A Virtual Workshop on Undergraduate Research Activities within EU-CONEXUS European University Alliance was organized by the Agricultural University of Athens
Athens, July 26 2024
PRESS RELEASE
A Virtual Workshop on Undergraduate Research Activities within EU-CONEXUS European University Alliance was organized by the Agricultural University of Athens
On 15 July 2024, from 10:00 to 12:30 CET, the Closing Virtual Workshop on Undergraduate Research Activities was successfully held within the framework of the project EU-CONEXUS Plus having the Rector of the Agricultural University of Athens, Dr. Spyridon Kintzios, Professor, as the Scientific Supervisor on the part of Greece. This event, a cornerstone of the "Research to Education" initiative, showcased the collective achievements of the EU-CONEXUS European University Alliance students, engaged during the Academic year 2023-2024 in the activities «Open Lab Hours» and «Student Research Hub», which were organized by the Agricultural University of Athens with leader the Vice Rector of European University, Internalization and Student Affairs, Dr. Eleni Miliou, Professor.
EU-CONEXUS “Research to education” initiative aims to transfer research methodology, scientific thinking and innovation back into education, as well as to foster internalization through the possibility of participation of all students of the Alliance in the research activities of each partner on Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability, but also the collaboration of EU-CONEXUS academics and/or researchers in the education of students in relevant subjects. In these activities students actively and creatively are familiarized with conducting scientific research for blue and green solutions to sustainable coastal and urban development.
In the workshop, students presented their scientific accomplishments achieved during their training in the program “Student Research Hub (SRH)”, which combines research and education and lasts approximately 2 months per semester. Each SRH team may include undergraduate and post-graduate master students, under the supervision of a PhD Leader and a Mentor (academic and/or researcher) from the partners of EU-CONEXUS European University Alliance. SRH teams work together in a dynamic setting (physical, remote, and/or blended). More specifically, if SRH is provided by the students‘ host university, on-site participation is expected, and in other cases attendance is remote. Working as a team and through collaboration on specific research tasks, students acquire a diverse set of cognitive, non-cognitive, and job-specific skills. Also, one team from each University of the EU-CONEXUS Alliance is given the opportunity to present the research results at a Conference. This year, this opportunity belongs to a team of the Student Research Hub that was active in the Laboratory of Cell Technology, Department of Biotechnology of the Agricultural University of Athens, according to the judgment of the Scientific Committee made up of professors from three Universities of the EU-CONEXUS Alliance who evaluated the results and the presentation of the projects at the Closing Workshop for 2023-2024.
More info: https://www.eu-conexus.eu/en/student-research-hub/
In addition, in the Workshop students shared their experience from the activities “Open Lab Hours” which are short trainings on research topics, with a duration of 5 days, given on-site and remotely, by multi-institutional teams of academics/researchers from different partners of EU-CONEXUS. Students had the opportunity to be familiarized with the use of high-tech instruments, collection of data and samples, as well as advanced and specialized software. In addition, students were informed on the latest research methods, best practices for research integrity and ethics, as well as on the challenges for environmental sustainability that are investigated by the research teams of EU-CONEXUS Alliance.
More info: https://www.eu-conexus.eu/en/open-lab-hours/
During the Workshop an open discussion session was also held, where Mentors, Leaders, and students shared their insights and experiences from participating in activities «Open Lab Hours» and «Student Research Hub». They explored how undergraduate and postgraduate master students can profit from the multi-institutional research opportunities offered by more than 400 EU-CONEXUS research teams, providing them with structured experiences and by promoting their aspirations to pursue an internationally competitive scientific career. Moreover, they discussed how these experiences might ignite a greater passion of students for research and innovation, foster their interest in further postgraduate studies, cultivate skills for their future employment, and enhance the overall quality of their research efforts even from the undergraduate level.
The EU-CONEXUS PLUS initiative “Research to Education” aims to bridge the gap between research and education, fostering a collaborative and innovative environment for students and academics/researchers.
