stressed that the university as a stakeholder is something different from the people comprising a university, i.e. employees and students.
– Society is facing enormous trails, such as increasing geopolitical tension and sustainability challenges, where the very foundation of our civilisation is wavering. In order to address these challenges the universities, as a forum for developing our knowledge, must be free from any political or economic considerations. On the contrary, as an employee or a student you have a responsibility for being part of and shaping the discourse.
Text: Eva Lundgren
Photo: Johan Wingborg
→ Facts: About the seminar: The seminar Israel and Palestine: the History of the Conflict and the Consequences of War was held in Vasaparken on October 8 and was a follow-up to the introductory seminar on Israel and Palestine which was held in Vasaparken on April 29.
Participants: Michael Schulz, Professor of Peace and Development Research, Helena Lindholm, Professor of Peace and Development Research, Bengt Johansson, Professor of Journalism and Mass Communication, Gregor Noll, Professor of International Law, Andrea Spehar, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Director of the Centre for Global Migration, Yohan Robinson, Assistant Professor of Orthopaedics and Director of Centre for Disaster Medicine, Henry Ascher, Professor of Public Health and Deputy Chair of the Swedish Paediatric Society’s Association for Global Child and Adolescent Health as well as Per Cramér, Professor of International Law, all of them at the University of Gothenburg. In addition, Cecilia Uddén, Foreign Correspondent and Honoray Doctor at the University and Gothenburg, as well as Anders Persson, Senior Lecturer in Political Science at the Linnaeus University, also participated.
Vice-Chancellor Malin Broberg opened the proceedings and the moderator was Lena Ulrika Rudeke, Director of the Jonsered Manor and director of the seminar on behalf of the vice-chancellor.
Andrea Spehar
Henry Ascher
Per Cramér
Gregor Noll
Anders Persson, Michael Schulz and Bengt Johansson discussed the role of media..
Multitasker on deck
A few months ago, R/V Skagerak went on a research trip to Svalbard. One of the people on the journey was station manager Louise Newman.
– The trip itself was of course special, even though the fog made it difficult to see land. More significant, however, was how aboard the university's incredibly fine ship, I had the opportunity to work with all these fantastic researchers from around the world, and the most committed of crews. It’s exactly what makes my job so much fun! →
Text: Eva Lundgren Photo: Johan Wingborg
When Louise Newman lists what the job as station manager on Skagerak includes, it is difficult to keep up: She has the overall responsibility for the ship's operations, both in terms of finances, machinery, scientific equipment, work environment and safety. She is also responsible for the agreement that GU has with the shipping company Northern Offshore Services (NOS), where the crew is employed. In addition, there is the task of ensuring that all research data that is collected onboard is disseminated to European and global data repositories, to ensure a greater scientific legacy from each of the individual research projects that Skagerak supports.
In this work, it is important to have good routines for booking so that the ship has optimal use.
– We have four types of users: GU researchers, GU educators, other Swedish and international researchers, and commercial companies with offshore operations; For example, it can be about offshore wind farms. Skagerak is a very flexible research vessel, with lots of modern equipment, laboratories and winches and a large deck that can deploy additional equipment. Most of the research takes place on the west coast or in the Baltic Sea, but the ship has also been on longer voyages, including to Iceland, Svalbard and Greenland.
This spring, the Swedish Research Council established the Swedish Research Vessel Infrastructure for Marine Research (SWERVE), where Louise Newman is the director. It is a national infrastructure that includes seven Swedish organizations: SLU, SMHI, the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat, the Geological Survey of Sweden and the universities of Gothenburg, Stockholm and Umeå. Researchers have six different vessels to choose from when applying for ship time in addition to Skagerak, these being Svea, Ocean Surveyor, KBV181, Electra and Oden.
Louise Newman has devoted herself to marine research throughout her adult life. But not in Sweden. She grew up in Hobart, Tasmania's state capital, as one of six siblings.
– Tasmania is lovely in summer, but in winter it can actually be quite cold. The nature is very varied with rainforests in the southwest while the eastern parts are dry; Hobart is actually Australia's second driest city after Adelaide. The island is located about 240 km south of the Australian coast and you can fly to Melbourne in about an hour.
While studying marine zoology at the University of Tasmania, Louise Newman had the opportunity to volunteer on expeditions in the Southern Ocean, where she studied Antarctic colonies of krill and sea ice plankton. It was also at university that she met her future husband, Jonathon.
