acaSTEMy 3rd hybrid seminar - “Sustainable agriculture (for people and planet) and new forms of food”

The Institute of Education of the University of Lisbon organize and invites to the 3rd AcaSTEMy hybrid seminar titled “Sustainable agriculture (for people and planet) and new forms of food” by Professor Luís Goulão and Professor Anabela Raymundo.

The hybrid seminar will take place on the 30th of April 2025 from 10:00 to 13:00 (UTC+1) at the Institute of Education of the University of Lisbon. 

The Zoom link for online participants is: https://videoconf-colibri.zoom.us/j/92457143941

Agenda

10:00–10:05 Welcoming words from the project coordinator of the Portuguese team, Prof. Cláudia Faria

10:05–10:25 Presentation on "Sustainable agriculture (for people and planet)" by Prof. Luís Goulão

10:25–10:45 Presentation on “New forms of food” by Prof. Anabela Raymundo

10:45–11:00 Questions from the audience

11:00–12:45 Discussion with pre-service students (Biology & Geology and Physics & Chemistry)

12:45–13:00 Summary of the seminar and closing remarks by Prof. Cláudia Faria

Note: The first hour of the seminar will be in English by videoconference. The remaining two hours of the seminar will be held in Portuguese in an in-person format.

More infos:

Abstracts

"Sustainable agriculture (for people and planet)"

Sustainable agriculture must balance strategies to cope with the increasing global demand for [healthy] food with the priority to preserve environmental integrity. This talk explores the integration of the sustainability concept into the food security definition, discussing the implications of integrating agency and ecological resilience to ensure long-term results. The concept of sustainable intensification is examined as a dual pathway to increase agricultural productivity while guaranteeing environmental sustainability and promoting territorial embeddedness, highlighting contextualised roles for precision agriculture, agroecology, or biotechnology in achieving these goals. Discourse surrounding sustainable agriculture often suffers from myths and inconsistencies, such as the oversimplified opposition between agroecological intensification and “conventional” farming, the assumption that local food systems are inherently more sustainable, and the ideological framing of "natural" versus "technological" solutions. Here, we argue that addressing these misconceptions is crucial for evidence-based policy and practice, to ensure that agriculture remains both productive and regenerative, serving both people and the planet in a rapidly changing world.

“New forms of food”

The sharp growth of the world population is evident, with studies indicating that by 2025, we will be more than nine billion people living on the planet. Conventional agricultural systems will not be able to meet these needs. Added to this are the shortages of water, arable land and biodiversity. Protein scarcity is already a reality, and several projects have been developed worldwide to identify alternative sources of protein that are nutritionally balanced, low-cost and versatile in their applications. This presentation will highlight the use of proteins from legumes, algae, mycoproteins, and proteins derived from cellular agriculture. The involvement of companies in the development of products based on these proteins is fundamental so that consumers can rethink and redesign their diets toward healthier and more sustainable eating habits.

Short Bios:

Luís Goulão, PhD in Agronomic Engineering from the Technical University of Lisbon and post-graduate in Sustainable Agriculture. Currently serving as Professor and Vice-Dean of the School of Agriculture at the University of Lisbon (ISA). His research and teaching bridge agriculture, food security, and nutrition with food policy and development outcomes, at national and global levels, emphasizing tropical regions’ contexts. He co-chairs the University of Lisbon’s Thematic Interdisciplinary Network “Agri-Food and Forestry (redeAGRO)”, and is a member of the coordination board of the university’s Interdisciplinary College “Food, Farming and Forestry (F3)”. He is also part of the Coordination Board at ISA’s Research Centre “Linking Landscape, Environment, Agriculture and Food (LEAF)”, and the Scientific Committee of Doctoral Programmes in “Agricultural Innovation in Tropical Food Chains”, “Sustainability Science”, and “Development Studies”. Additionally, he serves on the Advisory Board of the Agrinatura-EEIG, the European Alliance on Agricultural Knowledge for Development, to support Agricultural Research for Development. Previously, he was a researcher at the Tropical Research Institute (IICT), coordinating the “Agri4Safe” Research Group, which focused on agriculture and food security research to support international cooperation with African countries. He was also a Visiting Lecturer at the Eduardo Mondlane University’s Centre of Biotechnology in Mozambique. He has worked as a European expert for the EU-Africa High-Level Policy Dialogue Working Group on “Science, Technology and Innovation for Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA)”, contributing to the roadmap towards building the EU-Africa Research and Innovation Partnership.

