NEWS & EVENTS

In the contemporary world several problems of inequalities are constantly growing and have surpassed the state borders – our mutual aim should be to find solutions to them in the united debate and discussion of scholars and students.

As reducing inequalities is one of the key focuses of the ENLIGHT network, all community members are welcome to join the international conference “Open and closed societies: historical reasons and modern consequences of inequality in Japan and Europe” on 13 and 14 October (Jakobi 5, Tartu). The conference is held by University of Tartu Asia Centre. Scholars from Japan, Estonia and other European countries discuss different topics about the inequalities in the Japanese and European societies in the context of the educational system and labour market. It is possible to join the conference virtually.

Both conference days have presentations, PhD students’ panels and workshops for the students.
For further information and registration, please visit the web page. Please register here (deadline October 10th).

A new chapter in the history of Galway was opened on Thursday, September 1st, 2022 when National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) was renamed and rebranded University of Galway.

Take a virtual language course together with ENLIGHT students and colleagues! Several partners are opening up virtual language courses for students and staff of the different partner universities.

From 12 to 16 September 2022, the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences of Comenius University hosted the first ENLIGHT interdisciplinary course Designing Research on Different Dimensions of Equity.

Svante Pääbo, who received his doctorate from Uppsala University in 1986, has been awarded this year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine “for his discoveries concerning the genome of extinct hominins and human evolution”.

Microgrids are decentralised electricity systems that can, technically, operate independently of the main electricity network. This possibility could stimulate a more sustainable energy mix. Legally, however, the integration of microgrids in the EU electricity market is not regulated.

On October 12 at 6pm, this semesters’ fourth ENLIGHT lecture will be hosted and livestreamed online. This session addresses the importance of and multifaceted challenges to equity in the context of public health care.

On 15 September, the Estonian Human Rights Centre presented the diverse workplace quality label “Respecting differences” to the University of Tartu.

With the new academic year, a joint project of Estonian universities was launched, aiming to increase the climate awareness of Estonian society with systematic climate education at all levels of education. In the project, education strategies are developed, learning materials for teaching climate change mitigation and adaptation are created, and teachers are supported in using them. The partners of the project "Climate awareness from school to society: empowering children, youth and teachers to reduce the effects of climate change" are the University of Tartu, the Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tallinn University and the University of Bergen in Norway.

Climate conscious person changes society, not the climate
Climate change poses high risks to many natural and human systems. An effective fight against climate change starts with climate awareness: an understanding of the causes of global warming and the skills to reduce human-induced greenhouse gas emissions and prepare for climate change.

According to Piia Post, Associate Professor in Meteorology and Climatology at the University of Tartu and the leader of the project, it is important to combine the best knowledge of climate science and education to increase climate awareness. "In Estonia, awareness of climate change mitigation and adaptation is often not based on science. Therefore, as one output of the project, we are preparing a simple "ABC of Climate Change", which every Estonian resident could use to start their journey towards climate awareness. Thus, the broader goal of the project is to include not only schools but the whole society," added Post.

The project will first develop strategies for teaching how to mitigate the effects of climate change and adapt to it. More specifically, the project team will analyse in which school subjects climate change is currently discussed and which teaching strategies are used for this purpose. It also describes new strategies to help provide knowledge about climate change, mitigation and adaptation, while considering teachers' and parents' personal opinions, confirmation bias, cultural ideologies and ethical aspects.

In addition, the project aims to develop educational programmes, create learning materials for all target groups, support their use in educational institutions, and offer recommendations for curriculum renewal. In the course of the project, training materials and continuing education courses will be produced, as well as climate awareness assessment tools to monitor the impact of using the created learning materials.

The project is financed from the open application round "Increasing Climate Awareness" of the European Economic Area's Financial Mechanism 2014−2021 Programme "Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation". The project's total budget is 588,000 euros, of which the EEA support mediated by the Estonian Environmental Investment Centre is 499,800 euros. The project deadline is 30 April 2024.