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.

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.

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.

VMU first-year students can order LSIC for free

LSIC is a Lithuanian student card and the only official document that proves a student’s status. Currently, the LSIC is issued by the sole organization representing students’ interests at the national level: the Lithuanian National Union of Students (LSS).

IMPORTANT! All first-year students of Vytautas Magnus University in 2024 who have signed a study agreement with the university will receive their LSIC free of charge (you will only need to pay the delivery fee or opt for free collection at the LSS office in Vilnius) if they order it by 31 October this year by filling out the registration form at lsp.lt. If you order the LSIC after this date or need to have it reissued, you will be required to pay a set fee.

You’ll need the LSIC to:

check your entrance to midterms and exams;
control access to your dormitory;
use the University’s library services;
access the University’s printing, scanning, and photocopying services (charged separately);
get a 50% discount on intercity public transport and up to 80% off on city public transport;
participate in a discount program offering deals on shopping, entertainment, and various services throughout Lithuania (see lsp.lt for a list of discounts).

How to order your LSIC:

Register at www.lsp.lt: upload a photo of your passport or identity card and a personal photo. Once VMU has confirmed your details, you will be able to order your Lithuanian Student Identity Card (LSIC).
In the “Account” section, select “Order LSIC.” Review the sample LSIC provided and ensure that all data is correct. If any information is incorrect, contact your higher education institution before proceeding with the order. Next, choose your preferred method of receiving the card.
Once your LSIC has been produced (within 14 working days), you will receive a confirmation that the card is ready. If production takes longer than 14 days, please contact us at help[eta]lsp.lt.
Pick up your LSIC and enjoy all the discounts and opportunities it offers.

The LSIC can also integrate the European Student Card, which is valid throughout Europe. Whether you’re traveling and looking for discounts or participating in an exchange program and want to take advantage of opportunities at a foreign university, the card has you covered!

For more information:

International project SKILLS at VMU Agriculture Academy – for a secured change in societal values and a greener future

The world’s challenging climate change, depleting resources and rising levels of environmental pollution are worrying signs that long-delayed changes to social, economic and environmental issues are imminent. With international organizations calling for real action as soon as possible, university researchers are starting with the most important steps – changing the attitudes and competences of future agricultural professionals and communities so that they can live well, not just now but in the future.

Encouraging society to move faster towards the Sustainable Development Goals

Dr. Vilma Atkočiūnienė, Professor at the Faculty of Bioeconomy Development, Agriculture Academy, Vytautas Magnus University, explains that to initiate change, the European Union (EU) has introduced the circular economy as a high-level as a high-level emerging global strategy. “This strategy includes the ambition for society to move beyond its current development towards the Sustainable Development Goals set out in the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This makes the circular economy a global strategy and a key priority for the EU to move away from today’s linear economy of production and consumption towards a sustainable use of resources,” she shares her insights on the important changes taking place and the goals for the future.

As a new paradigm, the circular strategy permeates all the processes of the agri-food sector, the activities of farming and local communities, rural landscaping and the natural environment. “Importantly, the transition to circular agriculture requires the implementation of a new governance model that encompasses all the main stages of the agri-food system: primary production, processing, food consumption, by-products and food waste”, says the researcher, noting that the transition to circular agriculture is not only a matter of technology and a significant restructuring of production, but also has a strong link to changes in societal attitudes and perspectives.

The change starts with updating the study programs

Prof. dr. Vilma Atkočiūnienė says that the idea of the SKILLS (Strengthening Key Competences in Agriculture for Value Chain Knowledge) project, which is being carried out by the scientists of the VMU Agriculture Academy together with international partners, is based on the improvement of green competences. “Among the objectives, the need to know the value chain, to promote sustainability, economic prosperity and social justice in the agricultural sector and in the use of natural resources have been identified as important challenges for the circular economy model. It is worth noting that the aim is not only to talk about the changes we want to see, but also to initiate them by channelling resources into active academic and practical activities,” the researcher shares her insights.

The project aims to raise public awareness of the new, sustainable Circular Economy. It also aims to raise awareness of a more efficient food supply chain. “The first step is to educate students, by updating the curricula of agricultural faculties in higher education institutions so that highly qualified graduates understand the importance of the circular economy and how it works. Theoretically sustainable solutions can create competitive advantages for companies and regions alike, so it is crucial that young qualified professionals have a good understanding of the circular strategy and a paradigm that is close to their values,” says Prof. Dr. V. Atkočiūnienė on the importance of education.