– In 2003, I became a doctoral student and started research on the palaeobiogeography of the freshwater fauna in Antarctica. Among other things, it involved collecting sediment cores from Antarctic freshwater lakes. With the help of the microfossils preserved in the sediment, it was possible to reconstruct changes in
the lakes' ecosystems over the past 10,000 years – in some cases even the last 100,000 years! The Antarctic archipelago is actually quite reminiscent of the archipelago here outside Gothenburg, except that there is no vegetation in Antarctica.
With time, Australia began to feel quite restrictive for both Louise Newman and her husband, who wanted to see more of the world. In 2006, even before she had finished her doctoral studies, she got a job as science officer at PAGE's (Past Global Changes) international project office, which does research on the changes in climate and biosphere that took place before reliable measuring instruments were available.
– At the beginning of 2007 we were on site in Bern, where the head office is located. For us, Switzerland was amazing, located as it is in the middle of Europe with five neighboring countries and four national languages! We stayed there for five years, and it’s where our son was born.
»Most of the research takes place on the west coast or in the Baltic Sea, but the ship has also been on longer voyages, including Iceland, Svalbard and Greenland.«
LOUISE NEWMAN
In 2011, the family went back to Tasmania. There, the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) and the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) had started the Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS). The aim was to compile research on the Southern Ocean, focusing mainly on studying the rising sea level, climate change and marine resources. Louise Newman had been given the job as executive officer of SOOS' international project office.
– At first, I was the only employee, everyone else were volunteers. This meant that I had to do almost everything: take care of the administration, organize meetings and workshops, keep the website running, look for sponsors, coordinate research. During this time, our daughter was also born so it was quite busy.
SOOS collaborates with higher education institutions in other countries, including the University of Gothenburg.
– That's how I became good friends with several GU researchers, including Anna Wåhlin, Sebastiaan Swart and Bastien Queste.
Louise Newman also made several other Swedish connections when she took on a role in the Scientific Advisory Board for the Swedish Maritime Robotics Center (SMaRC). This role involved travel to Sweden from Australia and included a visit to GU’s Kristineberg Marine Research Station.
When the pandemic hit in 2020, Tasmania chose to completely isolate itself. This meant that life went on
more or less as usual, save for some goods disappearing from the shelves.
– It wasn't that bad for us, but both my husband and I started to feel more and more trapped. We thought about eventually returning to Europe. It was then that my GU friends told me about the job as station manager that seemed to fit me perfectly.
And the Faculty of Science agreed. Louise Newman got the job and in October 2021 she came with her family to Gothenburg.
– The first two years were pretty tough, though. It's hard to feel at home in a new environment and to get used to everything that's different, such as the children's school. We also came here in the beginning of autumn with a long winter ahead of us. Neither cold nor rain worries me, but I have a hard time putting up with half a year of darkness. But of course, there are things that are nice too, for example when the trees change color – they don't in Australia. But we discovered that people here are very friendly and eventually we started to feel at home.
Louise Newman has a brother who lives in Aarhus, but otherwise, she has not seen her family since moving to Sweden.
– All family members are very close, so it feels sad. The children also miss our dog who now lives with relatives in Tasmania. But going to Tasmania is both expensive and complicated so we haven't managed to do that yet.
In her spare time, Louise Newman spends time gardening. She also has a new interest: weaving.
– I also wove back in Tasmania, but not on a real pedal loom like the ones they have here. Now I've actually got one of my own, although I haven't put it together yet. So that will be one of my winter projects.
LOUISE NEWMAN
Works as: Station manager on R/V Skagerak.
Livs: In Kungsbacka.
Family: Husband Jonathon and two children, 14 and 12 years old.
Background: Born in Hobart, Tasmania. Education and doctoral degree at the University of Tasmania. Worked 2007–2011 as science officer at PAGES (Past Global Changes) in Bern, was 2012–2021 executive officer at the Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS) in Tasmania.
Interests: Weaving, gardering.
Louise Newman keeps an eye on most things on R/V Skagerak.
Center for a new imagining of our society
On the 23rd of October, the Center for Art and the Political Imaginary (CAPIm) was inaugurated – the only environment in the Swedish Research Council's latest excellence initiative that has gone to the artistic field.
– As far as I know, this is the world's first center of excellence that tries to tackle political issues through artistic research specifically, explains Mick Wilson, professor of Art and one of two directors.
At Swedish universities, artistic research has been conducted for around two decades.
