Erasmus+ BIP “Sustainable Use of Natural Resources: autumn course 2024” implemented at the Faculty of Agronomy

The Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) “Sustainable use of natural resources: 2024 autumn course” has been implemented at the Faculty of Agronomy of Vytautas Magnus University Agriculture Academy. The aim of the programme is to develop students’ competences in solving complex natural resource management problems in order to achieve sustainable development goals.

The programme was attended by 20 international students from the Latvian University of Life Sciences and Technology, the Estonian University of Life Sciences and the University of Life Sciences in Lublin (Poland). The programme consisted of 2 parts: a virtual component and a physical mobility part. During the virtual component, the students participated in a virtual meeting, during which the theme of the course were developmed and the following topics were revealed: “Main interactions in agroecosystems”, “Transforming global sustainable development goals into national, regional and local community goals”, “A balance between ecosystems and the societal necessity for clean water sources”, “Water in daily life and as an element of the landscape”, “Surface water resources in your country/region: their state, and solutions to improve the situation”, “The state of biodiversity in your country/region: major threats and mitigation strategies”.

The physical mobility part took place from 21^th to 25^th of October. During the physical mobility week students increased their knowledge on soil-crop-environment interactions and green infrastructure, developed their ability to critically assess the situation of natural resource use, and discussed ways to prevent climate change, diseases of civilisation and public health problems.

During the program students went to a study tour, which tool place at the 700 hectare farm „Farmers Circle“. Students had an opportunity to have a closer look on how the organic farm is operated. Students were presented the sustainable principles of resource use through the production of organic beef from the farm’s Angus cows and organic products made from the farm’s organically grown vegetables, fruits, berries and herbs.

The programme was conducted by 8 lecturers of the VMU Agriculture Academy: prof. dr. Vilma Atkočiūnienė, assoc. prof. dr. Ekaterina Makrickienė, prof. dr. Živilė Tarasevičienė, assoc. prof. dr. Povilas Mulerčikas, assoc. prof. dr. Daiva Šileikienė, assoc. prof. dr. Anželika Dautartė, prof. dr. Elvyra Jarienė, lect. Otilija Miseckaitė and 2 lecturers from partner universities – Assoc. prof. Dr. Raimonds Kasparinksis from the Latvian University of Life Sciences and Technology and Prof. dr. Agnieszka Jaszczak from the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn (Poland). The programme was supervised by Assoc. prof. dr. Aida Adamavičienė and Dr. Monika Medikienė. The coordinator of the programme – VMU AA International Coordinator dr. Monika Medikienė.

Co-Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

The SafeHabitus Communities of Practice: Fostering safety culture for everyone working in the agricultural sector

Seville, Spain – October 2024 – Coinciding with the European Week of Safety and Health at Work, representatives from the 11 SafeHabitus Communities of Practice (CoPs) gathered in Spain this week for the SafeHabitus Autumn School. The three-day meeting gathered CoP representative, including experts on farm and occupational safety, researchers, and advocates for migration and labour rights to share best practices and exchange valuable knowledge to improve farm safety and health across Europe.

The Autumn School delved into two of the focus themes of the SafeHabitus project, migrant and seasonal workers and tractor and machinery safety. One of the central discussions focused on how corporate social responsibility can help create better working and living conditions for migrant workers in Europe’s agricultural sector Experts on the migrant and labour rights issues presented research and policy insights on the challenges these workers face. To give participants a real-world perspective, the CoPs visited a local farm that employs migrant workers and witness the work of the NGO ASNUCI (New Citizenship Association for Interculturality) providing support to the migrant workers in the province of Huelva in Spain.

The second day of the Autumn School shifted the focus to farm safety culture, specifically to machinery and tractor safety. Accidents involving machinery are one of the leading causes of injuries and fatalities on farms across Europe, making the safety culture a key element to mitigating this danger to all working and living on farms. After looking at the research on tractor safety on the examples of Spain and Ireland, the CoPs took to a practical session on tractor safety, showcasing tractor safety practices and exchanging knowledge on fostering a culture of safety on farms.