Anabela Raymundo, is a Chemical engineer, MSc in Food Science and Technology and a PhD in Food Engineering. Associated Professor with Habilitation, integrating the LEAF (Linking Landscape, Environment, Agriculture and Food) – coordination of the group Food and Feed https://www.isa.ulisboa.pt/en/leaf/research-groups/group-3-food-feed. Main research areas of interest: functional properties of macromolecules; development of new food products; evaluation of the rheological behavior of different food matrices and relations with the structural composition. Main work focused on the use of poorly exploited food sources (e.g., microalgae and seaweed biomass, insects and food industry by-products) for the development of high-value products. Participates in several national and international research. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5266-1685. Coordination Committee of the TERRA Associated Laboratory. Board Member of PortugalFoods and a founding member of CoLab4Food. Coordinator of the Master’s in Food Engineering (ISA). Appointed Member of the National Council for Science, Technology and Innovation (CNCTI), Portugal – a government’s advisory body.

acaSTEMY 2nd hybrid seminar organized by University of Tartu - “Greenhouse gas emissions from terrestrial ecosystems on the rise"

University of Tartu organize and invite all interested to  a 2^nd hybrid seminar from the series of "STEM step-up" titled “Greenhouse gas emissions from terrestrial ecosystems on the rise” by professor Ülo Mander.

Changes in land use, material cycling, and the energy balance of natural ecosystems due to climate warming have themselves become driving forces behind the continued rise in global temperatures. This increases the persistent rise of carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations in the Earth's atmosphere, despite regulations on fossil fuel combustion. Gross CO2 emissions from terrestrial ecosystems are higher than those from fossil fuel burning. In recent years, natural ecosystems are increasingly emitting not only CO2 but also other potent greenhouse gases (GHG) —methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). Thus, a bias in the GHG balance of land ecosystems toward emissions can significantly impact the overall balance, even more than restrictions on fossil fuel use. Therefore, while limiting fossil fuel use of course remains crucial for preventing greenhouse gas emissions, addressing both natural and human-impacted ecosystems is also needed.

This lecture focuses on main processes related to GHG emissions from terrestrial ecosystems analysing mitigation and adaptation opportunities. The main focus is given to wetlands, especially peatlands.

The hybrid seminar will take place on the 6th of March 2025 from 13:00 to 16:00 CET at the University of Tartu, Vanemuise 46-108, Tartu, Estonia. 

The first hour of the seminar will be in English and recorded. The remaining two hours of the seminar will be held in Estonian in an in-person format.

The Zoom link for online participants is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83226459974.

AGENDA FOR SEMINAR :

13:00–13:05 Welcoming words from the project coordinator, Prof. Miia Rannikmäe
13:05–13:50 Presentation on "Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Terrestrial Ecosystems on the Rise" by Prof. Ülo Mander
13:50–14:00 Questions from the audience
14:00–15:45 Discussion in Estonian with in- and pre-service students and university staff
15:45–16:00 Summary of the seminar and closing remarks by Prof. Miia Rannikmäe

SPEAKER BIO

Ülo Mander, Professor of Physical Geography and Landscape Ecology, University of Tartu (UT), Estonia. Ph.D. in biology/ecology. Member of the Estonian Academy of Sciences. Research interest: biogeosciences (carbon and nutrient cycling in wetlands and forests), landscape ecology (landscape structure and biogeochemistry), ecological engineering (constructed wetlands and riparian buffers zones). Supervisor of 44 PhD theses and 4 postdocs, currently supervising 7 PhD students and 2 postdocs. Participation in 20 EU 5th, 6th, 7th FP, Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe projects; ERC Advanced Grant holder. Was visiting professor at research centers in Germany, Sweden, Norway, Japan, China, USA and France. Editor/member of editorial board of 7 scientific journals. Expeditions to tropical peatland forests in Peru, Malaysia, Reunion, Rep. Congo and Uganda.

acaSTEMy Training the Trainers second workshop

Link for TTT workshop is  

https://uef.zoom.us/j/64197059515?pwd=OeH0lW8WrEcLIgsbsmzY1ZRSMurQwz.1

First acaSTEMy TTT workshop, 02. December 2024

In the frame of Erasmus acaSTEMy project (full name: Trans-national STEM Teacher Education Focussing on Transversal Competence and Sustainability Education) University of Eeastern Finland (UEF) organized very informative and productive ‘First Train The Trainers”.

Participants from 8 countries was informed about modern approches in using digital tools in designing training courses and participated in discussion related to planned acaSTEMy training modules and MC.

