Pintra (EN) Blog
Our university cut its CO₂ emissions by 16.5 per cent in five years. A solid result, but we aren’t on track yet to meet our targets. Although many services and departments are already on board with the climate agenda, we still need to step things up: ‘The collective support is there; now’s the time to turn that into action.’
UAntwerp has more than 2,000 PhD students. What drives them? Where do they feel their support comes from? And isn’t their work lonely sometimes? We invited three of them to tell us how it really is.
Campus Drie Eiken has recently gained a building, and what a building it is: the architecturally striking Building P houses a spacious food hall, two sports halls, and a state-of-the-art training hall for physiotherapy students. By all accounts, this place is set to become the new vibrant heart of the campus. A brief explanation from the three key figures behind the project.
More and more students are facing financial difficulties. That’s why our university launched the ‘Students in Need’ initiative – to ensure that financial worries never become a barrier to earning a degree. Every year, the project provides a much-needed financial boost to numerous students. “For me, it made a world of difference,” says master’s student Rafal Mahan.
March 8 marks International Women’s Day. With 52% female employees, UAntwerp seems to be performing well in terms of gender equality. But there’s a caveat: in the highest academic ranks, eight out of ten professors are still men. “How can women advance? The first step is to talk about your ambitions.”
About two and a half years after the fire, the majority of the employees in the Buildings …
As a valorisation manager at the Faculty of Design Sciences, Svetlana Samsonova is the greatest believer in the power of collaboration you’ll find. ‘A designer that designs work clothes for the port personnel? I also thought it was a surprising combination, but everyone was happy with the result.’
Rather than just a safe space, Professor Gert Van Hecken from the Institute of Development Policy (IOB) aims to create a “brave space” in his classes. “The goal is to allow different perspectives to be voiced, even those that clash with what we typically take for granted.” A conversation about active pluralism and how he translates this value into practice as a professor and lecturer.
In our country, professors and researchers have complete academic freedom, as shown in the Academic Freedom Index. This seems so self-explanatory that we sometimes forget how important it is. ‘As an academic, you have to have the freedom to challenge prevailing views,’ says Professor Tom Sauer of the Department of Political Science.
The Committee for Scientific Integrity (CWI), set up to investigate infractions of scientific integrity, has a very …
“Scientific integrity: good practices help to avoid pitfalls”
Margot Bloemen had just become a mum when she got the itch to study for a master degree. Thanks to the support of her department and faculty, she manages to combine studies, work and motherhood well. ‘It’s nice to work in an organisation that encourages you to chart your own path’, says Margot.
Whether it’s a city tour, chocolate workshop or introduction to axe throwing, the activities organised by MONDO always fill up quickly. The idea behind the network is to bring international students, researchers and staff members together in an informal setting. After five years, the initiative is still going strong.