SafeHabitus Workshops was held on the last day of the Autumn School. Here the future of farming was shaped by Assessing implications for the attractiveness of farming and CoPs Presentation of draft actor maps was made.

Media contact: – National CoP representative Anastasija Novikova (Lithuania) anastasija.novikova@vdu.lt

More information:

About SafeHabitus:

SafeHabitus project is a four-year project coordinated by TEAGASC Ireland, funded by the European Union as part of the Horizon Europe Programme, grant agreement number 101084270. This multi-actor project aims to strengthen Farm Health and Safety Knowledge Innovation Systems (FHS KIS) and support the EU transition to social sustainability in farming.

Visit of VMU AA researcher at the “OpenLivingLab Days” event

Jovita Balandaitė, Junior researcher at the Bioeconomy Research Centre of Excellence (BioTec), participated in the European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL) “OpenLivingLab Days” in Timișoara, Romania, on September 24th to 27th.

The event highlighted the benefits of developing living labs, their relevance for addressing pressing societal challenges, the importance of such labs for policy making and the management of innovative ecosystems. It focused on how living labs help business and society to adapt to new technologies, discussing possible business models, operational aspects, etc.

We discussed how living labs and society can work together to achieve meaningful systemic change. During the event, speakers and participants shared best practices, explored opportunities for collaboration, and held interactive and research sessions and workshops.

Visit of scientists of VMU AA to Warsaw university of life sciences

The scientists of Vytautas Magnus University Agriculture Academy (VMU AA) assoc. prof. dr. Midona Dapkienė (Department of Water Engineering, Faculty of Engineering) and prof. dr. Laima Česonienė (Department of Environment and Ecology, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Ecology) visited the Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW) under the Erasmus+ mobility program on October 15th to 18th 2024.

Since 2023 Warsaw University of Life Sciences belongs to the Green European University (UNIgreen) in the frame of the European Universities Initiative. UNIgreen is an Alliance of eight European universities with a specific focus on sustainable agriculture, green biotechnology and environmental and life sciences, which are pivotal areas for achieving a resource-efficient, circular, digitised and climate neutral economy by 2050.

SGGW offers 40 study programs in Polish and 12 degree programs in English. The study programmes in Environmental Engineering and Civil Engineering are offered by the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering of this University. The Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering is the second biggest faculty of the University, where new engineers – construction, environment and water management specialists, land surveyors, as well as landscape designers and planners, are prepared.

The representatives of VMU Agriculture Academy presented their University, gave the lectures and had an opportunity to meet the professor dr. Wojciech Sas (a Head of Geotechnical Department of Institute of Civil Engineering), assistant professors dr. Justyna Dzięcioł and dr. Andrzej Głuchowski, and to discuss the possibilities of the joint projects as well as to familiarize with the study process and reasearch at the Institute of Civil Engineering.

GreenCool online workshop with stakeholders

INVITATION

Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme “MANAGEMENT FOR BUSINESS STARTUP’S: 2024 Summer course” in VMU Agriculture Academy

June 3 to 14, 2024, the Erasmus BIP course “Management of Business Startups, 2024” was held at the VMU Agricultural Academy. The course started with distance learning. Later, 21 students from 4 universities came for the Physical mobility part at the VMU Agriculture Academy. Partner universities, participated in this blended intensive program were Jegiellonian University (Poland), WSB Merito University (Poland), Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies and Estonian University of Life Sciences.

The aim of this course was to provide students with the knowledge and skills that would enable them to create their own business plan and be able to present it to interested parties (shareholders, bank representatives, co-workers or clients). This course combined various subjects: planning, organization, marketing, accounting, payroll, budgeting, etc. theoretical knowledge and practical abilities to plan and control business processes, motivate employees, predict business indicators important to shareholders and managers.