The Youtube saved video from TTT workshop is available at the link: https://youtu.be/RSS84kHiiFI  (in English ).

The full Program of TTT event is presented here:

AcaSTEMy team member Kārlis Greitāns is awarded with the degree of Doctor of Science (Ph.D.)

The Promotion Board of the University of Latvia in Educational Sciences awarded Kārlis Greitāns the degree of Doctor of Science (Ph. D.) in social sciences at the meeting of 31 October 2024.

The doctoral thesis of dr. Greitāns "Professional development of natural science teachers for changes in practice" is aimed to understanding of a cause of changes in the practice of science teachers in the context of professional development. Research work explore causal relationships determination in the changes in the teaching practice of a science teacher. In the frame of thesis dr. dr. Greitāns developed and tested appropriate solutions for the professional development of science teachers.

acaSTEMy Consortium In-Person Workshop, Croatia, Split, University of Split, October, 8th-10th 2024

As a consortium member, the Ivo Pilar Institute of Social Sciences organized the second Erasmus+ Teacher Academy acaSTEMY project meeting. The meeting was hosted by the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Split, one of the consortium’s associated partners, from October 8 to 10, 2024.

Over the course of three productive days, project partners discussed the progress made across all six work packages. The project team continued its empirical research, involving nearly 900 teachers from seven countries. During the Split meeting, the team members discussed the inspiring outcomes of the initial quantitative and qualitative analysis. The indications of the preliminary results are integrated into the design of six teaching-learning modules, that will be produced within the project. In addition, initial data analysis was used for further planning and conceptualisation of deliverables, such as journal articles and presentations.

A second key focus of the meeting was the development of the 6 teaching-learning modules, 4 micro-credential courses and teacher training materials. The team refined the content of teaching-learning modules and micro-credential courses and aligned them with the project's overall goals. These training activities will cover various important topics, such as integrating the Green Deal into STEM education and developing transversal skills for STEM teachers. Additionally, the team analyzed best practices in STEM teaching from the participating countries, using this data to for the development of comprehensive manuals for teachers and educators. These materials will provide guidance on effective STEM instruction and align with the modules being created.

Lastly, the team concentrated on finalizing the structure and content of the various workshops, training courses, and seminars that will be conducted throughout the project. Plans for job-shadowing opportunities, as well as supervision and co-supervision for students preparing to enter the teaching profession, were also discussed, ensuring that practical, hands-on learning experiences are embedded within the project's outcomes.

Photos:

Erasmus acaSTEMy 1. hybrid seminar HEALTH AND MEDICINE IN THE NEW ERA, Budapest, 2nd July, 2024, Institute of Chemistry of Faculty of Sciences, Eötvös Loránd University

Erasmus acaSTEMy (GAP-101104) project (full name: Trans-national STEM Teacher Education Focussing on Transversal Competence and Sustainability Education) in the frame of project activities invites to a hybrid seminar HEALTH AND MEDICINE IN THE NEW ERA, which is organized on 2nd JULY 2024, from 13:00h do 16:00 (CET).

The hybrid seminar is organized by Project Consortium partner The Institute of Chemistry of Faculty of Sciences, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.

Participation for all teachers, researchers and another interested in current STEM education is free of charge and there are links for joining the seminar:

The saved Youtube video from 1. hybrid seminar is now available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi4hcV8tbBA (in English)

The full Program of hybrid seminar is presented here:

The first acaSTEMY kick-off meeting (University of Tartu, 18-19. September 2023)

The acaSTEMy Consortium held its first kick-off meeting on 18 and 19 September 2023 at the University of Tartu, Estonia, where host and consortium leader welcomed all participants. The meeting was attended by representatives of the University of Lisbon (Cecília Galvão, Cláudia Faria), the University of Eastern Finland (Anssi Salonen, Justus Kinnunen), the Institute of Social Sciences Ivo Pilar (Josip Burušić, Mirela Crljen), the University of Latvia (Dace Namsone, Karlis Greitans), Concept Mapping Academy (Priit Reiska), Dokuz Eylul University (Bulent Cavas), Eötvös Loránd University (Luca Szalay, Edina Kiss), Ludwig Maximilian University (Silvija Markić), University of Tartu (Miia Rannikmäe, Jack Holbrook, Regina Soobard , Anne Laius, Moonika Teppo).

During the meeting, acaSTEMy project tasks and activities by work packages, project management activities and project activities, project administration activities, and communication and dissemination were discussed.