Aiming to initiate change across the agri-sector

The scientist says that this project is particularly important for the VMU Agriculture Academy community, as the main objective of the project is to contribute to the development of the competences of students, potential students and agricultural producers of agricultural products, by presenting and promoting the concepts of circular agriculture and green growth.

“The project aims to promote the modernisation of study programmes and the introduction of digital courses at the Faculty of Bioeconomy Development of VMU Agriculture Academy. The aim is to make digital courses more attractive to students, as well as to attract farmers, members of rural communities, and specialists from municipal Agriculture and Rural Development departments. In order for society to move beyond its current development and towards the sustainable development goals set out in the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as many people as possible in the sector need to be involved in the process of education and value change. It is not enough to instil sustainability and sustainable development values in students alone, as they will be confronted with older colleagues, communities and professionals who are slower to move towards the circular economy, or who are standing still when they finish their studies. By making it convenient for all those involved in the agri-sector and rural development to study and train, we are creating the conditions for a faster and more certain change in societal values,” says Prof. Dr. V. Atkočiūnienė.

She notes that implementing green solutions in practice faces different challenges in each country. And their implementation is becoming more individualised, depending on the natural, economic, cultural and social specificities of a country or region. “The SKILLS project has focused on finding and describing sustainable, environmentally friendly solutions, both as researchers and practitioners, with the aim of making them as easy as possible to implement. Despite the cultural and economic differences between the different project countries, it is easier for researchers to find common ground on concepts, principles and tools,” says the professor.

Aiming to change attitudes towards the agro-sector and rural development potential

Improving and modernising the curricula of universities and agricultural higher education institutions is crucial, she notes, as faculties in the field of agricultural and rural change management are facing declining enrolments. “On the one hand, the agricultural sector is rapidly modernising, with robotics, new farming strategies and the development and implementation of Smart Villages strategies. On the other hand, there is still a popular perception that agriculture is a less modern sector and that rural life is more complex, less interesting and less meaningful”.

Prof. Dr. V. Atkočiūnienė notes that this can be effectively changed by raising public awareness of the needs and development potential of agriculture and rural development, as well as the possible career opportunities for qualified professionals. She points out that during the pandemic, the agricultural sector was one of the least affected, as food production (including food raw materials and agricultural produce) must continue despite the challenges and extreme conditions that may arise in the future. According to the researcher, this demonstrates the resilience of the sector to challenges and the viability of those seeking broad and secure career opportunities.

Opening up more career opportunities for future graduates

Prof. Dr. V. Atkočiūnienė emphasizes that this project contributes to important changes for the VMU Agriculture Academy community, especially for students. “Developing green competences, engaging young farmers, municipal professionals, community members and other rural and urban residents in the transition from a linear economy to a circular economy is important for the VMU Agriculture Academy Bioeconomy Development and other faculties. It opens up new opportunities for the creation of higher value-added jobs and broader employment prospects after graduation”, says the researcher about the importance of the project for the VMU Agriculture Academy community.

The SKILLS project promotes the concept of circular agriculture as a sustainable and resilient economic sector. “The SKILLS consortium aims to raise and accelerate awareness of circular agriculture among students and farmers, tourism and other economic developers. The outreach and education is based on a Study on the main challenges and potential of circular agriculture for employment, carried out by researchers from the Faculty of Bioeconomy Development of VMU, as well as on training material consisting of theoretical knowledge and practical exercises and a module – a set of digital courses – that will help agricultural and rural development professionals and beginners in farming to make a quicker transition to circular agriculture, to rethink their activities and to develop their green competences,” summarizes prof. Dr. V. Atkočiūnienė.

Information on Enrolment into Study Subjects

The first stage of the autumn semester 2024/2025 registration for lectures, seminars and laboratory works takes place on 22–27 August. At this stage, the registration is open:

For full-time and part-time students of bachelor and integrated studies (excluding 1st year students)
For full-time and part-time students of master studies
For full-time students of professional studies
For part-time free-movers
For part-time exchange students

Registration of first-year undergraduate and full-time students will take place on 29 August.

Enrolment will be performed online only, having connected to VMU Students’ Self-service Portal at https://studentas.vdu.lt.

A username is: name.surname (lowercase, Latin alphabet letters only) and a password.

If a student has forgotten the password, he/she can set up a new one at https://support.vdu.lt/. Instructions are available here: https://support.vdu.lt/pagalba/Migration_eng.pdf.

Enrolment into study subjects

Study schedules