– This research will become the basis for the center moving forward. In order to make this work, we have identified four important areas of inquiry: the ways of imagining and understanding climate change, historical change, democracy and technology.
The imaginary need to be understood in the right way in this context, explains Mick Wilson.
– Imaginary should not be interpreted as something that is unreal or untrue. Instead, it is about examining how the imaginary plays a role in how we perceive and experience the world. One example is the system of nations, which is of course a real phenomenon. But even if we like to think that many countries have always existed or at least have a long history, the world being divided into different nations is a very new way of seeing things. It is a kind of collective imagination and one of the most important challenges of our time is to change and refine this imagination so that it becomes useful instead of harmful.
Climate change and the new AI technology also require a new collective imagination in order for us to build better understandings of these, explains Mick Wilson.
– How will AI technology change the economy, change education, change culture, change employment? These kinds of question were already being asked in the 1960s when the first computers we made, back when they filled an entire room. The questions were repeated when the internet, laptops and mobile phones were created. The technology is “new” but the way we think of these technologies, for example as something that creates change out of itself, is old. We imagine that the technology is the driver of change, rather than seeing it as a product of how different players – scientists, technologists, capitalists, economists, and others imagine and understand the world. We need new ways to imagine and to understand change which does not give all the power to one element in our world such as the commercial development of new technologies. The forms of technology are shaped by human actors and other forces not simply by an internal drive of technology itself.
The research developed at CAPIm will be closely linked to education, explains Mick Wilson.
– Next year, for example, we plan to organize a traveling summer school, where we will not lock ourselves in any classroom. Instead, we will conduct a walking school, where we learn together through the process of following in the footsteps of the great scholar and thinker Walter Benjamin on his last journey attempting to escape the fascist forces of Europe. We will continue to develop existing experimental courses and also develop new intensive workshops where the researchers and students build the curriculum
»The
forms of technology are shaped by human actors and other forces, not simply by an internal drive of technology itself.«
MICK WILSON
Research and education at CAPIm will be closely linked.
together from shared research instead of working with already fixed knowledge CAPIm is a collaboration between the University of Gothenburg and the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm, says Mick Wilson.
– They are two very different institutions, where one is a large university, the other a small, specialized academy. These differences lead to great opportunities: Perhaps we will realize that in the experimental space between the two we don’t need to do as in Stockholm or Gothenburg, but in a third or fourth way that we invent together.
The center will invite both national and international researchers and artists but also have several events open to the public.
– We want to discuss complicated ideas in a way that is accessible to most people but without losing the complexity. To reach different kinds of audiences, we will
be in different arenas: the opening of CAPIm took place at Mejan in Stockholm, but the first annual symposium is planned for Kulturhuset Bergsjön here in Gothenburg.
Another important goal is to increase funding for artis tic research, says Mick Wilson.
– For example, EU funding is very difficult to get if you don't already have government support, so there’s a lot to do there.
So, will CAPIm solve any of today's big problems?
– Perceiving problems as something you have already identified and know clearly in advance will not push research forward. We want to introduce new ways of looking at society, which might make these problems appear in an entirely different light.
The Swedish Research Council has decided, starting in 2024, to fund 15 centers of excellence with SEK 4–6 million per year for five years, with the possibility of another five years of funding after evaluation. The Center for Art and the Political Imaginary (CAPIm) is the only of these centers that is based on artistic activity. CAPIm is located at HDK-Valand and the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm. The activities are organized around four important issues: Climate, history, democracy and technological development. The center is led by Mick Wilson, professor at HDK-Valand, and Natasha Marie Llorens, professor at the Royal Institute of Art. Together with Professor Jyoti Mistry and Doctor of Philosophy Axel Andersson, they form the center’s steering committee. The center was inaugurated on 23 of October in Stockholm and its first seminar will be held in Bergsjön, Gothenburg.
Text: Eva Lundgren Photo: Johan Wingborg
Musical master shooting from the hip
During one week in September, conductor and opera singer Barbara Hannigan visited Gothenburg to conduct the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. But she also took the opportunity to hold a master class for students at the Academy of Music and Drama. – Just like in the old westerns, it’s about shooting from the hip, she explained.
The first of the master students were violinists Emma Dahl and Adrian Littwold. They performed Antonín Dvořák’s Terzetto in C major on viola together with Björn Winterberg . The world-famous Canadian soprano and conductor Barbara Hannigan began by providing some fairly down-to-earth advice.