The virtual part of the course and theoretical lectures were held by 4 teachers – prof. dr. Gunta Grīnberga-Zālīte from Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies. assoc. prof. Janusz Sasak from Jegiellonian University, Paula Pyplacz from Czestochowa University of Technology and prof. dr. Jan Žukovskis from VMU Agriculture Academy.

During the course, students prepared business plans for their future enterprises. On the last day, they presented them to teachers and classmates. During the week in the afternoons, students went on the study tour to sustainable business “Farmers circle” and visited the old town of Kaunas.

The leader of the course: prof. dr. Jan Žukovskis (Faculty of Bioeconomy Development, VMU Agriculture Academy). Erasmus BIP coordinator Dr. Monika Medikienė.

For New VMU Students: the “Sharing is Caring” Event is Back!

We’re excited to invite all new full-time international and exchange students to our “Sharing is Caring” event. You will find a wide range of items left by former students – completely free! From kitchenware and electronics to study materials, leisure items, household goods, and more.

Date: August 30, Friday
Time: 17:00 – 18:00
Location: Baltija Dormitory, Vytauto pr. 71, Kaunas

In case of rain, the event will be held in the orangery; follow the arrows to get there. If the weather is good, we will organize the event outside at the entrance.

Registration

By registering, you’ll enter the lottery for a chance to win some exciting prizes!

Why you should come:

Join a culture of sharing and save on expenses!
Discover essential and useful items for your life in Kaunas, all for free (gently used or new)
Win unique items in our lottery (at 17:30)
Connect with fellow exchange and full-time students and make new friends
Contribute to reducing waste and lowering CO2 levels
Enjoy refreshing drinks

Check out previous events:

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us: at ganna.tron[eta]vdu.lt or yuliia.matiiuk[eta]vdu.lt

See you!

Training on ATLAS.ti for VMU Researchers

Vytautas Kavolis Transdisciplinary Research Institute invites Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) researchers to a methodological training on powerful software for qualitative research ATLAS.ti.

Date:
- Session 1 – 24 October 2024 at 14:00.
- Session 2 – 25 October 2024 at 14:00.
Duration of the workshop – each session/90 minutes (2 academic hours).
Language – English.
Format – online workshop via Zoom.
Please register to the workshop here. All registered participants will receive a Zoom link to the workshop a few days before the training.
Certificates will be issued after the training.
Participants should have basic knowledge of Windows/Mac, and a personal computer with ATLAS.ti Windows/Mac installed (demo or full version). The free version can be installed on your computer from here.

Instructor: Ivana Radivojevic, ATLAS.ti Scientific Software Development GmbH.

About the workshop

Outline of sessions:

Day 1: Introducing ATLAS.ti, creating a project, coding data (manually and with AI tools), and writing memos
Day 2: Exploring data with AI tools, creating networks, exporting reports, and retrieving results

Brief description of training

Introduction: Learn how to harness the power of ATLAS.ti to facilitate your qualitative research! This training will take you through all the steps of using ATLAS.ti, from setting up a project and analyzing different kinds of data to retrieving findings and exporting different kinds of outputs. This course teaches the main functions of ATLAS.ti Windows/Mac as well as a model-driven data analysis system with an emphasis on the description of the participant’s point of view, the generation of relationships between data units, and the interpretation process.

Methodology: The course contents will be taught through a live online discussion of the various aspects of using ATLAS.ti. Participants can interact in real time with the instructor to ask questions (using the camera and microphone of the computer and/or by writing in the chat). Each class will also have brief intervals for participants to practice applying the different contents being discussed. The instructor will provide a project with which participants can practice using ATLAS.ti. Following each class, participants will receive the class slides and a practical exercise where they can spend more time practicing with their own research project. In addition to this, each participant will receive an official ATLAS.ti certificate.

Learning objectives: 1) Participants will learn the methodological principles of ATLAS.ti, 2) Participants will learn the fundamental functions and procedures of ATLAS.ti, and 3) Participants will learn how to use ATLAS.ti in data analysis with a focus on data integration, organization, and constant documentation of the research process.

