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Events
- On 22 February, this year’s Three-Minute
Thesis Competition will take place. In
this competition, doctoral researchers from all
disciplines present their dissertation topics in
English – in no more than three minutes time! The
„Three Minute Thesis“ is an internationally renowned
competition that is conducted at numerous
universities around the world. It starts at 18.30h
in the Rosensäle (Fürstengraben 27). (Photo: Tina
Peißker)
- A Makeathon
will take place at StadtLab Jena on 6 and 7 May. In
this innovative format, interdisciplinary teams will
develop creative solutions to previously submitted
questions within 24 hours. Currently, participants
are still being
sought for the teams. The deadline for
registration is 29 March. It is also still possible
to submit questions, on topics such as democracy,
inclusion or sustainability.
- On average, women earn less than men, have fewer
savings and receive a smaller pension when they
retire. An online lecture on International
Equal Pay Day (6 March) will therefore provide
information on the topic of "Women,
money and pensions!". It will focus on
why pensions are so important for women and how
women can best invest their money. The lecture is
organised by the Vice President's Office for
Early-Career Researchers and Diversity Management.
- Love
Data Week is an international week of
action dedicated to the discussion of research data.
Under the motto "My kind of data", it will be
celebrated worldwide from 12-16 February with
numerous (German and English) events on a wide
variety of research data management topics.
- Every first Friday of the month, the doctoral
council (DR.FSU) organises a regulars' table for
doctoral candidates at the University of Jena.
The next get together will take place on 1 March
at 20.00h in Quergasse 5. It offers an opportunity
to discuss topics related to the doctorate and to
get to know other doctoral candidates. Information
about future regulars' tables can be found here.
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Get
involved
- The "FSU Unterfinanziert" alliance has
launched a petition to the Thuringian state
parliament. The petition demands, among other
things, that the state government covers the
increased energy costs and rents of the university
as well as increases the material resources for the
universities. It can be signed here.
- Sometimes it's better to write with others than
alone. That's the reason why the DR.FSU has
initiated a new writing group at the
University of Jena. The group meets during the
lecture-free period from 16 February to 29 March on
Fridays from 09:00 to 13:00 in seminar room 162 in
the UHG (Fürstengraben 1). If you are interested,
please send a short e-mail to Jakob Thinius (jakob.thinius@uni-jena.de).
- Last September, doctoral councils from all over
Germany founded the “German association of
doctoral researchers” („Bundesverband
Promovierende e.V.“). Its aim is to fight for better
working conditions of researchers throughout
Germany. The Jena doctoral council, the “DR.FSU”,
actively supports this new federal association in
the start-up phase. Click here
for more information.
- A new long-term study aims to find out
which factors contribute to a positive doctoral
and postdoctoral experience. Currently,
doctoral candidates in the first six months of their
doctorate and doctoral candidates six months before
completing their doctorate are being sought. The
study is carried out by the University of Mannheim.
The findings will be used to develop new support
programmes for early career researchers. Click here
to take part.
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Qualification
offers
There are still vacancies in the following online and
on-site workshops:
- Graduate Academy:
- Lehre Lernen:
- Service Centre for Research and Transfer:
- Competence Center Digital Research (zedif):
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Announcements
- The Photography
Competition 'Spotlight Diversity’
searches for your very personal view on diversity at
our university. A jury will select the best three
for an award (200€; 100€; 50€). The deadline for
entries has been extended and is now 31 March 2024.
- The Jena Academy for Teaching Development is once
again looking for innovative
teaching projects. Applications for
project funding can be submitted to the study dean
of your faculty by 15 February. A maximum of 15,000
euros can be granted for individual projects.
- Every year, the Körber Foundation honours the best
dissertations in Germany with the German
Thesis Award. One top prize of 25,000
euros and two second prizes of 5,000 euros are
awarded in each of three subject groups (social
sciences, natural and technical sciences, humanities
and cultural studies). The deadline for applications
is 1 March 2024.
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This
may be of interest to you
- The president of Harvard University,
Claudine Gay, has resigned from her
position. Following the Hamas massacre at the
beginning of October 2023, anti-Israel statements
were made on the Harvard campus. This led to a hearing
before the US Congress: It centred on the
question of whether calls for a genocide of Jews
constituted harassment on the Harvard campus. Gay
said it depended on the context of the statement.
This was sharply criticised by pro-Israeli
Republicans. In early December, right-wing activists
published
accusations of plagiarism against Gay. This finally
led to the resignation
of Harvard's first black female president in early
January.