Adrian Littwold
– Your centre of gravity should be at the bottom of your stomach. Bend your knees instead of swinging the body, but do not stand rigid as a statue either. Use proper power during the forte parts and maintain that energy during the piano parts as well. You should play as if you have just come up with these sequences, where one note brings you to the next, as if you have not spent hours rehearsing it.
» For me personally, it is tremendously rewarding to see how these young colleagues focus on a piece that they have worked so hard on and then give themselves up to it.«
BARBARA HANNIGAN
Teaching younger colleagues is part of an established musician’s responsibilities, Barbara Hannigan argued.
– I never know in advance what kind of advice I will provide to a student. First, I have to listen in order to understand what each person needs. When it comes to romantic music, which we have practised today, the key word is Sehnsucht. It is about conveying a longing, about being here but wanting to be there, about nostalgic feelings that young people may not yet have much experience of.
Playing a piece of music is about storytelling, Barbara Hannigan stressed.
– The students must find out what they want to achieve with their performance, otherwise they won’t know what to convey to the audience. For me personally, it is tremendously rewarding to see how these young colleagues focus on a piece that they have worked so hard on and then give themselves up to it.
So what did the students think about this prominent visitor? The master’s programme in Symphonic Orchestra Performance includes many meetings with prominent musicians, Adria Littwold pointed out.
– But when we were told that we would be performing for Barbara Hannigan I was fairly nervous at first. But I relaxed the moment she started engaging with our performance. It was amazing to see how she directly could convey her ideas and encourage our creativity, while also giving very hands-on advice, such as how to stand and how to breathe.
Beside the string group, Barbara Hannigan also taught a flute and percussion duo, as well as a brass quintet, says Head of Chamber Music Tobias Granmo.
– So almost all of our instruments were represented. Barbara Hannigan’s master class is one example of the partnership that has developed between the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and the Academy of Music and Drama, and it is something we truly appreciate.
Text: Eva Lundgren Photo: Gunnar Jönsson
Minoan mass meetings
The Minoan palaces, what kind of buildings were they really?
– I do not have any definitive answers. But I may be able to throw you off in a somewhat different direction.
This is what Jan Driessen explains, Professor Emeritus of Archaeology at the Université Catholique de Louvain and this year’s Felix Neubergh lecturer.
As early as 1877, Minos Katokairinos, an amateur archaeologist from Crete started excavations at the archaeological Bronze-Age site Knossos on Crete. But he was stopped by the authorities and the excavation was only allowed to be resumed in 1900, with British archaeologist Arthur Evans, Jan Driessen tells us.
– I am sure you have heard the myths about King Minos? Those were what inspired Evans to name the culture he found on Crete Minoan. Unfortunately those fairy-tales have been rather detrimental to archaeological research. When Evans found the remains of a labyrinth-like building he drew the conclusion that this must be the palace that King Minos according to legend had built in order to imprison the terrible Minotaur.
Since then a large number of similar finds have been made on Crete. And the word palace, which Evans coined for the-
se structures, makes you think of royalty. However, during his many excavations on Crete, Jan Driessen has not found much to indicate that these buildings were signs of royalty.
– We have not found any decorated objects that indicate royalty or any impressive monuments. Instead, these buildings seem to have been used for large gatherings, perhaps in order to make communal decisions, celebrate weddings or for bull-fighting. Palace thus seems to be the incorrect designation, unless we use the term like the French do in, for example, palais de justice, simply a large building that serves a specific purpose.
Women seem to have played a significant role in Minoan culture.
– The most important deity was female and perhaps queens were the rulers rather than kings. In any case, there are no frescoes or pots that show images of women servicing or in subservient positions to a man.
Since 2007, Jan Driessen has mainly explored the site at Sissi in north-eastern Crete. At that site, researchers have found a building with an inner courtyard spanning no less than 450 square metres where thousands of people may have gathered.
– At the enormous volcanic eruption on Santorini at around 1600 BCE it was abandoned, and in later fires the rest of Sissi was destroyed as well.
The Felix Neubergh lecture ended with a Q&A session whereupon Deputy Vice-Chancellor Pauli Kortteinen presented the gifts that are associated with the lecture: A medal and a cheque.
About the lecture: On Thursday October 17, Jan Driessen, Professor of Archaeology at the Université Catholique de Louvain held the Felix Neubergh lecture, Rethinking the Minoan “Palace”.