More about the trainer: Ivana Radivojevic, ATLAS.ti Scientific Software Development GmbH. Ivana has a degree in psychology, and she is a PhD Candidate in Organisational Behaviour/Human Resources at IE University. She is the Project Manager at ATLAS.ti Scientific Software Development GmbH, where she creates and provides training for users and coordinates the user support team. She conducts research on organizational behaviour in the new world of work, and she has published numerous articles in top academic journals, such as Organization Studies, Journal of Organizational Behaviour, and The Qualitative Report.

For more information about the workshop please send email at vki@vdu.lt.

The workshop is a part of the project “Strengthening the R&D activities of the Vytautas Kavolis Transdisciplinary Institute for Social Sciences and Humanities (SOCMTEP)”. The project is funded by the Research Council of Lithuania and the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport of the Republic of Lithuania, Contract No S-A-UEI-23-13 (2023-12-27). The funding programme is the “Excellence in Universities Initiative” (No V-940).

Registration Now Open for Arts and Sports Centres Activities

We invite students of Vytautas Magnus University (VMU), who are studying in Kaunas, Akademija (Kaunas District) or Vilnius, to register for sports and (or) art activities in the autumn semester of 2024/2025, organized by VMU Sports Centre and VMU Arts Centre.

All VMU students can attend sports or art group activities regardless of where and what they are studying (e.g., if you are studying Lithuanian philology, you can attend the folk-dance group “Sėja” of the VMU Academy of Agriculture, etc.).

All activities for VMU students are free-of-charge. Students can register for several activities, so you are welcome to join the activities on offer.

Registration procedure for Arts Centre collectives

Students who wish to act, dance, sing, or play must join one (or several) of the VMU Arts Centre groups based in Kaunas, Akademija (Kaunas district) or Vilnius. You can do this by registering for the ongoing activities by following three steps:

log in to the student self-service portal and select the Registration tab from the menu bar;
in the bar that appears, click on the button Registration for the Sports/Arts Centre;
then select Arts and in this section, select the desired arts activity, tick it, click on the Continue button, click on the I agree to the rules and the REGISTER button.

*The same principle applies to registration via menucentras.vdu.lt/registration/

The student will see the classes of the sports he/she has registered for in the student portal, under My activities. You can also withdraw from the selected activities in the student portal.

Once you have registered for a group at the Arts Centre, you can start attending activities as soon as possible, at the times indicated in the group’s timetable.

More information:

Registration procedure for sports activities

All VMU students who want to participate in sports at the VMU Sports Centre facilities (Studentų g. 11 and Studentų g. 9A, Akademija, Kaunas district) can register for the sports activity classes.

Students wishing to register for VMU Sports Centre activity classes should log in to the student self-service portal and select the Registration tab from the menu. In the bar that appears, click on the button Registration for the Sports. In the next step of the Activity Registration select Sport. In this section, you need to select the desired sport, tick it, click on the Continue button, and click on the I agree to the rules and the REGISTER button.

*The same principle applies to the registration via sportas.vdu.lt/registration/

The student will see the classes of the sports he/she has registered for in the student portal, under My activities. You can also withdraw from the selected activities in the student portal.

More information:

New Academic Year With VMU

On 2 September, we invite the community of Vytautas Magnus University to celebrate the beginning of the school year in Kaunas and Vilnius. Let’s celebrate science, new beginnings, and a promising time of the year and life!

In Kaunas we will start at 2:00 PM by gathering at the Monument of Vytautas the Great. Here, you’ll enjoy a memorable university welcome, followed by a procession to the Student Square. There, you’ll be invited to sway and enjoy a concert by VDU Music Academy lecturer Mantas Jankavičius.

Those who wish to attend the Holy Mass at 12:00 PM should meet at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul (Vilniaus St. 1).

In Vilnius the academic year opening celebration will begin at 10:00 AM at VDU Education Academy (T. Ševčenkos St. 31, foyer).

Please note that the event will be photographed and/or filmed, so you may appear in event photos or videos that could be published in various media outlets.