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Teaching challenges
Dear all K2 employees; THANK YOU for your invaluable efforts in teaching at our department!
Each of you contribute direct or indirect to the teaching provided. As with all other work, the corona epidemic also had a significant impact on how we could conduct educational activities. Under these circumstances, all staff have shown a great deal of flexibility: despite physically closed campus, our students have been nurtured and provided education, but using other modalities and through other channels.
Lectures have been moved from auditoriums to the web, been recorded through Kaltura or sound tracks on PowerPoint files and posted at MittUiB, group sessions or lectures are held via Zoom or Skype. And even though the hospital closed down a great deal of patient care, students who needed practice to obtain a temporary license have completed and been approved the revised minimum service. This provide Norway more people who can function as doctors from summer and onwards (leaving us better equipped for a possible new corona wave).
Thanks also to the hospitals in our region (Haukeland, Haraldsplass, Stavanger, Førde and Haugesund) that have helped students to actually complete their practice. We have been far more fortunate than in Oslo, where hospital closed the doors for students in clinical practice.
The faculty has established a group of super-users in digital teaching, Bergithe Eikeland Oftedal is K2’s representative. She shall not act as IT technician or conduct individual training but can advise on what programs/equipment and what is appropriate to use.
Finally: Thanks and goodbye from me! I have been acting as teaching director for K2 since I was hired as professor in the fall of 2015, ie. I started at the same time as the “new” curriculum for medicine. It has been exciting to follow the implementation (both of the curriculum and my professional academic function), participate in the inner life of the department management and to truly ensure that teaching is as high on the agenda as it deserves! I am not quitting teaching but I am transferring the formal responsibility as leader of teaching to my successor Mette Vesterhus. Welcome Mette, you will receive proper presentation in a later K2-news.
Norwegian: Smittevernråd til virksomhetskritisk personell
Bedriftshelsetjenesten har utarbeidet råd om smittevern for virksomhetskritisk personell som befinner seg på campus i en periode med økt fare for korona-smitte: Allmenne smittevernsråd til virksomhetskritisk personell ved UiB. Vi ber om at alle setter seg inn i, og følger disse. Ledelsen ved alle enheter skal legge til rette for gode rutiner for å begrense ytterligere smittespredning så mye som mulig.
The Occupational Health Service offers telephone consultations
If you experience health challenges related to this new working situation, you are welcome to contact the Occupational Health Service at UiB for a telephone consultation. See more information here.
Norwegian: Digitalt frokostmøte om arbeidsmiljø 14. mai
Arbeidsmiljø – trakassering – håndtering
Et godt arbeidsmiljø kjennetegnes av god ledelse, medvirkning fra ansatte og tydelige organisatoriske rammer. Kompetanse, god kommunikasjon, mestring og anerkjennelse gir både trygghet og trivsel. Noen ganger er det imidlertid ikke slik og det oppstår situasjoner på arbeidsplassen om fører til mobbing og trakassering.
Vernetjenesten ved UiB ønsker å sette fokus på betydningen av godt arbeidsmiljø gjennom frokostseminarserien Arbeidsliv i endring – hva med arbeidsmiljøet. Serien setter søkelys på arbeidslivs- og arbeidsmiljøfaktorer under endring og omstilling. Hvordan tar vi vare på arbeidsmiljøet vårt og hverandre i en verden som stadig er i endring? Hvordan ha fokus på arbeidsmiljø med stadig nye krav til effektivitet, kompetansebygging, fleksibilitet, bærekraft og nye digitale løsninger i arbeidslivet? Målgruppen er alle ansatte og ledere.
Peder Sather Grant Program
The deadline for the Peder Sather program has been extended till 1 May. This is a nice opportunity for researchers who have collaborators at UC Berkeley or would like to establish collaborators with that US institution.
The Center offers grants of between $10K and $25K. Funds are made available for two academic years. Grants can support activities such as workshops, mini-conferences, virtual intellectual exchanges, the undertaking of exploratory and pilot studies, activities such as PhD student exchanges, longer-term stays for Principal Investigators, the collection and analysis of data, and other core research activities.
You can find more info about the program here, and do not hesitate to contact K2’s research advisor if you want more info: amra.grudic@uib.no
This week’s employee – Karl Albert Brokstad
With background as a Microbiologist, I started my doctoral work as a University fellow in 1990 together with Professor Lars R. Haaheim. I participated in building what has now become the Influenza centre. After defending my doctoral degree, I worked one year as temporary associate professor. I then received a three year post-doc. from the Rsearch Council of Norway, and worked with professor Karl-Henning Kalland on his HIV rev project. After this period, in 1998, I was offered a job at Broegelmann Research Laboratory with Professor Roland Jonsson as head, and I have been there since then. Firstly I was employed as researcher, then as senior researcher and in 2007 a permanent position as senior engineer. In my career at the UiB, I have published more than 100 peer review papers, I have also supervised over 30 students and been actively involved in all levels of teaching in microbiology and immunology. I have led several clinical studies. I am partner in several large projects funded by NFR and EU, and my main research interest is immunological processes in autoimmune rheumatic diseases, after infection and vaccination. I have a special interest in teaching, and particular in the next generation of scientists. I am responsible for several immunology courses and I am also the head of the research school «Bergen Research School for Inflammation».