- The agreement between German universities
and the Elsevier publishing house becomes
effective. More than 90 per cent of German
universities (including the University of Jena) have
signed the
agreement. All journals published by Elsevier
can now officially be used again via university
workplaces. Researchers at participating
universities will receive a discount when they
publish articles in an Elsevier journal. The
agreement runs until the end of 2028.
- The Science
Media Centre helps journalists to
understand the scientific context of newly published
studies or political proposals. To this end, it
requests statements from accredited researchers and
sends them to the cooperating media. Researchers
with expertise in a particular area of research can
apply
for accreditation there (expertises are usually
written in German, but can be translated by the
Center). Alternatively, you can simply browse
through previously published (mostly German) statements.
- To get a real library feeling while working at
home, you can now use audio
recordings from the Berlin State Library.
Media scientist Hannah Wiemer has recorded the sound
of the library in various places: the reading
area (see picture above), the cafeteria, the
staircase. The reason for the recordings was the
closure of the library for extensive restoration
work. The one-hour recordings are also available for
download
for non-commercial purposes.
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News
from University of Jena
- Friedrich
Schiller University Jena is one round further
in its application in the Excellence Competition:
The draft proposal for the "Imaginamics" project was
selected
along with 40 other projects and can now submit a
detailed application by 22 August. In addition, the
existing Excellence Cluster "Balance of the
Microverse" may submit a follow-up application. The
decision on the applications will
be made in May 2025. A university that wins
two Clusters of Excellence can then also become a
"University of Excellence".
- Last December,
the collective wage negotiations led to the
following results:
All university employees will receive a tax-free
one-off payment of 3,000 euros to compensate
inflation – of which 1,800 euros will be paid at
once and 120 euros per month from January to October
2024 (part-time employees will receive these
payments pro rata). From 1 November, all employees
will initially receive a salary increase of 200
euros. From February 2025, salaries will then be
increased by 5.5 per cent (overview
of the increases). However, the first delay
has already been reported:
The one-off payment will be paid out with the salary
at the end of March – this is due to the outdated
software "DAISY" that the Thuringian Ministry of
Finance is still working with.
- A new exhibition
at the library sheds
a light on the changing role of the
academic gown: In the 1960s and 70s, these
gowns were seen as a symbol of the insufficient
confrontation with the Nazi past in West Germany; at
the same time, they were almost abolished by the SED
in East Germany. After reunification, academic gowns
experienced a renaissance and are now seen as a
symbol of a long academic tradition (the picture
shows: colourful selection of gowns during the
Coimbra group meeting in 2007). The exhibition can
be visited until the end of April during the regular
opening hours of the ThULB (Bibliotheksplatz 2).
More news in brief:
The Thuringian Competence
Network for Gender Equality has published
a revised edition of the gender-sensitive language
guide +++ The university has launched a website
on the use of artificial intelligence in teaching
+++ The university senate adopted
the university's sustainability strategy in
December +++ The EU funds the EC2U city alliance
in the next years: Jena
University receives 1.6 million euros
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Latest
News from Jena city
- In
January, the Correctiv network reported
about a secret meeting of right-wing groups
at which plans to deport people from Germany were
discussed. This report - in combination with the
AfD's high poll ratings - led to mass
protests across Germany. In Jena, around 5,000
people took to the streets on 19 January. In
addition, a campaign entitled "Weltoffenes
Thüringen" (Open-minded Thuringia) was
launched. So far, over 1,000 Thuringian institutions
and more than 4,000 private individuals have taken
part. It is still possible to sign
up for the campaign.
- The
city of Jena is looking
for election assistants for the upcoming
elections. These volunteers must complete a
(German) training course in advance and receive a
so-called "refreshment allowance" for their
activities, which varies from 90 to 120 euros
depending on the function. Support is still required
for the following election dates: the local
elections (including the election of the Lord Mayor)
on 26 May, the European Parliament elections on 9
June and the Thuringian state parliament elections
on 1 September.
- On 25 March, the Jena City Library will
open its doors for the first time at its
new location at Engelplatz. The library had to
move because its previous location, the Volkshaus,
was transformed into a congress centre. The library
offers a wide range of items for borrowing,
including books, audio books, DVDs, vinyl records,
sheet music, travel guides, board games, and even
paintings. Additionally, magazines and films are
available for digital use. An annual pass is
available for 15
euros. A little tip: The library will close at
its current location in Bachstraße on 17 February.
During the month-long move, media can be borrowed
permanently without additional fees.
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