Jan Driessen specialises in the Aegean Bronze Age and has conducted several excavations on Crete. For example, he initiated the first excavation conducted by the Belgian School at Athens at Sissi on the northeastern part of the island.
The Felix Neubergh lecture has been held since 1977 and delves into issues within banking and finance one year and archaeology the next. The lecture was created thanks to donations from banker Felix Neubergh and his wife Bertha.
Text: Eva Lundgren Photo: Shutterstock
Facts: Torsdagen den 17 oktober höll Jan Driessen, professor i arkeologi vid Université Catholique de Louvain, Felix Neubergh-föreläsningen Att tänka om det minoiska "palatset".
Jan Driessen är specialiserad på den egeiska bronsåldern och har gjort flera utgrävningar på Kreta. Bland annat initierade han den första utgrävningen som the Belgian School at Athens utförde vid Sissi på öns nordöstra sida.
Felix Neubergh-föreläsningen ges sedan 1977 och behandlar varannan gång ett problem inom bank- och finansväsendet och varannan gång arkeologi. Föreläsningen har etablerats tack vare donationer från bankmannen Felix Neubergh och hans hustru Bertha.
Share AI knowledge!
■ Do you have experience of teaching with the help of AI? In that case, maybe you are interested in sharing some of your knowledge and insights?
The free and open access journal Frontiers in Communication is planning a special issue entitled Teaching and Assessing with AI: Teaching Ideas, Research, and Reflection. The topic is a result of a collaboration between researchers at the University of Gothenburg and the University of Cincinnati (USA) and editors are two GU-researchers: Amy Ou, Department of Languages and Literatures, and David Girardelli, Department of Applied Information Technology.
The editors are particularly interested in practices with cross-disciplinary relevance that can shape classroom cultures at the tertiary level. The generative AI tools considered in the submissions must be available in a free or free-trial version, or commonly available as part of university-wide enterprise licenses, or similar.
The editors have chosen a ‘short-paper’ format to capture fresh ideas, conversations, and pedagogical experimentations, and to allow these to be easily shared with a broader audience of researchers and teachers alike.
For more information: Details can be found here: https:// www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/67614/teaching-and-assessing-with-ai-teaching-ideas-research-and-reflections/overview
RISE interested in Kristineberg
■ RISE, Research Institutes of Sweden, is interested in taking over the ownership of Kristineberg Center. RISE is investigating the possibility of continuing to operate the station and developing the core business at Kristineberg into a research and innovation centre.
– If we can hand over the principalship to RISE, there is an opportunity for marine research to continue at Kristineberg, says Göran Hilmersson, Dean of the Faculty of Science.
NEW FACULTY NAME
A prerequisite is that the center becomes financially sustainable in the long term. RISE has not secured funding and is in dialogue with several financiers.
In order not to waste any time, RISE wants to continue the dialogue with GU to be able to sign a transfer agreement as soon as possible.
Activities at Kristineberg will continue as planned during the autumn.
■ On the 1st of January, the IT Faculty will cease to be an organisational unit and the two departments – the Department of Applied Information Technology and the Department of Computer Science and Engineering – will be transferred to the Faculty of Science. This means that the faculty will have a new name: Faculty of Science and Technology.
Honorary doctorate
■ Dag Hanstorp, Professor of Atomic Physics, has been awarded an honorary doctorate at the University of Latvia: "For outstanding scientific activity and long-term cooperation with Latvian scientists". Dag Hanstorp has collaborated with the Latvian University since 1990.
The Moment
Where? Who? When?
• Front row: Massume Zaki, Lucas Gonzalez, Emelie Olsson och Veronica Daver Ideböhn.
Row behind: Richard Squibb, Raimund Feifel.
• Attohallen, The University's first facility for attosecondlaser.
• Wednesday the 9th of October 2024.
Short description
– The research today is about measuring how long it takes for an electron to leave a negatively charged ion, i.e. a quantum system that has one (or more) electrons too many. It is a unique project in itself. Last year's Nobel Prize was about this type of measurements on neutral quantum systems that are currently carried out in many laboratories around the world, says Raimund Feifel, Professor of Physics.
– The new project aims to measure
dynamic changes in electron structure in a quantum system such as a molecule when an electron has been removed, i.e. when a charge has been removed. It is already known that the remaining electrons (negative charges) will adjust their positions when an electron has been removed – a process called relaxation of the electron structure. But how this happens in a dynamic way is a completely open question, which the new project is expected to answer.