Home office – Linn Iversen
Clockwise:
-Can’t complain about the view. A little cloudy today, but have had all seasons since March 12.
– Easter pops up.
– Since my appointment with the hairdresser on March 16 got canceled, I had an emergency cut last week.
-A good, classical base for lifting a digital workday.
-A classic from the 80s has been brought down from the attic and given the opportunity to swing again.
After a little hick-ups with the digital hock-up in the first few days, all systems work fine. But the ergonomic working position can be a challenge. I take breaks doing stretching exercises on the living room floor.
Must admit that the coffee is better in the home office, but look forward to being back on campus. As a controller, everyday work consists of many smaller work tasks. It makes it easy to create lists to work with and plan the workday so that the shoulders, back and neck are not overloaded.
New publications
Here are recent publications with contributions from K2 based on last week’s search on PubMed (and optionally articles that have not been included in previous lists). This time the list includes in total 14 recent publications. The entries appear in the order they were received from NCBI. If you have publications that are not included in this or previous lists, please send the references to Oda Barth Vedøy.
Deadlines
Dear all,
Please see below the updated links for external funding:
External funding opportunities
Funding opportunities for education
The webpages are updated every second week. New calls are marked as NEW.
Kind regards,
Amra, Ramune and Kaia
PhD comics
Happy Easter holidays!
Now that the Easter holidays are here again, we can look forward to even brighter days, warmer sun, and some long-awaited holidays. I hope you can enjoy some well-deserved days off with family, friends, outdoor activities, and rest.
The coronavirus epidemic has halted most of the experimental research and turned upside down teaching and meeting activities. It has been a tough and brutal exercise, but I think we have also learned a lot that we will take with us after the epidemic is over. I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your constructive attitude and effort in meeting the enormous challenges we have had since March 12 at 6 pm. I am really proud of the K2.
On April 8, the government will announce possible changes in restrictions on schools and universities. The university now operates with 6 phases where phase 0 is where we are now and phase 5 is regular activity. If there will be any ease of restrictions for the universities, UiB wants this to happen gradually and slowly. We have mapped research and teaching activities that may fit with what the university calls phases 1 and 2, which seem most realistic in the first place. The research groups have been given the challenge of suggesting a limited number of projects. I have reviewed these, and based on central guidelines, selected those that seem most critical to get started and gain acceptance for. An application has been sent to the faculty for exemptions from the current limitations for these projects. Unfortunately, the deadline for this review was extremely short, and I thank the research team leaders and researchers for responding so quickly and constructively.
For many Norwegians, Easter means spending the holidays skiing in the mountains, boating, or travelling abroad. This will be different this year with a ban on travel and spending the night in the cabin in municipalities other than one´s place of residence and advice on reduced activity at sea. Prime Minister Erna Solberg says it is not a terribly great sacrifice to stay home, and although Norwegians are concerned about their own freedom and independence, this is the time to show unity. I really agree with her. Take the short trips instead of the long ones right now. Emergency preparedness in the mountain areas should be used for those who live there. Keep your distance – by exposing ourselves to infection, we can infect others who cannot tolerate it – here we must all take responsibility for our community at large. Also keep in mind those who are alone for various reasons. The holiday itself can be a difficult time for them, and the coronavirus epidemic can add a new kind of loneliness to being alone. Make a phone call, meet on the streets only at a distance, arrange Skype / Zoom / Facetime meetings with chat, contests and more. Only the imagination sets the limits, we have all seen the video clips that go viral at the moment.
Wishing a happy Easter holiday to all of you. Take care of yourself, your loved ones, and also those who are not the closest!
Pål
Regarding joint Team for Department of Clinical Science – created, but not yet in use
The management board at K2 was informed that this channel is created automatically by the IT department at the start of the corona eruption. We discussed whether this channel should be used for information flow. If Teams is to be introduced to the department, it should as far as possible replace all shared emails to the department. Due to the corona situation, we need frequent information for all our employees and we were uncertain how many employees currently use Team at a regular basis. Considering this, we decided to await the introduction of Teams. The management team will have another discussion of implementing Teams for all and usage after Easter.
Candidates for K2 Deparatment council (Instituttråd)
As previously announced, we need new candidates for K2`s Department council, group B (temporary scientific staff). You will be elected for one year at a time.
At the expiry of the deadline, no proposals had been submitted, so we ask that employees who would like to participate, send an email to irene.hjelmaas@uib.no. Deadline April 15th.
Participation here will be educational and provide good knowledge about the department. There is a limited number of meetings per year, and it will look good on your CV 🙂
Norwegian: Råd for en bedre hjemmekontorhverdag
For svært mange arbeidstakere har arbeidssituasjonen endret seg som følge av Covid-19 viruset. Endringer i hvordan man arbeider kan gi flere utfordringer. Her er STAMIs tips til hva du må være obs på, og hvordan få en bedre arbeidshverdag med hjemmekontor: STAMIs tips
Norwegian: COST: Nye forskernettverk – medisinsk og helsefaglig forskning
COST er en europeisk nettverksorganisasjon der de fleste landene i Europa (herunder Norge og alle EU-landene) er medlemmer. En viktig oppgave for COST er å fremme europeisk forskningssamarbeid ved å igangsette vitenskapelige nettverk (“COST-aksjoner”). Nærmere informasjon om COST kan finnes på deres nettside http://www.cost.eu/ .
I mars 2020 ble det vedtatt å igangsette 45 nye COST-aksjoner, hvorav følgende er innenfor/relevante for medisinsk og helsefaglig forskning:
This week’s employee – Elise Orvedal Leiten
What are you working on?
I am a PhD student and former MSRP (forskerlinje) student in the Respiratory research group. I work on the MicroCOPD study, a study which aims to map the lung microbiome in persons with COPD, asthma and without lung disease. With more than 300 bronchoscopies, MicroCOPD is the largest study in this field. In my PhD project, I investigate if the lung microbiota of stable COPD is associated with the frequency of COPD exacerbations. I have also studied the complications and discomforts of the conducted bronchoscopies.
Why K2? What do you enjoy to work with at K2?
I have been a part of the research group since early in medical school, and I appreciate having been involved from the beginning of the study and getting to know my great colleagues. In addition to research, I have had the opportunity to teach a little bit, which I really enjoy.
New publications
Here are recent publications with contributions from K2 based on last week’s search on PubMed (and optionally articles that have not been included in previous lists). This time the list includes in total 7 recent publications. The entries appear in the order they were received from NCBI. If you have publications that are not included in this or previous lists, please send the references to Oda Barth Vedøy.
Deadlines
Dear all,
Please see below the updated links for external funding:
External funding opportunities
Funding opportunities for education
The webpages are updated every second week. New calls are marked as NEW.
Kind regards,
Amra, Ramune and Kaia
PhD comics
Time to apply for founding from the Research Council
The Covid-19 pandemic has upturned our daily lives and much of the research, both clinically and experimentally, has stopped. On the other hand, the work situation provides the opportunity to work well with applications.
The application forms from the Research Council are now available and at the same time the deadline for the Research Council has been moved to May 20, giving extra time for application writing. Already, those who intend to apply must contact the economist they have been assigned to plan the budget work. Amra will help with application writing and will give priority to those who have announced that they will apply.
This year, the Researcher Project for Scientific Renewal is open to all research areas; further Research Project for Young Talents (age less than 40 years), 2-7 years after dissertation and Three-year Researcher Project with International Mobility.
Good luck
Eystein
Web meeting on korona
UiB is arranging a web meeting on the current corona situation, today, Friday 27th March at 1415:
Thanks!
Thanks to everyone at K2 who contributed with spare protective gear. Parts of the equipment has been delivered to Legevakten, and the rest will be delivered to HUS this Friday.
Both are very grateful for our contribution!
Admission to digital ph.d courses
The Faculty of Medicine is concerned that we will have a course offer for PhD candidates who are in different phases of ph.d run.
Therefore, we are encouraged to be flexible when it comes to enrolling students in the various courses. This means flexible enrollment deadlines , and possibilities for external students to attend.
Application for course admission for PhD candidates from external academic institutions
Refunding of travel and tickets
We are receiving questions concerning how to write and post cancelled travels and tickets.
The criteria are that you first follow the instructions as described in UiB’s website, Coronavirus – information for students and employees (contact travel insurance, cancellations etc.). If the guidance is followed and there still are costs that must be paid, this will be covered by UiB. This must be documented in the travel claim. Contact your economist if you have any doubts about how to post your travel claim/reimbursement.
Link to the guidance for cancelling travels and tickets:
New publications
Here are recent publications with contributions from K2 based on last week’s search on PubMed (and optionally articles that have not been included in previous lists). This time the list includes in total 9 recent publications. The entries appear in the order they were received from NCBI. If you have publications that are not included in this or previous lists, please send the references to Oda Barth Vedøy.
Deadlines
Dear all,
Please see below the updated links for external funding:
External funding opportunities
Funding opportunities for education
The webpages are updated every second week. New calls are marked as NEW.
Kind regards,
Amra, Ramune and Kaia
PhD comics
About taking care of each other and precautions when lending personnel
Dear employees of K2
We are in an unreal time with an uncertain future. We do not know how severe the coronavirus epidemic will strike in Norway, we do not know how long the epidemic will last. Many people work around the clock to minimize the impact of the epidemic. We have reason to be proud of the enormous efforts the authorities, health workers and many others make. What we can all do, is loyally to follow up on all the advices and orders given by the authorities.
The need for information is of course huge. There are general guidelines that the information channels be relatively few in order to avoid opposing advice and orders. Therefore, the management at K2 has been careful to send out too many mails or newsletters. The disadvantage can be that local conditions might not be addressed in the general information. Please, let us know if there are things you are wondering about, and that we should be informed about.
The University wants most of our information to be collected at uib.no/korona. In addition, we relate to Helse Bergen and FHI’s information pages.
Lending personnel
One subject that will become increasingly relevant is that you may be asked to serve in health care organizations or municipalities. Agreements have now been made with health authorities throughout the Helse Vest and the Bergen Municipality. Please, refer to the Norwegian version of this newsletter for further details.
Take care of each other
The Prime Minister calls for unity and care for each other. It is extremely important to work together now towards a common goal. Furthermore, there are many who can be anxious, feel lonely, and need practical help with childcare, grocery shopping, etc. Here, we can all make an effort!
I am impressed by the positive, constructive, and innovative attitude I have experienced from the staff last week. Professional meetings are already held with presentations for up to 33 participants (!) via Skype or Zoom, teaching is done via Skype or Zoom, and practical training is replaced by You Tube videos, TBL material online, and alternative material from eg. Harvard Medical School. I’m very proud of what you have achieved so far! We learn something new every day, much of what I think will be used even after the coronavirus epidemic is over.
There seem to be a few days without rain coming up. Enjoy the good weather – not at the cabin of course, but perhaps on a hike over Vidden or Fløyen where it should not be a problem to keep 2 meters distance to other people.
Make the best of your weekend!
Norwegian: RÅD TIL LEDERE VED HENVENDELSER VEDRØRENDE COVID-19
Det har vært en rekke situasjoner med tilfeller av mulig smitte og faktiske smitte blant ansatte og studenter. Vi må regne med at det kommer flere tilfeller i tiden som kommer og det er viktig at vi håndterer dette likt. Sonja Dyrkorn koordinerer oppfølging av ansatte ved smitte og Christen Soleim koordinerer oppfølging overfor studenter. I alle sakene konsulterer vi vår bedriftslege som gir råd og presiseringer i samsvar med de retningslinjene som er gitt fra norske helsemyndigheter. Når det gjelder informasjon om smitte på enheter er det viktig at dere ivaretar personvernhensyn til de smittede og har dialog med dem om detaljnivå på den informasjonen dere går ut med.
Noen generelle råd når man skal ta kontakt med en ansatt eller student
Dersom du har en ansatt eller student som er smittet/mulig smittet:
- Ta kontakt på telefon for å høre hvordan det går og kartlegge situasjonen. Har det vært direkte kontakt med andre ansatte eller studenter må dette undersøkes nærmere.
- Be den ansatte eller studenten om å holde seg oppdatert på nettsiden https://www.uib.no/korona . Husk at informasjon og råd kan endre seg fort.
- Ansatte eller studenter som har fått påvist smitte eller har vært i direkte kontakt med personer som har fått påvist koronasmitte, skal melde fra om dette omgående på skjema som finnes på nettsiden.
Ved karantene
Ansatte eller studenten i karantene skal følge rådene og påleggene som er gitt av helsemyndighetene.
De som er i hjemme-karantene vil ikke lenger bli testet for korona-virus og skal heller ikke kontakte helsevesenet – med mindre de har behov for helsehjelp.
Å være i karantene omfatter å:
- ikke gå på jobb eller skole
- unngå reiser og ikke ta offentlig transport
- unngå andre steder der man lett kommer nær andre
Les mer om hjemmekarantene på Folkehelseinstituttet sine nettsider https://www.fhi.no/
Ansatte eller studenter som har symptomer på sykdom og trenger helsehjelp må ta kontakt med fastlegen ved telefon eller e-konsultasjon, eller ringe legevakt på telefon 116 117. Begrens nærkontakt med andre mennesker.
UiBs Informasjonstelefon for studenter og ansatte: 555 88 555